Book Review: The Diary of a Young Girl (Anne Frank)

We are doing a Book Review Blog Chain again on AW. It's quite strange that though I read far more fiction than non-fiction, whenever I am supposed to write a review, I am always reading non-fiction. I am not really much of a reviewer, so I write my own experience of the book. This particular book, "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank, trascends genres for me. It is simply remarkable, and no amount of adjectives are going to do justice to what reading experience it made for me. Okay, let's start from the beginning. Most of you have probably heard of Anne Frank, but if you haven't, she was a jewish teenager in amsterdam, who went into hiding with her family during WWII. Anne, along with her parents and sister, and four other people (another family, and a single man) hid in an annex of her father's office for two years before they were found on August 4, 1944. Reading about wars, especially about people's personal experiences is a difficult thing for many people. One of my colleagues owns this book but has never read it. I said to her that she must read it. She said she doesn't like reading sad stories. I dropped the topic then, but it has bothered me. I don't particularly like sad stories either, but we cannot ignore our past just because it is sad. And in cases like Anne Frank's Diary, it is about more than a short story. It is about a person's journey. It is about the life they lived, not the one they lost. I think it deserves to be read. Anne started her diary at the age of 13 when she got one for a birthday present. Soon afterwards, they went into hiding, but throughout those two years Anne kept the diary. What is remarkable is that it is a diary of a teenager, but also a very insightful girl who decided she wanted to be a writer. She called her diary "Kitty" and really treated it like a person, because she had never been able to completely confide in any one person. Kitty was the only one Anne could bare her soul to. Writing became her salvation. Along with the complains about family, and the teenage emotions, as the times passes, Anne's maturity is clearly in evidence. At 14, she is already on the road to search for self, to understand herself and to understand the world. War is of course part of her entries, but majority of focus is given to life; their life in the Annex, and Anne's own feelings and hopes for the future. Anne's parents put great weight on education; both Anne and her sister were clever and interested in learning. They continued to study by correspodence courses while in hiding. But I believe it was Anne's own nature, as well as the circumstances she lived in made her mature far before her years. The kind of things she starts thinking about at 14-15, I did not start thinking about until 20ish. Personally for me, this book touched me very much, because it is the first time that I have "heard" someone in their own words, whose experiences of feelings and of self-search match mine so closely that some of her entries mirror what I wrote in my diaries years ago. It was as if I was exploring my own mind, while continuing on Anne's journey. It's the person who spoke to me. War - while important - was secondary. I do believe that it is a story of a remarkably talented girl, and had she lived, she would have become a great writer. She said that "I want to go on living even after my death!" and she accomplished that with the diaries she left behind. Here are some excerpts: [still an ordinary life] Sunday, 21 June 1942 Dearest Kitty, Our entire class is quaking in its boots. The reason, of course, is the forthcoming meeting in which the teachers decide who'll move up to the next form and who'll be kept back. Half the class is making bets. [different form of fear] Thursday, 1 October 1942 Dear Kitty, Yesterday I had a horrible fright. At eight o'clock the doorbell suddenly rang. All I could think of was that someone was coming to get us, you know who I mean. But I calmed down when everybody swore it must have been either pranksters or the postman. [growing up] Saturday, 22 January 1944 Dearest Kitty, Can you tell me why people go to such lengths to hide their real selves? Or why I always behave very differently when I'm in the company of others? Why do people have so little trust in one another? I know there must be a reason, but sometimes I think it's horrible that you can't ever confide in anyone, not even those closest to you. [a writer] Wednesday, 5 April 1944 ...I'm my best and harshest critic. I know what's good and what isn't. Unless you write yourself, you can't know how wonderful it is... ...I want to go on living even after my death! And that's why I'm so grateful to God for having given me this gift, which I can use to develop myself and to express all that's inside me! When I write I can shake off all my cares. My sorrow disappears, my spirits are revived! But, and that's a big question, will I ever be able to write something great, will I ever become a journalist or a writer? I hope so, oh, I hope so very much, because writing allows me to record everything, all my thoughts, ideals and fantasies. Rest of the Participants in the Blog Chain Are: PREVIOUS - Collectonian - http://collectonian.livejournal.com Lost Wanderer - http://www.lostwanderer5.blogspot.com NEXT - DavidZahir - http://zahirblue.blogspot.com/ RavenCorrinCarluk - http://www.ravencorrinncarluk.blogspot.com Jackie A - http://sherrygloagtheheartofromance.blogspot.com/ Forbidden Snowflake - http://alleslinks.com/ veinglory - http://thefleam.blogspot.com/

