Writer's Log! » Scratchpad

10 rules for writing fiction

Payal — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 18:59:44 +0000

The Guardian asked a line-up of eminent authors for their personal dos and don’ts for efficient fiction writing. The results, to say the least, ranged from entertaining to outrageous to hilarious: “Get an accountant, abstain from sex and similes, cut, rewrite, then cut and rewrite again – if all else fails, pray.”

So anyhow, to cut a long story short, though eminence is a far-off ~~nightmare~~ dream, no harm in compiling a list of my own. Here’s hoping it doesn’t affect my relationship with my accountant, have a bearing on my sex life, or make me believe in religion…

Uninstall all IM software: Really, truly. In fact, getting away from the Net is good, on the whole, except that it sometimes comes in handy to look things up. I have to admit, I don’t follow this rule. I’m bad.
Don’t try to plot your novel if that doesn’t work for you: I find it impossible to plot out a scene-by-scene story. I just need to let stuff happen. I never expected Nira to catch the speld — she just did.
Don’t worry about chapters: Working chapters is usually something I bluff my way through. A chapter break happens when I think to myself, “Oops, I haven’t had a new chapter for ages.” It seems to work. After all, Terry Pratchett doesn’t do chapters, does he? He’s inspirational!
Characters without the right name have no life: I beg to differ with Shakespeare — the name is everything. A two-metre-tall nerdy Scandinavian called Bill would have turned out very different from Noah.
Give yourself a deadline and treat it seriously: I promise myself a treat when (and if) I meet the deadline.
Get some honest reviews: I’d rather know from friends that my precious work-in-progress is crap than from strangers.
If you get stuck at some point in the story, move on to something else: No point being frustrated with a part that just isn’t coming together. I move on to writing something completely different or to another part of the story. When I come back to the problem later, I’m always surprised how much the break helped.
Also, don’t write in chronological order if you don’t want to: I just write the bits I have figured out first and worry about what comes after what later on.
Writer’s block happens: So no point fretting over it! I try and enjoy the break and not feel guilty about it.
Free-writing really helps: In fact, they have proved to be an effective antidote to writer’s block for me.

If anyone has any other rules for themselves, I’m curious to hear.

~PD

Games going free

Payal — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 18:23:17 +0000

[NOTE: The following was originally written for my Financial Chronicle (Edge) column, but they only used part of it in their games section, so here's the whole of it.]

Name five gaming classics that can be enjoyed for free? Impossible, you say? Hmm…:

Wolfenstein 3D: Help BJ Blazkowicz outwit the Nazis and escape Castle Wolfenstein. Released in 1992, Wolfenstein 3D revolutionised the first-person shooter (FPS), but the game isn’t as simple as blasting your way out. BJ has to not just battle Nazi soldiers singlehanded, but find supplies for himself, solve puzzles and even treasure. Wolfenstein 3D has been released as ‘shareware’, where one of the six episodes—consisting of 10 missions—can be played for free. Don’t expect super-cool graphics, but do expect a lot of fun. Download it here.
Doom: Doom followed on the heels of Wolfenstein 3D by the same makers (id Software) just a year later, and like the latter, part of the game is available for free—one episode consisting of nine levels. You are an unnamed marine stranded on a base in Mars, which has been taken over by monsters. Can you survive, find the exit to the next level and keep the alien monsters at bay? Oh, and it’s not just a matter of killing the big bad monsters — you need to find the right keys and stay away from toxic and radioactive spills if you want to survive and get out. Doom came in for praise for its use of 3D graphics and had one of the best FPS controls of its time. In 2004 it was pegged by GameSpy as the greatest game of all time. Get it here.
Elder Scrolls: The first two Elder Scrolls games, Arena (1994) and Daggerfall (1996), are available full and free. These classic adventure role-playing games (RPG) are renowned for their open-ended gameplay. Set in medieval times in a place known as Tamriel, the Elder Scrolls offer the player a vast world to explore and complete quests. As is typical of RPGs, character development is a major component, thus making it possible to play the game many times in many ways. Magic has a big role in the gameplay, as does learning skills. An engaging storyline has always been the strong point of the game series, and in Daggerfall one may even choose to completely ignore the game’s story and go off by oneself to explore and ‘experience’ the world. Download both games here.
Dink Smallwood: [I've written about Dink here in the past, but what the heck!] Help Dink the pig farmer become the saviour of the world. Yet another adventure RPG set in a magical, medieval world, Dink Smallwood (1997) does not have the exploration scope of the Elder Scrolls games, but it has an engaging and sometimes irreverent story of its own. Setting out seeking a new life after the death of his mother, Dink gets caught up in a quest to cleanse the world of a nefarious group called the Cast. He gains powers, weapons and magic as he progresses, and finally comes face to face with the most dangerous enemy of all… Get Dink.
Grand Theft Auto 1 and 2: The first two in the popular — if controversial — series of games, Grand Theft Auto was released in 1998 and Grand Theft Auto 2 followed in 1999. You take on the role of a criminal working for a big city crime syndicate and gain points by performing tasks, including robberies, assassinations and generally creating havoc around the city. GTA also had an open-ended world, and one is free to roam around, steal cars, disrupt traffic and generally be a big-time nuisance. Not surprising that it has it detractors. Get them here.

