Write Ideas

A script gone wrong

2011-03-02T11:39:00.009Z

Sprained my back mildly since my last post. Trying too hard to increase physical activity and flexibility may have had something to do with it. (Thanks for the message, Penny :) Been ages since we spoke)

On the hobby front, it's been great, though. I've got three fountain pens this year, and it's just March! Keep 'em coming! One is a Blackbird in plain burgundy; a twist-filler (pic one). You open the blind cap and twist the knob to the right to empty and left to fill again. Repaired and polished it myself last week and it is doing a great job.

Picture two is a Kingswood pen. Kingswood was England's name for the US's Eversharp. So, the nib is Eversharp. In marbled red and black, the pen is a knock-out. A simple lever filler, it took me all of seven minutes to repair. Writes a rather fine line, but I'm pleased because almost every one who sees it looks twice and asks me about it.

Acquisition number three was a plain black Parker Victory -- England's Duofold. Nothing fancy, except that it has a mean nib and is a button filler. One reason I have this fondness for Parker Victory is that it was launched in 1945 (there are those that say it was 1941, but I believe in 1945, just for the romance of it). If you don't know why that is significant, you shouldn't be reading this blog. You shouldn't exist, even. Anyway, have repaired the pen and it's running fine.

Note: all those pictures were pre-repair photos taken by the sellers.

My writing has, sadly, been completely non-existent for the past 7-8 months. I have managed a few bylines, including a couple of book reviews, but nothing special. Now that I have these pens, there is an excuse to write.

Speaking of which, I always find myself writing better when I really put pen to paper (fountain pen). There is very little that I actually type, unless it is this blog or some story I am editing as part of my job. Is there anyone who actually types out their material rightaway?

Some days back, a friend of mine was bemoaning the fact that few people wrote in cursive these days. I chanced across some 1884-1889 copies of The Girls' Own Paper in dad's friend's attic. (google Girls' Own Paper for more info). In spite of the teeeeny print which gave me intermittent headaches and saw me incur my boss's wrath with appalling carelessness, I was delighted with the correspondents' column, where the editors actually advised the readers on their handwriting. "You lean too much on your pen", "Try to write with your back straight" and "You have an excellent hand" were some of the comments.

Last week, a colleague told me he didn't care about how awful his handwriting was -- the skill, he said, was not required anymore. I almost wept. Whatever happened to our world? I made the old arguments of how your handwriting defined you and his writing just told me he was chaotic, and that a beautiful handwriting wouldn't harm, hurt or hinder. But who listens? I used to collect postal history and have all these 1850 envelopes with Penny Blacks on them and the address written in most beautiful scripts.

As a six-year-old, I remember Miss Annie Rose writing, "Improve your handwriting" in my report card. I also remember hours and hours of copy-writing cursive script on holidays. My nephew is eight and they don't comment on his handwriting in school. In fact, it is seen as unimportant, because all you need to do is type.

I disagree. As a fountain pen collector and an aspiring writer, I see this as plain blasphemy. If and when I do have kids, I intend to see that their handwriting is as copperplate as can be (ok, I'm going to boast -- my handwriting is quite good). Computers, biros/ball point pens and a shoddy education system have ruined our children's writing. NOT IF I CAN HELP IT!

Do you have good handwriting? And, do you think it is an unnecessary skill?

All guns firing

2011-01-23T08:51:00.002Z

Well, it's good to be blogging again. I'm not going to waste time apologising for a 10-month hiatus.

A lot has happened after my last post. I was on physiotherapy and medication for ages and am fighting fit now and drive to work, except that I seem to have lost the ability to touch my toes without bending my knees. The doctors assured me it would happen, but I keep trying every day in vain. I also get mild back ache if I sit down for too long.

Professionally, I returned to work in June, for limited hours and gradually started full-time work. I also went on my first international assignment to the US and got a few stories out of it. That was in October, and two stories are still being written. Which means...

I've slowed down. Seriously. I now need more time to read a book, more time to finish a meal, more time to edit a story and so on. Either I am turning into an old, old woman, or I guess the young blood thing has run its course. Or may be, it's my body telling me it needs 'me time'. Still, it's good to stop and smell the roses.

On to the purpose of this blog, and my New Year resolutions:

1. NO health scares this year. OK, that's not in my hands, but I won't take risks. Such as riding pillion on a bike. No more daredevilry. My folks have stood outside intensive care units enough for a lifetime.

2. At least five fountain pens and three war medals.

3. Finish reading all pending books.

4. Finish writing all pending articles.

5. FINISH THAT SHORT STORY (the one set in 1803).

6. Get at least 25 bylines (three so far this year, with another coming up next week).

7. Read at least two books a week.

That's it, really.

Bookswise, I'm getting a feeling I read too much fiction. Not that there's anything wrong. It's understandable that I enjoy fiction more, but I think I need to read more non-fiction just to maintain a balance.

I came across a book called The Recruit by Robert Muchamore. Whatever I read on the jacket looked attractive. Haven't started it, but once I finish, I'll be sure to share thoughts.

I also found a few coffee table books, which seems the wrong name for the things. Aren't they more of picture-books? Why coffee table? Call them photo-ops, if you like. Sorry to say this, but I dislike coffee table books. 1. The purpose of a book is to be read. And these books have very little text or reading matter. 2. The information they do give will hardly fill a brochure. 3. If I want to view photographs, I'll go to google images! 4. They're so unwieldy to hold. 5. What a disgraceful waste of paper! Save the planet, why can't we?

Do you like coffee table books? Maybe you could convince me to change my mind about them. Till next time, happy reading.

I'm lucky and thankful

2010-04-30T10:52:00.002+01:00

To be alive. Here's why.

My last post was on March 19. On March 26, a senior colleague from work and I decided to hop out along the road during lunch hour. I took my brolly down, and said we would walk. But she had just got her motorbike licence a month ago, and got a new motorbike to boot, so insisted on my riding pillion with her. Entirely my fault. So, through the drive, I kept saying, go carefully, and she said "Please have some confidence in me."