Guilty Pleasures

This month for AW Blog Chain, we are doing a post about our Guilty Pleasures. Shethinkstoomuch posted before me, and the next person in the chain is Lindzy1954. Guilty Pleasures. I must admit, it was quite difficult for me to come up with some because in books and tv especially, I am bit of a snob, and if it's tacky, I probably won't like it. Then there is the fact that I am of the opinion that if I like something, there is no reason to feel guilty about it. So hardly guilty pleasures. But I have come up with a few things finally... Some children's programs/movies - and I don't mean great stories like Harry Potter or the Golden Compass. There are some which are obviously meant for just kids, but I still enjoy them. Not many, but here are the few things: Disney movies - Atlantis, Anastasia. These two I have got on DVD, and I simply love them. Anastasia even has a sing-along extra feature for songs, and yes, I do that. Only when I am alone though. :P Jane and the Dragon - one sunday morning, flicking through channels, I came across this, and I just found it totally endearing. I even love their title song. Jane is a girl knight, and she works for a king, and lives in the castle. She found a dragon, who has now become her friend. And there is a boy knight who is jealous of Jane because she kicks his ass at everything. Another guilty pleasure is stationary. I do not need anything. I already have enough stuff to fill an isle in a stationary shop, but I just love it. Especially journals. I have a real thing for them. And pens. Notebooks. Stickers. You can see where this is going... Totally unrealistic but hero-always-wins type of action movies/shows. One man cannot fight 20 people at once, and win. That's what the realistic people tell me. My answer to that is, who cares? The action looks cool on the tv, and the hero wins. If I wanted reality, I would watch documentaries. Here is a list of all participants in the chain: Claire Crossdale - http://theromanticqueryletter.blogpost.com Fresh Hell - http://freshhell.wordpress.com shethinkstoomuch - http://shethinkstoomuch.wordpress.com lostwanderer5.blogspot.com - http://www.lostwanderer5.blogspot.com Lindzy1954 - http://www.lindsayncurrie.webs.com RavenCorrinnCarluk - http://www.ravencorinncarluk.blogspot.com Forbidden Snowflake - http://alleslinks.com/ AuburnAssassin - http://clairegillian.wordpress.com/ DavidZahir - http://zahirblue.blogspot.com/ Charlotte49ers - www.amandaplavich.com Fokker Aeroplanbau - http://rightfarright.blogspot.com/ laharrison - http://lesleyharrison.wordpress.com/ collectonian - http://collectonian.livejournal.com capes&corsets - http://theseventhcircleofelle.wordpress.com/ vfury - http://helencorcoran.wordpress.com/ Bsolah - http://benjaminsolah.com/blog JackieA - http://sherrygloagtheheartofromance.blogspot.com/ LadyCat - http://carolsrandomness.blogspot.com AimeeLaine - www.aimeelaine.com/writing/blog

2009 Wrap-Up

For AW December Blog Chain our Theme is Wrap-up 2009. I am going to focus on how this year has been pivotal for my writing. I have been writing for several years, but not consistently, and not really in an organised or focused method. In the beginning of this year, I became acutely aware of that, and I realised that unless I did something about it, my dream to become an author was going to remain just that. In February, I came across an ad for writer’s bureau. I have posted here all about the signs behind that and why it was the right thing for me to do. But basically, that decision made the whole year productive. It wasn’t the course itself that changed things. But because of the course, I began to focus on writing. I learned about blogging, started my writing blog, joined AW, and began to connect to some wonderful fellow writers. I finally realised that there was hell of a lot of information out there about improving my craft, and so I began to look for that too. I feel that in this one year, I have made more progress than the last six years put together (Fall 2002 is when I first thought about writing a book). Those years weren’t wasted, because I did write a lot, and so I wasn’t starting with a totally blank page. But that learning wasn’t focused. Now, I know where I am going (I think). So here are a few things that I have figured out in 2009: Short Fiction

• Short stories for popular magazines (i.e. women’s magazines) are not really my thing. I don’t like to read them, and I don’t particularly like to write them.
• I prefer flash fiction over short stories.
• Short stories that I enjoy reading are mostly literary. My favourite place to read them is the New Yorker.
• Short stories I enjoy writing are quite hard to find markets for, because they are all non-mainstream.
• A flash fiction can be a powerful piece if done properly.

