March turned out to be a month full of Greer Hendrix and Lisa Jewel’s books. Watch my latest vlog to find out what I read and if I liked them! But why so many mystery-thriller reads?
The answer is RMFAO’s Mystery-Thriller challenge! RMFAO (Reading My Frigging A** Off), is my book group on Goodreads and every month we read a new genre (sometimes two) to spice up our reading lists.
The books that I talk about in this video are listed below:
There was a time one had to spent hours trying to find a decent course on writing that would teach at least something on writing that would help a budding writer. Fast forward to today, there are so many new courses that it is getting increasingly difficult to choose from or even keep a tab on. So I thought why not compile a list of courses in Creative Writing to provide my students and other readers a handy guide (with links) to legitimate courses.
If you wish to know about programmes abroad, then do check out Gap & Gown Direct‘s page.
Though make sure to read the student reviews before going for any of the courses on these two platforms. Soon I will be uploading my own courses on Udemy so keep an eye out for those too!
Follow me on Instagram – @CrazyCatWriter to stay updated about the happenings in the world of Literature and Writing!
WOW – Word Of The Week is a weekly feature that I came up with in the year 2015 in order to learn new words and their meaning in the English language and improve my vocabulary.
If you wish to participate and post about WOW then, by all means, feel free to do so. A link back to this blog post would be most appreciated and also it would help me in knowing that you’ve posted your work.
WOW #50 – Word Of The Week
Belligerent
Word:
Belligerent
Pronunciation:
/bəˈlɪdʒ(ə)r(ə)nt/ ; bel·lig·er·ent
Part Of Speech:
Adjective, noun, adverb
Derivatives:
–
Meaning:
hostile and aggressive
engaged in a war or conflict, as recognized by international law
inclined to or exhibiting assertiveness, hostility, or combativeness
waging warspecifically: belonging to or recognized as a state at war and protected by and subject to the laws of war
a nation or person engaged in war or conflict, as recognized by international law
Related Phrases:
–
Synonyms:
hostile
aggressive
threatening
antagonistic
pugnacious
bellicose
truculent
confrontational
argumentative
quarrelsome
Antonyms:
pacific
peaceable
peaceful
unbelligerent
uncombative
uncontentious
Phrases/Informal Synonyms:
–
Word Origin:
Late 16th century: from Latin belligerant- ‘waging war’, from the verb belligerare, from bellum ‘war’.
Usage Note:
Mostly used with a negative and agressive undertone.
Use In Sentences:
Many people believe that Russia is being belligerant towards Ukrain while others believe that Ukrain is the one being belligerant.
My father-in-law’s brother is belligerant and always looking for a fight.
She belligerantly refused their invitation to attend their wedding ceremony.
After years of belligerant behaviour, her friends are now in a co-ordial relationship.
I hope you guys like this word and hope it’s useful to you in some way!
If you want to check out more words like this, then visit my page:
Fiction Writing Bootcamp 2022 – Learn from scratch to advanced.
After almost a year, I am back with a much requested class for everyone who missed it last year. This year, I have included a module on publishing basics as well in order to help writers draft their query letters and proposals for submission to publishing houses.
So register today If you wish to attend this class.
Details:
Date: 11th to 15th April 2022 (Monday to Friday)
Time: 06:00 to 08:00 pm (Evening)
Fees: Rs.2500 per person (20% off for Early Birds – till 31st March, old students & students)
Medium: Online
Platform: Google Meet
Study Material: Notes will be provided
Duration: 10 hours (2 hours on all 5 days)
Certification: Yes (Certificate of Completion provided by CitrusPublishers)
Topics:
Day-1: Introduction to Creative Writing and Fiction Writing
Day-2: Outlining, plotting and strategic planning of fictional stories along with 5 most useful Plot Structures.
Day-3: Art of dramatics in fiction and 5 pillars Of Fiction Writing
Day-4: Characterisation & Dialogue Writing
Day-5: Preparing your manuscriptfor submissions or publishing
Additional Perks:
Tons of creative writing and fiction writing exercises for all students.
Professional analysis and critique of each and every exercise submitted by the students.
Literary analysis and discussion of 3 stories – 1 long and 2 short stories
Stories for analysis will be provided to all students
Complete study material
Tons of examples and doubt-clearing sessions at the end of each day.
