Buddhist Gem Fellowship (BGF)

Creative Writing Workshop

June - August, 2010

Calling All Aspiring Writers!

Dear Venerables & Dhamma Friends,

Have you ever experienced these phenomena?

 Have you secretly nursed the wish to be a great writer one day?
 Have you written something but kept it in your drawer for a long time
and never let it see the light of day?
 Do you wish you can write a good essay in your studies, a brochure, a
report, or a project and funding proposal at your work place or
organisation?
 Are you a Sunday school teacher and wish to help your students write
a good sketch for a concert?
 Do you want to learn the ropes of the trade to help you get started in
your writing and to handle challenges better?
 Do you wish to earn some income by doing part time writing?
 Do you have some expertise and challenging experiences that you
wish to share with your fellow writers?

If your answer is ‘yes’ to some of these questions, then we would like to

invite you to join us or assist in this workshop which we are organising.

Objectives of Workshop

 To provide participants with basic writing and editing skills

 To enable participants/writers to polish their writing skills
 To help participants develop strategies to cope with issues in writing
eg. getting started, writers’ block, know the market,
getting published, plagiarism
 To give participants/writers a platform to share their work and
experiences
 To provide a network where participants can stay connected,
support each other and review the progress in their work

Details of Workshop

Dates: (Please see schedule attached)

 Time: 2pm – 6pm for a Saturday & Sundays

Venue: BGF Centre, 60A 1st Floor, Jalan 19/3

46300 Petaling Jaya, Selangor.
(near Rothmans roundabout & same row of shop-
lot as Nanking Court Vegetarian Restaurant)

Fees: RM200 per person for Level I, RM150 for Level II

inclusive of tea & handouts. 50% off for full time
students, free for monastics

Language: English

Age: No limit but must have a good understanding of English

Reading List
We will compile a reading list and also share some of the books we have on
writing techniques.

Programme for Creative Writing Workshop, Level I

Date Time Topic Speaker/Volunteer

5.6 1.30pm  Registration BGF volunteers

Sat  Opening
(Public  Introduction of participants
Holiday
)
2pm Creative Writing I Mr. Thor Kah Hoong,
“So You Want To Be A Writer?” Lectured on English, Eng. Lit. & Theatre
Getting started: Studies at UM, UPM, UiTM & Sunway U.
 The ABC of Writing Chief writer, editor of books & feature
 The Golden Rules articles & columnist at NST.
Owner of Scoob Books.

4pm Tea
4.20pm Creative Writing (cont.)
6pm  Discussion
 Q&A

6.6 2pm Creative Writing II Mr. P.C. Shivadas

Sun Non-fiction Former editor-in-chief of New Straits
 Finding the right words Times & was on its board of directors
 Do’s and Don’ts

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 4pm Tea
4.20pm Creative Writing (cont.)
-6pm  Exercises, discussion
 Q&A

13.6 2pm Creative Writing III Mr. P.C. Shivadas

Sun Non-fiction
 Journalistic writing
 Articles for magazines
 Editing

4pm Tea
4.20pm Creative Writing (cont.)
6pm  Exercises
 Q&A

20.6 2pm Creative Writing IV Mr. Mano Maniam

(Sun) Fiction Writing Dramatist, author,
 Nuts & Bolts environmental activist

4pm Tea
4.20pm Creative Writing (cont.)
-6pm  Exercises, Discussions
 Feed-back, Q & A

27.6 2pm Creative Writing V Mr. Mano Maniam

(Sun)

4pm Tea
4.20pm Creative Writing (cont.)
 Exercises, Discussions
 Feed-back, Q & A

11.7 9am Writing for the Musical Stage Mr. Pun Kai Loon
(Sun)  Staging a musical play Artistic Director,
 Exercises, Discussions Dama Orchestra

10.30am Tea
11am Cont. of Work-shop Mr. Pun Kai Loon

1pm Lunch
2pm Cont. of Work-shop Mr. Pun Kai Loon
 Feed-back, Q & A

3.30pm Tea
5.30pm Summary & Evaluation Mr. Benny Liow
Editor, Eastern Horizon

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 Tentative Programme for Level II

Date Time Topic Speaker

25.7 1.30pm Registration & Introduction BGF volunteers

(Sun)

2pm Writing for Children Ms Daphne Lee

 Introduction Author, editor, columnist for children
 ABC of writing for children & young adult literature for the Star
Publications

4pm Tea

4.20pm Writing for Children (cont.)

-6pm  Do’s & Don’ts
 Exercises, Discussions
 Feed-back, Q & A

1.8 2pm Writing for Children Mr. Bugs Tan

(Sun)  Introduction Inventor, author
 Sharing experience
 Getting started

4pm Tea

4.20pm Writing for Children (cont.)

