Manic Muse

On the twelfth day of Christmas

2011-12-09T21:10:00.000Z

On the twelfth day of Christmas,

my editor gave to me...

12 book deals

11 movie options,

10 book tours,

9 galley proofs,

8 thumbnails,

7 merchandise,

6 book reviews,

5 gold pens,

4 funny tweets,

3 new covers,

2 free books

And an ad in the Bookseller

Top Learning Tips has been nominated for Popular BookFest Readers' Choice Awards

2011-11-29T07:25:00.001Z

My alarm goes off at half past five in the morning. After I turn my mobile off, as it reminds me to get up and get going, I see that the cold night had brought emails from Asia.

My publisher and editor from Asiapac Books, Singapore wrote to me say that last week in Singapore, during the Popular BookFest 2011, one of my titles was nominated for the ReadersChoice Awards. Yay! What a great way to start a day.

Then I checked it out on the Internet. It is among the fiction and non-fiction titles for children and although it didn’t win – it is great to be nominated.

The point about books in Singapore and other Asian countries is that families like non-fiction as much as fiction. Text books and books on improvement sell really well in Singapore. So it is not a miracle to see a book like Top Learning Tips to be on the same list as fiction titles.

How did I get to do Top Learning Tips?

My editor at Asiapac Books, the unflappable Lydia Lum gave me a challenge. 4 pre-defined characters and a title – you will need to write believable stories about these 4 kids and still teach concepts. One of the very first ones I wrote was “Top Health Tips”, about being healthy for young children.

When Top Learning Tips was offered as a commission I jumped at it. Having taught for many years, this was a subject close to my heart. I wrote about lots of different new topics – from preparing for class, listening, to mind-mapping and collaborative learning. We even touched on topics dear to parents’ hearts – preparing ahead for exams, not getting nervous. We also added some local colour by adding Feng Shui tips for decorating a study.

Not only that, the title had an interview from a local student who had excelled. To bring the topics closer to home and make it real.

I enjoyed working on this topic so much and on other top tips books, because I learn as much during the research as much as the readers. I started using mind-maps for fleshing out my picture book ideas during PiBoIdMO2010 and I was glad to pass on some of my teaching wisdom as part of this book.

I am very glad that this book was nominated by readers, because that means, kids are telling me they like the content and they like learning and they like learning in new ways.

Grabbing Time

2011-11-18T10:37:00.000Z

I grab time to write whenever possible. Life gets in the way of long stretches of writing. When life is not in the way, my laziness creeps in, and has a ball.

As many of you might know, I work full-time. Sometimes I came so late from work that getting up next morning to write before the day rushes in, is almost impossible. Some mornings, I cook before I get into work. Some mornings are reserved for hanging the washing from three days ago.

In a given working week, I might grab twenty minutes one morning to write. Sometimes I switch on my PC to write and then get distracted by emails. Most days therefore I grab time on the train to work. I don’t always take the rush-hour train – mostly because I am too lazy to get on the 8-am train. Especially if only 10 hours ago, I had got down from one of those caterpillar caravans. So most often I get a seat.

I have a choice when I get on the train and find a seat. I can read the latest book I am carrying or I can write. It is anyone’s guess what I am going to do. Sometimes I take my notebook out, jot down the start time and then I am stuck. I can’t think of anything to write. Often I remember Natalie Goldberg’s advice and describe the person in front of me or describe what’s hurtling past the window. Some days, I have a topic to write about. Some days, I rewrite something I had written earlier.

On my way back home, I am battling fatigue, sometimes alcohol induced coma and just sheer tiredness. But the train ride is a perfect 17 minute journey. Taking away a minute or two for getting organised, I have a 15 minute uninterrupted slot to write. My train keeps me captive in the seat. As long as I have an idea, I attempt to write.

Does that mean during weekends I spend every minute, writing? You must be joking. I don’t. I am lucky if I get my hour done before the day begins. In my nightwear, I sit down and write something for an hour or a bit more. If I don’t go anywhere out that weekend, I might manage another 2-3 hours. The rest goes in chores, supermarket, “oh the sun is out” jaunts to the park or to the Southbank. A boring life, but still no writing.

I like snatching time from fate to write. 10 minutes here, 5 minutes there. A coffee break at work, where I can sit down in the canteen and write a few lines.

It keeps my mind on the writing. It puts things into perspective – whatever happens at work or in life, I still have my writing intervals during the day.

How do you grab time? Between school runs? Weekends? Early mornings? Late nights?

What drives you to put life aside for a few minutes to write?

If you were a full-time writer, would you write a full day? Like you were at work in a bank or at the supermarket till?

Collecting Books

2011-11-12T08:24:00.000Z

Inspired by an article in the FT about how authors collect books, I want to write about how I collect books and what I have in the flat right now.

My first book was an Enid Blyton picture book “The bad Cockyolly bird” which I won for storytelling when I was 7. I still have this book – intact and right where I can reach to it. Perhaps I should seal it in an air-tight bag and protect it. But this book kick-started my habit of owning books.

Until this book, I didn’t have a book of my own. I hadn’t visited the school library and foreign editions of English books weren’t available cheap back then in India. I am not sure they are cheap even today.

Slowly I built my collection by winning books in competitions and I had 4 in another 4 years. Reading became an obsession and an escape and I joined a private lending library far from our house – this was a reward from my mother for devouring English books.

I am moving flats now and I boxed up all my books first. I have 16 boxes full of books and this is after giving away most of my popular fiction and things I will never read. I have another box unpacked – that contains my signed books, by big names like Jane Yolen. I have another box with 100 books that I want to give away for the charity Roomto Read. So I can buy the latest ones.

Since I discovered Kindle for Android, I have been downloading more books into my tablet. But those are my adult reading – literary fiction, fiction, non-fiction, reference books, writing books. If it is a picture book or a chapter book for young readers, I’d rather buy the book, feel it, touch it, and read it over and over again.

I am hoping that when I move to my new flat, I will have enough space for all my books and I can organise them, sort them, catalogue them. But I know that will last less than a month. Then I will start leaving books on the coffee-table, by the bed, on the computer table, on top of the microwave oven and on every window-sill.

I will have books in the work bag, in the weekend bag and scattered on the sofa.

I might have to rent a storage space, put bookshelves there, arrange my books, setup a sofa and go there to read. But the trouble is – reading is part of living. I can’t segregate it and put it away nicely in a rented storage space.

How much space do you allocate for your books? Can you afford it in a city like London, where space is premium?

Reading Time

2011-11-05T08:37:00.000Z

When do writers get to read?

They have to write, live and be a parent, spouse, teacher, sister, daughter and more. They have to buy birthday cards, clean the house, wash the car, take the kids to music lessons and cook dinner too. When festivals arrive writers have to throw parties, cook cocktail food, buy tons of beer for their friends and somehow find the time to finish writing projects.

But in the meantime, the literary world has been busy. Editors have been beavering away at books written a year ago, designers making new covers, journalists writing articles about digital publishing and critics reviewing books before they turn into books.

There are blogs, magazines, books and websites to read. There are Facebook pages that lead to wonderful articles, interviews, podcasts and publicity contests.

Where is the time to read so much content? When do you find the time to sit down, put up your feet and switch on the laptop or the tablet and say “Don’t speak until spoken to! I am going to read.”

I am single, work full time and write in all my free time. I still have to find the time during a busy commute, long day at work, tired night back home to write. When do I read? Some days when I spend ages reading, I feel guilty. Writers write, but don’t they need to read too?

But how much can they read? They love books written by their friends, friends of friends, big writers, up and coming writers. They love blog posts and interviews. They love a funny podcast. They want to read the library petition. They want to read the Bookseller magazine and the Carousel. They want to read all the twitter messages about new books, hot books, bad books and other writers.

How do others manage? I struggle. Some days, I don’t read at all. Some days I don’t write at all. Some days, I just click buttons on the tablet, reading a twitter message at a time. Sometimes the twitter message takes me to a wonderful blog or an article or a review. Some days, I am just happy watching TV, without reminding me about my writerly and readerly commitments.

It’s hard to be a working writer. This industry is prolific. A big industry but shrinking all at the same time. The technology is evolving – so reading about the digital age and the e-books is as important as word structure and voice.

But I know one thing from experience – there is no substitute for writing and there is no substitute for reading good literature that will inform me as a reader and a writer. Everything else is secondary to that.

So from next week, I am not only going to track my writing time as usual, but also my reading time. I am going to write down the books and articles that inspired me. I am going to write down the books I skimmed in the library and the bookshops.

Reading is the mirror-image of writing and as a writer, I have no choice but to find the time for it. But I know there is a time and place for everything and I just have to find the right balance.

A Declaration of Independence for Young Creators

2011-10-29T16:09:00.000Z

Having discovered Eric Carle only in my early 30s, as a newly born reader, with access to world class titles, I loved the simplicity of his books. I loved the serious messages that were enveloped in amazing artwork using words that were instantly recognisable and repeatable for young kids.

I don’t think I have ever met a child who hasn’t read The Hungry Caterpillar or the Mixed-up Chameleon. Reading his famous titles aloud, you see a pattern – a pattern of serious, thoughtful messages made very simple for young readers, perhaps even readers who can only listen.

So when I ordered “The Artist who painted a Blue Horse” – I wasn’t sure what to expect. Okay, I expected a blue horse. But what was it about? I tend not to read reviews of picture books before I buy them – because I want to discover the book and their meanings myself.

As an adult, you can read this book standing by the door, when the postman drops it off. In 11 spreads and less than 50 words, Eric Carle has opened up the horizons for every young artist. Without saying anything in so many words, he has shown the children of today and artists of tomorrow that there is nothing right or wrong about art. Art is what you want it to be - an expression of your own inner thoughts, ideas and maybe suggestions to the world. Unconventional art and radical science becomes commonplace as years go by.

If you are reading to a young child, you have the opportunity not to point out the right colours for the animals. Instead, allow them to come up with more ridiculous combinations. The brushes have been unshackled, the palette has been freed from its colour-dips. Mix them up, make new colours, paint the world in a colour that has no names.

If you are buying this for a child that can read on its own, it would be a delight to explain that artists have no rules and boundaries. Perhaps I’d even buy it for a kid that cannot draw or paint and wants to write or sing. Show them the world beyond convention.

As a picture book writer myself, I salute the master. Not for the colours, or the simple drawings, which I do appreciate. And not just for the message he has put into this book. I salute him for making such a huge statement, a declaration of independence for young creators, in such a simple way.

Go buy the book. It is worth the experience of freedom.

Under the Influence

2011-10-28T20:49:00.003Z

How do writers write under the influence of alcohol? I can barely keep my eyes open after a glass of red. While the cocktails and spirits with mixers can hit me quite late in the night, the wine hits my sleep nerve directly.

I won’t be able to write a single coherent sentence after a large glass of red. And for that matter white.

Like tonight – after two wonderful glasses of red wine from the hills of Montepulciano, the Montepulciano_d'Abruzzo, my brain seems mellow. I want to call all my old boyfriends and tell them about how good life is now. But when I try to write a rhyme or a sentence that describes an emotion, I fall flat. Not literally, but close.

So on days when I have to write a lot, when I set myself a target, wine becomes a reward. Something to look forward to, after a session of writing, after meeting targets, after meeting deadlines. I once had a boyfriend who was more obsessive about my writing targets than me. He used to make sure that we never got anywhere near the wine before my quota of words have been completed.

So I wonder about writers, great ones, who cannot write without the drink. Is it because they wanted to escape into the world of fantasy? Or is it something chemical in their brains? Or maybe they had a better reaction to alcohol than me.