The DOS question

Of course, some of these games are pretty ancient, and operating systems (yes, even Windows!) have evolved since then. Many of the games were built for the DOS platform and may not work in present-day computers. However, help is at hand in the form of an x86 emulator called DOSBox, which can be used one Windows, Mac OS and Linux systems.

[Which ones have I played?

Well, I'm certainly old enough to have played them all in their heyday! Doom is still a favourite, and I have fond memories of Dink Smallwood too. I have also tried out Wolfenstein 3D, but didn't get too far. The Elder Scrolls remain on my to-do list, and yes, I have to admit I'd like to try GTA too...]

~PD

Will there be a book 4

Payal — Tue, 19 Jan 2010 20:30:28 +0000

…of the Shadow in Eternity series?

Well, as things are going right now, there will probably be a sort of mini-book, a novella, if you like. It will basically be an attempt to catch up with the present.

The events unfolding in The Timeless Land (book 3) happened in 2006, when Maya was 14. It might be interesting to look in on her and her friends in the “present” day and find out what life is like.

I have a working title right now — Amazing Grace — but things could change…

~PD

20 things to do in ‘10

Payal — Sat, 16 Jan 2010 16:46:24 +0000

More than half of January has already gone by, but Writer’s Log still lags in last year. It hasn’t been for want of trying, but that is a lame excuse. Anyway, here’s a to-do list for 2010 (in no special order):

Don’t make lame excuses about not updaing my blog
Redesign my site (eeeep!)
Put the entire site on a single CMS (double eeeep!)
Redo the Halvard Castle site (yes, it’s so hopeless that I’m not even linking it!)
Do a site for the Vakker book
Upgrade Web development skills (yes, Niklas, that means return to my JS books)
Learn something new this year (a language, a skill, whatever; JS doesn’t count)
Write more.
Finish the Shadow in Eternity IV novella (there, it’s in writing now!)
Go out more
Don’t pretend to be happy about things I’m not
Buy a vehicle, even if it’s a bicycle
Start on (and preferably finish) a new book
Be happier and complain less
Do my tax returns
Visit Europe
Stop being scared of pregnant women
Stop being scared of babies
Play more games
Start following football again

That’s all folks.

~PD

A walk around Sankey Tank

Payal — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 14:09:26 +0000

Went to visit a well-known Bangalore landmark on Monday, 21 December — Sankey Tank. This is an artificial lake constructed in the 1880s to supply water to the city of Bangalore. It has seen many ups and downs, but has lately been revamped to make it a really nice place to be in.