-6pm  Exercises, Discussions
 Feed-back, Q & A

8.8 2pm Lyrics/Song Writing I Mr. Tan Huat Chye ?

(Sun) Lyrics writer

3.40pm Tea
4pm Lyrics/Song Writing II Mr. Daniel Kwok
-6pm Lyrics writer

15.8 2pm Writing for Web-Pages & Blogs Mr. Oon Yeoh
(Sun)  Blogging best practices Author
 Setting up Facebook Pages &
Groups
 Twittering best practices

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 4pm Tea
4.20pm Writing for Web-Pages & Blogs
6pm (cont)

22.8 2pm Writing Funding Proposals Ms Betty Yeoh

(Sun) Programmes Manager
All Women’s Action Society (AWAM)

3.40pm Tea

4pm Getting Published Mr. Chong Tong Seng

 Knowing the market Social activist, owner of Gerak Budaya
 Plagiarism Enterprise

5.45pm Summary & Closing Mr. Benny Liow

Editor, Eastern Horizon

Organising Committee:

Quek Mei Joon 012-3517615 BGF Committee member

Barbara Yen 012-2072735 BGF Counselling Unit
yyyen27@yahoo.com
Seng Hoe BGF Committee member
Elaine

Advisor:
Benny Liow - Editor, Eastern Horizon

BGF's Web-Page: http://bgf.buddhism.org

Survey Form

For a start, we would like to know a little about you so that we can have a
frame of reference to work by. So please complete this short survey which
we hope you can send together with the application form.

 Have you written any literary works before? Yes/No*

 Have your works been published? Yes/No
 Are they fiction or non-fiction? Yes/No

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  For children or adult? Yes/No
 Prose or verse? Yes/No
 Drama? Yes/No
 Lyrics or music? Yes/No
 Cartoons? Yes/No
 Have you won any award before? Yes/No
If ‘Yes’ please specify:
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________

 Would you be interested to attend this w/shop? Yes/No

 Your expectations of the Work-shop are:
_________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________

[*Please circle/highlight where appropriate]

Any other comment?

_________________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________

Name: ______________________________________________________

Buddhist Gem Fellowship (BGF)

Creative Writing Workshop
June - August, 2010

REGISTRATION FORM

Name: _______________________________________________________

Designation: Venerable/Datuk/Datin/Dr./Mr/Ms

Affiliated to NGO/Religious Organisation:

____________________________________________________________

Home address: ______________________________________________

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_________________________________________________________

Occupation: _________________________________________________

H/p No.: _________________ Tel (Hse or Office): _________________

Email address: ____________________@__________________________

I hereby enclose Cheque No: _______________ Bank: _________________

bearing the amount RM _________________________for the Workshop.

______________________

Signature/Date

Please make cheque payable to Buddhist Gem Fellowship and send it to

the address below before 15 May, 2010. (DO NOT SEND CASH BY MAIL)

Secretariat,
Creative Writing Workshop,
c/o 35, Jalan 21/33,
46300 Petaling Jaya,
Selangor, Malaysia

or bank in at PBB 3-1096707-29 and fax your banking slip to Fax No. 03-
78746151

For BGFCU’s Use:

Amount Date Cheque/Cash Person Remark
Received Received Receiving It

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Creative Writing
Proposed talk by Bugs Tan
Topic : Writing for Children
Date : 1st Aug 2010 Sunday at BGF

Item Time min Topics Emphasis

1 2.00pm 10 min Introduction of Bugs and the Get to know the facilitator
work he does including Q & A and his unique talent

2 2.10pm 40 min Discussion on his stories for Learn from the facilitator
kids including Q & A how children stories are
1. Pokok Daun Menari created. With emphasis on
2. Crocodile Bujang 1. Building the characters
Jahat 2. Hero and supporting
3. Dayang & Her actors
Dragon 3. Settings and background

3 2.50pm 40 min Discussion on his stories for 4. Story line

kids including Q & A 5. Main message to the
1. The Feisty Tea pot reader
2. Robot Boleh 6. Events and happenings
3. The Roti Canai 7. Sub- plots
Story 8. Children language
9. Targeted readers
4 3.20pm 40 min Turning story into animation Other options to
1. Pre-production commercialize your work
2. Production through TV cartoon. The
3. Post- production facilitator explains the step
by step how this is done.
5 4.00pm 20 min Tea break

6 4.20pm 40min Screening of the animation Screening of Robot Boleh

and Young Inventor
animations
6 5.00pm 40 min Turning story into computer The facilitator reveals more
games and mobile content opportunities on what you
can do with your work.
7 5.40pm 20 min Q&A

8 6.00 Session ends Group Photo

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