From Roots to Pages: A Teen Heritage Writing Workshop
Updated: 2 days ago
Mahatma Gandhi once said,
“A nation’s culture resides in the hearts and in the soul of the people.”
On May 29, 2026, a collaboration between the Quezon City Public Library and Scribblory Writing and Tutorial Services titled "From Roots to Pages: A Teen Heritage Writing Workshop" was held and began at 2:00 p.m.
The venue was packed with multiple participants of different ages, from the eager pre-teens to the keen teenagers, each from different sides of town—all excited to learn from this event. The workshop began with an icebreaker, an activity where participants would spend time getting to know one another by sharing things about themselves, such as their name, where they are from, and why they joined the workshop.
Afterwards, a talk about heritage from our very own Founder and Managing Director, Elaine Marie Factor, started, where she discussed what heritage is, but more importantly, how one can talk about the story of one’s heritage through two different genres of storytelling: Memoir Writing and Fiction Writing.
Ms. Elaine focused on the memoir writing aspect, imparting her knowledge and experience in this genre, discussing memoir as a non-fiction story featuring a slice of your life with your truth, your story, and your narration, and connecting it with finding meaning in “your history” (or“kasaysayan” in Tagalog) and reasons for writing a memoir, from leaving a legacy to healing. There are many reasons one writes a memoir, and all of which are a part of your heritage. This topic was discussed in great detail by Ms. Elaine.
Lastly, she concluded her part in the workshop by discussing the writing process, a system where the writer must think about what he or she will write and how they will write it, bearing different variables in mind such as determining the beginning and end of the story, making the reader feel what they felt at the time, impact, finding meaning, and lastly, writing about what was on one’s mind at the time.
The second part of the workshop about heritage was about fiction writing, a topic discussed by Lark Guillermo Tejano, the Operations Manager of Scribblory Writing and Tutorial Services. Mr. Tejano discussed what a fiction story is as a literary work based on imagination, how to find a story idea, and the elements of a story, focusing on the plot, characters, setting, conflict, and theme, with an emphasis on character development and the hero’s journey: what happens to them, how they grow and solve their conflicts, and, more importantly, how all the elements of a story work depending on each other and work as a sum of each part.
The last part of the workshop involved a writing activity where the participants were tasked with making a story by choosing one story from any of the following prompts:
Write a story that occurred at home.
Write a story about your family.
Write a story about a trip you took anywhere in the Philippines.
After a 20-minute writing time, some of the participants volunteered to read aloud their work.
Overall, it was a very successful event full of creativity, joy, and learning. Before closing the program, Scribblory officially handed over books donated by some of Scribblory authors. Everyone left with a new perspective and a feeling of fulfillment.
QCPD Public Library is a newly opened library in the heart of Quezon City. It welcomes readers, both young and old, into their community, offering a comfortable and creative space conducive to reading and writing. If you're looking for a home to your pre-loved books, you may donate them to QCPD Library so they could fill up their shelves and add more value to their reading community!
About the Writer
Lark Guillermo "Guilly" Tejano is an educator and businessman with a passion for martial arts, fantasy fiction, and graphic novels. He enjoys teaching children and supporting Scribblory with its day-to-day activities.
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