Working on my first non-fantasy novel is turning out to be an intriguing experience. There are no ethereal spirits, no special powers, no alternate universes and no magic in this story. It’s both fun and challenging, but the question is, how much different is it compared to writing fantasy? When it comes to fantasy, the […]
Writing
Week #10: Telling tales
A few days back I was asked by someone how I make up stories. It was funny because the asker was an artist and sculpture himself, and obviously has a creative process that is as alien to me as mine is to him. I didn’t quite know how to answer him, so I said, “I […]
Week #8: Writing broken
When you want to write and there’s an almost-four-year-old underfoot, there are a number of things you could do: tuck it under one arm and deposit it in the next room; it might come back, so you’ll need to shut the door; turn on the TV to distract it; lock your door; leave the house. […]
Week 7: New horizons and some ongoing ones
This week 7 post is just a bit late, but for a change it’s not because of the usual excuse (in other words, laziness). In fact, I’ve been very busy with all things reading and writing—a publishing conference and a workshop on literary innovation in children’s writing. Digital future I was an accidental audience member […]
Week #6: Five books I want to write
Ten years back, all I knew was that I wanted to write a book some day. The terms “young adult” and “fantasy” never crossed my mind. Who knows what I’ll have written (or not) ten years from now, but it’s fun thinking about what I’d want to have written. Would you call that a sense […]
Week #4: Living the dream? Er, not quite!
Since I’ve wanted to be a writer since the age of eight or so, in some sense you could say I’m living my dream. But is it really anything like I’d imagined? Ha! Truth be told, I had some preconceived notions about my cloud cuckoo land, though, in my defence, I had no idea why […]
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2014 Special: 52 weeks of reading and writing
I’m not quite sure why we get all excited about the new year. Apart from the fact that you have to get used to writing 2014 instead of 2013, nothing’s changed, has it? I, for one, am doing the same thing I was doing at this time yesterday—drinking a cup of tea, sitting at my […]
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A few good reasons
So much to do, so little time. Well, it always feels good to know my blog is being ignored for a good reason, but the truth of the matter is, I’ve always been terrible at managing time. How, despite that, I end up managing a freelance career is a mystery. Anyhow, here’s my list of […]
- Scratchpad
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Writing about writing
…Or why I’m not a beetle Writing about writing—my that’s a hard one. Which is a bit of a paradox since I write for a living. Even this piece, which I started writing for a website that was inviting entries about what writing means to different people, could be put down to “work”. Needless to […]
- Scratchpad
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Bookaroo 2012
On 23, 24 and 25 November, the Bookaroo Children’s Literature Festival was held in Delhi, bringing together about 70 authors, illustrators, theatre people and various other storytellers—and, of course, thousands of young readers. While 23 November was the schools’ day, the next two days were open to the public. Entry was free and the crowds […]