Shoot or you lose: How to create effective beginnings
No matter in which genre you are writing, your beginning should be catchy. No long narratives, please. Even describing the scenery is now outdated. You need something different, something radical, something . . . well, extraordinary. Take, for example, these two extracts from Moby Dick (Herman Melville) and Midnight’s Children (Salman Rushdie).
“Call me Ishmael. Some [...]
Free Fiction Writing Tutorial: How to create convincing dialogues
Click on the image above to watch the tutorial.
Dare to write differently? Come aboard
For me, fiction writing is a combination of art and craft. Your imagination, thoughts, experience and feelings create a hazy outline of a story, and your skill in fiction writing sharpens that outline into a structured story. As a fiction writer, you need to become an expert artist and a skillful craftsman. In this article, [...]
What do readers of fiction like?
The greatest concern of every fiction writer is the readers. It is astonishing how much a writer thinks about his readers who are complete strangers to him. Most professional writers write to be read, and most beginners write to flush out their feelings or the hooglepoogle going inside their heads. I did the same when [...]
Where are my children?
She had worked day and night for her son’s wedding. Her two-room flat was crammed with relatives and friends who had dropped in from all over the country. She dragged her tiny plump body from one room to another, telling the girls to hurry up with their make-up. It was time for the baraat to [...]
Interior Monologue
Interior monologue is a tool through which a writer can exhibit the thoughts of the characters to the readers. Shakespeare used interior monologue in the form of a soliloquy (where a character speaks to himself, thus revealing his thoughts). Many fiction writers use interior monologue to show the mental state of a character, his doubts, [...]
Attack on Taslima Nasrin
The insensitive attack on Bangadeshi writer Taslima Nasrin by Majid-Ittehad-ul Muslimeen (MIM) activists should be condemned and punishment should be demanded for those who were involved in the attack. Such undemocratic behavior in the world’s largest democratic country should not be tolerated.
Yoga: Going Beyond Boundaries
Is it possible for us to remain healthy in mind and body throughout our lives without ever having to undergo an operation or destroying our already diseased body with medicines? Through decades of experimentation, yogis (those who practice yoga) found effective ways through which our body and mind can be strengthened and trained [...]
Birth of feminism and its form in the nineteenth century
Feminism has been a controversial and a highly debated issue of our day. An unreasonably long period of submission (some call it slavery) through which women have passed, has led to a reaction equally strong. The pioneer of feminism, Margaret Fuller, challenged the accepted rules and discrimination against women in America and the rest of [...]
Holm Farm rakes up memories of the freedom struggle
Holm Farm is a beautiful British bungalow, now a heritage hotel, surrounded by the picturesque Kumaon hills in Uttaranchal, India. The place is special because of the history connected with it. Holm Farm was the residence of a revolutionary, Madan Mohan Upadhyaya, which was also used by top Congress leaders for confidential meetings.
Patal Bhubneshwara: The unexplored caves of India
Patal Bhubneshwara is a small and remote village 120-km from Almora in the Kumaon hills. The cave has been named after the village. The place is accessible by road surrounded by thick forest and a spectacular view of rows of hills all around. Hotels around 2 km from the cave in the middle of [...]
Roshanara: The Forgotten Princess
Roshanara’s grave show little signs that once she was such a powerful and influential princess. Her tomb, situated near Sabzi Mandi in North Delhi is a poorly maintained structure lying in shambles. It is hard to believe that when Roshanara lived, her palace was in the middle of a dense forest where now there is [...]
Life of Pi by Yann Martel
Life of Pi by Yann Martel is an exciting and highly adventurous tale of a young boy named Piscine Molitor Patel nicknamed Pi. The novel first deals with Pi’s childhood where we are introduced to his family, a mamaji (uncle) and his classmates. Pi’s father runs a zoo, his mother is a housewife and his [...]
The Collected Short Stories of Roald Dahl
Roald Dahl is mostly known as an author of children’s books, but his short story collection dilutes that impression. It is a treat for anybody who is looking for mystery, adventure, twist-in-the-tale and unique ideas. The collection of his short stories includes Kiss Kiss, Someone Like You, Switch Bitch, Over to You etc.
Shakespeare’s Daughter and Other Plays by C.D. Sidhu
Dr. C.D. Sidhu’s collection of plays has the rare quality of clarity, sincerity and honesty in presenting life as he sees it; brutal, evasive and filled with hypocrisy. The collection includes plays such as Bhajno, Baba Bantu, The College Will Remain Closed Tomorrow, Shakespeare’s Daughter, and Indumati and Satyadev. The plays are translated from Punjabi.