So, instead of an enabler, it is a reward. Instead of drinking and then missing deadlines, I finish deadlines and indulge.

I was at a workshop once with other children’s writers. I saw a couple of them literally write all day energised by wine. They had a bottle next to their computer, a glass fully filled and they typed away. I envied their stamina because the more I looked at the bottle, the more tempted I was. But I knew that my body worked in a different way. I couldn’t write and type at the same.

Do not operate heavy machinery is the key warning for many people who take medication. For me, it would be do not drink before churning heavy words. The words would slur on paper, smudge on rhymes and meander on the lines.

What is your relationship with the bottle? Does it make you write better? Or you drink hot tea and look for chocolates as reward?

Writing a Picture Book - The process

2011-10-22T09:44:00.005Z

Writing a picture-book is perhaps harder than pulling every hair out, one at a time, while chanting and keeping a fast. But it is more fun than pulling hair.

I enjoy every minute of the process from day 1 of conception of idea to Year 5, when I am still revising it. I haven’t published one in the UK yet, but the hope of doing it, keeps me going.

When an idea forms in my head, I use an idea-map to tease it out, draw its inside out with many possibilities. Play with associations. One idea then springs out into a sequence. The idea-map suddenly flows out on one side. One idea expands.

When I have enough of the idea, I stop the idea-map and start with a dummy. I don’t draw or illustrate. But I want pacing. So I do even first drafts on a table of 12 spreads or blank dummies I got the printers to bind for me.

I mark out the end-papers, title and copyright, put my draft title and then make a random choice of starting on the right – a half spread to kick the story off or use a double-spread as a first page.

I then write the story long hand, on the dummy and try and coincide the surprise or the refrains at a page-turn. Roughly at the middle, say after 6 spreads, I go for a single big sentence or zero-word 2-page spread and then begin to accelerate to the climax.

I keep the last left page for the last surprise page-turn. Once I’ve written it on the dummy, I know whether I’m short of text for 12 spreads or too long. I know if some pages are too wordy or too sparse. I know if the story before the middle-spread is dense or the latter half is crowded.

Then I edit the words, change the rhythm, find a pattern. Once I have a pattern, I find a variation that also has a pattern. Then it is time to find out if the spreads need to be re-laid out. Should the refrain appear before the page-turn or in a 2-page spread or after a page-turn?

Then I take out the descriptive words and add sound to the dialog. I very often forget smell and touch and come back for one more revision to add the other elements. Once the text has been marked with so many colours, my need for neatness takes over.

I rewrite the entire text again, in a new dummy in the new format with all my previous changes. Then I start all over again, crossing out, editing, moving. All in long-hand.

The story goes into a word-processor only after I know that the structure works and the editor can spot the structure without having to mark them out in the manuscript.

Then I edit on the computer, for the right words, simplifying the big words, adding some zing. Then I read it aloud. See if the character’s name fits. Then I edit again feeding back my experience when I read aloud.

Finally the story is ready for one final dummy. I print the story out, cut the lines out and stick it on the dummy, using photo adhesives. This time it is all about pace, flow, spreads and page-turns. The refrains need to be uniform, the page-turns surprising and the last page unexpected.

I don’t get this fun, writing novels. I know novelists will disagree. They too do a lot of plotting, moving around, rewriting and on the floor editing with fragments of paper. But I love the 12-page spread and the page-turns and I’ll stick with this format just for the inner reader in me.

Confessions of a Part-Time Writer

2011-10-15T18:22:00.002Z

Life of a writer with a distinctively different day-job is somewhat hectic. It starts with scurrying out of bed, hurried breakfast, coffee on the run, an impatient wait for the train that is never on time, late for a busy day at work where there is no time to grab a sandwich, quick jaunts into the cold car-park for a puff of cigarette, an impatient wait for the woking day to end.

The evening is wrought with other distractions. A nip into the supermarket, checking out at the express counter, a sandwich made absent-mindedly while sorting through junk mail and peeks at the evening news. Then the tidying up, the bills to pay on the Internet and a deserved drink at the end of a long day.

Now it is almost bed-time. The notebook beckons. But so does the bed. Sometimes the snippet of interesting teenage conversation overheard on the train makes the trip to the notebook mandatory, just as much is going to the loo. Sometimes the bed and the duvet look cosier than the hard-day at work. There is always the weekend, the writer surmises as he snuggles into bed with the hope of slipping into unconsciousness.

But the subconscious begins to play, rebel, revolt as soon as the eyes close. The words clamour for release. They haunt the half-asleep dreams. They remind of suppressed memories, forgotten words, an incredible start to a new novel. Reluctantly the writer gets up from bed, propping up against a pillow, reaching for the notebook in the dark, groping for the bedside lamp.

The night is young, the chapter is fresh. It has to be now or never.

My Affinity to Notebooks

2011-10-09T14:22:00.000Z

Reading Celia Rees’ blog on notebooks wanted me to talk about my relationship with notebooks too.

As a kid, clothes and toys didn’t excite me as much as a new notebook, crisp sheets and blank pages. I had plans for all of them blank notebooks. I wanted to decorate them, wanted to be neat and tidy until the last page was finished.

When growing up, school notebooks had to be covered with brown paper. Learning how to fold a large sheet of brown paper and tuck it tight on a notebook was an art. I learnt by experience and a lot of standing outside the class as punishment that my aunt can fold it perfect, whereas my dad was absolutely no good at it. Perhaps one of the first things I learnt as a kid, was to wrap a notebook with brown paper, tight, without glue, cello tape or staples. Shoe laces came later, actually, I still can’t do shoe laces properly. That’s another story and for another blog post later.

Some rebels used white paper, while some used blond beach brown while the conservatives used dark brown. Then you had to stick labels to write your name and class details on it. Most kids showed off their talent here. Kids chose labels with flowers, animals, dinosaurs and even deities.

I rebelled even more. My dad couldn’t afford to send me to the private school I was going to. I saved for every new notebook I bought. So I covered my note books with newsprint or any other paper I could find. The teachers and other students never made me forget that my notebooks looked cheap, and pedestrian.

But I found this to be a great hobby. I hunted for old calendar sheets – glossy ones were my favourite. I found large newspaper spreads with animals on them, some with flowers, funny advertisements. The cover became my voice, my creativity showing off on dull social studies notebooks.

It made great conversation topics. It distracted teachers and actually made them expect shoddy work inside. But when the notebook was opened, it was always neat, tidy, underlined with red. The sheets were still crisp with no dog-ears. The notes were clear, the assignments properly written out.

Perhaps today teachers will think of it as green. Why buy new crisp, noisy brown paper when you can use Sunday newspaper?

Today as a grown-up with gadgets like a PC, laptop, tablets and mobile phones with text pads, word processors and anything in-between, I still go notebook hunting. Whether I am visiting Berlin for a wedding or going to Switzerland for a look-around, I always find a stationery shop. I browse for hours, looking at labels, novelty book-marks, new type of pens and pencils, interesting magnets and of course notebooks.

I prefer a specific type of notebook and I have notebooks I bought even 6-7 years ago, that haven’t been used because I haven’t got an idea worth that notebook. Sometimes I think I guard them too much. I don’t let anyone take one from my stash – and I touch them ever so often.

Some are expensive to the point that if I could sell them back, I could eat for a month. But if you worry about the price of my note book you are missing the point.

Every notebook in my collection needs to be interesting in some way – a textile cover or an artwork or a special type of binding. It can be small or medium. I seldom use bigger than an A4.

But the lines inside have to be light and wide. I don’t like writing between narrow lines. They restrict my words. I don’t like thick lines, they somehow guard the words and prevent them from flowing, being themselves. I seldom keep the words between the lines. I am seldom tidy, even if I promise before I start. I use them for everything from a scribbled haiku to a To-Do list.

Some notebooks come with me – handy sized, fits within my bag. Some are muse-journals, they sit near the sofa, ready to be snatched and have a poem copied from the Guardian website or a quote I just read or a word that occurred to me. Some notebooks are for projects – they are littered with idea maps and crayon markings – even though I can’t draw. Some have an entire picture book laid out multiple times.

I bought 20 A5 sized notebooks from Muji. They are the perfect size – they last a couple of weeks in my busy weeks and a month if I am being lazy. I can date them, they are plain and I can write all sorts of first draft rubbish on them without feeling guilty about the price of my experiments.

Natalie Goldberg writes in her book and told me when I did a course with her - writing on a notebook uses a different muscle to the one that gets used when tapping away on a keyboard. I feel writing on a notebook is less anxious, less distracted. I can think, scratch out, copy and start again. Although I could do most of that on a computer today, I still think scratching out on a notebook and writing another word is immensely satisfying.

I might move from printed crime novels to electronic versions. But I am never going to give up my penchant for starting a new story on a new notebook.

Want to show me photos of your notebooks? Post here.

Disobedient Characters

2011-07-31T15:31:00.000Z

The synopsis stands bereft, its content nowhere near what's happening in my story. An aunt suddenly walked in with a bunch of carrots and rock climbing equipment and the protagonist has to learn to climb a wall in 5 minutes.

I felt sorry for her that I thought I'll get the aunt to climb - but a rule is a rule. If you want to be the protagonist, you've got to climb...

So I am nowhere near the middle of the book where I thought I'd be in 13000 words, so guess I am trailing behind my characters, trying to figure out where in heavens are they taking me.

A new website

2011-07-30T09:42:00.000Z

My website is undergoing a dramatic change. After playing with inadequate buttons and images - I abandoned my efforts and turned to professional help. I visited scores of websites of authors, poets and organisations and got quotations from a few professional website makers.

What I hadn't realised was help was closer to home. My sister was frustrated with my search and the simplicity of my ideas. She got down to work and created a prototype with my basic ideas and a brand new website is very close to being ready.

We are eagerly now awaiting the last-minute touches, the smoothening of the carpets, the last wipe on the granite counters before the home page can be unveiled.

So, not long now. I can't wait to show off my new digs.

Illustrator Agents

2011-07-16T19:46:00.001Z

Although I am not an illustrator, I'm often asked by my friends and colleagues who illustrates my books and how to become an illustrator.

I've met very talented artists in the last few months who have no idea where to start.

For those who have asked me this question - here are some illustrator agents who will open those magic doors, if you knew the magic words.

http://folioart.co.uk/
http://www.debutart.com/
http://www.arenaillustration.com/
http://www.artmarketillustration.com/
http://www.artistpartners.com/mainpages/submissions.htm
http://www.eastwing.co.uk/information/
http://www.organisart.co.uk/submissions.php
http://www.thebrightagency.com/contact_us

My personal advice is as follows:

a) Get used to creating computer images in jpeg
b) Google and look up the agents on the website
c) Look at what kind of artists they represent and would they be right for you
d) Follow submission guidelines

This Poem

2011-07-16T19:37:00.000Z

This poem is like a pebble

Sunk under others

On the beach, by the ocean,

Quiet, until you find it.

This poem is like a cloud

That moves away

In the sky, on a summer day

Silent, until you spot it.

This poem is like the bird

That sings all day

In the woods, looking for worms,

Alone, until you call for it.

This poem is like my feelings

Hidden inside

In my heart, sad or gay,

Unspoken, until you read it.

There isn't enough time...

2011-06-26T16:58:00.000Z

If I need to write all the great blogs out there, read the recently published books in children's genre and then do some reading for pleasure, what little time I have left over, I lament that I have not done enough reading on the marketplace and trade magazines.

There is so little time in a given day that having to read and absorb so much content is over-whelming.