Novels

• I don’t lack ideas. I don’t believe in writer’s block.
• If I am not writing, it’s because (a) I am lazy (b) I am not in the right state of mind (c) I am too tired. Usually, it’s (a).
• I started off writing in only third person POV, but now I have realised that I am far better at first person POV, so I really need to work on my third person skills.
• I am not quite sure yet what genre is THE ONE for me – if there is one. But I want to finish books in the three genres I have got going and see how I feel (Fantasy – various different types, Science Fiction, Multi-cultural)

Misc.

• I have finally figured out the outline method that works for me. I credit my NaNoWriMo 2009 success (full draft at 81K) to that outline. No more unplanned drafts for me
• The most daunting thing about my current projects I face is sorting through the early finished drafts, which were written without any planning that it makes them much harder than starting something from scratch
• I love NaNo. For first drafts, it’s a brilliant method, and I intend to do it at least twice a year. Once officially, and once in November.

Reading

• Reading is just as important as writing, because if it wasn’t for the love of books, I wouldn’t be writing. I am happy that my reading for last three months (since I started recording) has gone well. You can what I have read here. I am going to set myself a goal to read a certain amount of books in 2010, and keep it on this blog.

Life

• Having a realistic dream to follow changes everything. Having a purpose fills the heart and soul with passion, and makes the life worth living. Achieving that dream might be very hard, but it’s still better than having no dream at all

And in the words of Warner Bros, “That’s All Folks!” I am the first in the chain, and the next person is Claire Crossdale. The rest of the participants are: Lost Wanderer - http://www.lostwanderer5.blogspot.com

Claire Crossdale - http://theromanticqueryletter.blogspot.com/ coryleslie - http://corrinejackson.wordpress.com/ bsolah - http://benjaminsolah.com/blog DavidZahir - http://zahirblue.blogspot.com/ RavenCorinnCarluk - http://ravencorinncarluk.blogspot.com Ralph Pines - http://ralfast.wordpress.com/ shethinkstoomuch - http://shethinkstoomuch.wordpress.com Lady Cat - http://www.randomwriterlythoughts.blogspot.com truelyana - http://expressiveworld.com misaditas - http://misaditas-novels.blogspot.com/ collectonian laharrison - http://lesleyharrison.wordpress.com/ beawhiz - http://beawrites.wordpress.com razibahmed - http://www.blogging37.com FreshHell - http://freshhell.wordpress.com AlissaC - http://alissacarleton.blogspot.com

Night - A Book Review

Here is my book review for AW Blog Chain. Previous link in the chain was DavidZahir - http://zahirblue.blogspot.com/ Next link is RavenCorinnCarluk - http://raven.youareannoying.us Rest of the participants Vein Glory - http://podpeep.blogspot.com/ Shethinkstoomuch - http://shethinkstoomuch.wordpress.com Lady Cat - http://randomwriterlythoughts.blogspot.com Rosemerry - http://beyondtourism.wordpress.com/ Night - Elie Wiesel I don't make a habit of reading non-fiction books about wars. Occassionally I come across something but usually I tend to stay away from depressing topics. Though there are some stories which one simply cannot ignore, no matter how horrific or how uncomfortable because they tell us something important. Night is one such book. A tiny little thing at less than 100 pages, it is a memoire of a man called Elie Wiesel, who is one of the few survivors of Auschwitz concentration camp from WWII. Wiesel came from a small town where people thought the Red Army will soon defeat the Nazis and they would be safe. When they warned by one of their own people that Nazis will come, they called him a madman. It was near the end of the war, and Wiesel, a teenage boy was studying religion and living his ordinary life. Then Nazis came and everything changed. The whole town - they were mostly jewish - was emptied and people were taken to concentration camps. Almost immediately, Elie and his father were seperated from the women of their family, and Elie never saw his mother and sisters again. The book tells the story of Elie Wiesel and his father's life in the concentration camp. It took Wiesel 10 years before he broke his silence and told this story. It is a horrific story which shows us how cruel humans can be, and reminds us that though there are no concentration camps today, that nature of man is not non-existence. I love this book, because besides the suffering there is another message. Will to survive. Elie had it, and so did many others. It tells us that we as people are far stronger than we imagine ourselves to be. It shows us people's worst side, but also their spirit of endurance. It is also a journey of his faith. Before the camp, Wiesel was devoted to God. Things he went through and saw in the concentration camp made him question that devotion. As a writer, this book is beautifully written. It is very simple, but profound. One cannot help but feel the words and share a little bit of Wiesel's sufferings though I don't think any of us can possibly imagine what he truly went through. One of the main reasons why I love this book is because even though these concentration camps stories are hard to revisit and often we want to ignore the horrific past, it is good to remember that there are people who were strong enough to survive it. And that by knowing their stories, listening to how low human nature fell, we might learn something and improve as a race, be a little kinder and humane towards our own kind. Here is one of my most favourite passage from the book which gives us a glimpse of Elie's trials and the simplistic beauty of his words which I think makes the message sink far deeper, and has more emotional impact. "Never shall I forget that night, the first night in camp, which has turned my life into one long night, seven times cursed and seven times sealed. Never shall I forget that smoke. Never shall I forget the little faces of the children, whose bodies I saw turned into wreaths of smoke beneath a silent blue sky. Never shall I forget those flames which consumed my Faith forever. Never shall I forget that nocturnal silence which deprived me, for all eternity, of the desire to live. Never shall I forget those moments which murdered my God and my soul and turned my dreams to dust. Never shall I forget these things, even if I am condemned to live as long as God Himself. Never."

