I am attending a Write-Shop

I am attending a Write-Shop

To how many of you is “Write-shop” a new word? I bet 90% of this page reader is hearing this so called “Write-shop” for the first time. Am I right? Excuse me I am wrong. 

Well, for me, write-shop is a new concept, totally new. I heard and even attended in the work-shop (A kind of work conference) but never to the write-shop. However, I am doing it now and I am feeling overly excited. And that’s the reason why I am writing this. 

Write-shop in my own understanding is a conference particularly designed and dedicated to write, write and write under the facilitation and supervision of some others. For Researchers, write-shop will mean like writing and documenting what has been experimented and found out and for the field workers, it would mean the same-documenting what is experienced and learnt. But for a person like me who is neither a Researcher nor the field workers, I am taking Write-shop as a forum to improvise the basics and the skills in writing.

Today, under the facilitation of the Programme Director of ARDC, Wengkhar, I have joined the ARDC staffs in the Write-shop. The PD said that ‘Writing is what is lacking among us’ We do lots of findings and releasing but documenting is rarely or at all not done. Therefore, a write-shop is scheduled particularly to document the activities carried out. 

The most interesting thing about a write-shop is that everybody writes. Whether you are a good writer or a bad OR whether you want to write or not, everybody writes in the write-shop. Isn’t it like a ‘Reading Period’ while you were at school? You have to read or at least pretend to be reading in that period. However, the only difference is that write-shop has no room for pretending. While reading period has no show-case, the show-case in the write-shop is that you will have to produce a write-up at the end. So, everybody writes in the write-shop. 

One thing here is, when I am repeatedly saying write-shop is a conference where you write, it is not that everyone is writing on a single topic. The topic is a choice to the writers but everything does not qualify to become a topic here. The write-up from this workshop will go as a journal, as a reference and as guidelines for the upcoming activities. So, it should be professionalized. While the staffs of ARDC are writing on the various Research related topic, I am also writing on a topic related to my official requirement.

To make the event more exciting, the management of ARDC has even planned of an award to the best article. Isn’t it motivational? Yes, it must be motivating all. Everyone in the room is saying like ‘write well if you want to have the award.’

A day-long writing hours doesn’t become a write-shop. This is because expecting a good research article in a day is a dream not to be dreamt. So, ARDC has kept this whole week for the write-shop and the staffs were given the last entire week to gather the information for this event. So, write-shop is fully systematic. Nobody in the write-shop comes empty handed and un-prepared. 

I can certainly say that the ‘write-shop’ is an innovation of ARDC because I haven’t heard of other Departments in Bhutan conducting similar event. Or do they? 

You know, the sole reason why I am writing this is because I wish my readers to try implementing similar event in the organization that you are working. ‘Bhutanese definitely are not a poor writer but a poor attempter.’ Why not, every one of us gives an attempt to write? Let it be rubbish, let your article make no sense but let us not fail to attempt writing. This is one way how we can contribute to Tsa-wa-sum.

Well, I am still in the office now. I have written this after the office hours. I have invested not more than an hour for this page. So, excuse me if it is not giving any meaning but I at least didn’t fail to attempt in writing this. 

Probably, in my next update, I am wishing of bringing the lessons learnt and the outcome of this write-shop for your replication, if interested. Please keep following.