Wordless Wednesday #125

Rains Soak

Frogs Croak

Bees Hum

Pollen Far and Wide

Plants all around

Snails, Slugs Enjoy

Achoo's are heard far and wide

Spring is here!


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The Relatives

Katie peeked through the hole of her bedroom door. 

She was fed up with the company of her relatives and scoffed at their jokes as their voices could be heard within her four walls. At first, she plugged in her ear plugs with music blasting in her ears but had to give in when they got numb. 

Time was ticking, but those folks refused to leave.

Restless and agitated she swirled around the room imitating and loathing at their laughter.

Finally, she could hear the byes. That thrilled and roused her to empty her cupboard and throw clothes around. 


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In 99 words (no more, no less) write a response to an agoraphobic moment.  Join in the Fun at CarrotRanch

Having a Goal...

"He was monkeying around, and I could not stand it." I lament while laying partially on the comfortable sofa with a cover over my legs. There is green tea next to my couch that I sip now and then to wet my throat when it would get arid and dry. 

Again after a few sips, the complaining would continue while a yawn would be heard in the background!

Time would tick by, and soon a buzzer would be heard.

"Okay! Time's up!" she would not take a second to declare.

"But, But can I finish this incident of mine" I request.

"Unfortunately! I have another client to see," she answers while getting up and clearing my mug from the table thus, giving a clear indication of 'wrap it up!'

I hesitate a bit, but then pick up my frail body from the couch and give it a glance while muttering, 
'until next time.' 

"So what do you think, I should do?" I ask my therapist who usually would get busy typing something. Without wasting a single second, she utters, "The usual. You know the drill, now." she scoffs without even giving me a glance.

That unwelcome and cold attitude when I leave her office after each visit despite paying my dues for her time was eventually choking me. I had to think of an alternative!

I took my chances and skipped one appointment of hers. No doubt, the heart became heavy as overwhelmed with the incidents around me. Mind was churning of thoughts 24 hours, and that resulted in no sleep. The situation got so much out of hand that I forgot the chores for that day. Next day, I had to write it down and paste it on the refrigerator so that the "To-Do" list could be attended to!

Result: I was focussed, and mind could fixate and get things done! The body became tired after the physical labor while accomplishing the list. Sleep came on better along with the confidence to deal with another day!

Soon I got into this habit, and voila the therapist was history!

I write because chalking down my thoughts word by word on a Post-it each day not only gave me a perspective on that day, but it gave me a motive as I could plan my activities for those hours ahead. 
That enabled me to stay focused as I would zoom in on that labor and be motivated to sweat on it, no matter what!!
Following the above regimen lead the mind to be fixated, and not caring of what x, y or z executed. 

Mantra for today: The Mind and the Body are two separate entities, but they can be united if there is a goal!

Psst....This is Fiction :)  ----------

This has been a Finish the Sentence Friday post. This week’s topic is “Sometimes, I wonder about my writing. I keep on and on because…” Feel free to adapt the sentence to “I write because…” or “I wonder why I write…

Interview with INDU MURALIDHARAN the Author of "THE REENGINEERS"

1. What sparked off the idea for your first book?

When I started writing seriously, I found myself gravitating to the path of writers who have

explored and stretched the boundary lines between fiction and reality. I rejoiced every time I

reread Muriel Spark’s novels about literary protagonists whose narrative interweaves

between fiction and reality in the world of the novel while being cognizant at the same time

of the reality of the reader’s world outside it. This was my primary inspiration.

The Reengineers grew from a few stories that I wrote about a character Siddharth who was

forced to live in Conchpore - a place that he hated, and his relationship with his dysfunctional

family. I thought about developing this into a full-length collection. But I found that I hardly

knew anything about Siddharth, except that he was very unhappy and wanted nothing more

than to get away from Conchpore and his family. Sometime later, I began to write a story

about three teenagers from Madras in the early nineties who were displaced into another time

and space in a fictional world. I wrote many drafts of the story of these three youngsters.

Somewhere along the way, they met Siddharth and the metafictional premise took over the

novel that became The Reengineers.


2. Does the journey of seeing an idea develop and flourish into a full-fledged book teach 

you something about yourself or make you a better person in any way?

In her wonderful book ‘Bird by Bird: Some Instructions on Writing and Life’, Anne Lamott

writes about ‘shitty first drafts’ which become more and more and refined with each revision.

As I wrote The Reengineers, I discovered that not only manuscripts but ideas too could go

through shitty first, second and perhaps several draft versions before they take on a solid

shape.