On top of that, writers like me who have published one or two books, need to do their own publicity and marketing - so the rest of the time goes in social networking, doing cross-blogs, cross-reviews and whatever else that will get our names out there.

So when do I get to write?

I think writing needs to be slotted in to an hour first. The rest have to fit in with each other. I am trying to read less twitter and more trade magazines. I use twitter as a distraction in meetings, while on the train with nothing to do. Whichever tweet I want to follow up, I email that to myself and then look it up later.

But the blogs are so innumerable - writing organisations, writers, editors, agents, organisations that promote literacy, books - the list is endless. We all have things to say and we are saying it eloquently on the Internet. But it is getting very noisy for me and I am trying to figure out which ones I should read, can I live without the blogs or do I get selective?

The choices are many and the time is limited. Especially when my full-time day job pays the bills.

Summer Poem I liked

2011-06-22T13:36:00.000Z

Summer Shower

by: Emily Dickinson (1830-1886)

A drop fell on the apple tree,

Another on the roof;

A half a dozen kissed the eaves,

And made the gables laugh.

A few went out to help the brook,

That went to help the sea.

Myself conjectured, Were they pearls,

What necklaces could be!

The dust replaced in hoisted roads,

The birds jocoser sung;

The sunshine threw his hat away,

The orchards spangles hung.

The breezes brought dejected lutes,

And bathed them in the glee;

The East put out a single flag,

And signed the fete away.

Listmania

2011-06-18T20:21:00.000Z

As I follow Twitter and so many publishers, editors and writers, I realised I don't have my own lists of favourite books. Do I know what I like? Have I read all sorts of stuff? Where do I start?

So I spent hours trawling books, reviews and genres to start creating my own lists.

Well, I created them on Amazon to start with. But hopefully I will be able to put it up on my facebook page and my blog soon.

Word Salad 2

2011-06-18T19:41:00.000Z

The egg cracked
the chicken stepped out
it chirped
it flapped
it hopped

"Wonder where I came from?" it asked.

Do you have an answer?
Neither do I.

Word Salad

2011-06-18T19:39:00.000Z

Luminous plain thoughts
surround my mind
chasing those red and
blue ones to the corner.

Did I make sense?
No?

Great!

Then it is a good word salad.

A funny surprise

2011-06-13T20:26:00.000Z

I have read a lot of poetry by Michael Rosen. But last week I picked up two books in the library - two chapter books by Mr. Rosen.

I read "You're Thinking About Tomatoes " today and it was hilarious.

The stories had so much information from the past, the present and filled with a sort of fantasy which is between two worlds. It was hilarious and cheerful. Although he didn't answer the questions he started out with, guess he kept with reality on that. He challenges the reader to keep up with his multi-character viewpoints and things from various points in history.

Great read.

Booksellers Don't Bite

2011-03-23T08:53:00.001Z

An independent bookshop in South London - http://www.booksellercrow.co.uk/

We were walking along the high street in Crystal Palace looking for an antiques shop, when I spotted BookSellerCrow. The shop was welcoming and beautifully laid out.

I walked in to look for my book (yes, what's new). But this time, I didn't send a family member to the counter. I bravely went up to the counter and asked for my book and introduced myself.

The bookseller was so nice to talk to. She checked the stock, she looked up my book and ordered it for me. We swapped cards and I promised to come in and sign them for her.

She welcomed us back to hang out at the shop, look around and meet the other booksellers.

Now armed with a list of south London booksellers, it is time to visit them all. What do you think?

50 Top selling books

2011-03-21T19:23:00.002Z

Almost 50% of the books listed are for young readers and the top 3 definitely are.

Kids Books Rule!!

Scholastic Book Club

2011-03-13T18:53:00.000Z

My UK chapter book has made it into the Scholastic Book Club. Surely schools with Asian students would buy it?

What does it mean if a book club picks up the book?

Does it help the sales?

SlushPile Challenge

2011-03-13T18:51:00.000Z

Who is entering this Slushpile Challenge from British SCBWI?

Am I?

I am still thinking about it. I don't have enough practice in Fiction - but given that this requires an outline and a chapter in less than a month - I need to think before I decide to do it.

Do I have story in me that can lean on Frankenstein's good bits? Do I have a funny story? Or is it all horror? Can I write a mystery? Or something really quiet?

But something to think about surely....

Writing Down the Bones

2010-10-17T09:43:00.000Z

I read Writing Down the Bones this summer - I ordered it from Amazon after it stayed on my wishlist for almost 6 months before I bought it.

To say this book changed my life is an understatement. I went from thinking about writing to writing 2 hours a week and now I write at least 6 hours a week. I find the time to write, to stretch my boundaries. I still waste time doing other things - but I don't complain I don't have time to write.

Also I have let go of my desire to publish- I just want to practice a lot and if by working on various exercises and writing topics - I get a story out, I finish a picture book, so be it. With the letting go has come relief. I am not trying to write 32 pages, 12 or 13 spreads. I am focussing on the words. I am focussing on putting sensory details, I writing from memory, I am writing about things around me.

Yes this is a long process - but we all know even publishing is a long process. We wait years for someone to like our book, then years for it to get published and repeat it again for the next book. If during that waiting time, I spend time on writing practice, I think I am becoming a better writer.

I met her this September in a workshop in New Mexico and she is exactly the same person as her books. She talks and writes the same way and she is amazingly direct, candid and real. I am blessed to have met people who can change so many lives.

I have read all her writing books and her poetry collections and it has changed my writing. Check it out yourself too.

Walker Imprint in India

2010-10-17T09:37:00.000Z

Walker Books have launched a new imprint in India and my title "A Dollop of Ghee and a Pot of Wisdom" is one of the first titles to be launched there.

Read about it at the Booksellers here.

http://www.thebookseller.com/news/130611-walker-expands-into-india-market.html

My Publisher Gets a New Boss

2010-07-18T07:33:00.000Z

Will this mean a change in policy? Will this mean less picture books? Less UK based books?

The Fear of the Blank Page

2010-07-05T19:07:00.002Z

Every writer dreads the white page. It is empty and it is waiting and it needs to be filled. There are some days when writing is easy and most days it is hard. The white page stares back - not giving a hint as to what it wants to be written.

A writer's relationship with writing I suppose mirrors real-life relationships. In every relationship I am sure couples dread a situation where they don't have anything to say to each other. There are no common topics, the passion has died out and there is no interest in filling up the silences with sex. There could be a situation where there is nothing to talk about - nothing is relevant and nothing is important enough to discuss. Married couples do have the mundane things to talk about - but that is not conversation - that is just information exchange.

Similarly the writer at some point goes blank. There is nothing to write about. Or she believes there is nothing that interests her or worth the paper or nothing anyone cares about. Sometimes it could be because there is no one to read the material.

Sometimes even when there are readers, it is odd how the mind goes blank. This is not about writing blocks - because that is a medical condition like fear of heights. The fear of the white page is more subtle than that. It is not about your ability to write, it about your belief in your ability to write. It is about whether the writer has a listener or reader in mind. When there is no virtual reader that she is thinking about, the words die. There is no easy way to talk to a wall. Then you shut up because the wall doesn't care. So when the writer loses the virtual, imaginary reader in her mind, the words dry up. Or if the imaginary reader has been unkind with comments or has ignored her writing, then the words refuse to come as there is no reason to writer. The reader you are writing for has no more interest in your words.

There is only one thing to do then. Banish the imaginary reader. Get another one or write for yourself. Life can be okay lonely. When married couples breakup, they don't have to find another person straightaway to function. They re-enter single life, they experiment, maybe they'd go for someone in the same sex, maybe they will mope alone for years. Whatever it is, life doesn't stop.

So if the writing doesn't come easy, that doesn't mean, life stops or the earth doesn't procreate or change. It is just another day of writing for another reader, maybe someone who is more amenable to white spaces and loves even your single word or encourages you to write even if the subject doesn't interest the reader.

I do have topics to write about. It is not the fear of the blank page that is stopping me. It is the fear of the words, about what I might write and what I might reveal about myself and how private the writing should be and how not to treat it as therapy and improve the writing while searching inside for material.

The Naughty Bits: What Children Should Read and When

2010-05-22T08:07:00.000Z

Read this article from Pyschology Today to find out when teens should be introduced to different things in life using books.

Revision is STRESSFUL

2010-05-22T08:00:00.000Z

I always thought revision is something fun. Never had issues revising over and over again. And then this project happened.

Did multiple requested revisions and sent it off and now I have to start rewriting from scratch again. After 9 months.

I'm almost at the point of despair. What am I supposed to do now? Revision is different from rewrite from scratch. I need to get back into the topic and immerse again. Especially because it is non-fiction.

I can't ignore it for long. I've put it away for more than 3 weeks now and it is hanging above my head like a noose. I have to do something about it this weekend.

I think I need the right flow to get it right this time. Scratch and write again won't work when there are 64 spreads to work on.

Oh my angel of revision, show me some guidance..... give me some hints and courage....

Does Anyone know if an English Translation exists?

2010-05-15T07:56:00.002Z

I found this book in a flea market in Berlin. Loved the illustrations and wanted to read the book. Unfortunately it was in Deutsche. So I googled and I still can't find an English translation.

Can anyone help?

http://www.amazon.de/Wichtelhausen-Ein-M%C3%A4rchen-Erich-Heinemann/dp/3872863339

Reading is Fundamental

2010-04-10T19:26:00.000Z

Reading is Fundamental is an organisation based in Washington, that promotes literacy.

Visit their website to find out more about reading activities, parent support for reading, literacy games and more.

They even to do booklists on various topics.

Visit http://www.rif.org/ today.

iPAD launched in USA

2010-04-10T19:21:00.000Z

iPAD launches in America and soon to be available in the UK.

Yet another revolution in digital media content. Will this fare better than the current digital reading devices? Will they be able to replace the physical act of turning a page, holding on to a book, folding a magazine or a broadsheet and reading it the way you want?

Will these digital devices ever replace the solid spine of a book that is displayed on my shelves? How much fun would it be to have one digital device that contains 1000 books and having 1000 books arranged by author on the shelves?

The joy of going to bookshops is all about browsing, smell of paper, feel of different textures, the jacket flap and the hardbound etc. Do I want to give up all of that?

Economists Article on Copyrights

2010-04-10T19:17:00.000Z

Copyright and wrong - Why the rules on copyright need to return to their roots

In this article in this week's issue - Economist is looking at both sides of the argument of having longer copyright protection (or not).

It does mention that the current laws are favourable to publishers and not to creators. And it also talks about enforcing copyright effectively.

However, what's practical and what's not? And if you want to bequeath your legacy, looks like it is becoming tougher to do that.

Read to find out more. http://www.economist.com/opinion/displaystory.cfm?story_id=15868004

Flirting with an Agent

2010-04-07T22:07:00.000Z

I wrote a picture book two years ago and revised it patiently. After attending this year's SCBWI conference in NY and putting it through the Writer's Intensive, I had a breakthrough. I rewrote it and polished it and I can really see that it was ready to go out.

So I sent it to few agents in London. I got back a lovely email from an agent saying "She loved the picture book".

Voila! I thought the door to my agent's heart is slowly opening now. She offered to read more of my stuff. Well, that's where the bolts came on again.

The good thing is - if I have one more like the picture book I have now, she has offered to read again.

For every forward step, there are about 10 side steps. Well, life is tough.

Newest Singapore book

2010-04-07T22:04:00.000Z

You may have seen or heard a lot about new diseases appearing and infecting thousands of people. But did you know that you can do your part to stop the spreading in your home and school?