Anyway, we were going back and had to take a U-turn. She was on the left lane, and suddenly swerved to the right for the turn. A speeding car crashed into us -- I knew it was going to and managed a 'look out!' I was airborne, crashed into the car, broke the windscreen and bounced off into the road, hitting my head and hip. I blacked out.

I came to and found my colleague in hysterics. She pulled her hair loose and was screaming at the top of her voice. Not even a scratch on her, mind you. Searing pain through me.

Onlookers yanked me up by the wrists (!) and tried to get me to a hospital. She promptly shot to the top of my "contempt list" by PHYSICALLY pulling my left arm, preventing them from taking me to the hospital, screeching, "No, there's nothing wrong with you."

At this point, I lost my temper. Right there, in the middle of the road, I yelled, "Do you want me to die here of brain haemorrhage?" I'm not even sure if there is such a thing! But it worked. She let go of me and I was taken to the hospital. She tagged along, bursting into tears (she's older than I--28 or so, mind you). So I had to deal with calling my family up, looking after our bags and brollys, all that pain and a hysterical woman.

At the hospital, I blacked out again after telling them my blood group and allergies. When I came to, I was in the neuro intensive care with occipital haematoma (outside the brain, thank Heavens), hip, lower back and finger injuries. Need to have a tooth out next week as it got impacted and infected. The pain was so bad it took me a while to read, or even walk without help.

Am much better now, and hope to return to work in ten days' time. Not allowed to bend, lift weights, go gymming, take the stairs or run or jump for three months. Oh dear. And worst of all, my birthday, in mid-April was a damp squib. Got plenty of presents, but all my plans were spoilt.

So that's a rather personal sob-story. But the idea is not to whine or whinge. I'm THANKFUL. This could have ended so badly. At least, I can blog again. I've promised my mom and aunt that I shall not get on a motorbike again. I've put my family through enough trauma, and can only imagine how awful it must have been for them to stand outside the intensive care unit for days.

The question is, why are there hysterical, weepy and wimpy women in this century? She actually said she felt faint, and collapsed in a heap, once she reached the hospital. And she did the same thing whenever the police tried to speak to her about the accident. I didn't know this, or else I would have turned up in a Victorian bonnet, with smelling salts.

I think I know why there still are spineless women out there, who go to pieces and lose their heads in a crisis. It is because of an overdose of reading and viewing material along those lines. You know all those books where women are oh-so-naive and weak, and depend for everything on this six-footer guy? That's what I'm talking about.

I asked her last week why on earth she made such a cake of herself, and she said, "It was all too much for me." What was? My dad rushed to the hospital when he heard, and all he did was ask her what happened -- she collapsed! "It is the first time such a thing has happened to me," she said to me later. Hey, this is my first accident, too. I don't go about falling off motorbikes for a hobby.

Whatever happened to the emotionally mature, sensible, independent woman of the twenty first century? Was she swallowed up during her teenage by Barbara Cartlands and sitcoms? I hope not.

I'm not saying all women are like that. Certainly not. I would rather shoot myself at point blank range, boil myself in oil and then imprison myself, than scream and screech in a crisis. But the fact is that there are such women out there, despite the powerful, sophisticated image we've built for ourselves.

So that's about it, to wind up a rather harsh post. Maybe we need more books with brave heroines. Thoughts?

Boring books, or wronged writer?

2010-03-19T16:49:00.012Z

Hello after ages. Apologies for not writing, but I'm recovering from a severe attack of viral fever, during which, among other things, I lost my voice, ruptured a capillary in the throat, got an ear infection and a swollen gland in the jaw. Any idea as to what gland it is? The salivary gland must be thereabouts, but I'm not too sure.

Anyway, I've been tidying my room. No easy task, but I came across this and have halted cleaning operations for a while. Enid Blyton's Magazine Annual #2. Enid's works were my companions while growing up, and my mom grew up reading EB, too. Her books are definitely in the "to be read with sandwiches and cakes at teatime" category. There is a lot of criticism surrounding the books, plots, names used, racial stereotyping and gender discrimination. Pity.

Agreed, Monty Python's parody of EB (Children's Stories, MP and the Flying Circus) was hilarious. There are plenty of EB stories about Bertie Bumble who lived in a tumbledown cottage in Dinky Dell in Dum Dum village. But would I give them to my child/children in the future? Yes!

1. They were delightful. Any book which has a Land of Goodies, a Land of Birthday Presents, pop biscuits, and children winning the day is fine by me.

2. They got me to read. And got some peace for my mom. Purposes served.

3. Despite all the "negative qualities" in the books, I don't think reading them has made me any worse.

4. Page-turning writing style, accurate grammar and spelling.

5. The school stories and adventures had morals, without actually appearing didactic and annoying. Believe me, if a child imitates Fatty and says, "I never tell lies," BRILLIANT!

True, it is the boys who have most of the adventures. The girls are told to stay home, and their role during camping is generally to do the cooking and the washing up. But WHEN were these books written? EB was born in the 1890s! No way was she going to write about kick-ass gals.

Nonetheless, all her school stories have women protagonists. Fearless girls, who go rowing and rescuing in the ocean, over dangerous cliffs, riding mad horses all over England, and what not. And George, the 'girl who wanted to be a boy' in the Famous Five, resents being told to stay back and has her own adventures. In fact, it is she who saves the day in most of the books.

For many reasons, I've always hated the Famous Five. Julian, I found bossy, annoying and obnoxious. Anne, I found boring, irritating and rotten. George was the only character in the series, just as Fatty was the only real character in the 5 Find-outers, and Snubby was the only one to stand out in the Mystery series. Also, you read one Famous Five book, you've read them all. They are over-hyped, and there are plenty of other books, such as Shadow the Sheepdog, and Six Bad Boys, by EB, which knock the FF books into the last millennium.

Six Bad Boys is an 'adult' EB book. Can you imagine the woman who invented the "Saucepan Man" coming out with a book on divorce, broken homes, and crime? It just shows her depth. All Blyton-bashers out there, please do read this, and Shadow the Sheepdog.

