Writing, Among Other Things

Category: Writing (Page 17 of 19)

Digital Romance: Abhi’s Life-2

(Digital Romance is the name of the short novel that I am serializing on this blog. Abhi’s Life is the first chapter of the novel, and this post is the second part of that first chapter. I hope you like it.) 

Pleased with himself, he had enquired around about the cheapest and the best Internet Service Provider, and after due deliberation had got a connection, and that was the start of another fascinating journey. If he was spending a few hours on the computer before, now he spend almost all his waking hours on the internet. He had just finished college, and there was nothing else for him to do.

He was supposed to be looking for a job, but he was in no rush. He knew he had the skills and the talent to get a job of his liking anytime he wished. Abhi was a little over confident, but the way life had treated him, he had every reason to feel that way.

However old a person might be, there are some people who will always treat him like a kid. And parents are some of those people. Though Abhi was 21, his father treated him like he was still in school. He kept an keen eye on Abhi’s activities, and when he saw that Abhi was spending most of his time on the computer, he decided it was time to step in.

“What is the deal with you and your computer?” asked Abhi’s father.

“Deal??? What do you mean?” Abhi feigned ignorance, and although he knew it irritated his father, he still did it.

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Article Writing Tip – 3

fountain pen Style is an important part of writing, and one that no one who hopes to be a writer, or a blogger for that matter, can afford to ignore.

Style can be said to be  made up of two parts.

The first is the writing style. As we continue on our writing journey, we consciously or sub-consciously begin to develop a style that is our own. This style is based on what we have read over the years. When we like something we read, it leaves a lasting impression on us, and this impression affects our writing.

To a great extent, this style is a result of extensive reading and practise. But, like most things, there are ways to improve upon your style. The easiest way to do it is read more. Make a habit of reading something every day.

 As I said in a previous post , reading is one of the three major inputs into the writing system. So, reading a wide variety of subjects will enhnace one’s writing even if it does not affect the style. Though I am sure that if you read on diverse topics and by different authors you will develop a style and one that will be liked by one and all.

The second element of style, that is especially relevant for bloggers and article writers, is presentation. You, as the writer, know what part of the article you want the reader to focus on, and what part you want to emphasize, therfore you have to correspondingly bold, underline or italicize the words in your article, or blog post.

Using short paragraphs, and as few words as possible to communicate your meaning is another important aspect of presentation that can be learnt.  And once again reading the writings of different authors can prove very helpful in your endeavour to present your article in a better way!

Till next time!

DR: Abhi's Life-1

(After reading the comments on writing a short story in serial form post, I decided to try my hand at posting another short novella in serial form on this blog.  Since I have written only three chapters till now, I am thinking that this story could evolve in a new direction with the reader’s involvement.  So, if you like, you could tell me what you think should happen next after reading each post. To stay updated with the story, you could subscribe to the blog via email)

As Abhi walked home that day he did not know that soon his life was going to change forever. There was no way he could have known what was waiting for him at home. Even if he had known about the email in his inbox, he had no reason to think too much about it.

Abhi had got introduced to computers not long ago, and he had fallen in love with computers on the very first day.

At first, it was the simple pleasure of sitting at the computer, typing out his assignments and papers. Sometimes, he just sat there drawing something random on a software that had come pre-installed on his computer. The results of his efforts were always childish, but he derived immense pleasure from them.

Then, he had graduated to playing games. Starting from simple ones like Solitaire, he had become a full-blown games addict. At 21, sometimes, he felt that he had missed out on a lot in his earlier years and now it was a bit too late for him to be playing computer games, but then he would tell himself, ”Age is just a number.”

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Digital Romance – Prologue

(This year I started the NaNoWriMo, but never got beyond a few thousand words. But, I liked the idea that had fromed in my head regarding the theme of the novel. So, I have decided to take up that story again and write it on my blog. I will post a passage of about 500 words on my blog at least once a week.)

Times keep changing and when times change, so do things. But there are some things that don’t change with times. Human emotions like happiness, sadness, tears, joy …and love are some of the things that have withstood the tides of time. Over the ages boys have fallen in love with girls, and girls have fallen in love with boys in an almost similar fashion. Circumstances, in one form or the other, have tried to prevent lovers from attaining their desired end; sometimes it is the lovers that beat all odds to unite in an eternal bond, and at other times the circumstances create a chasm that the lovers are not able to bridge in spite of their best efforts.

The story that follows is one such story of two people, and their journey on the path of love. They face many roadblocks, stumble, and yet they keep walking on this path, the end of which they have no control over.

Short Story Writing Contest

Contests are always exciting. They give you a chance to pitch yourself against others like you, and help you know where you stand among your peers. They can help you realise your weaknesses, and strengthen your strong points.

Claire, at Bebo Author, is holding a short story writing contest on her site. The detailed rules about the contest can be seen here .

I think I am going to submit a story for the contest, but I am not sure as I have a few things coming up in the days to come. The contest runs till 21st March 2008, so there is still some  time to go!

Meanwhile, I would like to wish the Best of luck to Claire for her contest, and to everyone else who participates in the contest!

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