This handy book shows you how to make your body more active and healthy. From the food you eat to the kind of exercises you adopt, this book shows you how good hygiene habits can go a long way towards keeping the world around you cleaner and infection-free.

Believe it or not, you can protect yourself and others from catching a virus and falling sick by washing your hands before meals and covering your mouth when you cough. They may sound trivial, but every single step ensures that harmful germs do not spread. Let’s all adopt a healthier diet and lifestyle today, to combat the diseases of tomorrow!

It was a surprise

2010-04-07T22:03:00.000Z

On the day my book was expected in the bookstores, I got a card from my publisher with wishes from everyone in the editorial team.

It was very thoughtful and it was nice to know they had me in their thoughts on that special day.

My chapter book is out on sale now

2010-04-07T21:53:00.000Z

Visit your nearest Waterstones or Borders to buy my chapter book. For all the people who spend hours on the Internet, you can buy it off Amazon or the bookstore websites too.

http://www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/products/chitra+soundar/a+dollop+of+ghee+and+a+pot+of+wisdom/6836122/

As I Watch - Illustrator

2010-02-28T18:54:00.002Z

Samantha Bell illustrated this book and I'm glad she did.

In Samantha's words - "The little boy in the illustrations is my youngest son, Luke (he just turned 6). I think he made a good model!"

Yup he is a great model.

You can find out more about Samantha at http://www.samantha-bell.com/

As I Watch

2010-02-28T18:49:00.007Z

Preview this book at http://www.guardianangelpublishing.com/as-i-watch.htm

As I Watch

Littlest Angels
Author: Chitra Soundar www.chitrasoundar.com
Artist: Samantha Bell www.samanthabell.com
PRINT: 978-1-61633-013-2; 16161330139
EBook: 978-1-61633-014-9; 1616330147
Nature watching needs patience. But patience is certainly rewarded. In this book, every young reader will learn how to watch a butterfly is born from a tiny egg hanging under a leaf. The concept of life cycle is illustrated by the text that brings the reader back to where he started. The repetitive text guides the reader to follow the text and repeat.

As I Watch

2010-02-21T19:48:00.002Z

"As I Watch" is a book for young children, who are learning to observe. I was just re-discovering Nature after having spent an year in England and I somehow wanted to communicate that. That was the time I was experimenting with circular texts as well.

This topic has been done before many times. But I felt I had the right hook and the right words. It took a lot of editing and rewriting - even though the word count was less than 100.

The amazing thing was this was accepted by an independent publisher in the US very quickly. It was going to come out as an e-book. But today I go to Amazon and there I see it as a hardcover. Wow!

I must admit the illustrations were so beautiful, I was longing to hold the book in my hands.
Now I think I can. But isn't it strange, I haven't seen the book yet?

So, if you have a child between 2 and 6 years of age, do buy this book. And if your inner-child wants one, go ahead and buy it anyway.

Thoughts and Noughts

2009-12-13T22:46:00.002Z

I used to write a lot. I wrote on the train, in the bedroom and in the kitchen. Nowadays, I am not writing enough. And I can feel the strain in my writing. It is like going back to the gym. If you're out of practice, it hurts when you restart. The lack of form shows. The words are difficult and need a lot more polishing. The flow is thick like glue instead of a stream.

Every serious book on writing suggests writing fresh out of bed for 5 minutes. What's wrong with that? Why am I not following that? Is my life so bound to the clock that I can't do my first 5 minutes? Can I hold my urge to the morning usuals for 5 minutes? Can my craving for coffee wait? Can the office blackberry wait?

I think they all can wait. I need to put down five minutes on paper. Not toilet paper. Pen to paper, five solid minutes everyday. To celebrate this decision, I'm going to start a new notebook, make my alarm go five minutes early and see how long I can keep up.

Can I write?

2009-10-24T13:19:00.002Z

Can I actually write? Or Am I hacking it?
Why can I be so funny in my head, but not on paper?
Why do my words fall flat like a blooper?
Can I actually write? Or should I be packing it?

2009-10-18T19:01:00.002Z

As life goes past my days,

Chores are never done,

Things I do sure pays

But it is not a lot of fun.

I want to write a lot

Write what I like

I want to live a lot

Live the way I like.

Pre-order my book at Amazon

2009-08-15T08:52:00.006Z

Features four stories about young Prince Veera, who, along with his friend Suku, helps his father, the king, solve some of the problems he is having with his subjects.

Hello everyone,
The book has been officially launched in Amazon for a Mar 2010 release. You can pre-order the book now in Amazon UK.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dollop-Ghee-Pot-Wisdom/dp/1406317020/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1250326232&sr=1-2
Product details
Paperback: 96 pages
Publisher: Walker Books Ltd (1 Mar 2010)
ISBN-10: 1406317020
ISBN-13: 978-1406317022

Poetry while stressed

2009-07-31T07:39:00.003Z

Can I write when I'm stressed, upset or tired? I always thought my brain would be mush by the time I finish my day-job and get home to write. I work 14 hours a day, filled with meetings, long hours on the PC, handling aggressive clients - and then when I come home, can I actually write anything other than a few choice swear words?

I didn't know myself until I tried it this last month. On days when the couch seems like heaven and mindless TV feels like respite, I switched to comfortable futon and a notebook that I like. I switched to writing poetry to free my mind - the technique might not be perfect, the rhythm might be off, the stuff I write might not be publishable ever - but it gave me peace, relaxation and exercised my word muscles. My notebook doesn't look neat and tidy, it's filled with tired scrawls, good handwriting eroded by years of computer use, but the words are mine. The words are about things I want to write. The words don't belong in my day-job, they don't belong to work related stress.

I might go back and revise something I wrote a night before. I might write something new. I could write a stanza or a haiku that mines my mind for a lone thought of imagination that was wedged between excel spreadsheets and hardcore finance. That alone is worthy of the time I spend on writing, even if it is just ten minutes a day.

My next book

2009-07-31T07:33:00.003Z

Walker Books are publishing my chapter book in early 2010. I'm told that the illustrations are underway. The title reads "A Dollop of Ghee and a Pot of Wisdom - Stories from India". A bunch of stories that are humourous, and sly.

This book was fun when writing it. The characters flew from mind to paper with ease and made the stories their own.

The cover illustrated by Uma from India is brilliant. It brings out the story in a fun-way without giving away too much. It represents the colour and active energy of the stories.

I recently showed the cover to some folks in India and they loved it without having to be nice to me.

When there is more news to share, I'll be the first to talk about it. Watch this space.

Poetry for Pleasure

2009-07-19T08:53:00.002Z

Summer afternoons have brought me closer to my poetic adventures. I've taken a notebook and a pen to the park, spent couple of hours basking in the sun, writing poems that I want to write. No one will perhaps ever read it, no one will be asked to publish it.

It is kind of calisthenics - not just for my words but also for my soul. It frees up my mind from thinking about work, deadlines, chores and makes me think about the grass that is scratching my knee, the bee that is circling my head, the sun that is glaring at me and the bunch of kids running around chasing a dog.

Life without poetry might be as dull as a home-cooked meal without my very own Indian fried potatoes.

My first UK Book

2009-03-08T18:58:00.003Z

My first UK title is in production now and I am so excited.
I got to see the illustrations for the cover and also got to coin the title of the book.

And needless to say I'm happy to be part of the process, that evolves from the creative collaboration of so many people brought together for a common purpose.

Well, when I'm allowed to show the cover and talk about the details of the book, I'll bring more to you.

Rocks and Pebbles

2008-06-14T11:46:00.003Z

Life is a
Glass jar filled
With other people’s rocks.

Life is a
Handful of pebbles
Slipping between the big rocks.

Life is a
Shadow cast
From these pebbles and rocks.

Life is an
Empty glass jar
But for the rocks.

This Life is Mine

2008-06-14T11:44:00.000Z

I’m a glowing star,
I’m born to shine.
Throw doubts afar,
This life is mine.

When chores are done
And clocks chime nine
I’ve just now begun
Life sweet as wine.

I work night and day
Straining spine
At night I pray
For morrow be mine.

Spare a Thought

2008-06-14T11:43:00.001Z

Friendship is hard
It demands a lot.
It’s the whole nine yards
Spare a thought.

I missed a party
I missed a game.
But when cloud gathers
To hug I came.

India

2008-06-14T11:39:00.002Z

My colours are painted
By its coastal palms,
Sugarcane beets
Bright summers
Juicy mangoes.

My music notes are from
Noisy oceans
Rough monsoons
Chatty neighbours
Urban cattle moos.

My emotions are built on
Joint families
Vacation sleepovers
Boy-girl rules
Arranged marriages.

My anger is borne out of
Its unrelenting humility
Callous selfishness
Flexible morals and
Misfit superstitions.

I’m an honest Indian.
Sometimes thankful,
Sometimes ashamed.
Sometimes hopeful,
Mostly proud.

Storytelling

2008-02-23T18:58:00.002Z

My interest in writing came from my love of listening to stories and telling them. My grandmother and her sisters, then my mother always fed me with stories every night in a decade where the only entertainment was the radio.

I listened to made-up stories, folktales, movie stories, and stories about my father growing up. I still remember a night-out during a trip, one of my mum's cousin started telling us ghost stories. All of the good stuff must have rubbed off because I started telling stories when I was 10 or 11.

I had a huge fan following amongst my younger cousins - bless the days when holidays were spent in each other's homes for a week or more.

I perhaps stopped because life interrupted my telling. School, college, work and growing up meant very little time with nieces and nephews.

When I started teaching creative writing, I got another eager audience and I started to tell a story a week after class. They were all ghost stories as Singapore is so much into that genre.

But in front of an audience, I almost always chicken out. Though I love making jokes, noises and voices, I have turned into an adult who can't goof around.

So this month I joined the Storytelling Circle in London. I'm going to beat my fears with training, learning and a lot of practice.

Being Out There

2007-11-24T11:47:00.000Z

2007 has been filled with solitude. I have not been out much meeting other writers. I didn't attend workshops, literary events or anything.

I have been busy at my day job, slaving at a computer. I even postponed my vacation.

Then came the two weeks of vacation. I met new people, enjoyed new things, visited some amazing places including the Taj Mahal and then realised that my solitude has not really helped me much in my writing.

I need to get out there and enjoy things. I need to be among people who talk books, who breathe books.

So I went to three events - the first one was organised by SCBWI - we met an editor from Bloomsbury and the second was organised by the Book Circle to listen to Michael Rosen and the third was an event by PEN - a panel discussion. Both were revealing of the current situation in British books. These events gave me an idea of what went on in schools here. They introduced me to people who are passionate about books, covers, content, censorship, reading in classrooms, reading at home, cross-over literature and what not.

That is something I have been missing while I was sunk under paperwork in the day job. Who is going to understand my need to talk about reading at bedtime.

So here comes 2008 and I am all prepared to attend more such events.

Finding Agents

2007-10-27T17:42:00.001Z

I've been in the UK for two years now. Even though I have not spent all the 24 months looking for an agent, I did try very hard.

With 17 titles in print and a bag full of new stories, I've been sending letters to agents in Britain. In fact, some of them very kind to read it fully and recommend me to other agents. But most have returned it with a standard note.

Research the agent, look at their websites, look at their authors' websites, google the agents, prepare a killer one-page letter, send the best manuscript, send resume and business-card - even then the road to being taken on is quite a slippery slope.

One day I will climb up and find an agent and that day, this post will be sure deleted. The count starts now.

Writing for Magazines

2007-08-18T20:02:00.000Z

Although I've met a lot of writers in America who write for magazines, I still find it surprising that in Britain, many people don't want to start with magazine writing. Perhaps it could be because there are not that many magazines for kids in this part of the world.