Blyton is accused of racism, because gollywogs are villains in some of her stories. There are EB books where the gollys are actually the heroes. And the villain is the sailor doll, or the teddy, or even the rocking horse. The question is, did EB actually have racist intent? Or was that sheer coincidence? As we shall never know, I suggest that whoever finds the greedy gollys offensive stays away from those particular books.

For my part, I haven't read those Six o'Clock Tales, or Red Story Book, or those anthologies which feature gollys; I began with Bimbo and Topsy and the Faraway Tree books and went on to the adventure and school series at around age 7-8. So I wouldn't know about the racism thing.

Now for the names. The world was a lot more innocent and wholesome back then. It is only now that slang has attributed different meanings to what were once everyday names. No need to rename characters to Frannie and Rick. Enid herself would turn in her grave to find how the meanings of words have changed. For Pete's sake, the books are written for CHILDREN! KIDS! Not some sicko who's going to laugh himself silly over the names.

This was an author who produced around 800 BOOKS. And about 10,000 short stories. Of course some plots will sound alike. But can those armchair critics please imagine producing so much work? And at least 400 of those books are completely different, I'm sure.

Reading Enid as a child was a completely satisfying experience. No complaints. But I did have a few issues, and found some of the stories silly while reading them as an adult. That is the whole point. Enid is JUST for children. And unless the kids are complaining, get over it.

Here the case for Enid Blyton: Have you read her books? Did you like them? Which was your favourite, and what did you find offensive?

Next post: Do not begin a sentence with true or agreed.

Book my place

2010-02-19T18:02:00.002Z

I've been 'reviewing' books at the amateur level for as long as I could read, but two of my book reviews have been published professionally, both in 2010. Woohoo!

To clarify, I submitted four reviews in all; one was a sample of a graphic novel, two were published, and a third was submitted this week. I'm proud. That they published a complete amateur's opinion on a new book! Fingers crossed for the third review.

My longest book review to date is Victoria and Abdul. Non fiction, and historical. Of course I was going to review it! I suggested, read and reviewed. Simply fascinating stuff. Queen Victoria, for her Golden Jubilee, was sent an Indian servant. The lad rose to become her teacher, secretary and confidante, even controlling some of her opinions and actions. There's a description of Her Majesty hurling vases, paperweights and other sundry objects in fury, when someone dared to complain about said servant. Gold. Didn't dream QV was ever in such a bate!

I always finish the whole book before reviewing it, even if it is a small four-sentence take. Or else, I'm scared I'll miss something vital. Apart from title, author, publisher, pages and price, the other thing I include is the plot--no spoilers, no ending; just basic storyline--somewhere at the beginning of the review. Then I move on to how natural the characters and dialogue are. Grammar and vocabulary follow, and tempo. I also insert some info on the author, such as the name of a previous work, or original profession.

The overall mood of the work, and whether that mood is contrived or consistent, has to come in, too. Where possible, I bring out how the book is different, by including a rare description, or a beautiful figure of speech used in the book. While I used to add a bottomline summing up my feelings on the book, I've found out it isn't recommended and is somewhat unimpressive.

Ultimately, what I do is answer these questions: What is the book about? What is the book like? What is special about it? Why should you read it?

I'm no authority. These are just the guidelines I follow. I have a long way to go before they invite me to the Times Literary Supplement, and I need tips to improve my reviewing. Do share.

Next week: do not begin a sentence with I or my.

Blot out the copy-books

2010-01-10T04:30:00.004Z

I am not a prophecy person. I can't stand astrology, and, for me, a prophecy is just about the worst plot instrument a writer can use. I loved Harry Potter until Rowling brought the prophecy in. And I still think there was nothing new in the prophecy. I mean, we all knew Harry had to face Voldy and only one would survive.

One series where the prophecy has been used well is Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series. Nice, bringing in the Oracle. We didn't know which kid of the big three was the one in the prophecy. Besides, the Oracle of Delphi had a nasty twist in all her predictions, most of which simply couldn't be interpreted.

So, why did I pick up Mario Reading's The Nostradamus Prophecies? I had rough week at work and, on an impulse, walked to the bookshop during lunch, and came back with the first book I saw. This. Plus, I fell for the blurb: "Nostradamus wrote 1,000 prophecies. Only 942 have survived. What happened to the missing verses? And what secrets did they contain?"

Whether you believe in prophecies or not, you want to know what the missing 58 say. And where and why they were hidden. The book began and continued well, with the race for the verses between the protagonist, the antagonist and the villain. For someone who enjoys hidden object games, this is one of my favourite genres. James Rollins, Andy McDermott, Steve Berry, Matthew Reilly, Sam Bourne and the rest, I love. They don't fall into the same droning plots with every book. Secrets, mysteries and conspiracies, yes, but each book is completely different from the others and offers something new.

Back to Reading. Until they find the prophecies--braving death and torture--all goes well and I had my heart in my mouth. But the content of the verses is, for me, claptrap. A subject writers have dealt with ad nauseam.

The problem in the publishing industry is that, once Dan Brown became a success, everyone wanted to write about ancient secrets, deadly conspiracies to protect (or discover) the secrets, and innocent protagonists who solved ciphers, puzzles and anagrams to uncover them. Even Robin Cook switched over from medical thrillers to Dan Brown territory in Intervention. Enough already!

We've seen plots seeking the remains of Mary Magdalene, Alexander the Great, the Romanovs, Atlantis and Mother Mary, explaining the seven wonders, the Domesday Book, Nostradamus, the Aztecs, freemasons, Abraham and the Delphic Oracle, braving opposition from the Church, and villains looking to purge the world of genetic defects. What next?

After Harry Potter came a spate of fantasies, and after Twilight came a whole horde of paranormal fiction. Those trends have waned, but the post-Dan Brown trend is very much alive. I say the publishing industry does something about this and introduce some originality. Or else, we may see the thriller genre die a boring death.

Next week: avoid beginning a sentence with 'and'.

A year later

2010-01-04T18:01:00.004Z

Happy New Year!