NaNoWriMo Success List

For AW Blog Chain this month we are talking about survival list for writers. Those who are participating in NaNoWriMo are talking about that specifically. I have already done my NaNo Arsenal Post, so now I will list what I think will make NaNoWriMo effort a successful one - at least for me.

1. It is limited, fixed time goal - one month, first draft. That's it. I am not trying to write a publishable book. That comes with editing. I am just trying to finish a first draft. With that one fixed goal, there is no faffing about. No lack of focus. And certainly no flitting around from one project to another.
2. Word Count Matters (because I am prepared) - I know some people do NaNo by just focusing on word count, regardless of what they write. That is not my purpose. I am aiming for one complete, and hopefully coherent story. But if I were to start thinking about what's good and what isn't now, I wouldn't get very far. So I prepared myself with a detailed outline. I anguished over the plot when I was outlining. So now, writing the first draft, I just have to move from one point in the outline to next one, without worrying about plot holes. It doesn't mean I rigidly follow it, because my outline is quite flexible. But it simply means that I know what sort of direction the story is heading in. That helps. Because then I can start writing without having to worry about what I am going to write next.
3. I have made this my top priority for this month - again, this helps and is possible because it's for a limited time. For one month I can say that everything else is secondary. I can't do that for a whole year. It doesn't mean I don't do anything else (after all, I am writing this post), but simply that I keep in mind that I must meet my minimum word count goal and carry on forward, and leave myself enough time in the day to do so. And for those with busy life styles, I assure you I haven't got all leisure time. I work full-time, have many interests, and can't stop reading blogs. So you have to make time.
4. Finn is amazingly useful - Finn is the new netbook I bought. I just happened to want it and get it in time for NaNoWriMo which has been godsend because now I can actually write in the bus when I commute to work. Believe me, it is amazing feeling when I get off from the bus at 8:00 am to start my working day, with 600 words already behind me.
5. Competition helps - yes, I am competitive. Not insanely, mind you. But when I see other people posting on AW forums how many words they have done in the day, it motivates me to keep writing. Don't push yourself to do what you can't handle, because your life isn't same as everyone else's. You may have more demands on your time than those who stack up words like Paris Hilton stacks up best friends. But, also keep in mind that if someone else can write 2000 words in 2 hours, so can you. It doesn't mean you have to, or you should. But you could. That's the point. To grow. To stretch yourself.
6. Find joy in productivity - As I mentioned, just having done some words in the morning starts my day with a positive feeling. After those morning words, I am usually not able to write until I finish work, but when I do start in the evening, I am not starting at 0. As I add more words to my draft, I have the joy of creating a story that will be completed very shortly, and then I can work on making it better. It's a joy of creating something that is uniquely your own. It's your story. It's your words. It's beautiful experience.
7. Aim High - I could have aimed for 50K. But I thought, if I am going to do this, might as well do it extreme. 50K isn't going to give me a full novel. So I am going to finish a full first draft in November. Before November I wasn't sure I could do it. Now I know I can, and I will. It's simply a matter of pushing myself that little bit further.
8. Have a Reward - You must have a reward that you value after all that hard work. And I am in luck, because Sims 3 Expansion Pack comes out on November 20. When a new expansion pack comes out, I like to get obsessed with it for at least 2 weeks. So when I finish the first draft, I get to binge on Sims 3 for a couple of weeks before starting to edit this NaNoWriMo novel. And you know what? Now, I want to finish this novel as close to 20th as possible, because I so want to get my hands on that game. So find something that works for you.