I always find magazine writing fun and challenging. It exercises the writing muscles, gives me an opportunity to try my hand at many things and at the same time gives me a chance to be published, to be read by many kids.

Many of my magazine articles have been included in educational databases, archives and even the encyclopedia. One of the articles has even been converted into an audio story.

Though it is not regular royalty income or sometimes does not pay really well, it brings the pleasure of being published that much closer. Sometimes I manage two articles in magazines in a year, sometimes I manage to land a column in magazine.

Writing regularly keeps my talents honed, my writing sharp and the deadlines give me a discipline to write. Yes, I am not writing the next NY Times Bestseller, but until then I am quite happy to earn my medals, slowly and steadily.

Many magazines I write for, are popular, highly renowned and maintain a high degree of quality. Writing for magazines also gives me the ability to write queries, do research for non-fiction, work with an editor and write to spec. That's a masterclass in writing, and I love attending it.

Take 5

2007-08-18T19:58:00.000Z

Here is a quick Take 5 from me to other writers who are starting out in this journey.

5 Myths about writing for children

It is easy.
No standards exist for this kind of writing.
Children will read anything you give them.
It’ll make you rich.
All stories should preach or teach.

5 ways to improve your writing

Read other books
Meet other writers
Write regularly
Explore the world of writing
Experiment with your own writing

Fifth U.K. Children's Laureate

2007-06-27T21:04:00.000Z

Michael Rosen was appointed Britain's fifth children's laureate at a ceremony in London this past Monday. Rosen's first poetry collection, Mind Your Own Business, was published in 1974, and he has since published more than 140 books including poetry, picture books and nonfiction; his next is a biography of Roald Dahl. His classic picture book We're Going on a Bear Hunt, illustrated by Helen Oxenbury, won the Nestle Smarties Grand Prize in 1989. In addition to his writing, Rosen is well-known for his work as a live performer, broadcaster, teacher and critic. He is a familiar radio voice in the U.K., where he regularly hosts BBC radio programs.

From PW Children's Bookshelf

Booked Up

2007-06-27T21:02:00.000Z

Booked Up is the new national programme encouraging Year 7 children to read for pleasure.

Booked Up is run by Booktrust. Booktrust is the independent reading charity that encourages people of all ages and cultures to discover and enjoy reading. Booked Up is supported by the Department for Education and Skills (DfES).

Don't Reject My Submission Today

2007-04-19T20:12:00.000Z

Dear Editor,

Please find my submission enclosed. My story is so great because.... blah... blah... blah

I am a published writer, yada....yada....yada....

However, if you are not interested and sending a form rejection letter, please note that my menstruation cycle is between the 8th and 13th of the month. Please do not send any rejection letters starting from the 2nd until the 14th. During that time, due to hormonal imbalance, I am weepy, depressed and psychotic. If I receive a rejection during this period, I take it personally. I blow up, I throw up, I pass out.

However, during the week following 14th, I am usually in good cheer and high spirits. If you do send back my manuscript then, I'd happily shove it into another envelope and send it somewhere else.

Thank you for your understanding. Thank you for taking the time to consider my submission and for being considerate about my hormonal cycles.

Yours truly
Honest Jones

Technology Tips

2007-03-24T19:09:00.000Z

A. Readability Statistics

When Microsoft Word finishes checking spelling and grammar, it can display information about the reading level of the document, including the following readability scores. Each readability score bases its rating on the average number of syllables per word and words per sentence.
1. On the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the Spelling & Grammar tab.
2. Select the Check grammar with spelling check box.
3. Select the Show readability statistics check box, and then click OK.

B. Versioning in Microsoft Word

Did you know that the in-built Version feature allows keeping old versions of your copy and also editing the original? You don’t need to maintain different drafts in different folders of your computer, if you exploited this feature.

After completing every draft, just click on File -> Versions -> Save Now. You can tag each draft with a comment just the way you would do to a typewritten bundle. Now you have enabled your document to store all the different versions in a single file.

You can retrieve any specific version by clicking on it. You can delete a draft that is not required by selecting the version and tapping the Delete button. No more draft mix-ups of your wonderful stories.

C. Saving paper?

Want to print two pages on a A4 paper? If you are using Microsoft Word, in your print options, look for the option Pages Per Sheet on the right-handside corner. Select 2 pages and hit the print button.

Of course if you are dummying a very simple picture book you can print 16 pages per sheet and see how it folds.

10 commandments

2007-03-24T19:07:00.000Z

Thou shall not tell, but show.
Thou shall not overuse adjectives and adverbs.
Thou shall write at least once a day.
Thou shall not waste time on the Internet.
Thou shall do thorough research.
Thou shall not store manuscripts in closets.
Thou shall not steal ideas from others.
Thou shall not post the only copy to an editor.
Thou shall always buy your friend’s book.
Thou shall not plagiarize.

Giraffes

2006-12-31T19:32:00.000Z

If I were to buy an animal soft-toy – what would that be? For many people it would be a large teddy bear. I remember once when were 16 or 17, one of my friends was out on a school trip to North India. His girl-friend was one of the catwalk queens of our class. Well, I was just the average jane. This guy who was a man of few words, never did mushy things, turned up at the railway station with a giant teddy bear. Guess who had to lug it home?

But I am not a large bear person. At least not in soft-toys area. I prefer the giraffe. Gawky yet elegant, quiet yet active, serene and agile. Nothing can beat the giraffe – the colour of its coat – what’s with the regular black coats on bears (like people in London travelling for morning work – everyone wearing a black suit)?

When I was assigned a story by Reading A-Z about an animal who wants to experiment with its dietary choices, the first thing that came to my mind was a giraffe. What a great circular story it is – the giraffe trying to fish and do other ridiculously ungiraffy things ever and finally deciding to go back to its normal diet. Just like me – I suddenly crave for the pasta or maybe even a plate of salad and then always returning to Indian food, cooked by my own hands.

Find out what happened to the giraffe when you read “What’s for Dinner?” published by Reading A-Z.

http://www.readinga-z.com/newfiles/levels/e/whatsfordinnere.html

Teachers, there is a lesson plan too, if you buy the e-book.

Butterflies and Rainbows

2006-12-31T19:13:00.000Z

Some people write about monsters and fairies. Some love ghosts. I love butterflies and rainbows to write about.

It all started when I entered a contest on the SCBWI website (www.scbwi.org). The contest was to write 50 words about what is at the end of the rainbow – a pot of gold or just disappointment?

A writer’s mind works in mysterious ways – the god of the fictional world, you see. This somehow made me a recollect a spring watch newscast on British television. Oh yes, there is an autumn watch too.

Now put these two together, a butterfly starts chasing the rainbow to discover the pot of gold under it. What happens? Will the butterfly be disappointed?

You will have to find out by reading Chasing the Pot of Gold, published as an e-book by Guardian Angel Publishing.

Spring is a gift of life. Why don’t you give it to someone? You can purchase it from Guardian Angel Publishing or from me directly. Here are the links.

http://www.guardianangelpublishing.com/chasinggold.htm
www.chitrasoundar.com

My first picture book

2006-12-31T19:11:00.000Z

Long ago, yaks were nomads. They wandered from place to place, never settling down. Well, Muri the eagle thinks yaks are fussy. On Muri’s suggestions, he discover landscapes that are not quite so suitable. But he finally decides to go it alone on an unbeaten path that leads him to the snow-capped Himalayas, just right for him.

Gola walked into my heart and mind as I worked on a non-fiction topic about yaks and Buddhist Thormas about Tibet. I found that though yaks have been domesticated since the 1st century AD, they have rarely graced the pages of children’s picture books. With that Gola’s story tumbled out of the snow. Gola is very special to me. He has been with me since 2003, changing his story so many times, refusing to leave my mind and heart.

You can read Gola’s story in “Where is Gola’s Home?” published by Tulika Books, India (Dec 2006) in 5 bilingual editions. Find out how to buy here - http://www.tulikabooks.com/bilingualbooks10.htm.

Why don't you buy this as present to young readers you know?

Creative Non-fiction

2006-11-24T21:05:00.000Z

I was asked about creative non-fiction recently by a writer I met at a conference. Here are some links and books I suggested to him.

http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/childrens_writing/62230
http://www.writing-world.com/children/nonfiction.shtml
http://www.pitt.edu/~bdobler/readingnf.html

Book titles

=== Creative Nonfiction: How to Live It and Write It (Paperback) by by Lee Gutkind
=== The Art of Creative Nonfiction: Writing and Selling the Literature of Reality (Wiley Books for Writers Series) by Lee Gutkind
=== Creative Nonfiction: Researching and Crafting Stories of Real Life by Philip Gerard
=== Writing Creative Nonfiction: Instruction and Insights from Teachers of the Associated Writing Programs by Philip Gerard
=== Writing Creative Nonfiction: Fiction Techniques for Crafting Great Nonfiction by Theodore A. Rees Cheney
=== In Fact: The Best of Creative Nonfiction by Lee Gutkind

Subtle Meanings

2006-08-18T13:16:00.000Z

Read between the lines
Spring is not all about love
It's about selfish pleasure.

(C) Chitra Soundar, Aug 2006

Fading Love

2006-08-18T13:08:00.000Z

Summers fade away
Sunshine gets colder sometimes
Love is fickle, I know.

(C) Chitra Soundar, Aug 2006

The God of Small Things

2006-08-11T17:20:00.000Z

"Never read an Indian novel by an Indian author" - Guilty as charged - until last week.

I was waiting for a friend, I was meeting for lunch. He was late and I was lucky. I walked into Waterstones and picked up Arundhati Roy's The God of Small Things.

I flipped through the pages as I waited for my friend and the first page grabbed me. I couldn't put the book down. I thought about the characters after I put the book down. I even had dreams about the characters and I was sucked in fully.

What a way to write - she has broken every rule in the book to give a rare treat. The viewpoints jump, adjectives abound, adverbs are all over - but the language is music. It takes you on a journey that you want to travel. A journey where you forget airline security, baggage-check in, terrorist attacks. A journey back into a world where you're somewhat familiar with and enjoy her description of something familiar.

I'd say the joy is doubled when you are an Indian because you get the inside jokes, you have seen the object she is talking about.

Intricate, complex, compelling and somehow rewarding - as if I had been let in on a family secret. I was happy to have been included. I am still thinking about the characters in the book - especially Velutha.

Whatever bad happened in this week, I am inclined to forgive God, because I read the God of Small Things.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time

2006-08-11T17:10:00.000Z

It was a curious incident. This book was on my shelf for almost a year. I write picture books and easy readers. I didn't want to cloud my mind with Middle-grade / YA fiction. I don't read novels - I read crime thrillers - something that solves a mystery or a puzzle.

But someone who knows me well told me I should read this book. You'll like it, she said.

I picked up the book on a Monday and finished it cover to cover by Wednesday. I couldn't talk about anything else for more than two weeks.

What a way to enter another person's world! The perspective was not just hilarious, it was honest. It talked about life in B&W and not in colour.

Well, hats off to Mark Haddon.

Elusive - the word that didn't elude me for too long

2006-04-23T22:03:00.003Z

"Elusive", the word that brings visions of fairies, or if you prefer the goddess of muse. What if you are describing a character in your story, a mysterious one as elusive? How many times can you use the same word? Don't you need some other words or phrases that would help characterize? The digital thesaurus, in one click, was able to generate a long list of words that you could use instead of elusive. Not so elusive after all, eh?
So, here is a short list of words that could fit in the place of elusive, depending on the tone, purpose and context.
If you are using the word elusive many times over in your draft, remember to replace at least some of them with these alternatives.