Unlimited WhatsApp support on the especially curated Bootcamp whatsapp group.
Recently, when I was having a conversation with one of my Instagram friends, I learned about how a famous company that curates book boxes had infringed upon the copyright of several artists by stealing their works. I was horrified and disgusted because I, not knowing what they did, had bought a lot of stuff from this company. Obviously I will not be doing it anymore because copyright infringement is illegal.
Honestly, it is nothing new; this has happened to may artists and the story always goes like this – a big name/brand coming in and looting the creative works of freelancers or small-time artists and then leaving them in a fix because what exactly could they really even do about it.
As artists (regardless of our individual art form) we always fear that someone someday would steal our work. In fact, this is one the most commonly discussed topics in my creative writing classes as most of my students (who are all graduates, post-graduates and PhD holders) are scared that they might be putting their works at risk by posting blog posts and so most of them choose to not share any of their writings in any form at all, not even on their blogs or websites. This always disheartens me because when it comes to art, you have to be a part of the community, for forming relations with other artists and to open yourself up for healthy criticism and opportunities.
But how will you do all this when you fear your work would potentially be stolen?
The answer to this is not easy and needs some leg-work. Therefore, I am here to share two ways in which you can safeguard yourself and your art against prying eyes or hands (like the company I mentioned at the start of this article.)
Copyright For Writers
1) Creative Commons License
Creative Commons or CC is a global non-profit organisation that aims at helping creatives share their work freely by declaring clear guidelines for sharing or re-sharing of the original work. This helps the artists, especially writers get exposure without someone falsely claiming authorship of their works.
As their website quotes, “Those who want to make their work available to the public for limited kinds of uses while preserving their copyright may want to consider using CC licenses. Others who want to reserve all of their rights under copyright law should not use CC licenses.” Therefore, this license is best for writers who want to share their works on their blogs, Instagram or other social media platforms.
You can read more about Creative Commons and their licences and their uses on their website: creativecommons.org
Image taken from Creative Commons Website
They have a variety of licences that can be tailor made as per your needs and it is FREE! So if you are planning to start a website or a blog, it is always advisable to have their basic website icon embedded in your website, preferably on the Home page or in the Sidebar where everyone can see it.
But about about the longer works or the works that you wish to get paid for are looking to sell or license to someone, well, this brings me to the next point.
2) Copyright Licence
I know a lot of people think it is a pain in the a** to get your creative works copyrighted, but that is no longer the case. The Indian governments has made things extremely easy for creatives now by having a hassle free online process to have your works copyrighted. Of course, it involves physically sending your manuscripts or writings to the appropriate offices, but that is how you copyright your work. The rest of the process is online which saves everyone. a lot of time and trouble. Though do keep in mind that it may take 3 months to 18 months for your work to get registered entirely and for you to receive the copyright certificate. But once you apply, you can rest easy as it is (as far as my knowledge) permissible in court as evidence for the ownership of the work.
You can apply for copyright for your work here: Copyright Office (India)
Screenshot taken from Copyright Office Website
In order to know EVERYTHING related to what is copyright, what is a creative work and under which sections and circumstances copyright infringement can be validated and proved and how to do it and also a million other questions you might have, please read their Hand Book Of Copyright Law. They have a provision for revisions so once your work gets copyrighted, you can agin submit the revisions (sending the whole revised work) to update your copyright for the new edition/version.
Please note that getting your work official copyrighted incurs fees which is very low compared to the kind of consequences you might face and the mental torture if your work gets infringed upon.
I personally use the Creative Commons license for my website and blogs and get my short as well as full-length manuscripts copyrighted from the Indian Copyright Office.
Extra resources
Do read these articles on Copyright as they are all great source of information on the subject for writers:
I hope my article and the resources listed at the end will help you gain a deeper insight into how you can protect your art or writing from thieves. If you have any questions or have gone through a related experience then do share your thoughts in the comments below.
I am a hopeless winter person – you know, when a person goes overboard with sweaters, hoodies and hauling around shawls everywhere they go even when it’s just chilly, wearing socks while sleeping and using a heater at night to warm my cold feet. I know I am not the only one so I decided to write this piece in order to give a shoutout to all those beautiful people who love, adore and cherish winters as much as I do.