Of course most of these things could apply to day-to-day writing as well, so take what you like. :) Now, I must actually get on with my writing.

Here is the list of participants in this month's blog chain 1. DavidZahir - http://zahirblue.blogspot.com/ 2. shethinkstoomuch - http://shethinkstoomuch.wordpress.com 3. Lost Wanderer - http://lostwanderer5.blogspot.com/ 4. aimeelaine - http://www.aimeelaine.com/ 5. Ravencorinncarluk - http://raven.youareannoying.us/ 6. Bsolah - http://www.benjaminsolah.com/blog/ 7. Charlotte49ers - http://www.amandaplavich.com/ 8. Angyl78 - http://jelyzabeth.wordpress.com/ 9. truelyana - http://expressiveworld.com/ 10. Claire Crossdale - http://theromanticqueryletter.blogspot.com/

Things you might not know about Halloween

This month's AW Blog Chain theme is anything to do with autumn (including Halloween), so I am posting some unusual/weird things about Halloween that you may not be aware of. Hope it inspires you with something. Personally, I am off to create a spooky art piece after this.

• Orange and black are Halloween colours because orange is associated with the autumn harvest and black is associated with darkness and death.
• The ancient Celts thought that spirits and ghosts roamed the countryside on Halloween night. They began wearing masks and costumes to avoid being recognized as human.
• To meet a witch, put your clothes on inside out and walk backwards on Halloween night. (If you are successful, do let me know)
• Ringing a bell scares evil spirits away.
• Bobbing for apples is believed to be originated from a roman harvest festival that honours Pamona, the goddess of fruit trees.
• The next full moon on Halloween night will be October 31, 2020.
• The first "Jack-O-Lanterns" were not pumpkins - they were hollowed-out turnips and originated in Ireland.
• Next to Christmas, Halloween is the most celebrated and commercially successful holiday.
• If you stare in a mirror on Halloween night, you will see the person you are going to marry.
• The first recorded ghost story dates back to 100 AD by Pliny the Younger. In the story, a ghost haunts a house in Athens until the owner follows him to a spot in courtyard. The next day, a man's body is dug up in that same spot. Once he is given a proper burial, the ghost no longer returns.

And here is my favourite:

• In New York City, it is illegal to sell a house that is known to be haunted without telling the potential buyer. (Stuff like this can only happen in NYC. Love it)

Hope you enjoyed these little tid-bids. Next person in the blog chain is Claire Crossdale.

All participants:

1. Lost Wanderer - http://www.lostwanderer5.blogspot.com/ 2. Claire Crossdale - http://theromanticqueryletter.blogspot.com/ 3. Angela 785 - http://thebookshelfmuse.blogspot.com/ 4. Ravencorinncarluk - http://ravencorinncarluk.blogspot.com/ 5. Angyl78 - http://jelyzabeth.wordpress.com/ 6. shethinkstoomuch - http://shethinkstoomuch.wordpress.com/ 7. trulyana - http://expressiveworld.com/ 8. Bsolah - http://benjaminsolah.com/blog 9. freshhell - http://freshhell.wordpress.com/ 10. Ralph Pines - http://ralfast.wordpress.com/ 11. aimeelaine - http://www.aimeelaine.com/ 12. HigherEdUnderground - http://higheredunderground.com/ 13. Cath - http://blog.cathsmith.net/ 14. DavidZahir - http://zahirblue.blogspot.com/