Indefinable	The euphoria of an acceptance or the gloom of a rejection
Hard to pin down	When you want to find out why your submission was rejected from the form replies you get.
Subtle	The typical in-law references to your limitations, or is it?
Intangible	The quick smiles and hug that your chubby little one showers on you after a long day
Vague	The smile or nod that you get when HE is watching a ball-game
Indescribable	The scene that comes to your mind, but eludes on paper.
Mysterious	For the editor who doesn't tell you whether he or she liked your piece.
Obscure	That piece of weird research that suddenly becomes the focal point of your article
Hard to get hold of	The interviewee who agreed to meet you
Little known	The ah-factor of your article
Unknown	That's what you are unless you are on the NY Times Best seller list at least for a month
Indistinct	Those articles and prepositions that seem to crawl their way into drafts
Murky	Those contests that you wish you never entered
Cloak	Those minutes of shrugs and smiles you display when you get rejection letters that say "This is not suited to our needs"

While the scene I attempted for my story eluded me, I thoroughly enjoyed the adventures with the elusive word. Next time I am stuck with a blank screen with a blinking cursor, I know what to do. Just pick up a word and look for all its elusive meanings.

To be rejected is human; learning from rejection is divine

2006-04-23T22:03:00.000Z

The most common topic among writers would be about rejections. Conversations can become never-ending when it comes to talking about rejections. Number of rejections, rejection from biggies, form letters, no responses, reasons for rejection. The list goes on and on.

As writers we hate the form letters, a check mark against one or two among a list of reasons and the most dreaded phrase in the history of rejection, "Not suitable for our needs". We can't see the editors' face or their shrug when they tick against a reason on the form. We cannot see their frowns and smirks when they dash off a form letter rejecting our masterpieces. And that makes us insecure about the response. Was the submission really not suited to the editors' needs or is the editor being polite? Was my writing good quality, would it have passed if the topic were right? How do I find out if they really mean what they said? And very often we complain, " If only the editor told me what was wrong with my piece!"

And then out of the blue you get another rejection letter. So what's new? This one is different because it's not a form letter. It clearly states what's wrong with your piece and why they couldn't accept. It also states how this article didn't interest the editor - due to lack of clarity, structure, content or whatever other things an article is supposed to have. And the editor also tells you not to be discouraged and hopes you would submit to them again in the future.

Now you got what you always wanted - a rejection letter that explains why. It has brought professional criticism from someone who didn't think your work is au fait. Obviously the article has not been accepted. Isn't this what you always wanted - constructive criticism?

What happens now? Do you feel encouraged? The form letter was a blanket of security that you didn't appreciate earlier. The form letter camouflaged the criticism and the censure and told you what you wanted to know. But the detailed rejection pushes you back into the dark tunnels of insecurity, only much farther. It questions your rationale in your belief as a writer, it makes you wonder whether you were wrong to have even attempted to do so. If the criticism is more honest, the setback is further down. You might not be willing to write or submit anything for the next few days.

Grass looks always greener on the other side. While you think getting detailed criticism is better than a form letter, once you get a criticism, you are not sure how to handle it. Perhaps this editor was in a bad mood. Perhaps your article was the tenth one about the same topic he reviewed on the same day. Perhaps he had to chew someone and your submission landed on his desk at the most opportune moment. You try and justify the article and the injustice of the comment. Don't worry, it is human to be doing this.

So when do you become divine? After you put aside the letter for sometime, lick your wounds in private and eat some comfort food, you will be back to normal. Now you are ready to tackle the letter again. Read it carefully and review your article again. If you were an editor, would these comments make sense? At the back of your mind, did you feel that these problems did exist when you wrote the article, but sent them out anyway? Using these comments, would you be able to chisel the piece and make it better? Can you add value to your piece by more research and better structure?

If yes, then you are a professional. You have learnt to make the best use of a bad situation. You have chosen to learn from your mistakes. That's what a good rejection letter should help you to do.

But there is another side to the coin as well. You go through the piece you have written, and review the rejection letter. You see no problems like the editor has pointed out. You check the guidelines and there seems to be no anomaly there too. After an objective analysis, you reach a conclusion that the editor was not justified. Perhaps he did have a bad day after all. So what do you do?

Do what Mahatma Gandhi did. Once a journalist handed over a 10-page essay filled with accusations and baseless allegations against Gandhi. Gandhi skimmed through the pages and found it to be garbage. He dumped the sheets after removing the paper clip that held the pages together. When asked about it he said, " the paper-clip was the only useful part of that document".

While most editors are professional and try to help an upcoming writer as often as they could, the proliferation of web sites and ezines have made many wannabe editors into editors. So it is possible that you do once in a while encounter someone who is not a 100% professional and who is also learning the trade and the craft as days go by. Haven't you heard about great writers, who raked in fortunes, were turned down innumerable times? Don't waste your time on unjust rejections. Set them aside and move along.

If you have chosen to write, and you believe in your ability to write and your ability to learn, then don't be discouraged by honest critiques, learn from them. If you are confident of your talent and your goal of becoming a writer, set aside your doubts and ignore invalid censures. Either way, how you handle your rejections is a confirmation of how professional you are.

To be rejected is human; learning from rejection is divine.

Soul vs Structure

2006-04-15T20:19:00.000Z

P.G.Wodehouse wrote a collection of short stories about Golf. In one of the stories, he talks about an eccentric genius millionaire (definitely not about me, even if you think I am that old), who can study a set of books and apply precision and he can achieve anything the first time correctly. Apparently he did do well in golf as well.

Well, I wish writing were such a task. Only that I know it is not. Sadly, many aspiring writers I know and read about apparently think of it that way. There are two extreme polarities into which some aspiring writers fall under.

First is the self-doubting, self-loathing, self-recriminating variety that demands perfection first time onwards. The second group is a set of people who assume that by reading all the craft books and reading the personal experiences of successful writers, one of their unwritten manuscript would magically get transported to the desk of an editor who would publish it as soon as the printers can find a free slot and they are on the bestseller list from day one.

Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately), it doesn't work that way. Either way, both the groups are assuming that any art or craft, comes all in one go, at a near genius level, to whoever asks for it. Either they have not heard about great painters practicing their art before painting their one-in-a-lifetime masterpiece or they decide to skip all the sweaty portions and skip to the stories about the wide halls of fame.

Whether you train to be an architect, doctor (don't we know how experimental their learning can prove to be), painter or something as mundane as a computer programmer (believe me even after ten years, I still can't get over the monotonous humdrumry of it), you learn the basics in theory and a lot of practice. You get to make mistakes, get shouted at by your tutor, boss or even strangers. Then you slowly get the hang of the fundamentals. Then you begin to work towards optimum quality and if you are lucky, you might be talented and hardworking enough to work towards perfection and masterpiece. (I am not sure you have a masterpiece in computer programming, though.)

So, why are aspiring writers avoiding the actual writing? Why do every writing guru have to reiterate the need to write every day. Why does every book insist on mandatory word count every day?

What would happen if doctors don't do internships? I used to live in Chennai, that is the center of medical technologies for India, next only to New Delhi, India's capital. I have seen many doctors in my family and friends' circles learn their profession, one day at a time, one patient at a time, one medical topic at a time. Interns do long hours, dirty chores and a lot of reading before they can practice. God only can save us all, if that is not mandatory.

Coming from the same analogy, why do novice writers assume that their expertise, skill and quality of writing would suddenly be at a peak, with no practice whatsoever? Why do writers be told to write? Isn't that ironic?

I attended couple of sessions of a local writers' group that has been operating for 3-4 years. Some serious members have been with the group for long; some like me were shopping for a good group. But some believed that they wanted to be writers, but wouldn't find the time to write. They expressed surprise and envy at people who found the time to write everyday, irrespective of our day jobs. Now why would you want to be a writer, a best-selling one at that, if you don't want to write at all?

My message to aspiring writers, who are looking for the teeny-weeny shortcut to stardom, is - don't kid yourself and don't waste time. Don't ask questions about the craft, without practicing it. Don't ask whether writing in first person, present tense is better than omnipresent point of view written in the past tense! Don't ask whether there are enough markets for personal essays or poetry. Don't ask if you need to revise once or many times.

Just write. Worry about everything else later.

Writing for Children - Where to Start?

2006-04-15T17:11:00.000Z

Hmm, when I started writing for children, I felt my way around, feeling the walls, getting hold of door knobs and opening wrong doors. But slowly I was moving towards the right path and then found my way into this long and tough road called Writing for Children.

Twice this month, there were queries about where to start by beginning writers and both times they were snubbed by experienced writers with careless advice and marked indifference. It pains me to see someone turned away without being offered some useful help on how to start writing for children. Is it because experienced writers dont want more competition or is it because they don't have time for helping others? Either way, I don't care for such indifference.

So here is a gist of what I told the beginning writers who asked these basic questions - What should I do to become a children's writer?

Here are some basic guidelines.

a) Use the Internet as your starting point. There are 1000s of articles on
writing for children. Go to www.google.co.uk and type children's writing
b) Visit www.scbwi.org - they have material that will be of great use. You
could think about becoming a member.
c) visit www.childrenswriter.com and www.institutechildrenslit.com for
detailed articles.
d) visit www.write4kids.com for articles and a discussion board on writing
for children.
e) visit www.highlightsfoundation.org - for interesting articles and
information on reputed courses.

Get hold of one of these books - collectively they hold a lot of info.

Writing Children's Books for Dummies (For Dummies S.) ~ Lisa Rojany Buccieri, Peter Economy -- (Paperback - May 17, 2005)

Writing a Children's Book: How to Write for Children and Get Published
~Pamela Cleaver

The Writer's Guide to Crafting Stories for Children (Write for Kids Library)
~Nancy Lamb

Picture Writing (Write for Kids Library)
~Anastasia Suen

Writing for children and teen-agers
~Lee Wyndham

Writing for Young Children
Claudia Lewis

Writing and Illustrating Children's Books for Publication: Two Perspectives
~Berthe Amoss, Eric Suben

How to Write for Children (Allison & Busby Writers' Guides)
~Tessa Krailing

Write for Children
~Andrew Melrose

How to Write Books for Children - and Get Published
~Louise Jordan

Writing for Children (Teach Yourself Educational S.)
~Lesley Pollinger, et al

Market Books

Book Markets for Children's Writers
~Marni McNiff
The Writer's Bookstore

Writer's Handbook Guide to Writing for Children
~Barry Turner (Editor)

Magazine Markets for Children's Writers 2006 (Magazine Markets for Children's Writers)

Visit bookstores and browse at different books. Think about where your idea will fit in. Once you find a similar book, buy it and then study the contents. Check number of words, chapters, writing styles. Unless you are a trained artist, do not attempt illustrations. Just do the writing.

Once you have written the material, put it away for a month and write another story. Come back to the first story a month later and edit it. Edit it until you think it is as good as the published books in the market. Visit the library and bookstores regularly to be up-to-date on books coming out.

Keep a notebook of all the books you have read, with details about the publisher, illustrator, number of pages/chapters, ISBN number etc.

After you have 3 finished pieces with you, try to attend some writing workshops / events organised by SCBWI or the Highlights Foundation or any other reputed organisation. Hobnob with other writers and find out what others are working on.

That should be a lot to start off with. If you have questions or comments, feel free to post it here.