I open my eyes from a hazy dream which is slinking off into oblivion as I slowly wake up when something cold brushes on my right cheek. As I sit up, pushing around the white cloud-like comforter, a light chilly breeze grazes my cheeks and nose again making me shiver convulsively. I look around trying to clear my head from the faraway dream that I cannot recall anymore and feel the mild onset of heaviness from the middle of my nose to the top of my head as the chill settles in and around my sinuses. Mr. Snuffles, one of my two cats, jumps up on the bed and rubs his warm body against my hands asking for scratches. I indulge him for a few minutes and then get out of bed not sure if I even want to wake up yet. I look at the digital clock which shows 5:12 am right as my feet meet the wooden floor. The cold pierces through the bare skin of my feet and jolts me completely awake. I smile to myself letting the cold make its way to my ankles, calves and knees. I stand up and shuffle towards the half-open bedroom window, Mr. Snuffles following behind me diligently. As I reach the window and draw the sheer curtain back, a strong gust of cold breeze slams against my face. I freeze in my place as the shock of the cold settles in my mind and my heart begins to swell with happiness – winter is here!
I forget the headache as it becomes a distant dull throb and shuffling back to the bed-side shove my feet into the fuzzy fluffy slippers that were a birthday present from my father. Then I make my way to my armoire, yanking it open and fish out a hand-knitted chunky-yarn pale blue shawl. It is an oversized shawl, almost as big as a blanket, and wrap it around myself. As its warmth envelops me and the soft yarn brushes against my cheeks and the bare skin of my arms, I revel in the feeling that reminds me of being hugged by my mother. Tightening the shawl around me, I go to the study room which looks over the garden in the front. I yank open the curtains, my hands trembling just a little with anticipation, and what I see fills my heart with such joy that I forget everything – the late phone call of Rudra calling off our engagement, the nasty fight we had after it and the tears that soaked my pillow wet before I slept.
A wave of contentment settles over me that I haven’t known or felt in a long, long time. It’s still dark outside but I can see the faint glow of the rising sun slowly and steadily coming into view from atop the Gulmohar tree on the right-hand side of my lawn. I stand here in awe as the chirping of the birds gets louder and the leaves of the trees start to rustle with activity. Mr. Snuffles walks round and round in loops around my feet, trying to warm himself from the heat of my legs, The sun keeps rising ever so slowly as the world around us wakes up from their lazy dreams and cosy beds.
Ms. Buttercup, my older cat, stretches on her bed on my study table and leaps from it to come to me before settling on the faux fur of one of my slippers. Both Mr. Snuffles and Ms Buttercup are purring with as much content as I feel from being a part of this beautiful morning. I sit down carefully in front of the big window and they both rub their backs against me showering me with affection. I scratch their backs as one of them settles in the crook of my folded legs, settling in the cosy warmth of my shawl and the other one besides me, resting her head on my knee.
Their purrs of gratification and the cheerful chirping of the birds make my heart sing. And we all welcome the winter with love into our lives. I let out. along, lazy sigh and thank the Universe for everything I want and need to be happy because it is right here in this room with me.
Even in a hot market, before you put your home on the market among real estate for sale in Whistler or anywhere else, there’s some work you’ll need to do first. Selling a home requires a lot more than simply putting up a “For Sale” sign in the yard or placing an ad on Craigslist, particularly if you’re hoping to get the maximum dollar possible. And why wouldn’t you?
If you do these five things before your home is listed, you’ll increase the odds of getting the offer you’re hoping for, and perhaps several of them.
1. Pack Up Personal Decor and Eliminate Clutter
According to the 2019 National Association of Realtors’ home staging study, cleaning and decluttering was the No. 1 task real estate agents recommended to their clients. The first step is to pack up any of your personal decor, family photographs, children’s drawings, mementos and the like so that buyers see your home as a clean slate that makes it easier to get emotionally attached. If a buyer can walk through and determine your profession, favorite sports team, religious preference, and so on, they’ll be more likely to move on to the next place, especially when your choices conflict with theirs.
Once you’ve done that, it’s time to declutter, anything else laying around on shelves, counters, tabletops, and even in closets, should be tossed, donated, or stored. You want everything to look well-organized with the less junk the better.
