Neelima Vinod's Blog

Many, many years ago I visited a house where a writing ‘workshop’ was being conducted. I walked into an apartment where I was given a bunch of papers stapled together. For the next two hours, I was immersed in my imagination. I do not remember what I wrote but I do remember the happiness I […]

One of my favorite writers in the world at one point was Jayne Fisher. Not many know about her these days but she was the first writer who really inspired me. Why? She had written an entire series called The Garden Gang at the age of nine and published by no less than Ladybird Books! […]

I have been getting a couple of inquiries from parents of younger kids about whether I could design the course with little ones in mind. So I did exactly that- the new course is focused more on character building and doodling to boot. I still can not forget one of the youngish students I had […]

Yesterday we had an online book launch party to celebrate the launch of the two anthologies- Griffins and Gabbar Singh and The Firebirds Sing. Most of the students who had enrolled for the YAP sessions in 2021 showed up- the sweetest part was that some grandparents, parents, friends and family joined the event too! In […]

I’ve been spending all of last month collating the videos and pictures of the young writers who contributed to the anthologies The Firebirds Sing and Griffins and Gabbar Singh. I’ll be adding them to my social media pages soon and I am super-excited about it. Many of the students who joined are first-time writers and […]

The anthologies of 2021 are finally out! It has been a quiet year but quite a bit has happened on the YAP front. YAP has completed nine batches. This was a small dream I had- bring children from all over the world together to write fiction and it’s happening. I have been falling off the […]

Last year, I hosted a couple of Young Author Program (YAP) workshops online. It was a difficult year. We were getting used to a tirade of bad news and distressing images on a second to second basis. Borders were closing around us. Doors were being shut. Roads were filled with long lines of laborers who […]

Whenever I hold the YAP sessions, serendipity follows. This time someone gifted the YAP program as a birthday gift to a talented young writer. I … Continue Reading Young Author Program-6 in July 2020

It’s the first time that I conducted the Young Author Program online. I wondered if the ‘can you hear me?’ and the mute/unmute button would … Continue Reading Young Author Program-5 in April 2020

With a pandemic In our midst, uncertainty is the norm and though the air is cleaner, anxiety makes it hard to breathe easy. In times … Continue Reading Diving into Fantasy