Last year, on this very day, I began this blog. I little dreamt I'd be at it today, or that I would have 24 followers!

A year on, what did I achieve? I acquired well over 5 war medals and 15 fountain pens! Most importantly, I finally got my hands on The Book--Winkles, Schoolboy Detective. And I got a job in magazine journalism. My byline count (including research credits for infographics) was 20. Not a bad year. My writing didn't do too well, though. I'm halfway through a short story set in 1803, and have just two chapters to show from one novel, and one from another.

This year's resolutions:

1. Get at least 25 bylines.

2. FINISH short story by March-April. Finish one novel by December, and half of the other, at least.

3. Write blog once a week.
4. Acquire at least 25 vintage first editions, five fountain pens and two war medals.

5. Maintain regular exercise schedule.

6. Curb spending and temper.

7. Increase number of followers for this blog (Target--50 by December).

Ambitious, aren't I?

Now for news. Last year, I'd written about a wonderful book I lost in Bristol--Winkles, Schoolboy Detective by Rowland Walker. I've GOT ONE! And this one is with the dustjacket, which, I'm afraid, is tatty and torn. Still, very nice. I cried getting it and have stashed it away among greatest treasures. If you get a copy, PLEASE read it!

Other books I got for Christmas include Richmal Crompton's Enter--Patricia, some nice Ethel Talbots, Doris Pococks and a few Chalet School paperbacks I didn't have. Stowaways in the Abbey and The New Abbey Girls by Elsie Oxenham are also mine now.

Lost to international mail were Jill at Hazelmere and Jill Investigates by Valerie Hastings, and a couple of rare hardbounds by Angela Brazil. Tough.

Tracing oldies is a nightmare, but I've been lucky to find some nice online shops that sell vintage first eds, both on eBay and off it. Shall mention a few along the year.

Does anyone read these gems now? What is the oldest book you own?

NEXT WEEK: Avoid the word 'acquire'

At sixes and 7s

2009-11-08T04:31:00.006Z

This post is all about what I'm typing on right now. I bought a cool Vaio CW16 laptop with Windows 7 Home Premium 64-bit). A beautiful blue colour that matches my room, too. I'm madly in love with it. Only, it booted in 13 seconds before any programmes were uploaded and takes 40-45 seconds now with all the installations :( Once on, it works on lightning speed.

I use Mac at the office, but give Windows more marks for sheer aesthetic appeal. Mac is...well...a bit too plain. I've used Win NT, 95, 98, XP, Vista and now, 7. Surprisingly, many people have complained about Vista. Can't understand why. Agreed, it is complicated, but isn't the aero effect stunning? Win 7 ranks even higher. A mere mouse-over reveals all the programmes running and a click opens exactly the one I want. Nice transparent effect for the taskbar means my Sharpe wallpaper is visible (partly) anytime. And Windows Explorer is neat and organised. Much easier to locate those missing files.

The start menu is interesting. No annoying 'Start'--just the windows icon. Uncluttered, with just the essentials. Altogether, the desktop and the taskbar have a very clean look. Thankfully, they've made the gadgets bar optional and I've done away with it. It was what I hated the most about Vista. Win 7 has removed it from the side and placed it on top. I declared war on it on day two and I won.

That sickening Quick Launch feature has been trashed and I'm celebrating. Now for what I hate the most--IE. I loved it the first few days. But now, when I try to open a link as a new tab or new window, it takes ages, literally. Seriously, I'd shift to Firefox if I wasn't so lazy. What happened to the one-touch, one-second of last week? Technowizzies, please help!

I must say they use nicer colour combos on 7. I hated the green and the blue on XP. This is nicely subtle and toned down. Shutting down is easier than ever. Only, you need to be careful and not click on it by mistake, as there is no confirm step. Hit shut down and that's it. The comp goes off in four seconds.

So that's the technologically challenged layperson's opinion of Windows 7.

On totally unrelated subjects, I was gifted a nice Pelikan 800 in tortoiseshell jade. A stunning beauty. Pics will follow later. I also bought an ebonite pen. I'm not sure what it is--it says Raja on the clip, Wyvern Made in England on the barrel and TDLR Co on the nib (The De la rue and co). Some kind of mutant...

So did I leave out those three verbs I was to avoid? Please point out errors. Next week: leave out UNDERSTAND, MUST and TRY.

A new exercise

2009-11-01T17:51:00.005Z

A comment by Emily on my last post is responsible for this--in future (not this one, from the next post), I will either avoid one/more particular word(s) and/or use one/more particular word(s) in my blog. And those who wish to comment are also requested to use or avoid the same word(s) in their comments. And the word to avoid will not be 'floccipaucinihilipilification' (sorry if there's a spelling mistake), and the word to use will not be 'the'. Get the picture? The idea is to avoid words we always tend to use, and to use words we normally avoid. And yes, I will create plenty of opportunity for myself to fail the exercise. Thanks very much for inspiring this, Emily!

I read in the papers sometime last month that a survey has revealed that we have become vocabulary-challenged. We tend to use the same few words for every situation. The most annoying word, according to the survey, is 'whatever', followed by 'you know' and 'anyway'. I agree. And solemnly do swear (by the unbreakable oath of the River Styx, let's do this like the Greek Gods) NEVER EVER to use those three phrases in this blog, world without end, Amen. If I do not keep my word, please point it out to me and I shall undergo penance by abstaining from reading for 24 hours.

So what do you think about the exercise? As verbs and adjectives tend to repeat themselves in our vocabulary, I think I'll pick those for now. That should make it good. No point in picking nouns.

Words to avoid in the NEXT POST and comments to the NEXT POST: All forms of the verbs THINK, SEE and FIND.

The post without that word

2009-10-25T18:23:00.003Z

The senior editor of my magazine asked me to write without using a certain one-letter word, so here goes (Thankfully, he didn't say anything about 'me' and 'my').