2. Re-Paint or At Least Touch It Up
One of the least expensive ways to make your home look its best is to give it a fresh coat of paint. In fact, certain colors can even boost the selling price of your home, with blue a favorite among buyers, ranging in shades from powder blue to periwinkle in the bathroom, a soft gray-blue in the kitchen and a cadet or ocean blue in bedrooms. Living rooms are best in shades like taupe that create a calming feeling.
If re-painting isn’t an option, do a touch-up using leftover paint from your last paint job. If you don’t have any, peel off a little and bring it to your local home improvement store to match. Use it to touch up areas with scrapes, nail holes, chips, and handprints.
3. Focus on Curb Appeal
You’ve heard about the importance of curb appeal before, and it really can’t be understated. Ensuring that your lawn is mowed and your landscaping looks well cared for is a must. One of the easiest ways to freshen it up is to add a layer of new mulch. It’s also a good idea to trim overgrown bushes and plants, pull weeds, and perhaps even plant some flowers. Pay attention to your home’s entrance too, you might add potted plants to the porch, perhaps a new door knob or even a fresh coat of paint on the front door.
4.Hire a Good Agent
One of the secrets to maximizing profits is hiring a good agent. While you might think you can go the FSBO (for sale by owner) route to avoid paying commissions, your property may never make it to the local multiple listing service (MLS) which means it will get a lot less traffic. Odds are if it does sell, it will sell for less. Of course, it’s also important to ensure you get a good agent by checking references from recent clients. Ideally he or she will have a lot of experience in your particular market.
5.Look at It Like a Buyer
After you’ve thoroughly cleaned, decluttered, and made any necessary fixes, take a look at your home as if you were a buyer. Consider every tiny detail, from the blinds and ceiling fans to baseboards, tile grout, and windows. If you don’t have time to polish everything up it might be worth hiring a professional.
End of October is here and, although 2020 was nothing less than a long horror spell, it is only natural for a horror reader and writer to share some of my favourite books in the genre that truly terrifying me. If you are new to this genre, these books would be a great starting point for your but if you are an old chum to the genre, chances are you might have already read them, or at least might have watched the movies, so maybe re-read them again? It is that time of the year after all.
If you are a writer or an enthusiastic reader of horror genre and want to know about the details of the genre, then do check out the Webinar I conducted last October: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQ5IUEKUsps
The Woman In Black by Susan Hill is a short story but a terryfing one. The mood and atmosphere of this story is so dark and gloomy that it’ll take you right in the manor on the moors where the story takes place. As opposed to most of the contemporary horror fiction, this book is very suggestive and plays with the senses – which for me personally is the best kind of horror. If you want me to be honest, I spent a lot of time during and after reading this book looking over my shoulder!
2. Haunting Of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
Haunting Of Hill House by Shirley Jackson is very peculiar with a level of subtlety that is not only hard to nail but also near impossible to master. But Shirley Jackson is one author who could do it flawlessly. I mean, she was, and still is, one of the best horror writers in the world. She can spook you and confuse you and make you have nightmares just in a matter of pages. This book especially does all that and so much more. The ending is one you won’t be able to get out of your head for a long time after you turn the last page.
3. The Turn Of The Screw by Henry James
First off, The Turn Of The Screw by Henry James is nothing like The Turn Of The Key by Ruth Ware (I say this because most of the people read The Turn Of The Key and think they’ve read both the books… if you get my drift.) The Turn Of The Screw is a masterpiece and will continue to remain so. This book is so wonderfully written that everything that happens in this book has now (in this modern world where anyone can write a book) become a trope. Yes! So if you want to learn anything about this genre, you need to read this book. Oh, and do it in the daytime as the tone of the book alone will make you feel like it is a hopeless, hopeless world.
4. Rosemary’s Baby by Ira Levin
Now Rosemary’s Baby by Ira Levin is more of a straightforward arrow (mostly but not entirely) and has a mystery interlaced throughout. You may guess what will happen as a lot of writers have used this story as the basic premise of their novels, but reading this book is an experience in itself. More than the overall story, it is about the little things in this book, oh and the last act is pretty wicked! To follow it up, do watch the movie adaptation (the old one) as it is pretty good too (but of course only after you’ve read the book!)
5. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley is a classic story that everyone knows but only a few have experienced. The writing and gothic atmosphere of the book will drag to to the deep recesses of the dark nature of human mind and drag you back again like a tight slap on the face. Read this book even if you know about the story not he surface. The writing is great and the feel fo the book – the tone and pacing is outstanding.
So these are my top 5 horror classics. Have you read these? Or do you like other classic horror books? Do share some recommendations and your thoughts on these in the comment section below!
So I was on Goodreas (as I am always there scrolling through my friend’s TBRs and current reads and reviews) and I came across a book called Christmas Pig. When I dug deeper and read the blurb I quite liked what I read and decided that I will give it a go.
I was on audible buying the audiobook for this book and that was when I realised that the book was by J.K. Rowling. I was like “whaaaatt” as I hadn’t read abut it anywhere on my social media channels especially Instagram! I am friends with some big time Potterheads and by extension J.K. Rowling but still they never uttered a word about her new book.
Now I need to confess something – I haven’t read the HP books (well not ALL of them) and so I am not into J.K. Rowling at all. But given how vocal my online pals are, I was shocked to not have heard about this book or any other releases by J.K. Rowling at all (positive or negative.)
I then, obviously, went back tot he book’s Goodreads page and read through some of the reviews (I generally refrain from reading reviews as sometime they can be full of spoilers without warning.) And what I found was just people rambling on and on about J.K. Rowling’s transphobic tweet.
I was like “What the hell!” And went to Googke and Googled (duh!) J.K. Rowling transphobic tweet and here’s what I found.
“If sex isn’t real, there’s no same-sex attraction. If sex isn’t real, the lived reality of women globally is erased. I know and love trans people, but erasing the concept of sex removes the ability of many to meaningfully discuss their lives. It isn’t hate to speak the truth. The idea that women like me, who’ve been empathetic to trans people for decades, feeling kinship because they’re vulnerable in the same way as women – ie, to male violence – ‘hate’ trans people because they think sex is real and has lived consequences – is a nonsense.”
I seriously do not find anything about this tweet as transphobic! It simply looks like J.K. Rowling is standing up for women (people who mesturate.) And nothing else at all!
Come on people, let us not get too carried away with the whole freedom of speech and expression because *surprise* *surprise* it applies for HER too!! So why can’t you just move on! I mean, it is one thing to disagree with someone’s thoughts or opinion but an entirely different thing to Cancel them!!!
My god, people! Stop this hate and cancel culture. It is toxic, seriously – for everyone!
If you don’t know what cancel culture is, read this article by VOX and this article on Scroll.
Some other latest targets of Cancel Culture are Ellen DeGeneres and Kim Seen Ho.
I would just like to say that we all need to chill a little and start taking things a little less seriously (and get a little less offended) bye EACH and EVERY thing that is said on the internet!!
Credit Cards are one of those things in life that everyone wants but only few can have and even fewer can keep. But have you ever wondered why is that so? Why are Credit Cards so lucrative yet so difficult to hold on to without destroying your credit credibility? Well, it is not the card that is to blame, it is the user awho tens to misuse the card and then get late in repaying the instalments.
Keeping this in mind, here are 5 ways in which you can use your credit cards responsibly and even build a good credit score that’ll benefit you in numerous ways.
1. Read And Understand The Credit Card Agreement & Terms Of Payment Carefully
Always make sure to get your credit card from a reputable establishment and while signing your name make sure that you first read and understand the entire agreement (maybe by taking help of the agent/broker or banker helping you) – clause by clause and term by term. The most important things to look out for are – the credit limit, the payment period, the instalment system to pay the credit and the interest rate as well as penalties. We all like to think that there won’t be any hiccups, but when it comes to credit cards, it is better to be cautious than pay heavy penalties (which, over a period of time, grow higher than the credit itself in many cases.)
Also, be very wary of shady institutions and their lucrative offers as you don’t want to end up being a victim of the ever-growing problem of credit card fraud. Be aware and make an informed decision. Make sure to do your research first! Click here to know more.
