The Pre-teens & Teens Writing Workshop
May 27 – May 31
This edition of the course is now full. However, if you are interested, you can still apply and we will contact you in case of any cancellation.
So you’re a pre-teen or a teenager and you love writing? You love creating characters, imagining new worlds, and dreaming up stories? Explore the writer within in this workshop.
The Himalayan Writing Retreat is hosting a Pre-teens & Teens Writing Workshop from May 27 – May 31, 2026. The earlier ones were sold out and much enjoyed by parents and kids.
The participants should be between 11 – 16 years of age.
The workshop is custom built for pre-teens & teenagers. You learn the framework for writing a good story or novel. You work closely with a writing coach and get personalized attention. You write. You share. You get feedback. And you become a better writer.
Students love Anupama Dalmia’s style of teaching creative writing. She been doing it for six years, and has helped over 13,000 kids and teens get better at creative writing till date through her organisation, “Beyond the Box”.
She strongly believes that learning can be fun. Her teaching methods encourage students to express themselves without the fear of being judged. She has conducted events at various schools, communities and public places, and has also come up with numerous pioneering initiatives and projects for unleashing the creativity in children like BTB Talkies – the first audio book in the world by kids, for kids.
As a person she is driven and energetic, and her list of accomplishment could fill up a whole page. You can find further details about her in the ‘About the Instructor’ section.
This retreat will be hosted at the Himalayan Writing Retreat in the Uttarakhand Himalayas. It is rated 5/5 from over 400 google reviews. CN Traveller also covered it in this article.
Can a 3 – day workshop make me a writer?
Expecting a writing workshop to make you a great writer is like expecting a six-pack after your first workout at a gym.
Writing is a continuous process. You evolve every day. It needs a lot of patience, consistency, dedication, and practice.
This workshop introduces you to the craft of writing. You understand the various elements of the craft – basic skills, good practices & tools for writing and editing. Taking the metaphor of carpentry, you will learn to cut wood in straight lines, and hammer nails without bending them. But to make that perfect table will take a lot of hard work even after the workshop is done. In this workshop you will put together a few elements which will help you write a great story. But not the finished work – that table. That will need you to diligently work on after the workshop.
The Himalayan Workshop sessions are held in the open or in the book lounge. Some meals maybe served in the open too if the weather is good. The outdoors are a very inviting and inspiring here.
We only accept a total of six families in one workshop on a first-come first-served basis. To apply for this course, please click the blue button below and fill out the application. If accepted, you can pay the fees to secure your spot.
The price is INR 27,600 (+GST) for each participant and INR 19,800 (+GST) for each accompanying adult. These prices include your stay, meals and taxes.
About the Instructor
Anupama Dalmia
Anupama is a multiple award winning blogger, author, serial entrepreneur with three ventures, sociopreneur, digital content creator, creative writing mentor, choreographer and mother to a 8-year-old. She is a Karamveer Chakra awardee which is a Global Civilian Honour presented by International Confederation of NGOs in association with the United Nations. She has been featured among the top bloggers and influencers of India on multiple leading platforms and her entrepreneurial journey has been covered by coveted media like Official Humans of Hyderabad, The Hindu, The New Indian Express, Business World, Femina, The Better India, Women’s Web, TOI Group, Influglue, Youth Ki Awaaz and YourStory to name a few. She was featured by Zee News and Tribune among the 100 Influential Indians of 2022.
Anupama is the Founder & Chief Mentor at Beyond the Box which is a literary platform that focuses on honing the creative writing skills of children with a holistic approach. She strongly believes that learning is fun when you make it fun, and employs unconventional strategies to enable children to express without the fear of being judged and bloom to their full potential. She has reached out to 13,000+ kids across the globe till date through her classes and workshops at various schools, communities and public events, and has also come up with numerous pioneering initiatives and projects for unleashing the creativity in children like BTB Talkies – the first audio book in the world by kids, for kids. For her contribution in this space, she was awarded ‘Educationist of the Year’ award at IBM Awards 2020 and Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan Award 2020. Beyond the Box was declared the 1st Runner Up at Global Book Community Awards 2020 in the category of “Best community for Children and Young Adults” out of 1000+ participating communities from around the world. You can find further details about her here.
Detailed Program – Pre-teens & Teens Writing Workshop
Day 0
Arrive any time, settle in, enjoy the views, clean air and good weather
- 5 pm – Tea & snacks
- 6 pm – Walk to a natural fresh water spring
- 7 pm – Word Tambola for students and family
- 8 pm – Dinner
Day 1
- 8:30 am – Breakfast
- 9:30 am – Introductions/Fun Story-telling Session for the students (Adults can also join if interested)
- 10 am – 1 pm : Basic elements of story writing for students – Plot, Characters, Setting, Conflict & Climax. Adults can choose to relax or visit Mukteshwar/nearby areas during the first half
- 1 pm – Lunch
- 2 – 3 pm : The students finish home-work from morning session
- 4 pm : Foraging Walk for adults and kids
- 5:30 pm – Tea/Juice & Snack back at the retreat
- 6:30 pm – Share your talent/Open mike (adults and kids)
- 8:00 pm – Dinner
Day 2
- 9 – 10 am – Picnic Breakfast on the Ridge (Weather / Schedule Permitting)
We walk up to a nearby ridge and have a picnic breakfast under pine trees. Parents can continue their walk on the ridge and visit the village temple. They can then head back to the retreat. - 10 am – 1 pm : Writing session for students – Dialogues & Descriptions (Imagery, ‘Show, Don’t Tell’)
- 1 pm – Lunch
- You will be free after lunch in case you want to plan any local visits or sightseeing as a family
- 5 pm – Tea & Snacks
- 6 pm – Fun Story Chain Activity (adults & kids)
- 8:00 pm – Dinner
Day 3
- 8:30 am – Breakfast
- 9:30 am – 10 am – Divergent Thinking activity for students (parents can also attend)
- 10 am – 1 pm – Writing session for students – Story Structure, Conflict and Climax. Writing a short story based on concepts learnt.