Book Review: The Year Zero

For Book Review Blog Chain for AW, which can be found here The Year Zero: The True Story of Life In Britain 2000 Years Ago - by Dr. Matthew Kleinman & Nicholas Davies The title in the subject line might have made you think you would be reading about a science-fiction novel. I doubt many people think of Year Zero (unless you are historian or something of the sort). I certainly never did. It is also most unusual for me to review a non-fiction book, because I read far more fiction than non-fiction. But this is recent in my mind, and I think it’s worth reviewing from both a reader’s and a writer’s POV. This isn’t a new book. It was published in Year 2000, but since we are talking about thousands of years old history, nine years is hardly an issue. As someone who used to cry before history exams in school, fearing total failure, I’ve grown to love history since I graduated from college. I am by no means a historically obsessed person, but I enjoy it – especially ancient history. The reason might surprise you. Old history presents a world quite far removed from our own – bit similar to fantasy or science fiction world. So in my mind, this is another form of alternate world, just based on facts. I don’t know much about ancient British history, but the last thing I wanted was to read an old text-book type history book that would put me to sleep. That’s where this is different. For a historical, non-fiction book, this is amazingly easy to read. It’s written in a causal style; more like an essay, rather than your typical history book. It is neatly divided into sections, and within it, written in short paragraphs and sections, so when you want to stop, it’s easy to pick up again. That’s the good point from a reader’s point of view. From a writer’s point of view, writing style or words or techniques is by no means brilliant. It is casual, yes, but it also gets repetitive sometimes and prose isn’t exactly poetic. So the writer in me doesn’t think of these authors as good writers. However, the repetitions have an advantage for the reader. You read something a few times; you are more likely to remember it. In my opinion, the book serves its purpose, which is to tell you about the life of Britons in the Year Zero, and times surrounding it. We start off with the background information of the original tribes on the Island of Albion. The authors have tried to recreate what life would have been like for those tribes, using several resources. One of the most important things to remember is that there are no written records from those tribes, because even the most educated people of that time – Druids – had the tradition of not writing anything down. Their knowledge was passed through oral re-telling. The first written records are from Cesar, when he invaded Britain. Fortunately for us, Cesar was very good, and by all appearances, quite honest in keeping his records. The rest of the evidence comes from archeological finds. What I find very appealing is that this book provides information about people’s day-to-day lives. How they lived, what they ate, how they survived, and how their politics worked. We learn about their relationship with other tribes, about their religion. We learn about the Druids, and their fierce desire to protect their knowledge, and keep it within selected group. We learn about the impeding threat of Roman Invasion. I would expect 2000 year old civilization (if it could be called that) to be vastly different from the world we know today. Yet, many of their customs and traditions exist today. The similarities between Druids pagan religion and some of the world’s religions today are unmistakable. From details of the business of slavery that boomed in Roman Empire, to details of marriage customs, the authors build a picture that is very easy to imagine. Then Cesar’s invasion, success, and changes. Over all, I believe for anyone interested in this particular era of history, this is definitely a useful read. It won’t make you an expert, but it will give you the background you can mull over, and then investigate further what interests you.

Paradise of Ghosts - AW Blog Chain

Paradise of Ghosts

Every morning I stand in the garden, looking across at the point where the sky swoops down to embrace the sea, which leaps up to meet the sky half-way; a quick, frenzied embrace and then they are apart again. The Eternal Yearning, Jake named it. Two entities that are never quite together, yet can't bear to separate. I look at it now, day after day, and wonder what it feels like. Sad maybe, but with each seperation there is also hope to be reunited again. I wake up at nights, seeking that hope. I yearn for the touch and the smell that once used to be familiar, but is slipping away, leaving me bereft. I haven't forgotten him. I haven't stopped hurting for wanting him. But his scent no longer lingers on my body. The memory of his skin against mine no longer fills me with an all-consuming fire, but is rather a whisper that merely caresses me before fading away. I look at the horizon, at the Eternal Yearning, and suddenly it is all too much to bear. Here, in this paradise that we built together, I am all alone because Jake decided seeking the answers to make his paintings more real was more important than being content. He wanted to feel the pulse of life, unravel the rainbow of its colours. Our peaceful blanket of white - not even a colour, but a safe haven - wasn't enough. Now, there is no white for him. Just another non-colour. No light. Just darkness beneath the earth; his body left in that colourless place by one of the shades of grey he had gone off to explore in the slums of London. His painting of the slums, of the hungry eyes peering at me, remains unfinished. I often think of throwing it away, but something stops me. Perhaps because that half-finished painting, of the world that destroyed me, belongs here now. In my new world, made of no colours. Just shadows and ghosts for me to chase, but nothing of substance to hold onto. I turn away from the Eternal Yearning. Without substance, there is no hope, and without hope, what am I but another shadow in this paradise of ghosts. *** This was the flash fiction piece for September's AW Blog Chain. My three words for LilliCray are: Diana Dreaming Castle List of the Participants: Fokker Aeroplanbau Forbidden Snowflake RavenCorinnCarluk Lostwanderer5 LilliCray Aimeelaine Claire Crossdale bsolah Angyl78 FreshHell Lady Cat ealexis Crayonz Razibahmed Proach Tara McClendon MGraybosch shethinkstoomuch

