Any bookstore you walk into, you will find shelves upon shelves of fantasy fiction. There are actually quite a lot of fantasy books but they all seem to be weak imitations of the same book. Most fantasy books tend to be predictable and filled with clichés at every step. The trick to writing great fantasy […]
When you are writing your first book, it makes sense to not get too caught up in the rules and to focus only on getting all the ideas down on paper. But there are certain things you must keep in mind, so that you are headed for success. There are certain concepts you must be […]
So you want to write, but you don’t know where to start? It’s a tricky situation, and often, overcoming this challenge is all it takes to write something remarkable. You may know what to write but cannot get to physically writing it. Or, You may not know what to write about. Either way, here are […]
Haruki Murakami is a writer of unusual origins. The Japanese writer found his calling while watching a football match and before that, he had never considered becoming a writer. The author is notorious for leading a private life while also baring it all to his readers. From writing his first novel at a kitchen table […]
It was a nauseating freedom, the sense of finally getting the hang of it. It took years to build a home where nobody lived. It was bending further and further everyday, until one day you are surprised you got so far and it didn’t even hurt. The kindest of Septembers, passed you by. I took […]
Writing competitions are a great way to build your credentials as a writer. If you are working on a project, the spirit of competition could get you out of a rut and help you become even more creative. Writing competitions are also a great opportunity for aspiring writers to benefit from the cash prizes and […]
Reading in school was not something most of us have fond memories of. Even if you were someone that loved reading as a kid, chances are you had to endure, a monotonous, reading of Pride and Prejudice every other afternoon and it didn’t sit well. The one reason why so many people have trouble developing […]
But not everyone shows strength in daggers Blunt and unbridled They budge time and again into skin And make wounds that are far from fatal In time their blows are always returned When you tell people how you feel It reeks of old haunts Shallow streams of pain but they weren’t there They don’t know what you […]
A theme is the central topic that is explored in a story. Themes are not to be confused with the message or final takeaway. Some of the most popular themes used in fiction include hope, good vs. evil, coming-of-age, and karmic experiences. You can probably already list a few of the novels you’ve read or […]
Ernest Hemingway was among the greatest American authors of the 20th-century and the likes of William Faulkner, Ray Bradbury, and F. Scott Fitzgerald. He was a notable novelist, short story writer, a journalist and a sportsman. His most popular works include A Farewell to Arms, The Snows of Kilimanjaro and Old Man and the Sea, […]
Writing isn’t so much about hard and fast rules, as much as it is about creative determination. And yet when you know good writing you just know. But nobody wants to look like a newbie writer even when they are. Here are some tricks that help your manuscripts look professional. Pace Most writers face issues […]
We as writers, shun technology and by doing so deprive ourselves of some of the best apps for writers. Gone are the days of typewriters and the aesthetic of crumpled pages reminding us we are only a few more typos away from getting it right. Writers don’t always have to be such an angry bunch. […]
There’s a part of you somewhere in a school balcony wondering if being alone could always feel so serene And it takes a while but the walls start rescinding. There’s a part of you that’s taking it in, second by second. A breezy September night. Everything is fleeting but everything is fine. And you wonder […]
Let’s talk about the world ending. With indefinite days ahead and for everyone when they are ready. The goodbyes that have waited on me so long, almost feel holy. I think you’ll feel like that again, when a secret escapes and it’s not just yours anymore. When an old friend knocks on your door and […]
You’ll learn to catch time in its infidel steps You’ll learn to keep your sunsets inside When people you love are retracing Learn to see their midnights Ticking, turning. Learn to accept when they’ve let go Learn to see things before it’s too late Learn to be brave. Braver than words Learn to be brave […]
Still can’t believe that we are in July of 2020. All those memes trending right now about still mentally processing February. Yes. That is I. Adjusting to the new routine or the lack thereof is something everyone is dealing with right now. And for us writers, that don’t write, it is another excuse to fall […]
From the author, of Stones from the River, the Hotel of Saints by Ursula Hegi is an extraordinary collection of short stories that sometimes make us smile and sometimes drive us to tears. This book of short stories takes you different places such as Germany, Mexico, and the United States. The variety of characters and […]
I don’t want to be in love anymore It has been a tiresome make believe And I’ve not lived better in it’s shadow I’ve not softened over the edges I’v become scornful And vile and iridescent Demanding of answers that love cannot give That not loss can make simple Are all of us made to […]
Neil Gaiman is next up on the Writing Lessons Series and he is one that I am quite excited to write about. He is an award-winning author and had delved into theater and film as well. If you don’t know about any of his works, American Gods and The ocean at the end of the […]
And its been all lapses My heart hammering to a sublime silences Right where the sword hits serene You promised to be more. You’ll be more When you’ve been least You have to break Before you’re free. Its all in the promises of time And you’ve got time All the time in the world. But […]
A villain done right tends to be even more memorable than the protagonist. This is evident from characters such as Ramsey Bolton, Lord Voldemort, and Hannibal Lecter that are quite scary even today. Readers are as drawn to villains and heroes and it is safe to say that writing a villain means you need to […]
Endings are very important. If you get the ending wrong all hell can break loose. You can end up trending on Twitter and then find yourself on the business end of a re-writing petition signed by millions of angry fans who just want to be petty. That’s right. I am talking about what you think […]
Writing competitions provide you with much-needed exposure and by competing with other writers you can become better at writing. Almost all writing competitions provide you with some sort of theme or prompt which you then have to build your story, memoir, or poem around. This is great because it helps eliminate procrastination and the overwhelming […]
I think you know enough from what they say From crumbs of silence Always in the way I think you know from the boundaries of people where there is core How much lifetime there is in a soul.