The water and the place around have been cleaned up, “beautifying” the walkway, adding landscaping and benches (regrettably garish), building toilets, and so on. There is a separate tank for Ganesh Chaturthi immersions so the main body of water does not get polluted. The park only opens for a specific period of time during the day, which is a little sad, but also ensures it’s kept clean. No food and drinks are allowed inside either.

If you’re visiting Bangalore, this is worth checking out. You can no long walk completely around it since some parts have been blocked off since the Tank overflowed its bounds some years back.

~PD

My first meme

Payal — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 18:51:24 +0000

This is my first meme. I didn’t really know what it meant or even how to pronounce it, so I had to look it up:

Meme [meem] n.A unit of cultural information, such as a cultural practice or idea, that is transmitted verbally or by repeated action from one mind to another.

Um… okay. Anyway, read on if this interests you:

Favourite song right now?
Don’t have one because I reformatted my iPod, but I was listening to the Sound of Music today.

What did you last eat?
A Subway 6-inch sandwich, double choco-chip cookie, tea.

What kind of books do you read?
Oh wow, I can’t answer that! I read anything that catches my fancy, but like crime, anything in the young adult genre, some fantasy. I also like to read books that have a positive characterisation of girls and women, and have strong characters, female.

What are you reading right now?
Marked (PC and Kristin Cast) and about to start Beast with the Nine Billion Feet (Anil Menon).

Favourite Television show right now.
Don’t have one. Am watching Brothers and Sisters and Grey’s Anatomy out of habit rather than any compelling desire to follow the lives of the Walker family or of Seattle Grace/Mercy West’s doctors.

What are you wearing right now?
Track pants, T-shirt and shirt.

What’s your current fandom / obsession / addiction?
Fandom: None (how sad is my life?); Obsession: Gender-related stuff; Addiction: Reading

What did you really want to do today that you didn’t?
Some writing and … *cough* … you know!

What are you most excited for?
Getting feedback on my forthcoming book!

If you could be a mythical creature, what would you be?
A Time Lady. I’d like a Tardis and go into the future to find out if it’s really worth it or if I should just find a tall building to jump off tomorrow.

What was the last thing you bought?
Subway sandwich and cookie.

If you could have any pet, what would it be?
I have a pet — my plant Billy, whom I basically ignore because he looks after himself (and since I killed his sister Chilly and their other sister Silly committed suicide because of that…). But seriously, I’d like a dog or cat.

What do you want right this minute, off the top of your head?
I want to be happy with myself. (Whatever that means!)

Where is the place you like to return to in order to calm down / relax / etc.?
If I can drag myself there, to the gym to work out, but I usually don’t make it. I can generally also find things to calm me down online, and I’ve been fairly lucky since mostly when I’m upset, I come online and find a friend or two around to talk to. When I really can’t do either, I get into bed with a book. I have to add, though, that there is one place I always imagine myself at when I want to think of being calm — it’s sitting on a certain rock on the shores of Crummock Water, Lake District.

Who was the last person you visited?
My friend Swapna, last Sunday.

Are there any bits of childhood that you miss?
Nope. I’m just glad I survived it. I can’t think of any moment I want to relive.

Spring, Summer, Autumn, Winter?
Bah, I live in Bangalore — we don’t have seasons! But all right, winter.

Say something to the person who tagged you:
Katherine, I’m gonna get you. Just you wait… *dark look*. And for the sake of perpetuating the torture I tag Proteeti and Swapna.

~PD

Gaming golden ‘oldies’

Payal — Thu, 17 Sep 2009 19:11:10 +0000

This might be the age of the PS3, the Xbox 360, the Nintendo Wii, and thanks to developments like accelerometers, virtual-reality-like motion gaming is no more the domain of science fiction. But that’s no reason to forget some golden oldies that may not have had the spit, polish and realism of current-day games, but each was memorable in its own right. The following are some of my personal favourites.