- 1 pm – Lunch
- 2 pm – 4 pm – Editing/Feedback – One-on-one sessions of about 30 minutes each with the students
- 4:30 pm – Walk up to Navin’s chai shop for Tea, Samosas & optional shopping for hand made/locally made products at Kilmora (local NGO store).
- 6:30 pm – Sharing stories by the bonfire – all students and adults have to be present. The students will be reading aloud the stories that they have written. These stories will also be published in the Kids’ Corner section of Beyond the Box website.
- 8:00 pm – Dinner
Day 4
- 8:30 am – Breakfast
- 9:30 am – Feedback forms
- 10 am onwards – Departures
Travel and Stay
The Himalayan Writing Retreat is built for writing and learning. We are rated 5-star on google and facebook.
Once here, you will be sharing a room with a fellow participant (unless we’ve confirmed a single). All essentials like food, hot water, towels etc. are provided. No hidden costs.
It can snow in winter. Weather can vary and the weather chart of Mukteshwar (12 km from the retreat) is here. A pair of sturdy walking shoes, some rain protection and an extra layer or two are always a good idea.
Our rooms are built to let nature in and inspire you. To see pictures of the rooms click here . To see pictures of the writing spaces click here
Depending upon where you travel in from, you can reach us by road, train or air. Even if flying or taking a train, the final stretch is a drive, and the last 150 metres is a walk.
By Road
The retreat is a 370 km/9 hours drive from Delhi. If driving, we recommend you leave early. Note that parking at the retreat is on the road – we do not have any private parking. We have limited driver accommodation, so please check in advance.
Overnight Volvo buses ply between Haldwani and Delhi, the more reliable of which are government operated. You can book those here. Private Volvos and Sleeper buses also ply between Delhi and Haldwani, which you can book on redbus. Make sure you pick a bus with a high (4+) rating.
By Train
There are three trains a day from Delhi to Kathgodam, the nearest train station. Some others also come in from Kolkata, Lucknow and Dehradun. From Delhi, Ranikhet Express is a convenient overnight train both ways, but finding tickets can be difficult.
Most people prefer to take the Kathgodam Shatabdi (Delhi dep: 6.20 AM, Kathgodam Arr: 11.40 AM). A cab from Kathgodam to Satkhol takes about 2.5 hrs / Rs. 2200 (more for a big car). Cabs are often shared by participants.
By Air
There are daily flights from Delhi to Pantnagar. A cab from Pantnagar to Satkhol takes about 3.5 hr / Approx INR 4K.
There are direct flights from Mumbai and Bangalore to Bareilly 3-4 days a week. Satkhol is a 5hr / INR 5.5k cab ride from Bareilly. (More for a big car). Cabs are often shared by participants.
FAQs
1. Why should I choose HWR Workshops?
Personal Attention: We don’t take more than 15 students in a class. You get a lot of personal attention and feedback. No classrooms of 20-30 people or one-way pre-recorded videos here.
Class Quality: For most courses, we filter our participants. You can’t just pay and sign up. We need to see a writing sample (in our application form) to ensure the class is of a uniform standard.
Cost per hour: Our courses are long and intense. As an example, the Creative Writing course is 18000 for 24 contact hours (3 days, 8 hours each day). The cost per hour = 750 / hour. That is comparable to many of the “cheaper” courses.
Quality of faculty: No lightweights here. Many of our faculty are award-winners. All are experts and great teachers. We don’t settle for average.
Feedback scores: Across courses, we are rated 4.5/5, or higher. You can read our reviews HERE.
2. Do I get a certificate of participation?
Yes, certificates are available on request.
3. Any discounts for students / other categories?
At the Himalayan Writing Retreat, we follow a strict No-Discount policy.
4. Is the workshop fee refundable?
Our cancellation policy is as follows:
For Physical Workshops:
- 100% refund (less 5% of total programme fee) on cancellation 40 days or more before the event start date.
- 50% refund if cancellation is between 20-40 days before start date.
- 0% refund if cancellation is less than 20 days before the start date.
For Online Workshops:
- 100% refund (less 5% of total programme fee) on cancellation 15 days or more before the event start date.
- 50% refund if cancellation is between 15 to 7 days before start date.
- 0% refund if cancellation is less than 7 days before the start date.
5. Is the Himalayan Writing Retreat a business or an NGO?
The Himalayan Writing Retreat is a social enterprise. It works closely and actively with two local NGOs in its community work initiatives: Chirag and Alaap. In 2020, HWR raised INR 6.1 Lakhs to support the Chirag School.
Have more questions? Feel free to write to us at info@himalayanwritingretreat.com or connect with us at +91 73035 16665 (call or WhatsApp).
Event Summary
*GST extra