Duncan Campbell's If it Bleeds was the latest to be devoured by yours truly. Full marks for thrill element, suspense and pace. Not too bad characterisation, the hero is particularly appealing. Mafia element. Based on crime reporting--the protagonist is on the crime beat in a newspaper, which makes it interesting to a certain journalism newbie. Flaw? Dialogue doesn't always hold your attention and you tend to skim it.

Also on the reading list was Booker nominee Sarah Waters. An absolute delight. Changing life in post-war Britain, snobbery, the end of the age of class. Next up is A.S. Byatt's The Children's Book. But of all Booker nominees this year, Wolf Hall remains my favourite. And it won! Thomas Cromwell, Henry VIII (and wives) and Wolsey. What more does one want in a novel?

While clearing out my room so it could be repainted, the Twilight books caught my attention. These were gifted about a year ago by a friend who was sick of me complaining vehemently about paranormal or fantasy fiction. She swore Edward would enter my 'Top ten favourite heroes in fiction' list. He didn't. But he did get into the Top twenty. Vampires (and werewolves, for that matter) are not exactly my cup of tea, but Edward is something of an exception. So the four Twilight books were re-read last week. Not much has changed in my opinions, except that Jacob Black is on the 'Five most hated fictitious characters' list. It is shocking to find that there are many millions of Twilight-illiterates out there, in spite of all the success, the publicity and the movies. So much for 'move over, Harry Potter'. Someone (clearly Twilight-illiterate) recently spelt Stephenie Meyer as Staphani Mayer!! And it was nearly printed. It was discovered and corrected in time by the only Twilight-literate in the vicinity at the time (cough cough). It's not that everyone has to be a Twilight fan--Twilight is not my favourite book either. It's just that one expects people to have heard of it at least once, in passing.

Yay, a whole blog post without THAT word. Mission accomplished!

Readers' questions: Have you been shocked to find someone totally blank about an ultra-famous book or an author?

How do you get an em-dash on windows? (UK keyboard)

Ye aulde invaluables

2009-10-18T05:51:00.008+01:00

Je suis thrilled. No, Harper, Random House and Penguin haven't been begging me to write novels for them, it's just that a secondhand book fair has started near my home and will be on till December. Mostly ex libris, but some tatty ones too. And yours truly has been spending every last penny she earns, right there.

Secondhand books are not merely a cheaper way of expanding your collection. Each book has a history of its own. Many were awarded as prizes, or gifted for birthdays or Christmas. Some changed many hands over the years. Some have yesteryear cricket scores jotted down in some pages. Others have interesting bookmarks, including old newspaper cutouts. Secondhand books are also the only way we'll ever get to read many gems.

My old school and college had a massive collection of vintage children's books. Boys' and girls' library, The Children's Press, Allen and Unwin, Blackie and Son, Chiswick Press, Lutterworth Press... Elsie Oxenham, Elinor M. Brent-Dyer, Angela Brazil, Decie Merwin, Jane Shaw, Biggles by Capt. W.E. Johns, Dorita Bruce, Richmal Crompton... my old college was rife with Hardbound FIRST EDITIONS of these authors and publishers. And then I left. When I visited my college a couple of years ago, I was told that the books were no longer there and they had been "disposed of"--possibly burnt. In order to make way for new books. It seems yours truly was the only person to have borrowed or even touched most of the books in years. This is true. Each book's record showed that I was either the only person to have ever borrowed them, or that the person to read them before me did so in the 1960s!

Then lit a spark of ambition in me -- to own every book I had read and loved and those brainless gits had burnt. Preferably, the same editions. And here are some results:

Jane Shaw's Susan's Helping Hand and Susan Rushes in. Terrific books. Susan is a memorable character you simply fall in love with. These are both hardbound -- not sure about the edition though. There's a third book in the series, called Susan Interferes. If anyone knows where one is easily and affordably available, give me a shout.

Here is Dorothea Moore's Judy, Patrol Leader. This falls into the school stories genre as well as girl guide books. In excellent condition, with original dust jacket, those who did their schooling anywhere in the British Commonwealth must be familiar with this book. It was the favourite of kids in the 1970s or so, especially guiders. One of those insufferably nerdy swots, I did not join the Girl Guides. Something I regret very much now, although my teachers were happy enough to let me spend time improving my report cards.

This is my favourite secondhand book ever. Capt W.E. Johns' The Boy Biggles. I grew up in love with the Biggles series, much to everyone's surprise. Generally, boys are expected to be Biggles fans, not girls. I was that exception that challenged the stereotype. I wanted to be a fighter pilot, perform daring escapades, be captured by the enemy, have innumerable dogfights (google dogfight plane. I can't be bothered to explain right now) and be an international aviation hero. The Boy Biggles doesn't really go into the career of Britain's greatest RAF hero in fiction, but deals with his childhood in India. The book has not been reprinted although Red Fox is bringing out Biggles books now. There was some controversy about racial stereotypes, although I disagree. The book is rife with leopards, serpents, gorges and thugs, all of which are easily surmounted by the young Bigglesworth. Find a copy somewhere? Fight to make it yours!

Michael Gibson's Danger in Dynwich is a nice adventure for middle-graders. Somehow, this book and others of the time are so much more readable than the stuff on the MG shelf today. Better prose, less slang, true-to-life characters you'll see around you, believable plots and dialogue that's actually alive, in my humble opinion, make these books far more valuable than Babysitter's club, Angelina Ballerina and whatever else is being fed to middle-graders now. The exception, of course, being the Princess Diaries. Mia is very real, and very likeable. We all have a Lana, a Lily, a Boris, a Tina and a Michael in our lives.

Bernese Adventure is a simple story about diamonds and a holiday in Europe. The dust jacket has a small tear, but the book is otherwise perfect. Trust me, this is THE book you want to read curled up with a plate of pineapple gateau on a plate. Some books can be read with chilly, some with crisps, some with quiche, others with a kiwi fruit and yet others with soup. But this is definitely a dessert book. [READERS' QUESTION: Does anyone else read while they eat?]