Dealing with Everyday Problems

2006-04-05T20:24:00.000Z

How do you deal with everyday problems? I deal with it in my writing. In many ways. Sometimes, I write in my diary to an imaginary friend. (Oh yeah, the imaginary friend - another everyday problem I haven't dealt with yet.). Other times, I talk to people who are open and honest with me. I talk to people who will let me say what I want, cry if I want and laugh with me at lame jokes. But sometimes talking to people and not discussing the problem is not enough.

Sometimes I need a hug. Just a hug. I don't need someone to reason, explain or rationalise. I need someone just to hold me and tell me everything will be alright. If not tomorrow, at least in another zillion years.

But I am not lucky enough to have a hug everytime I face a problem. So I opt for the alternative. The best in town, folks. Writing. Write a story. Make your character suffer all possible problems. Slowly solve the problem, unravel it and find the deeper meaning. All in one day? Can you write a novel in one day? Well, who is asking you to write a novel in one day? Write a short story, write a flash, write a poem, write a limerick. The key thing is face the problem on paper. Sometimes it is easier to handle it when it happens to other people.

When things go wrong at work, when you have embarrassed yourself at the office party, when you have said absolutely the wrong thing in front of a conference room full of people, when you get a ketchup smudge on your blouse exactly 'there', when your shoe-heels drop off just when the prince gets close to kiss you, when everybody else gets the joke about you, when living
is pure hell, don't hesitate, sit down and write. Leave this world, create another person, creature or a bot - put it through the mill, teach your creation a lesson, bring it to a satisfying end.

Well, look at the clock. How time flies when you are writing something interesting! What happened to the problem? Hmm, after it happened to my fictional character, it seems pretty small. Almost gone, just leaving a faint trace, just enough to remind me that I conquered it after all.

Reading Tips

2006-03-17T07:47:00.000Z

a) Create a short reading time every day. During this time, switch off
TV and put your mobile phone in silent mode. Read as a family. You can read
the same book or each of you can read a book.

b) Share your thoughts. Over dinner, discuss how you feel about the
book you are currently reading. This way your child too will be encouraged
to critically examine the book he/she is reading.

c) Keep a booklist. On the fridge or in a notebook, keep a list of
books each of you read. This list will be quite useful when you have a
second child or also to discuss your child's reading habit.

d) Organise activities related to the reading. For example, if your
child is reading a book about volcanoes, try to do a home experiment of
making a volcano. Or bring home a video about volcanoes.

How can you enhance the reading experience of children from 4 to 12 years?

2006-03-16T22:23:00.000Z

a) Introduce the reader to a variety of topics dont just focus on science or fiction. Bring home books relating to other countries, poetry, mysteries and jokes.

b) Introduce emotions through books bring home books that cover abstract concepts like sadness, separation, illness and disabilities.

c) Bring colour to fiction. Dont always borrow or buy same type of fiction. Choose fiction written by different authors, authors of different nationalities.

d) Enrich culturally. Encourage your child to read folktales and mythologies of different countries.

e) Read together. Choose one book to read with the child and one book for the child to read by himself /herself.

Comments Now Open

2006-03-16T16:11:00.000Z

You can comment on all posts now. Please feel free to leave your comments about the blog. We welcome healthy, creative and fun comments. Post related links, statistics and your own experiences on the topic discussed.

No politics, sex, vulgarity and the likes. If you find something wrong in the posts, do not hesitate to write to me at chitra@chitrasoundar.com.

Choosing books for toddlers [2-5 years]

2006-03-15T23:01:00.000Z

Choosing books for toddlers [2-3 years]

Pictures still play a big part in the books. Though there are more words, choose books with repetition. Children in this age-group will be able to listen, remember and repeat a book.

This age-group will be able to hold and flip paper books and board books. You can introduce simple books with words relating to friends, family, food, animals and things around them.

Preschool Children [3-5 years]

This age-group is ready for books with simple storylines. Choose stories with familiar settings like family. Pick books that portray other kids and about friends, families, extended family and going to school. Choose books with minimum words with repetition. Children in this age-group will be able to read and remember text leading to sight recognition of words. Introduce colours, shapes, alphabets and numbers. Introduce books that talk sharing, siblings and grandparents.

Choosing books for younger toddlers [1 - 2years]

2006-03-15T07:41:00.000Z

Pictures have names to this age group. They not only love colours and visuals, they also respond to sounds, rhythms and music.

When you buy books for the child to read,

a) Choose thick board books that will settle down on their laps as they flip around

b) Introduce familiar routines like eating and playing

c) Choose books with just one or two words in the page

You can also buy books that can be read to this age-group. Keep in mind that you are going to read the book. So choose a book that you can read over and over again and not be bored. Poems with funny words and rhymes, finger-play rhymes and stories with repetition are a good choice too.

Choosing books for infants [8-12 months old]

2006-03-14T20:56:00.000Z

While the written word is incomprehensible to an infant, pictures are not.
Colours and textures are recognisable and so is the world around them.

For this age-group, choose books that

Have big, bold and colourful pictures of babies

Board books with pictures of familiar objects

Books that an infant can touch and taste.

Make sure that the books are small enough for a baby to hold and the pages
are thick to help a child flip through. At this stage, don't worry if your
infant cannot read or name the objects. Introduce the concept of books at an
early stage. As much as toy cars are new to them, so are books.

Choosing the Right Book

2006-03-13T22:03:00.000Z

Books come in different shapes, sizes, texture and material. You can find cloth books and board books. You can also find books that you can touch and feel, books that have pop-ups and pull-outs. Picture books, chapter books and thick novels the variety is endless. When do you start buying books and when can you start reading to your child?

Studies indicate that a child in the womb can listen to and react to voices and sounds. Hence you can start reading during pregnancy itself. You can read to an infant until he becomes a teenager. Families can read together too, like a private reading club.

Visit again tomorrow to find out how you can choose appropriate books for your children.

Are you afraid of animals?

2006-03-12T12:08:00.000Z

Well, I am. I love animals, I like to watch them in their own habitat. I watch wildlife shows on TV and spend time researching different behaviours in a stuffy corner in the library.

But, a big BUT here, don't ask me to handle them. Zoo-keeper, animal handler, veterinary surgeon - those are words that never entered my career charts. Ever, not even when we were young enough to understand that becoming an astronaut involved studying physics and being physically fit. I did want to be a teacher though and did teach for 7 years.

Well, back to animals. Do you like to cuddle them, roll with them on the bed and tickle behind their ears? Let's say I wouldn't cuddle animals even if they are the last male species on the planet. Again, let me underline this. I don't hate animals. I am afraid of them. I am terrified.

I know a dog sniffs. At anything. But I don't want to be the object of its sniffing. I don't want to be licked by a smelly-rough tongue. I don't want to run the risk of a nip. I just don't know how to react with animals - be it cats, dogs or monkeys. I am scared of their sharp claws, blaring teeth and sneering fangs. Oh, I almost forgot. That includes birds too. Their fluttering wings can poke your eyes and their claws are sharper than a dog's. That's what I think. Not that I had any experience in the metrics of claws.

I was pleasantly surprised to find that my father isn't one of those scared people. When we were in Malaysia and later Australia, in bird parks and wildlife reserves, he always got the birds to hop on to his arms and shoulders. He petted wild kangaroos and koalas. Well, that was a revelation. But unfortunately, I have not inherited those genes. I understand my DNA can't change in my lifetime. So I am stuck like this.

Whether it is silly or even moronic, to run when a cuddly cute puppy is at your heels, is singularly your own choice. I don't care who laughs or not, how amusing my behaviour is to others. I'd run if you ask me.

Well anyway, one day, I decided to put down in words my fear of animals and the story "Afraid of Dogs" tumbled out. It is out now as an e-book. Check it out at http://www.storyplus.com/Biography.asp?authorId=314.

Writer or Storyteller?

2006-03-12T09:53:00.000Z

I started telling stories before I began writing them. As I moved from a confident cousin to an insecure teenager, I took refuge in writing and stopped talking about the silly fantasies in my head.

I ventured into storytelling slowly six years ago, when I met an adorable boy, the son of my friend. From then on, I tell stories only to a select group of children, my special friends. My creative writing class proved to be a great audience. They waited for the class to finish as they gathered around me for 10 minutes of ghost stories. For them it was real, they took the fantasy to the next level. They participated in what happened in the stories.

Unfortunately I haven't done storytelling to unfamiliar people - young and old. I am still shy to display my fantasy-story-telling skills to people who might rip me apart later. Oh yes, very insecure. But many people don't realise that. They don't understand all writers are not natural enthusiastic storytellers in front of an audience.

I'm often asked by people I meet, to burst into storytelling to their kids - then and there. First, the child doesn't want to listen to me. Second, I wasn't going to sing for food. Third I was off the clock. Fourth and finally, I am a writer first and a storyteller next. I'd rather choose the
audience, make a connection with them and find out what they like before I embark on a story than pull out a magic rabbit from my hat, only to find the child in question is terrified of rabbits.

Mary Higgins Clark : While my pretty one sleeps

2006-03-11T00:04:00.000Z

From my book log of 2003

"While my pretty one sleeps" took a long time to get to the body though the murder happened in the beginning. It did try out my patience early on when the protagonist Neeve refused to come to the point. However, who is the murderer? That part played out well with so many contenders. And what I liked about the book – the motive. Well, if you want to know, you have to read and find out. I am not a party pooper!

Sue Grafton's E is for Evidence

2006-03-11T00:03:00.000Z

From my Book Log from 2002

"E is for Evidence" was short and lived up to its reputation. Though I had a whiff of the villain, I couldn’t make up my mind until the end. I like Kinsey Millhone in most respects, except when she chops her hair with her nail scissors. Otherwise, she is after my own heart. That I guess is Grafton’s success with her series starting from A and currently at Q.

What I Read?

2006-03-11T00:01:00.000Z

What do I like to read? Mystery and thrillers of course. Yes, I do write for children. I read a lot of books written for children. But that’s work. When I want to relax after a hectic day at work or when I want to forget that a pile of laundry is waiting for me, I’d want to be with Sue Grafton’s Kinsey Millhone or any one of the suave, fearless characters of Mary Higgins Clark.

Nowadays I am reading a lot of crime fiction and non-fiction. My favourite is Paul Britton's Jigsaw Man. I also read a lot of Harlan Coben, James Patterson and Michael Connelly.

You will find out more about each of these books in the coming weeks.

Book Review: Yours truly Goldilocks

2006-03-11T00:00:00.000Z

Title: Yours truly Goldilocks
Publisher: Atheneum books for young readers
Author: Alma Flor Ada
Illustrator: Leslie Tryon
ISBN: 0689816081 / 0689844522

From the title you must have guessed one thing at least. The book is about a letter and from Goldilocks. However, when you turn the pages of this enchanting book, beautifully illustrated, you understand the silent making of a modern fairy tale.

Goldilocks, the pigs, the three bears, Peter Rabbit, Red riding hood, her grandma and the wolves all in one fairy tale. What a treat for the little ones who love these characters. Not only that, the story is told in a unique fashion – through letters that go back and forth between these characters.

What is house warming? And how do the bears get to celebrate the house warming of their new house? Who are the uninvited guests and how did the party go? The party itself is laid out in 2 two-page spreads without words and the letters continue between the various characters. References to their actual stories and a hint of what to come in the future; add great colour and mystery to the story even as it ends.

Alma Flor Ada, has sure managed to entertain not just the children, who love these fairy tale characters, but also adults who read to their children. The letters in some primal way, encourage the reader to pick up a pen and dash a nice letter to an aunt or a grandma at once. What a great way to teach children the power of letter writing.

One last word, don’t miss the meaning of house warming, that Goldilocks learns from this party.

