In continuation from last week's blog - Guest Blog: Is Your Story Worth Telling - Part I, getting a fiction novel published in this day is a piece of cake provided you have a good manuscript. No more sending query letters and manuscripts to heavy-weight publishers and wait for their response that may or may not come. The Publishing industry is in the throes of witnessing the rise of the new age running ‘Literary Agencies’, which help pitch y...

  From where do words flow? If words flow from the mind as thoughts, then from where do these thoughts come?  Surely, there must be a place from where these thoughts float into one’s mind. I like to call it ‘the realm of heightened awareness’. In this realm, feelings, likes, and dislikes are kneaded into dough of words to appear coherent. The ink of consciousness stains the paper with tales of angst and joy. This I believe is the birthplace...

Most creative writing experts argue that writing is all about evolving and improving continuously. It is also about beginning from a certain end and imagining the unimaginable. It is also about describing what it feels like or something that a person should never feel. This is the first of  a three part creative writing programme for all you budding creative writers to follow and hone your writing skills. And remember this is just the beginning… Exerci...

  Love is an emotion of exultation, of extreme happiness, bordering on delirium and superficial onlookers may term it as insane, as many things of the heart are so readily termed. As far as books are concerned, the most popular of the love stories are the oft-repeated boy-girl romance sagas. Look at the most downloaded book of love st...

In a repressive country like ours, where even the mention of sex education is considered as some sort of crime, the overwhelming interest in erotic fiction is understandable. After all, the more you block the expression of what is natural in you, the more it will reveal itself in awkward ways. Anyway, we talk here of erotic fiction and its unrivalled popularity when it comes to eBook downloads on the BookChums site. ...

When I had just started off as a writer I would hear these admired editors say: “Your writings style is different… Your style is now like that of a professional writer… “ Okay, now I knew this was something positive and something I could be proud of, but what does ‘writing style’ mean is something I could never exactly gather. Maybe it is the words you choose, maybe it is your unique style similar to your fashion sense or maybe it is...

Most people can write. At least most of them think they can. But there are many things that distinguish a good writer from a bad one.  Here are a few criteria that will help you fathom where you belong with respect to writing and what you can do to reach the spot you want to.     Avoid words that inflate the subject A UK-based satirical magazine, Private Eye runs a regular column that ridicules the abuse of the written word where the issue is ...

Alright folks. This is not rocket science. Really.   First and foremost, before you start, ask yourself "Why am I writing? What am I writing?" You have to believe me when I say that readers nowadays are more intelligent than back then. There are a lot many budding/aspiring writers who need to work on their writing skills. And it’s not difficult. All you need is some guidance.  Here are some steps that can and will help you.   ...

Why steampunk fiction: Enter the zesty and uncanny world of steampunk fiction that is a rich assimilation of alternate history, fantasy, sci-fi elements, and speculative fiction. It forms a cult of its own with a backdrop of steam power and Victorian England. It is defined by a Victorian sartorial style, architecture, and culture. It was a time when people dreamed of submarines when none existed and let alone deep-sea exploration! Therefore a touch of illustration and cr...

Amongst the very many habits, the one that I would certainly like my daughter to inherit is the habit of reading. Seeing her seated in her own private corner devouring good books, being able to use the most fitting words, discovering the importance of pronouncing words rightly and making use of the right punctuations and pauses as and when necessary, would make me a happy mother . But for kids to inculcate such a skill set, it is important for parents to step in and br...