My Year Round-Up 2019

2019 has been a very memorable journey for me both professionally as well as personally. Professionally I got the chance to participate in a few literary Meet and Kids Carnival. Also I got a chance to perform based on my voice. Personally, the year has been a milestone in my life.  I was blessed with some of the most beautiful moments of my life. I have seen the work of art on paper coming to existence in structure formation in the real world. A dream come true. Emotionally I am satisfied with the progress in which the structure is shaping up eventually. So without wasting time lets unravel the mystery.

January

I was invited for storytelling in Kids’ Carnival 2019 organized by Vichakshan Jain Vidyapeeth. I got an opportunity to share stories from my books Grow Up Messy! and The Santa’s Gift.

Students of the school

February

It seems I didn’t do anything that month. Probably exam time ate up all my excitement to look forward to life. Aaouch!

March

Yeah, I can hear the birds chirping. Of course the arrival of springtime. And who can forget the festivals of color HOLI. Had a fabulous time with gulal, pichkari and baang thandai. Did you have fun?

A weekend trip to Vizag and Araku Valley with family friends needs a special mention. It was never so hotter before in the Valley.

Rama Naidu Studios, Vizag

INS Kurusura Submarine Museum Vizag

Fish Trailor, Vizag

Tribal Museum Araku valley

 

April

“The Booknerds organized a hangout dedicated to children books and authors at Little Flower School, Dehradun. The event focussed on the reading culture and reducing screen time among kids. In the panel were some prominent authors, Ratna Manucha, author of more than thirty books and principal of Little Flower School, Paromita Goswami, author of Grow Up Messy and Roshen Dalal, a prolific writer and historian. Students from Olympus High School, Little Flower School and Doon International School were present at the event.” _ The Booknerds.

It was such an esteem moment to meet some of the prolific writers, Roshen Dalal and Ratna Manucha. Neha and Rohan the founder of the Booknerds really need a lot of applause for taking the initiative.

I got the chance to meet my childhood friends who have always been the anchor of my life. It never felt like we were meeting after twenty-five years.

May

Released the preview of the first book of my upcoming jungle series.

The TIMEPIECE.

Available for free download.

Released the first book of jungle series.

The Clockmaker

 

June

Had a storytelling session in a summer camp organized by Chalk and Dust

 

Hosted my first Summer camp – Gathri for kids. It wasn’t successful yet it gave me a good experience.

 

 

July

The Clockmaker comes out to be # 1 in amazon.in the horror category. This was the first time one of my books grabbed that position.

August

Unplanned trip to Sirpur on occasion of 15th August and Rakhi.

Laxman Mandir

Stone carvings at Laxman Mandir

Released my Second book of the jungle series

A Night At Achanakmar

September

Practically no contribution professionally. Motherhood takes precedence here and time to catch up with my son’s demands.

October

With the onset of Navrathris and the knocking of Durga puja round the corner, all jazzed up for shopping. This year donned mostly shopping glass bangles.

 

Enjoyed fabulous time during Durgapuja with boudis and sarees.

November

Diwali celebration marked the biggest celebration of the year.

Had a quick getaway to Barnawapara forest. This time we stayed in a resort and enjoyed the fabulous natural setting and wildlife.

It was also the time when I cleared the tests and got selected for All India radio.

December

The month celebration starts with my birthday which falls on the eighth. Enjoyed picnic with friends.

Announced the release of my next short story.

The Kiss of the Death.

To be released soon.

 

Had my first radio show on the AIR. Also got the opportunity to record my first song for AIR.

Old radio

 

 

I wish for a solid beginning in 2020. May my manifestations be granted from the spiritual world to the 3D. Los of expectations and aspirations for the coming year 2020.

Have a set of books to be published. My music career gracefully elated. The kids club more active with lots of events and last, peace and harmony should prevail in all parts of the country.

 

 

Have a thought?

Then please share it in the comment below.

