Enroll now
Enroll now

The lights overhead were blinding, but Shanya barely noticed them. Her fingers curled tightly around her notebook. Five names on the shortlist. Second runner-up and runner-up had already been announced. Three names left. Hers was one of them. The host on stage called for quiet, and the room obeyed. A drumroll rumbled through the speakers. Then it came, sharp and clear over the mic: "And the winner is… History Shall Bleed Anew." A wave of clapping. Did she really win? It took a second before her legs remembered how to move. A smile broke on her face. The realization slowly dawned. The spotlight waited. And this time, it was hers.

When Shanya Ruhela heard her name announced as the winner of the Dutch Comic Con Short Story Competition 2025, she could hardly believe it. As an Indian-born legal scholar with a PhD in law, Shanya spends her weekdays immersed in research at a Dutch university. Yet there she was at Comic Con, accepting first prize for "History Shall Bleed Anew," a fantasy tale set in a misty kingdom brimming with assassins and enchanted forests. This triumph didn't come out of nowhere, it began when Shanya decided to explore her creative side through UvA Talen's English Creative Writing course and joined the Writers’ Club right after.

Finding a creative spark beyond academia

Living in the Netherlands and working in academia, Shanya hungered for a creative outlet beyond her legal work and the Dutch language classes she was taking to settle in. "After about a year of studying Dutch, I was like, I need something more to do in the evenings which is not just work, not just chores," she recalls. "I was looking at different courses, and I came across the one at UvA Talen."

She had a choice to make: academic writing to improve her work skills, or take a plunge into something completely different? "I was lucky. I got a early-bird discount when I was applying last year for the course, and in January I took the plunge," she says. Walking into the first class, Shanya felt both excited and nervous. Creative writing was new territory. But teacher Alan Burnside quickly put the small group of students at ease.

A course that unleashed a storyteller

Over the 10-week course, Shanya learned the building blocks of fiction – from developing characters and dialogue to that old writer's mantra "show, don't tell." Each week brought new writing exercises and honest, constructive feedback from Alan and classmates.

"One of the things the course did very well was give you the depth and breadth required to tell a story," Shanya explains. "Alan was very effective in showing you how to edit your story, how to make sure it's not just a story you want to tell, but a story that readers can follow and imagine."

Alan Burnside, a seasoned English teacher who's lived everywhere from Cairo to Kyoto before settling in Amsterdam and has built the course from the ground up, remembers Shanya's progress vividly. "She was a strong character with considerable life experience – working in corporate law, from an Indian family. She brought a lot of focus and highly creative, well-expressed work," he says.

"Most people have to learn about showing and telling. You don't say 'He was angry' – you describe what that looks like. His eyes narrowed, his fists clenched."

– Alan Burnside, Creative Writing teacher at UvA Talen

He notes that many students start out shy or unsure, especially if English isn't their mother tongue. But a supportive setting can work wonders. "Most people have to learn about showing and telling. You don't say 'He was angry' – you describe what that looks like. His eyes narrowed, his fists clenched," Alan explains. "They really learn so much, so fast."

For Shanya, one big takeaway was learning to distinguish between her academic and creative voice. "Sometimes the urge to over-explain comes in, but that's where Alan was very helpful," she says. "The one thing I really like about creative writing is you can be as lyrical as possible – you just take your readers there. With academic writing, you have to be informative, and you sometimes have to rein in your lyricism."

From classroom to Comic Con champion

After finishing the course, Shanya joined the Writers' Club, an informal community for Creative Writing alumni. "We meet regularly, often more than once a month," Shanya says. "We write, we read, we discuss things together. Sometimes when you're stuck on a word choice, we'll have half-hour debates on the pros and cons."

That community kept her motivated and writing regularly. When the Dutch Comic Con announced its short story competition, her Writers' Club friends encouraged her to submit. "I submitted it in August, right on the deadline day. I'd just managed to finish the story and complete the first edit," she recalls.

The rest, as they say, is history. Shanya's story – featuring a courageous princess, an orphaned knight, and a forest out for blood – captivated the judges. Hearing her name as the winner was a whirlwind moment. "I was like, what? Are you sure? Can you say that again?" she laughs. "But honestly, I was mostly just excited to be on stage. I love fandoms – I was happy with that alone."

What comes next

Shanya's success has opened up new horizons. By day, she may still be a legal researcher, but by night she's a budding author with a notebook full of story ideas. "I'm working on a long-form fiction project (a novel) with a contemporary setting – the writing is more lyrical," she says. "But I also don't want to leave the kingdom of Ard because I'm too attached to it. I have backstories for the kings, the Gods and the folklore, and I want to use them."

Both Shanya and Alan credit the Writers' Club for making this continued journey possible. Started organically by enthusiastic organizer Cedric Meeuwis, the community gives feedback and sets deadlines to keep members motivated. "Even after the course ended, Alan made an effort to stay in touch with all of us," Shanya reflects. "It's a wonderful legacy the course has created."

Don't doubt yourself

For anyone out there hesitating to explore their own creative writing – especially those worried about their English or unsure of their talent – Shanya offers encouragement. "Take that doubt and throw it in the farthest bin you can find. I know the fear can be crippling. But life is too short to not do all the side quests you want to."

"Take that doubt and throw it in the farthest bin you can find. I know the fear can be crippling. But life is too short to not do all the side quests you want to."

– Shanya Ruhela, winner of Comic Con’s Fantastic Stories Competition Winter 2025

Alan wholeheartedly agrees. "It sounds intimidating, but it's not. It's like a group of supportive friends," he says. "If your English is good enough – say C1 or higher – you can do it. We have a lot of fun. We write haikus to teach observation, then move into short stories, flash fiction, and even micro poetry. We have guided writing exercises every step of the way – we also had a little writing competition where somebody gets murdered in a breakout room and students had to write what happened.”

Shanya Ruhela's journey from legal academic to Comic Con award-winner shows just what can happen when you take that first step. All it took was a course, a teacher, and the courage to pick up the pen. Now, a whole new chapter of her life has begun and, pun intended, she's writing it herself.

There is a writer in everyone, but do you want to explore it? Find out more about the English Writing course