2. Use Credit Cards Smartly
First off, you won’t end up in a soup if you use the card carefully and smartly in the first place. People tend to binge-spend on unnecessary things thinking they will pay for it later when they have a warm credit card in their pockets. But what they forget it, if they buy the things they don’t even need and keep on repeating doing so, they will end up with repayments that they might not be able to pay off in time and suffer from late fee and interest on top it. And once you re caught in this cycle, it is very difficult to get out.
So the smartest thing to do is to use the credit card only when necessary – keep it for an emergency. Inc are if you have to use it, then use it only on the essentials such as fee payments, bill payments, medical expenses, etc.
3. Always StayBelow The Credit Limit
Keeping your credit card expenses under the credit limit will ensure that you always have some balance left for severe emergencies. Also, it will make sure that you never over step your limit and hit a penalty or wound up in a bad situation where you need the money but can’t draw it as you’ve already spent it to its limit.
4. Make The Payments On Time
Make sure to make the payments on time – or better yet before the due date. This not only helps you be ahead in your financial game but also provides benefit for your credit score. Also, while paying the monthly payments, make sure to not just pay the minimum amount, try and pay a little extra, it will help you in not only paying-off the balance quicker but also go a long way in helping your credit score. Which in turn will open a lot of door for you in future for loans and mortgages, especially if you plan to buy a house or a car in the near future.
NEVER ever skip payments. Apart from adding double amount in your next month’s payment, it will also incur heavy penalties making you end up paying. a lot more than the payment amount and will harm your credit score. This is something you do not want to do! So make sure never to skip on your credit card payments.
So these are the 5 Ways To Use Credit Cards Responsibly. If you want to share your experiences with credit cards or have more useful information, please feel free to comment below.
In the end, using the credit card in a good or bad way is in the card holder’s hands (literally!) So before you blame the credit card make sure to do your research first and then make smart use of it. If handled properly, credit cards can be life-savers and come in very handy, especially in emergencies. So don’t hesitate from getting one, just be well-informed before using it.
WOW – Word Of The Week is a weekly feature that I came up with in the year 2015 in order to learn new words and their meaning in the English language and improve my vocabulary.
If you wish to participate and post about WOW then, by all means, feel free to do so. A link-back to this blog post would be most appreciated and also it would help me in knowing that you’ve posted your work.
WOW #48 – Word Of The Week
Word:
Hirsute
Pronunciation:
/ˈhəːsjuːt/ | hir·sute
Part Of Speech:
Adjective
Derivatives:
Hirsutism and hirsuties, synonymous nouns naming a medical condition involving excessive hair growth; hirsutal, an adjective meaning “of or relating to hair”; and hirsutulous, a mostly botanical term meaning “slightly hairy” (as in hirsutulous stems).
Meaning:
hairy
covered with coarse stiff hairs
Related Phrases:
–
Synonyms:
hairy
shaggy
bushy
long-haired
woolly
furry
fleecy
unshorn
stubbly
hispid
Antonyms:
hairless
short-haired
shorn
bald
glabrous
smooth
Phrases/Informal Synonyms:
–
Word Origin:
early 17th century: from Latin hirsutus.
Usage Note:
Mostly used with a humorous undertone.
Use In Sentences:
The hirsute teenager was warned that he would be expelled from school if he did not take a haircut and pay attention to his grooming.
Nitin always wears a t-shirt to the pool so that others won’t laugh at his hirsute chest.
Reena is a hirsute woman and whenever she is around we try not to notice her moustache.
The balding man visited the salon for a hirsute makeover.
I hope you guys like this word and hope it’s useful to you in some or the other way! If you want to check out more words like this, then visit my page:
People always want to know, especially the ones who care or at least think they care for you if you are okay or not. But what about what lies in between those two words. Most people don’t realise that they’re a whole world between those two ends and that more than half of the time a person is somewhere in between because the distance between those two peaks can take years or decades to cross.
When I was learning French early this year (I am not presently learning it as I am still awaiting the weekend bath for A2 level that should begin in another 2 months) I learned a beautiful expression – Comme ci, comme ça (pronounced as kum-sih, kum-sah) which means okay-okay/like this, like that. This is exactly how I respond to this seemingly vague question.
If you actually care about someone, they why ask this at all, why not ask, ‘What’s happening?’ or better yet ‘What’s really going on in your life?’