 

 

– Thinking author

The Insecurities of a Writer

About time to confess my insecurities as a writer. Trust me I am not alone facing this. Every writer goes through this. However, there can be a slight difference in the way they react to it. Some go to hibernation, some may swear never pick up the pen again while some bounce back with the same force. Amongst all there also exists another subspecies of writers who are not even bothered about insecurities. All they do is just brush them off from their cloak and move ahead.

So watch out which league you fall into. I won’t even mention mine. I shall keep it for you to guess it. Okay, so before I start this let me remind my disclaimer once again.

Welcome to a new series of blog posts titled “Authors’ Tips – A to Z of Writing”. Authors Devika Fernando, Preethi Venugopala, Reet Singh, Ruchi Singh, Adite Banerjie, Saiswaroopa Iyer , Sudesna Ghosh and myself — will be posting on a multitude of subjects related to writing. Topics will be chosen alphabetically and each week we propose to cover at least one or more subjects characterized by the Alphabet of the Week.

Okay, so here are a few things that give me shockers.

• A new plot for your book.

A new idea always excites me however, I am equally insecure about my idea theft. I have seen writers go bonkers over the thought of it. A plot that they have been toying around for some time is suddenly in front of them in the form of a book or series written by another writer. Oh my God! It is the biggest nightmare for any writer. Goosebumps.

• The first draft of your book.

Oppps. It’s more like an emotional vomit actually. Pardon me for using the word but that’s how it is. Actually, the first draft has everything the writer thought to make his book stand out among the other books of the genre. The only difference is you consider this as your masterpiece and expect others to think of it too. But shit is a shit – good or bad doesn’t matter. Throw it on the wall, if it sticks on the wall it’s a good shit and if falls it’s a bad shit.  As long as it sticks its fine but if it falls down, will you still feel the same? Meaning self edit your work as if there is no stopping. Several rounds done will still make it feel as if a little more is needed. So you are trapped in this vicious circle.

• At the editor’s table, your book is anything but at mercy.

The treatment your protagonist and the situations will get from your editor can leave you sleepless for nights. Do you take a yes or a no is all that is actually going to take place as long as your book is undergoing treatment with your editor. What you thought to be your book’s best scene might be shown the way to the trash. Are you ready to face it?

• Your beta readers, the angels, actually your first readers.

Oops! Biting nails. Yes, you can be earnestly waiting to know the reaction of your beta readers. That’s one of the longest waits ever. They will precisely tell you how they feel about your book. Take it as they come. You have all the chances of applying the changes if you want to.

• Finally, your book is ready for the public. Now all your chances of making any changes are gone. Of course on KDP you can always go and update your book. However, the reaction is never the same. The first time you declare that your book is out it is the readers who will give the final verdict to your book baby. As you count your sales your eyes will also be on the lookout for the reviews they leave. OMG, a poor star rating or someone has given out spoilers and you might consider your book finished even before it takes off.

Every writer goes through these insecurities irrespective of the genre of the book. However, one thing  should always be kept in mind that – one book cannot make or break a writer. So keep writing.

Overcoming all of my insecurities I have finally managed to write the Jungle Series that is based on jungle theme. The first book of the series is a stand alone novel, The Clockmaker, #paranormal #thriller #horror is ready for release very soon.

You can read the excerpts and the book trailer here

 

 

How to write a horror story? Authors’ Tips – A to Z of Writing

My upcoming book, The Clockmaker, is a supernatural series releasing this month. So here I am  sharing a few tips on the same. Since you are reading this post so you are interested in supernatural or horror stories and maybe you are writing one too. Cool! So lets’ quickly get down to the tips but before that I would like to mention that this post is part of A to Z blog post series that a few of us, authors are doing.

Welcome to a new series of blog posts titled “Authors’ Tips – A to Z of Writing”. Authors Devika Fernando, Preethi Venugopala, Reet Singh, Ruchi Singh, Adite Banerjie, Saiswaroopa Iyer , Sudesna Ghosh and myself — will be posting on a multitude of subjects related to writing. Topics will be chosen alphabetically and each week we propose to cover at least one or more subjects characterized by the Alphabet of the Week.