Diablo (1996): Unspeakable things plague the dungeons beneath the village of Tristram. But one day a mysterious stranger walks in — you. Playing as a warrior, a rogue or a sorcerer, you must battle the creatures of the Lord of Terror before he literally unleashes hell on the entire world. An action role-playing game, Diablo is more than a simple point-and-click hack-and-slash. Players make decisions on the kind of skillset to develop for the final battle, though admittedly the options are limited compared to character development in Diablo II or the likes of the Elder Scrolls games. There are 16 levels of dungeons and various quests to complete. A random map generator ensures that you get a different dungeon each time you play the game and a different set of initial quests. Diablo had an expansion called Hellfire, though that wasn’t available in India as far as I know. The original game, along with Diablo II and Diablo II: Lord of Destruction is available in a single Diablo Battlechest package, that includes an amazing strategy guide. Well worth owning if one is a fan.

Myst (1993): Myst was what started me off on gaming. It is not just another adventure game — it is a journey into a surreal fantasy world. The player is dumped on a deserted island with a mysterious note addressed to someone else. Following clues, solving logical puzzles and using special Linking Books, one travels to a number of different worlds known as ‘Ages’ and pieces together a story of betrayal. Navigation in Myst consists of clicking and moving through pre-rendered images, but its enduring popularity saw a remake in 2000 as realMyst, which featured free-roaming 3D graphics. It is available for a number of platforms, including an iPhone/iPod version. Myst spawned a number of sequels that carried on the story — Riven, Exile, Revelation and End of Ages.

The Sims (2000): This vastly popular life simulation strategy was what knocked Myst off its pedestal as the best-selling PC game of all time. The 2D gameplay of the original Sims might seem awkward and laughably simplistic compared to the later versions, and old-time Simmers will always recall in amusement the necessity of making out obsessively till the pop-up to have a baby appeared. And — horror of horrors — kids never grew up! But it was all we had at that time — and its seven expansion packs — and it was pretty amazing too.

Dink Smallwood (1997): Who says pig farmers can’t have fun? Dink Smallwood is an adventure RPG where Dink sets off on his own after the death of his mother, but gets caught up in a quest to cleanse the world of an evil-intentioned group called the Cast. Dink takes on monsters, saves innocent lives and gains powers as he progresses, ending up in the Darklands, face to face with the evillest of them all. But there is a surprise in store… To find out more, download it (it’s now freeware). Dink is a tad tacky, and definitely don’t expect high-end graphics — just a lot of fun and action.

Deus Ex (2000): A personal all-time favourite, Deus Ex is an action RPG with first-person shooter elements. You play the role of JC Denton, a United Nations Anti-Terrorist Coalition agent. He is nano-augmented and can pick up some cool augmentations with time. JC gets caught up in a complex conspiracy that makes him question his own loyalty, and the game weaves through various locations around the world, finishing up with three possible endings depending on the choices you made. Deus Ex’s story line was riveting, and it won plenty of awards and critical acclaim. The sequel Invisible War was, however, slightly disappointing, and one remains hopeful about Deus Ex 3, which is expected in 2010.

This is far from a comprehensive list, of course, and completely subjective.

~PD

Airing my closet…

Payal — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 21:53:43 +0000

The anti-blog brigade’s major grouse is about how “self-indulgent” the whole concept of blogging is. But heck, if one has a cheap and easily accessible medium, a somewhat captive — if erratic — audience, the possibility of showing off one’s writing/coding/designing skills (or lack thereof), and being able to air one’s opinion without much opposition, it’s good enough for the rest of us.

In any case, those who think self-indulgence is a bad thing obviously never had Cake-a-Mocha at the Corner House in Bangalore. So what do they know anyway? The following is my token resistance to the “enemy” and a dip into the pond of aforesaid self-indulgence till I can get within hitting distance of Corner House again:

Disgustingly detailed daily routine: If you really want to know about my run-in with the toothpaste tube this morning, I think your curiosity borders on perversion and… er… ooh, mail me and we’ll take it from there.
Talk about people using barely disguised pseudonyms: N made a bitter post in MW after M and K laughed at him, though B got to know of it only later. And by the way S only arrived at dinner after we were almost finished, which is when Sw discovered she’d forgotten to retrieve her bag. (Anybody who correctly identifies all of the people mentioned gets a medal.)
Put up boring holiday photos consisting of my companions and I smiling in front of famous monuments at odd angles: You’re lucky I don’t usually travel with people or take photos of/with them. Besides, my holiday photos are already here. And besides that they are not boring… *huff*
Mention excruciatingly embarrassing incident: Yeah, right.
Discuss sleazy details of love life: Hey, my mother comes here, for goodness sake! Not to mention various prospective employers, publishers and other people I’m out to impress.
How clever my pet is: The only “pet” I have is my plant Billy; I don’t think he has any brains, so this subject is redundant.
How cute and wonderful my children are: Don’t have any, as the titles on my DVD rack will testify…
Angsty rant about the unfairness of life, this world and the society we live in: Um… er… sorry, I feel quite “all together” right now, but stay tuned.

For the record, there were no puns in the title. Disappointed? Ha ha… made you read, didn’t I?

~PD

Windows Live Mail

Payal — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 14:44:51 +0000

Has Microsoft finally got it right with e-mail software? Well, it’s hard to say for sure, but Windows Live Mail is certainly worth checking out.

Apart from a spanking new and decidedly good-looking interface, it comes with a host of other features, including an IM client (yes, for Window Live users), RSS and newsgroup support, an innovative photo e-mail service, and even a blog writer.

In fact, guess what? This blog post is being made using Windows Live Mail’s Writer interface. It supports, apart from Windows Live Spaces, any WordPress-, TypePad- or Blogger-based blog.

And wow… this has to be a first. I’m saying something good about Microsoft. Go figure!

~PD

Postscript: Yes, it was too good to last. While Windows Live Mail is fine as long as you’re using it, it’s a right royal pain when you want to uninstall it! Having installed as a bunch of separate components, it’s only when your firewall pops up to ask for access that you realize the rubbish you’re left with after you’ve tried to get rid of it! Tsk tsk…

Brittas humour

Payal — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 18:28:03 +0000

How ironic is it that the British are traditionally hauled up for being uptight and yet hailed as having an incredible sense of humour? Well, it’s great for people like me who enjoy television comedy, of course. The Brits have amused us over the decades with the likes of — in no particular order — Are You Being Served?, Fawlty Towers, Blackadder, ‘Allo, ‘Allo, Red Dwarf, Yes, Minister, The Vicar of Dibley, The Piglet Files, Man About the House, Coupling and so many, many more.

The one I’m revisiting right now happens to be Brittas Empire, a 1990s series about inept leisure centre manager Gordon Brittas. Though essentially well-meaning and completely devoid of malice, Brittas leaves behind mayhem in his wake, turning the Whitbury New Town Leisure Centre into a disaster zone that the public are well advised to give a wide berth.

Brittas’s immediate deputies are Laura, the only sensible and efficient person around, and Colin, something of a “tubelight” and with a range of disgusting ailments. Other staff include: Gavin, who is a bit of a pushover, and Tim, his jealous boyfriend (with Brittas the only person absolutely oblivious of their relationship); receptionist Carole who has to be the most unfortunate person on this planet — homeless, broke and having to bring up three (or is it four?) children in the drawers and cupboards of the reception area; the overenthusiastic Linda; and, from series 2 onwards, Julie, Brittas’s insubordinate secretary. Also playing a major part in the series is Brittas’s wife Helen, who has to resort to Valium and a long line of other men to cope with Gordon.

Needless to say, the cast of characters makes for painfully hilarious situations. In short, nothing ever goes right when Brittas is in charge. Fires, floods, electrocutions, explosions, misunderstandings and even attempted murder… Yes, Brittas Empire may be predictable at times and even slapstick, but I can safely wager it will make you laugh.

So if you’re tired of repetitive, uninspiring fare dished out on TV, and are on the lookout for a fresh take on the funnies in a rather different sort of set-up, Brittas is worth a try.

~PD