writer’s LAB | Experiments: Contemporary Fiction
Experiments: Contemporary Fiction is a weekly writer’s LAB for emerging writers to respond to works of literature, and conduct their own experiments writing prose. The goal is to build a collaborative space to push prose writing to new places while writing in conversation with literary ancestors. Together, we will break down and dissect texts, and learn to respond to them in bold, original ways, and borrow approaches from a variety of writers to develop our own writing projects.
This is a 10-week program for writers to come together and advance their own work through weekly assignments, readings, and discussion. Each session will be built around one particular writer, and a selection of their works. Participants will be invited to read and respond to work through exercises in each session, and participate in writing exercises. No prior knowledge of texts is expected.
About the facilitator
Vidhi Doshi is passionate about building community through storytelling. She currently runs a restorative arts project with the prison service in Mumbai. She wrote the text for The Lost Archive, a series of stories for an immersive installation at G5A. She also co-wrote a screenplay that was selected for the Screenwriters Association Pitchfest. She is working on her first novel.
Course dates: April 5- June 7, 2025
Schedule
Week 1
Extracts from Orbital, by Samantha Harvey
11:00- 13:00 | Space
Week 2
Various Extracts, Gabriel Garcia Marquez
11:00- 13:00 | Place
Week 3
Extracts from Birds of A Feather and Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, Louis de Bernieres
11:00- 13:00 | Characters
Week 4
Extracts from Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close Jonathan Safran Foer
11:00- 13:00 | Relationships
Week 5
Extracts TBD
11:00- 13:00 | Voice
Week 6
Various Extracts – Kundera, Borges, and more
11:00- 13:00 | Philosophies
Week 7
Extracts from Half Blood Blues, Esi Edugyan
11:00- 13:00 | Music
Week 8
Various Extracts – Inventing and Owning Language
11:00- 13:00 | Language
Week 9
Extracts from Svetlana Alexievich
11:00- 13:00 |Truth
Week 10
Extracts from Adam Haslett
11:00- 13:00 | Form
Submission Guidelines
Do go through our submission guidelines before submitting your work.
- Eligibility criteria:
- Attendance for the entire duration of the course is mandatory
- You should be 18 years or above to apply
- Submission guidelines:
- Submissions will only be accepted through the form below
- Only one submission per person will be accepted
- Only the first submission received will be considered
- Please note before applying for the course:
- Registration is required but does not guarantee access to the course.
- While all submissions will be considered, there are limited slots for the course, therefore confirmations will only be sent to participants who have been selected.
- The course will be conducted in English and participants will be expected to be fluent.
Registration deadline: March 15, 2025
FAQs
- When and where will the Writers Lab be conducted?
- Saturday mid-mornings at G5A’s Study. You’ll be expected to attend all 10 weeks which run from the first week of April to mid-June.
- What’s the cohort size?
- Up to 10.
- What’s the fee?
- 8000 INR
- Is the class in English?
- Yes. The language of instruction and the texts will be in English.
- Are we looking only at fiction writing?
- Yes. We are looking at prose fiction.
- What’s the aim of the 10 sessions?
- The classes are designed to show you how to read like a writer, to participate in the wider conversations happening between generations of writers in English language fiction, and experiment with techniques in your own writing. Your goal is to have written two short stories by the end of the 10 weeks and the opportunity to have these reviewed and discussed with the group.
- What’s the application process?
- Applicants are required to fill in the application form.
- How do I get in touch with the team?
- For any further queries, please write to academy@g5afoundation.org
Points to note
- Registration is required but does not guarantee access to the course.
- While all submissions will be considered, there are limited slots for the course, therefore confirmations will only be sent to participants who have been selected.
- The course will be conducted in English and participants will be expected to be fluent.