Soliloquy

Watching the Universe I watch the universe like a hawk Monitor every country, every move Stop a terrorist here A crazed gunman there And when the world is not looking my way I protect my young. Build my nest with thicker twigs So they won’t fall Not just yet Until they learn to fly on their own, Metaphorically speaking, for they have long flown the nest I can focus on the rest. Like a vigipirate I watch over this world Because if I shift my attention just a little bit The world wobbles. You may laugh at my arrogance And think I’m a little mad But it’s true. I watch the birds fly Their raucous cry Mingle with rustling leaves that whisper I feel the chill in the air Danger. I have dropped the ball And must start all over Because yesterday I forgot to light The incense before my shrine Where dead elders, framed in silver, sit side by side Spirits locked forever behind glass And today three men empty cartridges In a mindl

Having just won the 2015 Annual Debut Novel Competition with Cinnamon Press and bagging a promise of publication in early 2017, I feel elated but mostly relieved at having nearly reached my final stop. 'Under The Pipal Tree' is going to be out there! A scary thought - I feel as if I'm suspended at the top of a ride looking down - my heart, simultaneously thumping with excitement and plummeting with fear. http://www.cinnamonpress.com/index.php/blog/entry/2015-annual-debut-novel-novella-prize/ It has been an incerdibly long journey but I wouldn't have done it any other way. No short cuts for me. I needed to learn the hard way. Years of practising my craft, on my own, trying to find my voice has not been a waste of time. For some, ten to fiteen years seem too long to achieve their dreams. Imagine this as your Mona Lisa, would you print and sell your first tentative sketches or wait for that magic moment when despite bucket loads of self-doubt you think 'that's

One of the things that deter debut novelists is the thought of research. Do we write about what we know or do we research our subjects?  My first novel, Under the Pipal Tree (to be published) was fairly easy to research as it is set in India, a place I grew up in. All I had to do was write about what I already knew and then email friends and family about the current prices of things and certain brands. The rest I googled − for example, the location and relative distances between places. I thought it would be like the great Jane Austen did, write about what I know. However, I still worry about details. After all, I haven’t lived in India for thirty years. Have things and attitudes changed beyond recognition? One hopes that if the story is good enough to hold the reader’s attention then minor slips would be tolerated. Research is invaluable to give the characters, their professions and the setting an authentic feel. But, how far do we go to achieve this? Some writers wea

A couple of years ago the first draft of my novel, Under the Pipal Tree (which needed a fair bit of work) was longlisted in a competition run by Cinnamon Press. I was delighted to eventually secure a place on their mentoring scheme where 25 authors were selected to be part of a year-long support. The first time my manuscript was returned with red lines was a shock! Jan and Rowan Fortune sent me a report on what was good about the novel and what needed fixing. I couldn’t decide whether Rowan was a very clever young man fresh out of university or a middle-aged man with years of experience but I had tweeds and a red bow tie in mind. Much later I met him at a CP workshop and realized he was the same age as my son but had the wisdom of someone much older. It was wonderful to meet my mentors in the flesh - lovely people I warmed to at first sight. I must add that the end of year workshop in Wales was an amazing experience. I was nervous at first but left feeling buoyant at hav

Three ways to learn to write: As all good authors will tell you there is no such thing as the right way to write fiction. There are rules that you are supposed to follow in order to convey your story in the best possible manner to your reader. The art cannot be learnt but the craft can. For example, no one can teach you to write a novel. A story is original and must come out of the author’s head. This is a combination of art, imagination and talent. But one can be shown the rules of writing, the craft. Creative Writing Courses: When I first started writing, I believed that creative writing cannot be taught. Therefore I shied away from writing courses and how-to books. I learnt much later that although I had bags of imagination, the craft failed me. I had a good story but I didn’t know the rules. Breaking too many rules can cause your beautiful story to crumble. So, faced with a blank page and a blank screen but a heart filled with desire to write, most wanna