I think answering these questions would be far more convenient than answering in just ‘okay or not okay.’
WOW – Word Of The Week is a weekly feature that I came up with in the year 2015 in order to learn new words and their meaning in the English language and improve my vocabulary.
If you wish to participate and post about WOW then, by all means, feel free to do so. A link-back to this blog post would be most appreciated and also it would help me in knowing that you’ve posted your work.
deriving ideas, style, or taste from a broad and diverse range of sources.
denoting or belonging to a class of ancient philosophers who did not belong to or found any recognized school of thought but selected doctrines from various schools of thought.
consisting of different types, methods, styles, etc.
composed of elements drawn from various sources
(as a noun) denoting or belonging to a class of ancient philosophers who did not belong to or found any recognised school of thought but selected doctrines from various schools of thought.
(as noun) a person who derives ideas, style, or taste from a broad and diverse range of sources.
Related Phrases:
–
Synonyms:
assorted
heterogeneous
indiscriminate
kitchen-sink
magpie
miscellaneous
mixed
motley
patchwork
piebald
promiscuous
raggle-taggle
ragtag
varied
Antonyms:
homogeneous
narrow
dogmatic
Phrases/Informal Synonyms:
–
Word Origin:
late 17th century (as a term in philosophy): from Greek eklektikos, from eklegein ‘pick out’, from ek ‘out’ + legein ‘choose’.
Usage Note:
–
Use In Sentences:
In Prem’s library, you will find an eclectic mix of books because he will read just about anything.
The painter’s recent work is an eclectic collection of landscapes she has recently visited.
India is an eclectic and diverse country with people from various caste, religion and cultural backgrounds.
I hope you guys like this word and hope it’s useful to you in some or the other way! If you want to check out more words like this, then visit my page:
Stephen King, for me, is the God of writing. He knows how to create believable characters that will make you feel all kinds of emotions (a wide, wide range of emotions at that), he creates genre-defining works and his stories are simply incomparable to any other on the planet (though I do know a couple of them which have been inspired by others’ stories, though he writes everything better – so he just makes them all awesome!)
When it comes to writing, I blindly follow his advice because his advice is always solid advice. He never bullshits, he never lies or tries to paint a picture other than how it is in reality; it is always straight up and eye-opening. So here is a list of 10 Best Advice On Writing By Stephen King that I always adhere to when it comes to writing my own stories and books.
10 Best Advice On Writing By Stephen King
1. “If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot. There’s no way around these two things that I’m aware of, no shortcut.”
It is pretty straight-forwards advice (I told you, SK kids you not), still most writers don’t get it – the secret is to read and writer. Simple as that.
2. “You have to read widely, constantly refining (and redefining) your own work as you do so. If you don’t have time to read, you don’t have the time (or the tools) to write.”
This is the first advice I followed when I began writing. I simply read so much that after 500 books I already knew the deepest and the darkest secrets of writings that most writers would kill for. So read – as much as you possibly can. Read even more than you write so that when you write, you can write better.
3. “There should be no telephone in your writing room, certainly no TV or videogames for you to fool around with. If there’s a window, draw the curtains or pull down the shades unless it looks out at a blank wall.”
This is more on the lines of discipline training your brain into writing with a focused mind. While learning to develop the habit of writing, this is the one advice you NEED to follow.
4. “I think that every novelist has a single ideal reader; that at various points during the composition of a story, the writer is thinking, ‘I wonder what he/she will think when he/she reads this part?’”
I’m sure any writer who has written more than 1L words would definitely know what this this all about. Ideal reader is what keeps a writer going and it is the best motivator, at least for me, when it comes to writing my own stories.
5. “One of the really bad things you can do to your writing is to dress up the vocabulary, looking for long words because you’re maybe a little bit ashamed of your short ones. This is like dressing up a household pet in evening clothes. The pet is embarrassed and the person who committed this act of premeditated cuteness should be even more embarrassed.”
Keep it simple, folks. Good writing is not what words you use, it is HOW you use your words.
6. “If you intend to write as truthfully as you can, your days as a member of polite society are numbered.”
This is one of my favourites! Welcomes to the ugly part of writing 🙂
7. “I like to get ten pages a day, which amounts to 2,000 words. That’s 180,000 words over a three-month span, a goodish length for a book.”