So those are *some* of the books I read at college, and have managed to buy over the last three years. I haven't posted pictures of Crooks tour, Jenny and Co in the Haunted Wing and many more. EBay is an excellent source for secondhands, and as long as one is careful about postage and seller feedback, there are bargains out there for the taking. I've set my sights on Valerie Hastings' Jill Investigates and am negotiating with the seller even as we speak.

Would love to hear about secondhands books in your life. Next up is a personal challenge -- to write a complete post without using the word 'I'. Repeat: the word 'I', not the letter 'i'!

Yet another indulging spree

2009-10-11T12:00:00.013+01:00

I know, I know, it's still recession and millions out there are starving and homeless, but what can I say? Those who have a passion for collecting something will know exactly how I feel. Anyway, here are the latest buys:

This is a vintage desktop pen box. It can store about 5 pens and has a secure lid with inlay (hard to see) and carving. No damage. 8'' long, 2cm deep. And any idea how much I paid for it? £0.99. Someone said something about recession?

To the right is the World War One Memorial Plaque. It was awarded to the next of kin of all those soldiers (from the British Empire) who were killed in action and was known as 'Dead Man's Penny'. Over a million were issued. The writing on the plaque reads: "He died for freedom and honour" and has the recepient's name engraved. This was awarded to the family of Alfred Thrussell, private. He "died of wounds" on September 13, 1916, and had served in the 6th Battalion of the York and Lancaster Regiment. He was born in Great Driffield. I paid £51 for this magnificent piece of history.

Along with these plaques came a letter from Buckingham Palace: "I join with my grateful peoplein sending you this memorial of a brave life given for others in the Great War" -- George R.I.

There. Does that make you feel choky? No? Along with the letter informing the demise of the soldier and the posting of the medal came this scroll: "He whom this scroll commemorates was numbered among those who, at the call of King and Country, left all that was dear to them, endured hardness, faced danger and finally passed out of the sight of men by the path of duty and self-sacrifice, giving up their own lives that others might live in freedom. Let others who come after see to it that his name be not forgotten."

I don't have the original scroll and hope to find one soon.

Pens have not been neglected. Here are three Waterman lever-fillers. I also bought two Conway Stewarts. These three cost me £20.86. Quite the bargain, I call it. And anyway, I took a dekko at the pen boxes the other day and found my collection quite lacking in the Vintage Waterman department. So here's an attempt at remedying that. And where vintage Conways are concerned, all I had before were a Dinkie set, a plastic 106 and a plastic 103 set. Now I have a black 475 and a blue early-hatch 757.

On to books. In my last post, I'd mentioned Dan Brown's latest, The Lost Symbol. Well, I just read something I loved much, much more. A book called The Doomsday Key, by James Rollins. I'd never read this author before, but I think the book's brilliant. Unlike DB, he sustains the speed, the mystery and the 'holding-reader-interest-factor' (I know, I need to stop making up this stuff) till the very last word in the last page. The plot is also a lot more intriguing, maybe because I love British history and the book refers to a bit of that. What an idea, what a theme, and what writing! I started reading it at 9pm one night and didn't stop till I finished, at around 4am. Needless to say, I was sleepy at work and typed 'agr' for 'age'! I'm going to buy more James Rollins books. Till then, ciao!

Next week: second-hand books.

A matter of taste

2009-09-20T17:58:00.006+01:00

Foodies, forgive me and stop reading this right now. But those who 1) agree with me or 2) believe I am entitled to speak my mind without being murdered for it, may continue.

I am one of those people who eat to live, not live to eat. Food to me, is like air. A necessity that your body takes in, processes and throws out after it's done with it. That's it. Well, maybe a bit more. Like fresh air, I prefer food that doesn't taste evil. I don't "have" to have a particular item on my menu to be able to swallow. I eat what I can grab, provided it is no-nonsense. Not much salt, sugar, spice, sourness or anything else. In fact, I like bland food.

Face it. Those pampering their palates end up with complaining tummies and hearts. Oil can make you fat. Sugar puts pressure on metabolism. Spice gives you oesophagitis. Salt increases blood pressure...

Mind you, I do pay attention to what I eat. I love oatmeal, soups (sans cream), salads, crepes, quiche, multigrain sandwiches and so on. But I don't let my life revolve around them. I don't rush to restaurants -- I eat out only when I have to, or on birthdays and anniversaries. I don't go ballistic when told a particular dish is unavailable. I am eagerly awaiting the day they invent those capsules -- you just swallow one and you've had a full meal.

In this, I know I am unlike most people. Or am I? I'd like to have your comments on attitude to food and eating. So what brought this on? Nothing, I've been observing the difference in my attitude from those around me, and thought it would be a good idea for a blog. Or not.

In book news, I read Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol one night after it was released. Kept me on the edge of my seat for most parts, but I thought the ending was bland. Informative, fast-paced, surprise twist, but is it a sequel to Angels and Demons or DVC? No. And some of the things at the end went too abstract for a shallow harum-scarum like me to grasp.

The next post will be on my latest collectables/collectibles (I know, but New Zealand post uses the former spelling while Miller's catalogue uses the latter and I like both of them). And possibly a rant or rave or both. Till then, happy writing!

Oh, and before I forget, I'm working on a short story. I hope I don't end up tearing this up, as I have all previous writing. But this one is military fiction... military drama rather, so I don't think I will. Only, I've got to complete it!

Getting a head start

2009-09-02T19:26:00.012+01:00

The toughest thing about writing, to me, is picking a good headline. Remind me of this statement in future, when I say that the toughest part is the first line, conclusion, structure and everything else.

In my case, I find that my headlines depend on what I am reading or imagining at the moment. If it is sensational fiction, I come up with 'Breathless in the dark' or worse, 'Bloodstained fangs'. If it is a classic of some sort, I come up with "Something's rotten in the state of...wherever'. If I'm doing cryptic crosswords, I go in for puns or onomatopoeia!

I did learn plenty of do's and don'ts about headlines in a course I did. The trouble with theory is that it is often most unhelpful in real life. I challenge anyone to solve the Middle-Eastern conflict "social constructivist-ly", or "destructuralistically". (Having spent a good chunk of my Masters' trying to apply these two to real conflict, I ought to know).

