Adventures of a Writer

Welcome to Week G of Authors' Tips: A to Z of Writing. If this is the first time you are visiting this series, here's a quick recap. Authors share their tips on writing fiction - and each week we talk about various aspects of writing. This week it's time to take a closer look at Genre When we talk about fiction, we automatically think of the story in terms of genre. So, if someone were to ask you what is your book about, your first response would be to define it in terms of its genre - such as romance, thriller, mystery, comedy, drama, horror, etc. It's a quick and easy way of classifying the kind of fiction your book falls into -- and thus helps in its marketing. But genre is much more than a system of categorising your novel. It signifies to the reader the artistic style of your story and feeds into his/her expectations of the book. As a writer you need to understand the conventions of the genre that you are writing in, so as to not disappoint your re...

Welcome to a new series of blog posts titled "Authors' Tips - A to Z of Writing" . Eight  authors -- Devika Fernando , Preethi Venugopala , Paromita Goswami , Reet Singh , Ruchi Singh , Sudesna Ghosh , Saiswaroopa Iyer and I -- 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 subject characterized by the Alphabet of the Week.  So, let's get started.... I've chosen to go with the topic of Authenticity in Writing.  Authenticity in Writing can mean different things to different writers. For some, it may be the concept of writing something from the heart. If as a reader I enjoy reading mysteries or romances, or as a viewer I pick horror films or supernatural thrillers, this preference will also be reflected in the genre that I choose to write in. It's highly unlikely that someone who does not enjoy reading sci-fi novels will be able to write...

Have you ever met an author who doesn't want her book read? Neither have I. When readers leave a review for the book that they have read -- be it on Amazon , Goodreads , or their own blogs -- they spread the word about it. As Tim O'Reilly famously says, "Obscurity is a greater threat to authors than piracy." Sites like NetGalley offer a great opportunity for authors to find readers and conversely, for readers to discover new authors and books. While publishers/authors have to pay a subscription fee to NetGalley, readers and bloggers can read books for free in exchange for putting up a review. It also takes away the problematic issue of vetting every review request. I seriously wish there was such a site for Indian books. Here are some ways to engage with readers and reviewers.  Goodreads - Putting up a book on Goodreads and getting marked as "want to read" spreads the word about the book. Those who have physical copies of their books to offer al...

To celebrate the Festival of Love this year I am hosting a fun flash fiction contest along with eight of my author friends. I invite all aspiring romance authors to participate. Here are the details. Shades of Love Flash Fiction: Nine authors. Nine Prizes to be won!! All you have to do is write a story based on any of the listed books’ titles and characters. To know more about the books, check out the Amazon links listed below. 1. You can write the story on your Facebook timeline or your own blog and post the link as comment on the Shades of Love facebook event page .  Do mention the book that you have selected as the inspiration for your story. 2. You can send in one entry or multiple entries based on any of the titles. 3. Your story needs to be inspired by the storyline/characters of the book(s) you pick. You can do a spin-off based on the characters. Use your imagination and wow us with a wonderful new scene. 4. You can use the banner for your posts o...

Finding the right title for your book is crucial. An inspired title can create the right buzz for the book and help it along in its journey towards success. Today, I have on my blog Debeshi Gooptu Bakshi. She is a former journalist turned author who lives and works in Gurgaon. Debeshi's book which was published by Juggernaut Books in January 2017 goes by the intriguing and creative title of Dragon Aunty Returns In this post, Debeshi talks about how you can ensure you have a title that is unique and memorable... Do not judge a book by its cover. Isn’t this a proverb all of us have grown up hearing and believing? Ironically though, proverb aside, books tend to be judged by their titles and covers. People do it all the time. How many times have you walked into a bookstore and been wowed by a fantastic title and cover of a book whose author you knew nothing about? I’m guessing – quite often! Despite what life tells you, the cover and title of a book...