It is an immense learning experience, each time. I started my second novel as a light-hearted

story of a young woman’s encounters with potential suitors on a matrimony site. I had

intended it to be a gentle story with fluffy humour, fuzzy sentiments and a neatly tied up

happy ending, as I created the plot framework, wrote the step-sheet and defined the

characters. But the first draft of the manuscript did not simply work for me, even though a

few kind friends who read it said that they enjoyed it. I rewrote the entire novel from scratch,

retaining just a few bits and pieces from the first, and found that it had turned into an

exploration of the power balance between genders in man-woman relationships through the

twentieth century until the present day. I was surprised at the things that the characters

revealed about themselves in the second draft. It certainly gave me deeper insights into my

own character and worldview, which was quite an enriching experience. I have a growing

pile of notes and a clear plot outline for my third novel which I intend to be a light comedy,

but when I get to the second draft of the manuscript, I am really not sure how it will turn out.


3. Writing is a craft that requires extended periods of alone time to allow creative juices to 

flow and take shape. Do you have any personal favorites of combatting this isolation?

I have always enjoyed the sweetness of solitude, with books as much as with my own

thoughts. As a writer and as an empath, I often find the company of other people predictable

and stifling. I avoid crowded places as far as possible and have no qualms about skipping

social visits and events that I feel do not add value. When I used to stay with my parents in

the city where they currently live, I had a tough time avoiding their relatives, friends and

neighbors who would drop in without notice and stay for hours, they even brought their

pesky children sometimes - it was quite annoying. Ever since I moved into my own home, I

have relished the peace and quiet that I have to myself after office hours. I have a select

circle of close extended family and friends with whom I enjoy occasional meetings and

conversations, interactions which stimulate and inspire me as a person and writer, but most of

the time I rejoice in solitude.


4. What is your life philosophy?

Short Answer: As a spiritual seeker, I explore the dimensions of meaning and reality through

the study and practice of literature.

Long Answer:  To add to why I arrived at the above, I have often wondered why my life did

not take the standard trajectory followed by most of my peers. As a topper throughout school

and college, I had very specific goals at different stages of my school and undergraduate

years. At fourteen, I wanted to do research in applied mathematics. At eighteen, I wanted to

get into consumer electronics design. At twenty one, I nearly got admission into an integrated

program for a doctorate in astrophysics. What I had not expected was that I would get

depressed at fifteen and the condition would persist on and off for the next few years,

hampering my courage to make independent decisions towards my life goals, each time.

Soon after graduation, I found myself working in the IT industry like most of my classmates,

not in the chip research firm of my dreams in New Jersey, not even in my hometown

Chennai, but in a nondescript little city where my parents had chosen to move for its mild

climate. Depression while it lasted, kept me in that place, and books kept me alive during that

phase of exile, both literal and otherwise. Soon after I was cured, I moved back home to

Chennai and rewrote the story of my life, even as I wrote this experience into what would

become my first published novel, The Reengineers. My forthcoming two novels likewise

explore dimensions of life through the prism of fiction. The written word has been my

constant source of strength and life. As a student of the craft of writing and as a practicing

writer, literature continues to give me fresh insights into meaning, truth and the nature of

reality.


5. Artists in any creative field are thought leaders. Do you agree?

I think that statement is a sweeping generalisation. The artist’s primary role is to create, and

create true to their inspiration, and keep practicing their art. An artist needs to have a wide

knowledge of the work done in their field, a formidable body of their own work as well as

acknowledgement of their work among the thinking audience, both academic as well as the

general reader (public), before they can be considered a thought leader.


6. Do you lead your imagination or do you allow imagination to lead you?

It happens both ways. It is always wonderful to feel imagination stirring within the mind,

evoking words, images and ideas, though very often these impressions turn out to be quite

different once they are written down on the page. A certain amount of discipline and

organisation is required to plot and structure a novel. I approach this the same way I plan my

software projects in my day job (I had used Microsoft Project to make a project plan for

creating the first draft of The Reengineers). But during the actual writing, I let imagination

take over. Of course, there are always many, many revisions.


7. How important is the commercial side of writing and promoting your book as opposed 

to the sheer joy of the creative art of expression? 

I write because I have to write. I cannot not write. Writing is at the core of my life. It is my

purpose, my passion and my greatest joy.

With so many books being published every day, many of them exceptionally good (my to-be-

read list covers a few good miles), authors must promote their books if they are to reach as

many readers as possible.

Since it was published, I have been delighted and gratified with the readers’ response to The

Reengineers. Many people wrote to me saying that they enjoyed the book and could strongly

identify with the characters. However, I realise that I must help promote the book if it has to

reach a wider audience. Promoting too is an interesting exercise, a time to retrospect on the

process of writing, on the book itself with respect to the feedback from the critics and

readers. (For example, I greatly enjoyed answering your insightful questions in this

interview).

The Reengineers is the story of a character and his author, which becomes complete when it

is read, which I mention in the book’s acknowledgements as:

“And you, Dear Reader, for it is when you read, that this story of the author and his hero

becomes complete.”

