Dear young writer,
Somewhere in your head there is a story that nobody else has. It might be about a dragon who is afraid of the dark, a grandmother's kitchen, a cricket match in the rain, or a question you cannot stop thinking about. Only you can tell it the way you would.
You do not need to write like a grown-up. You do not need big words or a perfect ending. You only need to write honestly, in your own voice, and keep going until you reach the last line.
A firefly is a very small light. On its own it is easy to miss. But when hundreds of them come out together, a whole dark field begins to glow. That is why our book is called Fireflies: every young writer is one small light, and together you can brighten a page, a classroom, a home, and perhaps a little corner of the country.
We believe something simple. Children who learn to say what they think, clearly and kindly, grow into the grown-ups a country needs. That is what “Write for Right India” means to us.
Here is what we hope you will do.
- Write a story, a poem or an essay. It must be your own idea and your own words.
- Read it aloud once. Fix the places that sound wrong to your ear.
- Ask a parent or guardian to help you send it to us. They will enter it for you.
- Then be proud. You finished something, and many people never do.
We will read every entry with care. We cannot fit everything into one book, so some pieces will not be chosen this time. If yours is one of them, please do not stop. Nearly every writer you have ever loved heard "not this time" many times before the day they were published.
If your writing is chosen, your words will appear in a real book, in print and as an ebook, and you will receive a certificate with your name on it, and can buy the book at a special discounted price. Your parents will be able to hold that book and say, "My child wrote this."
We are waiting to read you.
With warm wishes,
The team at Shhalaj Publishing House