Okay, so here are a few of my tips on writing horror stories. But just for your information, they are my personal tips, one that works best for me. So please suit yourself.

• Perfect timing is a must for me. I am usually more comfortable writing late at night. Pin drop silence around. So that when I read my horror scenes I am scared too. Especially around midnight when for some reasons all the dogs in our neighborhood start howling together. Jesus!
• Start the story with some action scene. This is especially recommended for both thrillers and horror. Show one of your scenes that is really scary. Let the readers bite their nails and question the narrator why??
• Remember there is no logic. When you write your story you are your best judge. Don’t let anybody else voice your thoughts. This I consider extremely important for writing. So let your story flow as it comes. For me, it’s my characters who decide the course of action they want to take. I only know the beginning and the ending of my scene, rest I flow with them. Let them meet challenges and overcome as they go.
• When writing horror scene just make sure it is short and crispy. Play with your words, show the setting, let the reader hear the sound, let them feel what the character is feeling. Make the reader part of your story. Always remember the fear till it is undiscovered. So play along till then.
• Ending the chapter with a cliff-hanger can be engaging. This will keep the readers questioning. But make sure you answer them in the next scene itself otherwise the excitement will die down and the reader may lose interest.
• Every horror author has their own style of inflicting fear. Some do with zombies, some use the ghosts, some try bloodshed, some with the unknown and so on. All the factors are good as long as you stick to one of them. And whichever you choose to make sure, the tactics are same everywhere. Always give your protagonists the best they can have and then take it away from them. By the time the story ends the readers very well know who will be the winner.

There are more but I would end it here. I do hope my tips are of some help to you. Do share your thoughts on it and stay tuned for my next post.  Thanks.

 

 

 

 

How to write my First Novel? – Part of Blog Chatter Writing Festival

How to write my first novel?

It’s a question I have been asked many times before. So here is my answer.

Nobody can teach you how to write a novel. I repeat my words. Nobody can teach you how to write a novel. IT’S ONLY YOU.

Yes, you heard me correct. Only you can teach yourself to write a novel. The reason because writing a novel is all about dedication and discipline and frankly, nobody can teach you that. It comes from within. However, many can motivate you to write or even inspire you. But the ultimate fire has to be within you. That’s the first step towards writing your first novel.

I have come across many of my friends and acquaintance who tell me they have this plot in their head that would make the next best sellers. But alas! They don’t know how to put it on pen and paper. Sometimes they even approach me if I could listen to them and plot it in one of my stories.

I am so glad you said that dear. But it’s not the plot I am excited about but the character in your mind that is giving you restless nights. Of course, it wants to see the light of the day. Give it a chance.

This is the FIRE that you shouldn’t extinguish in any way. This is what is going to lead you to your bestseller one day.

When you have something in your mind, no matter how rough it maybe, put it down on the paper, laptop, notepad or just wherever you want to scribble. Just make sure you return back to it soon enough.

This is how you keep it ignited.

When you return to what you have written at that point of time it might look very absurd to you or maybe it is not up to the mark what you actually wanted it to be. That’s perfectly FINE. Don’t tear it off or destroy it. It should be there to stay along with much more to come.

Exactly. You heard me right. Make a new one. Add all the changes you want to make. Put it the way you want it to be. Add a few more changes here and there. That’s it. You can see something taking shape now. Maybe it’s too early to say whether it’s the beginning, middle or the end of your novel but it definitely is something very important to your story which has touched you so much that you had taken so much effort to pen down your thoughts.

So enjoy the beginning of your novel writing. Don’t worry about where it is leading to. Let it be. As a creator, you just follow the sequence that comes next. Just make sure you spend once every day with your plot. Even if you write the same thing again and again. No problem. It is coming out better. At the back of your mind, it is working out a good plot. So make sure you follow the discipline of writing your first novel. With discipline and dedication, you shall draft your first novel one day.

