ABOUT
Rachel Tey is the author of the middle-grade series Tea in Pajamas (Marshall Cavendish, 2018), three short stories, and an upcoming novel. She is the co-founder and academic director of an L&D academy, and part-time lecturer at the Nanyang Technological University. Rachel regularly conducts creative writing workshops for secondary schools and junior colleges, and contributes opinion pieces to The Straits Times and Channel NewsAsia. She holds an MA in English from the Nanyang Technological University and a BA in Sociology and European Studies (French) from the National University of Singapore.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Tea in Pajamas. Singapore: Marshall Cavendish International (Asia), 2018 (orig. publ. 2015).
Tea in Pajamas: Beyond Belzerac. Singapore: Marshall Cavendish International (Asia), 2018.
“The Midnight Mission”, in A View of Stars: Stories of Love, ed. Anitha Devi Pillai and Felix Cheong. Singapore: Marshall Cavendish International (Asia), 2020.
“City of Giants”, in The Birthday Book: Unmasking. Singapore: The Birthday Collective, 2023.
“The Cynical Sisters”, in Missed Connections: Microfiction from Asia, ed. Felix Cheong and Noelle Q. de Jesus. Singapore: Marshall Cavendish International (Asia), 2023.
WORKSHOPS
MANUSCRIPT RETREAT: WRITE AND ILLUSTRATE A SHORT STORY IN THREE HOURS
For: primary, secondary, junior college; 5-25 pax
Availability: 3 hours per session; single session
Description: Do you enjoy writing or drawing but feel intimidated by the likes of literary giants and famous artists? The truth is, the world doesn't need another JK Rowling or Rembrandt, but the unique offering that every aspiring writer can bring to the table. This word-and-art jamming workshop invites participants to create original works in a safe space that is free of judgement and comparisons—with the professional guidance of a published author and illustrator. Along the way, pick up some tips on how to formulate story outlines, plan an art brief, plot a story board, and even design a book cover.
Learning Outcomes: increased self-awareness/mindfulness in writing and drawing; designing and applying an outline and art brief for a short story; receiving and incorporating constructive critique
“PEOPLE, NOT CHARACTERS”: CRAFTING REALISTIC HUMANS IN FICTION
For: primary, secondary, junior college; 5-25 pax
Availability: 2 hours, 2.5 hours, 3 hours per session; single session
Description: Without characters, no story exists. They are the reason we read, and they are what the story is about. Yet the people who live in the fictional world aren’t just talking heads or moving bodies; they all have a past, a present, and a future; regrets, hopes and ambitions. Their decisions affect not only themselves, but also people around them and their immediate environment, greatly influencing how a plot shapes and unfolds. As such, it is important to write believable characters that readers can empathise with and relate to. In this workshop, participants will learn to create character profiles, craft convincing dialogue, build believable backstories, and understand various narrative viewpoints.
Learning Outcomes: experience in designing authentic character profiles; craft convincing dialogues; build believable backstories; and understand various narrative viewpoints in storytelling.
WHO BEFORE WHAT : SHAPING PLOT AROUND CHARACTERS
For: primary, secondary, junior college; 5-25 pax
Availability: 2 hours, 2.5 hours, 3 hours per session; single session
Description: It is possible to plot a story without first creating characters, but then you’ll just have a series of events happening, with random characters tacked on. This workshop suggests another approach: to make characters the heart of plot development. To quote author Malcolm Bradbury, “plot itself is often the product of a character or characters in their processes of development, growing self-knowledge or interaction with others.” With this in mind, this workshop will teach participants how to build believable characters whose actions and adventures give rise to a storyline that reveals more about the who and why rather than the how and what.
Learning Outcomes: apply character development into plot structure; craft vivid narrative scenes and realistic dialogue; establish cause-and-effect patterns that relate to human choices; rethink conventional notions of “beginnings” and “endings” in your stories.
BREAKING AND ENTERING: SHAPING SETTING AROUND CHARACTERS
For: primary, secondary, junior college; 5-25 pax
Availability: 2 hours, 2.5 hours, 3 hours per session; single session
Description: In any story, characters need a backdrop to anchor them firmly in a space (their surroundings at a specific point in time). Not only do readers want to know a character’s likes, dislikes, quirks, habits, strengths and weaknesses, they are also curious about the environment they inhabit. To quote author Paul Magrs, “Fiction allows the reader to become the most discreet and the most untraceable of house-breakers.” This workshop will thus show ways to invite readers into the characters’ personal and private worlds—as viewed through the characters’ eyes.
Learning Outcomes: design a scene based on knowledge on a character’s attributes; showing, not telling: use a combination of obvious and subtle details within a setting to reveal aspects about a character; “Fly on the wall” participation: an exercise using random objects as imaginative entry points into a character’s world
ABOUT OUR PROGRAMME / OUR WRITERS / OUR WORKSHOPS / OUR CAMP / F.A.Q.
Book A Writer is Sing Lit Station's workshop-for-schools programme, featuring a roster of Singapore's most important writers at work today. *Do you want to Book A Writer? For enquiries on Rachel Tey’s availability and workshop rates in Sing Lit Station's Book A Writer programme, do fill in the form below.