So yes, promotion is quite important.


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Grab your Copy @

amazon.com | amazon.in | amazon.co.uk| flipkart

ABOUT THE AUTHOR 

I am a writer from Chennai, India. To me, reading and writing are means by which I try to comprehend the meaning of life and reality. My first novel The Reengineers (HarperCollins, 2015) is a metafictional exploration of the meaning of the self, examined through the relationship between an author and the character of his novel. I am working on two other novels at the moment, both centred around the healing power of fiction and its significance in 'real' life.

I live in London, balancing a full time day job with writing and studying a part-time Master's Course in Creative Writing at The University of Oxford.

Stalk her @

               

Wordless Wednesday #124

Windy evening this side, while driving I see the street sign flapping violently yet, hanging on securely to the grapnel.

Made me wonder....who is our anchor? 

What makes us stand firm amidst a storm which tends to blow off our mind and drain us emotionally or mentally? 
What keeps you grounded? 


Mantra for today: “Hope is the anchor of life.” 
― Lailah Gifty Akita, Think Great: Be Great!

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Book Review of Color Me Rich

Title: Color Me Rich 

Author: Mohan Deep

ISBN:9788192678528

Number of Pages: 189

Publisher: Quest Mercury Intermedia Private Limited

Genre: Fiction/Thriller

Review

Color Me Rich is a thriller that will keep you on the edge while flipping pages after pages until it ends with a slam leaving you astonished, and heart broken!

The Story starts with an introduction to Akash's life and his struggles as a painter in Mumbai. He has a roommate named Pran, who is also struggling as an actor. While their attempts to make a livelihood, Akash comes across the socialite Zenobia, who eventually becomes his better half. A life of luxury and success unfolds for both the men as Akash takes his friend and roommate along. 

However, Akash could not forget his first and old flame from his struggling days. Suma. This leads to insecurity and frustration for his bride thus, leading to quarrels and arguments since jealousy became inevitable.

Amidst this uncertainty, Zenobia is dead. That grabs the reader's attention and the longing to find the criminal, which leads to reading till the end. 

The author, Mohan Deep has kept his novella crisp, to the point with just the right characters that could add spice to the story line. Classic Example is the Bollywood Aunty! The Characters are well etched except for Suma, who could have had some more depth to her character especially since she was a vital role in the love triangle story. Some words of Marathi/Hindi had to be interpreted and did make the reader in me pause for a bit. But, the flow of the storyline which went about from the past to the present caught in me immediately, and I could finish the story in a sitting. The author could portray the guilt in Akash's character via his empty canvas. 

Color Me Rich is a fast-paced thriller that will keep you on the edge while allowing you a few moments here and there to ponder on the society as the author could unveil the hypocrisy of the rich and the silent sobs of the struggling. 

Review of Right Fit Wrong Shoes by Varsha Dixit

AUTHOR: Varsha Dixit 

ISBN/ASIN:978-8129115232

GENRE: Chick -lit

NUMBER OF PAGES: 248

FORMAT: E-Book

HOW I GOT THIS BOOK: I thank 'The Book Club' for this review copy! Apologizes for the delay in the Review!

REVIEW: Right Fit Wrong Shoe is a story of a girl named Nandini and Aditya whose families are close knit. Thus, an objection from them is out of the question. It's the circumstances, distinct personalities of these protagonists that will make the reader go on a journey that includes Bollywood style of communication and wording from various hit movies dating since the 1980's.



There are plenty of characters in this book and am glad the author introduced them in the beginning thus, giving an idea to the reader on how they all connect. 

The story starts with the news of the arrival of Aditya and description of how nervous Nandini is to meet him. No doubt, leaving curiosity for the reader with questions such as why what for and how come!

Gladly the story goes into the flashback, thus giving a peek into Aditya's personality that at first was not received well as a reader. I found him arrogant, egotistical and condescending besides being dominant. That was a big turn off! However, as the story preceded, he is seen melting over issues, which made me put him in the 'like' category!

The story goes from present to flashbacks thus, allowing the reader to get a grip on their meet up, their fondness for each other, misunderstanding leading to some repercussions and then the happily ever after!

A reader has to be a fan of Bollywood dialogues to be able to giggle now and then esp since the author has injected quite a few. The story could have been penned to the point rather than stretching it and testing the limit of elasticity. As a reader, it was limiting my attention span cause of the above two factors. There were so many twists and turns with regards to the protagonist's misunderstanding, but was surprised when they met up and dissolved everything in a jiffy. I think the author could have invested some plots up there. 


Right Fit Wrong Shoes is a light read for people who love Bollywood triangles with all the inevitable filmy dialogues to keep the adrenaline running minus the running around trees part!