With a little encouragement from her older sister, Year 10 student Maysaa Maghchouch first came to Story Factory last year to join the regular after-school workshops in creative writing.
This year, she is embarking on a journey to write her very own novella – plus sequels. “I used to do a bit of short-story writing, and my sister saw that I had this interest in writing,” says Maysaa. “She saw a post from Story Factory on Instagram and suggested I join their program. I came here every Monday last year from Term 3 and did the term-long workshops. Story Factory gave me new ideas to use in my writing.”
These term-long programs helped give Maysaa the time and skills to create the story for her upcoming book, a “romantasy” (a blend of romance and fantasy) novella which follows a young woman who discovers she has special powers and embarks on a journey of self-discovery and adventure. “I’ve got all the details planned out,” says Maysaa. “The main character’s storyline – that’s already five books, and then her mother’s storyline, that’s another three books. I already had this story when I started with Story Factory – I’ve been building on the idea since 2022. I actually go out of my way to come to Story Factory to work on it. I’ve been here every week this year because I really, really enjoy it.”
Something that inspires Maysaa’s writing is her art. All of her characters and storylines start with her own original drawings. “To write, I’ll start with drawing something, and then I’ll either discard it or I’ll move into a new idea,” Maysaa says. “From that idea I’ll start a new storyline. There will be new characters, new personalities and new powers – all from a tiny drawing. I can really branch an idea out from a drawing. “Story Factory encourages me to use my art to create my book. Whenever I get bored in class at school, I come back to my story for Story Factory.”
Her debut novella (yet to be titled) will be published by Story Factory in December. We can’t wait to see her amazing writing and illustration work come to life.
Excerpt from Maybe a truth, a short story by Maysaa Maghchouch: We went bowling, I won like always. We ordered more and more food – milkshakes, slushies, curly fries, nuggets. It was all so pre-French Revolution coded – greasy, excessive, like the world was put on pause and no one else mattered. We played games, went on go-karts, and finished the night with a tense game of laser-tag. This gathering was the first of many, the start to a bittersweet end.