Book Review: Animal Sneezes

2006-03-10T23:58:00.000Z

Title: Animal Sneezes
Author: John Roy Bennett
Illustrator: David Wysokski
ISBN: 1-89422-44-x
Publisher: Lobster Press, Canada

A sneeze in today’s SARS-beware world would invite looks of concern and a pack of tissues. Sneeze – sometimes a feeling of discomfort, but mostly it brings a great sense of release, relief and a comforting tickle.

But what would you say, if your little one asked you about whether animals sneeze too? A trip to the zoo would go waste, if you wanted to wait for one of the big jumbos or the naughty chimps to sneeze in front of you. You could manage your inquisitive 4-year-old that animals don’t sneeze in public; they are well mannered.

However if you want to engage your curious toddler, in a tale of animal sneezes, you have come to the right place. Animal sneezes is a book of verse from John Roy Bennett bringing to life, the animal sneezes and consequences.

David Wysokski has illustrated the hurricane of a hose from an elephant’s sneeze to the blast of a bellow from a bear fellow with comic reality. John has put to verse, 10 animals he loves, when they are in one of their sneeze-relief moment that causes panic and discomfort to their friends next to them.

If your little one wants to find out what happens when a skunk or a porcupine sneezes, this is the book you want to read, with rhyme and rhythm, the perfect bedtime treat.

Writer Calamity

2006-03-10T23:51:00.000Z

I used to freelance for a curriculum based magazine and had excellent rapport with the editorial director. In one of the discussions I confessed that I had never done interviews before. She decided to give me some education in the art of interviewing. She asked me to tag along with the editor to interview a retired school principal.

This interview was supposed to be a focus piece on another article I had submitted earlier. I agreed whole-heartedly. I never flinched from new experiences. If only I had known what was to come.

Excited and feeling important I prepared for the rendezvous. I made it a point to tell close friends about the appointment. I am not sure why I felt important. But then I did at that time.
My bag got quickly filled with a camera, notepad, assortment of pens and finally my brand new micro recorder with new batteries. I had tried it once the day before and was quite thrilled with the purchase.

I met the editor at the train station and she seemed quite ok with me sitting along. I asked her questions about the questions she intended to ask. I asked her about the lady we planned to meet. I tried to pick her brain as if she was my personal trainer for the evening.

On the way she remarked about not having enough battery power for her recorder. And I stepped in with pomp, pride and my new recorder. She looked at the device, seemed happy and we were off.

The interview itself did not begin for a long time. The principal now runs a private coaching center and she busied herself with all her weekend tasks. We followed her like a little puppy, listening to her stories about her life as a teacher and her current business. She walked in to each class and spoke to the students. I was not very sure whether I should decide to record or whether the editor would give me a cue. I got into a funny habit of putting my hand into the bag for the recorder and looking at the editor, alternately.

Finally the editor managed to get our subject into a room to have a formal discussion. The principal talked straight off answering the questions she had been given earlier.
Jumping right into the journalistic mode, I put out the recorder, the mike pointing at her. Our subject noted the apparatus, smiled and continued. I could see her shift towards the recorder.
And the conversation went for an hour or so. She gave us funny anecdotes, sentimental incidents and lots more. She showed us a photo book. For each photo, she gave us an interesting story.

I enjoyed listening to her. I had taught couple of years back and I could feel what she was explaining. I was lapping up her story picturing at least 3 different articles other than the interview. I felt little smart that I could relate to the subject better than my editor. But then…
I looked up when I heard my editor stopped the subject. She looked at the recorder like how I would at a plate of food that I don’t recognize. She arched her eyebrows, rubbed her nose and pointed at the recorder. "The tape is not running."

Before I could begin to understand, she casually flipped the tape side. While we both fiddled around with a simple piece of machinery, our interviewee gushed over the instrument and said she was eager to listen to herself. Could we make a copy of the tape please?

"Oh Yes!" I thought. If it had recorded anything.

After five minutes of puzzled wonderment and my flustered murmurings of "Of course it worked yesterday," we had to abandon the interview. I simply refused to smile and look up at anyone. When the next appointment was getting fixed I quickly begged off saying my calendar was full.

As we left the place, I could almost listen to what my editor was thinking in her mind! But then she did not say it and I did not hear it.

I fiddled with the equipment till I reached home and couldn’t fix anything. I located the invoice and marched to the electronics store the next free minute, as if a queue of interviewees stood outside my house and I couldn’t manage without a recorder.

Any more chances of interview assignments with that magazine sure are a fantasy. Just for those who are wondering, there was nothing wrong with the recorder. Just that the voice sensor did not pick up the conversation and hence refused to record. A classic case of too many writers spoiled the interview!

My First Sale

2006-03-10T23:48:00.000Z

A peep into my 5-year old diary

My first sale

Four months into serious writing, my journey had just begun. With no formal qualification in the craft, no experience in the publishing industry, singularly fuelled by the passion to write, a genuine need to communicate with children, I jumped headlong into the process of transforming myself into a children’s book writer.

Week after week, I spent all my free time into crafting stories that I believed children would love to read. The muse worked overtime and to keep up with it, I jotted down the ideas as they came in, in notebooks, index cards and outlines. I could barely manage to keep up.

My point of view changed once I signed up for e-zines, newsletters and e-writer-groups. Learning as much from various sources, I realized that my work has miles to go before I could even call it a story. But that did not slow me down. I edited, revised, applied the craft on every work I did with great diligence.

That’s when I came across a novel method of submitting picture book manuscripts. My over-enthusiastic heart overruled my mind and I found myself sending 20 queries to publishers abroad and 10 publishers in Singapore. The normal waiting period is 3 months and I hence prepared myself to wait. In the meantime I engrossed myself in learning about writing non-fiction.

Out of the blue on a Friday evening, I got a call from a Singapore publisher, who wanted to give her rejection personally. "But," she said and stopped. "I want to look at some folk-tales from India. Do you know of any? Send me a sample would you?"

Folk tales, my favorite reading choice all my childhood! "Of course, I will," I said. I pondered over the many stories that my grandma had narrated and chose one. I crafted the story and dropped it off by post in a couple of days. I promptly forgot about the submission, as per my policy. Remembering each submission makes the waiting an agony, I just note it down in my list and forget all about it.

I was busy at work one day, when my mobile phone shrilled. I couldn’t recognize the number that flashed. So I assumed it was an errant sales call. But the call was from the editor. She came to the point without much ado. In a minute I had an offer for a book of folktales and with a definite deadline.

Here I am with my first sale and words tumbled against each other in my head and fought their way out. The feeling is heady, the work is hard, but honestly, I wouldn’t mind more shocks like this one.

Single and Writing... And Waiting...

2006-03-10T23:45:00.000Z

Other women writers might envy my situation. I am single. I write because I love to write. My love for expression and the need to be heard is so powerful that I write whether or not my work is going to be published.

Having a full-time career means I can afford to buy magazines and books, enter contests with reading fee, spend uninterrupted time writing. No it does not work that way. It might be true about the affordable part. But when it comes to uninterrupted writing, I am on the same boat as the writer who is also homemaker.

Being a woman also means housekeeping comes naturally to me. I am as passionate about cooking, cleaning and housekeeping as I am about my writing. I cannot write in the morning because I cook my breakfast and lunch.

The evening brings chores like preparing dinner, washing or drying the wash, ironing or mending. When things finally settle down, it is time to eat. I just cannot do anything leave alone writing when my stomach rumbles. Then come post-dinner chores. Sometimes I feel living alone is like being married to yourself. Neither can you run away nor can you blame someone else.
Long hard day of 8-10 hours of work, preceded and followed by domestic chores, leaves you with enough energy to plop on the bed and go to sleep.

Weekends are a nightmare by themselves. Errands to run, floors to mop, vacuuming to do, plants to tend to. And of course the question of the stomach, cooking. It is surprising if I can spend half a day writing every weekend.

When I actually sit down to write, I use a PC. That means I have access to the Internet. I check mails and go through the tens of newsletters that I subscribe to. Each newsletter makes you visit web sites you never knew existed. The reading is fantastic. I am lost in all that and I forget I actually sat down to write.

Having no one around to tell you, "honey, you have not written anything today" is indeed a handicap sometimes. So I tell that to myself.

One day I decided I am going to change the way I function. So I got around organising my files, notebooks and my computer file system. Organised my mailbox into various folders.
Today I have paper files for each category I want to focus on. Focus was the most important thing I was missing earlier. I was trying to write on every genre and every category. That sure was not working. So I narrowed that down to 3 categories that I love to write on.

Then I organised my query letters, submissions and resume. I rewrote my resume for each category. I created bios that can be sent to different types of publishers. I prepared standard covering letters so that I wont fumble when I want to send a manuscript.

Now I was finally organised and clear. The important thing was to write. So I decided to work on two modes. One, I decided to write things I love to write about say twice a week. Second, I decided to write as per guidelines once a week. That makes it three times a week, with a couple of hours in each sitting. Having a plan helped. It made me focus and be creative at the same time.

Finally I knew that living alone has its limitations. I don’t have a readymade audience that family-based writers have. So I signed up for an on-line writer’s circle and a writer’s circle in my community centre. The networking and interaction has added great value to my work. I have helped others too. I have shared my work with people who are not related to publishing and submission guidelines. It’s a heady thing for fellow writers to tell you that they are impressed with your work.

Writing is tough; getting published is tougher. But I guess as a woman tough challenging situations always taunt me to perform better. One day, I will be a name to reckon with. Till then let me slog towards that.

I Write for Living

2006-03-10T23:41:00.000Z

I write for living.

By that I don’t mean I make enough to feed myself just by selling my words. When I say I write for my living, I am talking about how writing is my life. I need to write to live, at least with sanity.

The sun smiles without scorching, the breeze lifts my spirits and the blue sky brings cheer to my heart and soul. What do I do? Do I grab an ice-cream cone and go around in a carousel? No, I write. I pull my table closer to the window. Or I get up and go to the garden and then I write. I write happy things, happy stories, cheerful poems and lots of happy words.

When life is dark, turning into a narrow dark tunnel, with no light at the end too, then too I write. I write in the dark, dipping my pens in the black ink of agony, pain, loneliness and misery. I give words to my tears turning them into blobs of pain. I try to bring light to my darkness with the words I write, by emptying the black of my heart and mind. And slowly, ever so slowly, after many pages of painful words, light seeps through the tunnel, guiding me out, leading me to hope, if not happiness itself.

I write on birthday cards, I write on congratulatory notes, I write on farewell greetings and I write on so many little notebooks that rest near my phone, bed and sofa. Muse is an elusive shadow that appears when you least expect it and disappears when you desperately need it. My pen chases the shadow, waits for it with longing and captures the moment on the nearest notebook I can find.

Journeys on the train, people in roadside cafes, friends, relatives, acquaintances, newspaper reports, news telecasts and my preposterous dreams – I turn everything into the writing mill – hoping they would turn out as a beautiful cloth of fantastic colors and vivid designs. Mixed and matched, mashed and squashed, each item that goes into this mill turns out into distributed patterns of a larger mosaic.

Whether life slips by like a travelling cloud or it lingers like a blanket of smoke, whether life is filled with friends and family or interspersed with strangers and passers-by, it adds fuel to my writing, moving me along a journey that only a pen can help me make, pushing me towards a destination that only exists for me. So what do I do for a living? Write, of course.

Moving with me along in
A journey that only a pen can
Help me make,
Pushing me towards a
Destination that only exists
For me and my muse,
What do I do for a living?
Write, of course.

My Website

2006-03-10T23:38:00.000Z

Curious about this world citizen from India? Visit www.chitrasoundar.com to find out more.