That is how a writing habit looks like and you can see the results it produces. I try to use it as my inspiration and write at least a couple hundred words everyday (at least.) Start with 100-200 words and gradually increase as you feel comfortable settling into the habit of writing.
8. “I think the best stories always end up being about the people rather than the event, which is to say character-driven.”
The stories are always about the characters, so make sure you get your characterisation on point and your story will be good.
9. “You cannot hope to sweep someone else away by the force of your writing until it has been done to you.”
This is why you need to read so that you can first feel the magic that writing it before you can even think of creating it yourself.
10. “Writing isn’t about making money, getting famous, getting dates, getting laid, or making friends. In the end, it’s about enriching the lives of those who will read your work, and enriching your own life, as well. It’s about getting up, getting well, and getting over. Getting happy, okay? Writing is magic, as much the water of life as any other creative art. The water is free. So drink.”
This one is deep and to put it simply don’t do it for anything but the love of writing. If you can’t live peacefully without writing, then you write. Other things are like pit-stops, not the destination or the reason for the journey in the first place. If it is not why you write, then you better not write.
So these are some savage advice from the king of Fiction himself. If you want to explore more of his AWESOME books or want to know more about him (if you still don’t know him yet) then check out the articles below, they are all pretty great:
WOW – Word Of The Week is a weekly feature that I came up with in the year 2015 in order to learn new words and their meaning in the English language and improve my vocabulary.
If you wish to participate and post about WOW then, by all means, feel free to do so. A link-back to this blog post would be most appreciated and also it would help me in knowing that you’ve posted your work.
WOW #47 – Word Of The Week
Word:
Discordant
Part Of Speech:
Adjective
Derivatives:
Discordance (noun)
Pronunciation:
duh·skaw·dnt | /dɪˈskɔːd(ə)nt/
Meaning:
disagreeing or incongruous
(of sounds) harsh and jarring because of a lack of harmony
being at variance: Disagreeing
characterized by conflict
Related Phrases:
strike a discordant note — appear strange and out of place.
characterized by conflict
Synonyms:
conflict
disaccord
discord
strife
variance
friction
infighting
inharmony
schism
cacophonous
Antonyms:
harmonious
peace
concordance
musical
concord
harmony
Phrases/Informal Synonyms:
–
Word Origin:
Late Middle English: from Old French descordant, present participle of descorder (see discord).
Usage Note:
–
Use In Sentences:
Something gave a loud discordant twang.
The frightened cat gave a discordant shriek and jumped on top of the table.
The discordant sound of the teacher’s high-pitched voice silenced the class.
In the middle of the song, the piano player struck a discordant note and ruined the entire piece.
I hope you guys like this word and hope it’s useful to you in some or the other way! If you want to check out more words like this, then visit my page:
WOW – Word Of The Week is a weekly feature that I came up with in the year 2015 in order to learn new words and their meaning in the English language and improve my vocabulary.
If you wish to participate and post about WOW then, by all means, feel free to do so. A link-back to this blog post would be most appreciated and also it would help me in knowing that you’ve posted your work.
WOW #46 – Word Of The Week
Word:
Apathy
Part Of Speech:
Noun
Derivatives:
–
Pronunciation:
ah-pauh-thee-uh | /ˈapəθi/
Meaning:
lack of interest, enthusiasm, or concern.
a lack of emotional interest
Related Phrases:
–
Synonyms:
indifference
unconcern
passivity
detachment
lassitude
mopery
affectlessness
emotionlessness
Antonyms:
enthusiasm
interest
passion
Phrases/Informal Synonyms:
–
Word Origin:
Early 17th century: from French apathie, via Latin from Greek apatheia, from apathēs ‘without feeling’, from a-‘without’ + pathos ‘suffering’.
Usage Note:
Use In Sentences:
This time around, election fever appears extremely subdued — partly because of the pandemic but also from an underlying apathy. –NYT
After his father’s demise he sank into apathy.
Her apathy lead to her divorce.
His apathy was the cause of his mental rehabilitation.
I hope you guys like this word and hope it’s useful to you in some or the other way! If you want to check out more words like this, then visit my page:
HEENA R. PARDESHI 