So, headlines. I tend to put in an allusion wherever possible. Most often, this is a military or historical allusion - probably because those are my two favourite reading matter. But what happens when your readers don't get the allusion? For instance, the other day I alluded to Beau Brummell (thankfully, the dandy didn't see the light of day). How many people today know who he was without googling? For that matter, the number of people aware of the Regency period and its figures can probably be counted on your fingers - and toes, if you like.

My bete-noire is alliteration. I use it left, right and centre, in season and out of season. So I come up with 'Red renegade', 'Deep depths' (?), 'High heights' and the like. I have vowed to deny myself a treat each time I use alliteration in future.

You know, when your mind's alert and the words are flowing, and suddenly, they just stop? That happens to me when I try to think of a headline. My imagination, otherwise overactive, even arrant, just stops, and I use nasty cliches such as 'Blame game', 'Seeking shelter' and 'Slow and steady'. EWWWWWWWWWWW!

Maybe I'm just trying too hard. I've stayed awake for hours at night, racking my brains for a header, and I am someone who always crashes at 10pm (I don't even have to try -- I run out of steam by then and sleep wherever I am). Another tendency I have is to give long, I mean LONG headlines. More so if it's an allusion. I've come up with 'Methinks the lady doth protest too much', and 'The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world'. Headlines ought to be short, crisp and catchy. Mine are long, boring and cliched. I ought to make a living as a door-to-door salesperson instead. Only, I bet no one would buy a thing from me.

I know, I know, it's one of those appallingly low-self-esteem phases.

Choosing the write mag - Review 5: The Writing Magazine

2009-08-30T04:20:00.014+01:00

Woooohoooo! See what I've just bought: the General Service Medal 1854-1894, with a Burma bar (1885-87). This was issued for gallantry in the Third Anglo Burma war, which resulted in the annexation of Burma in 1886, by the British. I've been lusting after this medal for a while now, but affordability met price negotiation only now. I spent $215 on it, which is not so bad.

The medal looks much better in...flesh...silver...than in those crappy pictures and weighs about 43gm (silver) and is about 36mm in diameter (the disc, that is). It was awarded to one Jai Singh, of the Bengal Sappers and Miners regiment, according to the inscription on the rim. Victory crowns a soldier on the reverse and QV graces the obverse. I now have 20 British Empire campaign medals (think there are about 55 in all).

Here is the final writing magazine review: The Writing Magazine.

My favourite writing magazine of them all. Now if you still want to read, feel free!

THE WRITING MAGAZINE

Publishers: Warner group publications, Leeds

Location: UK

As I had mentioned in the review of Writers' News (http://write-ideas14.blogspot.com/2009/05/choosing-write-mag-review-3-writers.html), the Writing Magazine comes along with Writers' News. This is a monthly, so each month, you get two good-quality magazines.

Very attractive cover design is the first thing you notice about Writing Magazine. Crisp editor's note, and the best letter gets a small prize. WHY can't all magazines introduce this? It makes yo

u feel that they really care about reader feedback when they give a little token, in this case, a copy of Writer's Market 2010. There's an interesting miscellany section, which includes controversies and quips, and a news section, which sometimes has a nice book quiz.

My favourite section is the Red Editing Pen. This comprises three editing exercises, and mind you, they don't involve add a comma here, or a full stop there. The errors are cryptic and everyday, and it helps all writing, whether novel, poetry or journalistic. Articles are nicely balanced; there is enough coverage on feature writing/other journo stuff, creative non-fiction, scriptwriting, haiku, even travel-writing and war-writing (HALLELUJAH!). The tone of the how-to's is not preachy, rather, light-hearted. And prose quality is top class. Very little (if any) similarity among issues, and I've been reading since last November.

The competition winners' entry is published along with judges' comments. The winning entries are of such a high standard that I've often wondered if I could ever write that well. Another advantage is that there is something, no, more than something, for the international reader and writer. The contributors (and interviewees) are from, or have been, across the globe. Of course, there are the author interviews, Q and A's and the how-to's, BUT, and I MEAN this, ad content is noticeably lower than that of any other magazine so far,

except maybe MSlexia. And no, that's NOT because advertisers think the mag is not worth it; the quality of Writing Magazine proves otherwise.

Cons? Meh...they could spice up that contents page a bit, maybe have a bit more colour. And remove the 'WIN £1000... IN WRITING PRIZES' circle from the cover.

Over to monetary matters. £44.90 for BOTH magazines if you're in the UK, £55 for Europe and £60 elsewhere. That's $97.59 for those across the Atlantic. Now don't scream. For 24 magazines, that's just $48 annually for each magazine; $4.00 per issue. And I am going to renew my subscription again and again!

Bottom line: Awesome, I'll recommend and renew. And re-recommend and re-renew. On and on and on and on.

That concludes the mag review series. Do let me know if it helped. Till my next post, happy writing and reading!

Choosing the Write Mag - Review 4: The Writers' Digest

2009-08-09T16:04:00.008+01:00

My news: I already have seven bylines! Target for 2009: 15, plus publish my own two-page story.

Now the review.

If you are a hardcore fan(atic) of this magazine, stop reading this right now! I mean, I'm not going to rip it to shreds or anything, it's just that I might point out a few things you may not like.

Birth: c.1920
Location: USA

For starters, WD is hugely popular, with author profiles and interviews, writing and stylistic queries, how-tos, software review, alerts on publishers looking for specific articles, market watch and writing competitions. Most of the how-tos are actually well-written and do send you rushing off to your MS to make corrections.

Cons: 50 per cent (My magazine won't let me write '%') of the mag is ads, several of which deal with self-publishing. The ad content is making the magazine look like a catalogue. No writing or editing exercises. Too much motivational content that sometimes borders on what one might call 'preachy'. I mean, it's all very well to get inspired to write, and they make it look very simple on paper, but actually doing the writing may not be that smooth.

Eight issues a year, for $19.96 ($29.96 for those outside the US). It's not all that expensive, but why just eight issues? There is considerable similarity in content in many issues. I wouldn't be tempted to renew after a year. Having said that, I wouldn't throw away copies I already have!