Oh! So one fine day you find out you don’t have anything else to write. But what’s going to happen to the novel you just started? Come on it’s going to be your first goddamn novel. It can’t end in just a few paragraphs. Gosh!

Don’t get anxious. Be happy. You are just entering the metamorphosis of a writer – The writer’s block. So your muse is gone, you have no clue what’s going on, you cannot write anything. Nothing is coming to your mind.

Just relax!

It’s a phase all writers come across. You should celebrate this moment because now you are showing the indication of being one of them. Go shopping, watch movies, read books. Do everything that you enjoy to do. Just let the anxiety of writing your first novel get dissolved in your merry time. Don’t be afraid if it takes a few days or weeks.

Now when everything seems so good, return back to your novel. You will find all new things ready to be added to it. So start writing. Don’t worry about the punctuations or grammar at this point. You will get lots of time for edits. First concentrate on finishing the first draft of your first novel.

The day you finish it, give a treat to self. A good treat. For now, you are just at the beginning of actually writing your novel.

Leave your draft unattended for some time. Let it settle down. You will see your pangs to shout it to the world about it. No harm in that. But just don’t push the publish button without polishing your craft.

So here comes your first round, second round and third round of self-edit before you send it to a professional editor and get it properly edited.

Read more here

‘Start marketing your book way before it is published,’ says author Paromita Goswami

The following post first appeared in

http://www.tbcblogtours.com/2017/05/start-marketing-your-book-way-before-it.html

What are the challenges of a debutante author in marketing their first book? And how to overcome them?

Okay, so you wrote a book. Congratulations! The hours of sitting and plotting out your novel, the sleepless nights with your character’s conflict and the tons of times your family and friends might have looked at you with disapproval are finally going to vanish with the new book baby in your hands. There is no doubt that your family and friends will be the first one to shout on top of their voice that we have a new author in the rising. You will be more excited when your book’s sales start rolling in and your book ranking is pacing fast towards the bestseller chart. Wow! You made it. Yahoo!

Is this what actually happens? I am afraid to say no. We all would love to see it happen that way but

it just won’t happen on its own. It will last as long as you have the support of your friends and family. And after the first month, the sales will come down drastically. And then you have to look out for the genuine readers for your book. And that’s when marketing your book comes in. Like all the other products, that you see in the market, your book needs advertising too. Now, what would be the probable challenges you could face as a debutante author in marketing your first book? This is what we are going to discuss today.

The first challenge is visibility. As they say, “Show to sell”. So make your book visible in all goddamn places one could reach. Of course, offline it won’t be possible, but yes through online promotions it can be possible. Luckily, there are many agencies that offer both offline and online promotions these days. That also calls for the good amount of investment. Moreover, you also have to check out the credential of the agency before investing, otherwise you may end up paying to bogus companies.

Second is getting reviews. Today majority of buyers check out the reviews before purchasing a product and that is applicable to books as well. If you are a debutant then getting a good reviewer is also a big challenge. Mind it when I say good reviewer it means someone who has a good fan following and whose reviews turn into sales. Definitely, you will come across many people who claim to be a reviewer, but know nothing about the art of writing a good review. A review should not be just the synopsis of your book and a rating on a scale of five, it should also be able to show how

different your book is why it should be picked up to read. You should try to get reviews before your book is out in the market so that you have good things to talk about your book in the market. Give out ARC copies to reputed reviewers way in advance.

The third is doing book events across major Indian cities. It is a trend now that an author usually does book tours. The major problem is getting a viewer for the book launch or book reading in a different city other than yours. Sum it up as how many people you know in that city and out of those how many would turn up for your book show and out of them how many will pick up your book. A debutante’s first book may not have that pull. So it is better to tie up with an established author or book club in that city and then do your book tour. This way you will surely connect with some genuine book lovers in that city and create a base for your upcoming books.

 Read more