It has been an anxious few months for all of us. So much so that I almost forgot that May is Mental Health Awareness Month. Mental Health gets swiped under the rug often but the pandemic has brought many of these anxieties out into the open. Mental Illness is now more than a fictitious character […]
Today is not the day you knock the floor wishing it would swallow you whole. And that itself is more.
And there was no art to her cry There were no stories in her eyes You looked at her that time But you didn’t love her even when you tried She asked for a miracle, a pair of eyes That saw her even when she couldn’t see the light Prayers are laryngitis nightingales A Frankenstein […]
I’ve been fascinated by Charles Bukowski‘s poetry for quite some time now. He is the world-renowned author of poetic masterpieces such as Hollywood, Ham on Rye and Women. Some of my favorite poems of all time have been written by him. It comes as no surprise to me that he is known as the ‘patron saint […]
I think I want to die I think everybody wants to die But not all of us want to kill ourselves There is a big difference between the two And a lot exists merely in that difference.
Self-publishing has never been as popular as it right now in the digital age. With books such as Still Alice by Lisa Genova, E. L. James’ Fifty Shades trilogy and No Thanks by E. E. Cummings making it into the mainstream, we can say without a doubt that traditional publishing is far from being the […]
There’s an undoing to everyone In their hiding places In their dare not’s Is a weak camouflage What are you not When you can be anything Absolutely anything . Nature left trinkets To the one who looked harder Deeper Why did you say no When you could’ve said anything? The doors you didn’t open What […]
Black Milk is intriguing to read because it is Elif Shafak’s recounting of her struggle with postpartum depression. Because it is Mother’s Day, it is even more important to discuss literature that construes the dark and underrepresented side of motherhood. For the writer of some of my favourite books such as ‘The Bastard of Istanbul’, […]
I have been writing poetry for a long time. I started when I was 12 and it seems I haven’t stopped. I was curious about this particular style of writing and at the time it felt like such an impossible thing to do. How a couple of lines could have such an enormous impact and […]
But when you graced the demon It wasn’t a demon at all It was dusk and shadow And when you truly saw what it was that you feared You feared nothing at all But fear And perhaps, the truth.
Writing competitions are always the answer but they are now more so than ever because we all like a little validation in the form of cash prizes. As we enter the third month of the global lockdown it is becoming increasingly difficult to cope. Whether it is knitting you took up during the quarantine as […]
Writing is oddly not as much about writing as you might think. Writing, for the most part, is a habit and you have to start treating it as one by incorporating it into your life. A writing routine or a habit will require that you build it as a muscle. Writing is largely about staying […]
The future is made up of tears you don’t even remember letting out in the night. With crumpled pages of defeat All I ever wanted was to believe And there is justice for every time you didn’t have it in you to do justice. It’s made up of fears you didn’t even know existed underneath […]
For the #WORLDBOOKDAY I thought it would be fit to discuss Wuthering Heights i.e. my favorite book of all time. This book is an English Literature classic and you might actually know about it because it is quite popular. The author Emily Brontë is the third of the 4 Brontë surviving siblings and this is […]
Not all days go down in serenade Some of them are just whispers when they fade Not all lessons are kind Sometimes it shows what you’ve been inside.
Some of us would like to be better readers; alas we are not and are our excuses could amount to a book of their own. From challenging work hours to trouble sticking to new habits; there’s something for everyone. But this is something the lockdown has given us, a golden opportunity to use all this […]
This is how you know they can’t be fixed When you can hear the guilt talking. Screaming from behind what they are really saying. When they have grazed upon an apology and returned way too many times. I wish you have it in you to forgive. All the people you have been.
Exploring the life of a 20th-century exotic dancer and courtesan in Paulo Coelho’s The Spy was exactly the kind of distraction I was hoping for. The story comes to life in the form of letters that Mata Hari wrote her lawyer towards the closing of her trial where she is found guilty for being a […]
But what I have written on me Rugged upon the soul May as well be for life
March has been wild. There were days when I could bet it was summer upon us and then today in the morning (In April 2020) I was freezing and the first thing I did when I got out of bed was put on some socks and then curl back up in my bed. Very productive, […]
Virginia Woolf was far ahead of her time and there is so much we can learn about writing from her even today. From being a writer and creating something unique to being a publisher and deciding what is creative and what is mediocre; there is something every writer can take from her.