Advantage of Writing Craft Books

I am participating in Absolute Write Blog Chain again this month. Corrine asked me this question: On your blog, you mention reading quite a few craft books. What have you found useful in writing craft books to apply to your own work? Have they been more or less useful than writing classes or critique groups, if you've been involved in these? I have found craft books very useful. In fact, it has been my main method for acquiring knowledge of techniques and methods. I read many blogs and articles of course, but they almost always discuss merely the surface of things, whereas books go indepth. I have never been involved in a critique group, and have only attended short, day workshops for beginners. The workshops were fun and good to get creative juices flowing, but not useful. Main reason being, they were aimed for beginners, and I found that by beginner a lot of other writers present simply lacked confidence to write. I don't have that problem. I also feel that unless the workshops/critique groups are led by regularly published authors, there isn't much point. It's not to say that other people - beginner writers and readers - can't give me good advice, but the problem is that there is so much conflicting advice, it's hard to determine who is right. At least if it's coming from a regularly published author, you know for sure that they know what they are talking about. That's where writing craft books are advantageous. I don't just read all random books. I look at them carefully and determine if they have use for me. I also look at who or what they come from. For example, I own several writing book from Writers Digest Publishing. Writers Digest is a reputed, professional enterprise, and so I have faith in their books. Now, I am not saying that I do every exercise these books tells me to. In fact, for the most part I haven't done any. But I absorb what they say, and from that, I learn more about a good book is put together, so that when I am looking at my own manuscript, I am more aware of things that should be what's missing. Before, I used to look at my first draft, and know that it wasn't good enough but without any clue as to how to fix things. But now, because I have been studying craft books, I know more about the ingredients. When you know what's supposed to be in a recipe, you can play around and mix it to your own taste. So in conclusion then - good writing books that give you solid (ideally step-by-step) direction for how to do something are definitely useful. I don't much go for inspirational type books that just talk about writing rituals and getting inspiration and stuff, because I don't need that. I don't need anyone to tell me that I can be a writer. All I want is knowledge of craft that could only come from experience or from learning. Question for Forbidden Snowflake You started your blog to record your journey to improve self-discipline and write 100K words. Has having a blog to record your progress helped you? What do you do to motivate yourself to write? And what is it that demotivates you when you can't write?

AW July Blog Chain

I am participating in AW July Blog Chain, where each person asks writing related question to the next person to answer on the blog. Adina's question for me: What is your favourite subject to write about and where do you get your inspiration? Not necessarily a favourite subject, as that would be too limiting for a writer, but my favourite genres to write are Fantasy and Indian fiction. I have tried writing various different things and so far these are the two I am focusing on, as those are the stories that call strongly to me. Indian fiction simply because of my background. I feel a natural affinity to those stories. Fantasy, because I love it. I love reading it, I love dreaming it. Fantasy offers the ultimate escapism as well as an opportunity to wonder what kind of world one could create. Though I think possibilities are endless in any form of fiction. I have an interest in science fiction too, but I am not quite ready to write it yet, though it is also a definite possibility for the future. My inspiration - it comes from anywhere and everywhere. For example, last weekend I was chatting to my mom over the phone. She said something, and later on that evening I thought what if that actually happened, and voila, I have an idea for a novel. It needs developing, but I have got the main theme. And if I manage to get it plotted, that's what I will be doing for NaNo. For novels, I never lack ideas. For short stories it's a different matter. I have only tried to write short stories with markets in mind, which means following guidelines, and I have really hard time coming up with ideas. But since I have decided that short stories aren't my thing, it doesn't matter. So inspiration for novel - that's always there, because I get inspired from all different sorts of stuff. I have started a story from a name, from a situation. My WIP 1 started when I wanted to explore the lives of three best friends who are moving into adult lives. For a fantasy novel, I thought of a family, then a city they would live in. And then the plot came. I think inspiration is just a matter of thinking WHAT IF. If you ask the questions, answers will come. My question for the next person in the chain, upsidedowngirl - you are a freelance writer. Do you enjoy the subjects/articles you write, or do you pick what's available as a job? What difference does it make on the level of your motivation and enjoyment if you have to write about things you are not passionate about? Is it the act of writing that's important, or the act of writing what you want?