Do you think the sky will forget Or the angels will misplace A kindness, An unkindness When in its due time Any step Every step Could unlock a heaven or hell of its own When here Now And never Are kingdoms in waiting For their time to come Do you think God will miss-spell a […]
When the days came crashing I whispered promises into debris Made demon deals and blind dives into things you don’t return from But I wanted my skin off I was no butterfly and I was a wicked caterpillar I believed in nothing and with every feather I collected off the earth I wanted to fly […]
In the words of Stephen King himself “Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration, the rest of us just get up and go to work”. Writing is like any other skill that if you are working on today will build over time and you cannot even imagine how much further you will be in 6 months […]
I didn’t ask for it all I asked for what meant everything The fall doesn’t scare me now It is the height You will dig my dreams out of the earth You will because they are yours too There is an evident lie called truth And you’re not a memory yet
Maybe it’s just me, but when the year started there were so many things, I wanted to get on top of. But the plan doesn’t always match reality. This is not to say that there has been no progress, but growth is far from linear. Here are a few of the writing commandments you should […]
At the bottom of misery’s ocean Is a soul manic to its core Pride that lingers the wreck Doesn’t bring it back life The closest we ever get Is that we forget The invisible boundaries if not touched Will never be found The only reason that keeps you around are roses that bloom right out […]
All the light we cannot see is among many of the acclaimed works of Anthony Doerr. The New York Times Bestseller starts brilliantly as the writer acquaints us with a blind Marie Laure who traces the miniature of Paris her father built as it is bombed by the Nazis and it is by far the best […]
And this is where I built my prison This is where I’m still waiting A heaven for all the dreams that died screaming And a hell for all the ones that lived to see me fail A place where I haunt the staircases looking for you And you rip pages out of a desolate copy […]
I promise you sometimes the world is on my side. and I write the future. I let the trees grow their barks through walls and then they are homes no longer sometimes the pavement cracks open for a clover. sometimes a deer in the woods gets to decide the trickle down of planets. and when […]
I bet if you’ve been thinking about pursuing writing as a career you’ve come across this term. A literary agent? Where can I get myself one of those? Why do I need an agent exactly? How do I charm the literary pants off of them? Do I need to? Can I just bring them cookies […]
Find me then The recorded futureThe exalted statureFigures which depictDoes it even exist?
Writing a Novel is a tricky business. You will spend a lot of time reading, more so than even writing and this is to research ways that an idea can be executed. Now there are many rules to start a storyline, and you should take them all with a grain of salt. There are always […]
He shivers like a flame Asks me to write a poem That looks like me I spin in riddles Of contempt Like a snake Shedding Forgetting I’m not the same person I was last December I don’t know what I look like anymore
I often get story ideas and my first instinct is to start writing a trilogy. Not chapters. Not an outline. Not even a book, but a whole lot of them. It’s overwhelming and it is recipe or failure. I’m sure it is not just me but getting over-excited about our good ideas is something we […]
Behold the British Law, the horse breeder and his reptilian bastards. May they grow into men. May they know better than fear. Behold the Shakespearean threat. Women who tasted freedom and never returned May they never return. May they never learn. Behold the blood that ran blue and tangled you in it’s web Let it […]
And do not wither into foolishness Thinking crystals of diamonds. In every fiber you hold the strength of lifetimes that blister the hands of death. And never believe that you’re delicate. The skies tremble for the souls that wake to try again every time. Even if the eternal wrecks in toll. They will never be […]
You would think that now Just as you have before. The voices have lied to you as often. As they’ve whispered the truth. Fear the fateful turn of belief
You’d be interested in finding out what exactly is a bookstagram if you are a book enthusiast, a writer, a blogger under the book-blogging niche or just someone who has been swept off of their feet by the obnoxiously beautiful images of books on Instagram You also might have followed a certain tag to see […]
And then the cracks ran forth Spreading like doubt Sinking and sliding down the walls
What does the progress look like? What does it take to get better at writing? Find out. You hate what you’ve already written:
What do you need to know about writing poetry? What are the things that differentiate poetry from other kinds of writing? And most importantly, what makes a good poem? Keep reading to find out all the things that make up a poem. A feeling that really stuck with you.
Here is a peculiar list of things I know about artists by living with one. 1- ) They rarely know what they’ve made: So this is an exercise I have with my sister, who is an artist, after she makes any piece. I ask her what it’s about, she looks at me like I asked […]
For the idea of this blog post, a day in the life of, I have to credit someone else- Thequietpeople.com A day in the life of me includes first of all waking up early. And I do that because I sleep early too. As boring as the very introduction sounds, it is what it is. […]
Follow my blog with Bloglovin Here’s the thing about this blog, it’s a writing blog. So for my very first blogpost I would like the topic itself to be writing. I want it to be about how ‘writing’ works with perfect examples of what the writing process looks like. First of all it’s the inspiration. […]
Hi! My name is Momina Arif, creator of this website. I’m a professional Writer & Editor. This is my personal blog where I share my work and give writing advice. If you are someone who likes books, poetry, music, movies and TV shows you’ve come to the right place.