Writer's Digest has other publications, including an annual 'Writer's Market', a guide to querying, books on synopsis and much more. I love most of them (at least, the ones I got). Trust me, these are good.

Bottom line: I'd rate WD alongside The Writer, which is above every mag except the Writing Magazine.
Next blog: The Writing Magazine closes this review series.

"New" Antiques

2009-07-06T05:41:00.015+01:00

Apologies again for the long silence. I have GREAT news-I am now working in magazine journalism. Wooooohooo! I've wanted this for ages. I have a crazy schedule, but absolutely love it. Anyway, I promise to blog more frequently...

As I had mentioned, I'm taking a break from Magazine review to wax eloquent about my new purchases:

Here is a Khedive's star. Note the sphinx and three great pyramids. As you can see, it was awarded in 1882, for the Egypt campaign (suppression of the rebellion). Recipients of this medal often received the Egypt silver medal as well - unfortunately, I don't own the silver yet.

Next is a George IIII Silver Crown. Good condition, innit? George IV, of course, was also known as Prinny, on account of having been Prince Regent from 1811 to 1820 (Regency period). Those who have whiled away their teenage years reading regency novels must be quite familiar with the term ;) ;) I've bought this as a gift for my dad for his birthday in August.

Here is a Queen Victoria Crown I bought for $12!

This is an Ensign Fulvueflex camera, c.1950s. My first ever vintage camera. Next target - an old rolleiflex, no less. I think it looks much nicer than the stuff you get nowadays. This is a TLR (twin lens reflex) and uses 120 film. I'm trying to get it to work. And I spent $4 for the camera and the leather case!

To the left is a Mabie Todd "Jackdaw" fountain pen, made in England. I now have Swan, Blackbird and Jackdaw and need a Mabie Todd "Swallow" pen.

Right, I'm signing off for now, but promise to be back next week with a review of arguably the most popular writing mag of them all, The Writers' Digest. Till then, happy writing (and happy editing to myself)!

Choosing the Write Mag - Review 3: The New Writer

2009-06-13T19:14:00.007+01:00

First of all - I CANNOT comment on any blog. I have no idea why this is. To all my followers and to all whom I follow: for the past week or so, I have been reading new posts, but cannot comment. If you can comment on other blogs, please let me know.

Now for The New Writer. This is a shorter review, because I'd rather not sound boring. This magazine was born in September 1996. The target audience is writers of fiction and poetry. Disappointingly, there was little for the non-fiction writer and the aspiring journalist, in the issues I could get my hands on. The most attractive thing about this magazine is the cover. Most issues have stunning degins. When I compare it with those drab affairs that The Writer and The Writers' Digest come out with month after month, it is definitely to get top marks.

Subscribers can contribute stories, poems and articles. Competitions, hints for readers, query columns, the regular how-tos and sermons (as I call them. These appear in all magazines and are boring after the first one.) However, the majority of the content is stories and poems sent or that have won the competitions. I mean, you're here to learn to write, not to read.

The cover design is stunning. Nonetheless, I would NOT pay GBP37.50 for six issues of this magazine (GBP27 if you're British). That's over 6 quid PER issue! Over $10 for one magazine. I know, I know - I am paying 60 pounds for 24 magazines - 12 of The Writing Magazine and 12 Writers' News. But that's below GBP3 per issue! Do the math! Of course, most magazines offer subscription rates for only year, while The New Writer offers a three-year subscription for 95 pounds. Sorry, funds are running low.

Here's what I suggest: they offer a free back issue if you ask - get it, go through it, enjoy the beautiful cover, file it and move on with your writing. And if you fall in love with the magazine and are related to Bill Gates, subscribe, by all means.

Next week, I take a break from magazine reviews, to show off my latest purchases from the world of fountain pens, coins and war medals. But the review series will definitely continue after that.

Choosing the Write Mag - Review 3: Writers' News

2009-05-31T09:18:00.007+01:00

Strictly speaking, Writers' News is actually a supplement to Warner's Writing Magazine and as of now, is only available by subscription (free with the other mag if you're in the UK. If not, a little extra payment can get you both magazines delivered together). But the magazine has a very distinct identity and is different from all the others and deserves its own review.

At first glance, you think this is a newspaper. The layout is such. The content is primarily announcements of writing competitions, prizes awarded, submission invitations , conferences, workshops and the like. Particularly interesting are the strips of "Flashes" on each page. They carry very interesting quotes, historical information, writing weblinks, and of course, info on awards and competitions. There is a helpline for writers - about 9-10 letters are published each month, so do ask Diana Cambridge your questions. Here's the best part: Members' News. These pages are devoted to the subscribers. If you get a deal or self-publish, or you are trying to connect with fellow-writers, or if your local Writers' Group is having a party, send a note and they'll put it up. Advertisements are present, but are not in-your-face. They are mostly ads for writing courses and degrees in Creative Writing. Writing competitions in prose and poetry are conducted for subscribers - no entry fee if you started subscribing only in 2009. If you win, they publish the story with judging comments. Good news - they're open to international subscribers.

The best letter to the Editor gets a copy of the latest Writers' Market. There are a couple of articles, nothing like the blatantly boring advice handed out by the other writing mags. For instance, the June issue carries an article on dedications (whom you dedicate the book to), and two columns - The DT Column and Grumpy Old Bookman. No preaching, just fun reads. Finally, the magazine closes with some interesting quotes on the last page. What I would say about Writers' News is that the articles and columns can be read by anyone - you dont have to be a writer, established or aspiring, to find this magazine interesting. And if you are a writer, then the submissions wanted ads would be of use to you.

Before subscribing, watch out for my review of the sister magazine, Writing Magazine. No, it's not up next...maybe 2-3 other reviews later.

Choosing the Write Mag - Review 2: The Writer

2009-05-14T08:20:00.018+01:00

I'm down with an infection of the upper respiratory tract and have lost my voice. I've started antibiotics so hopefully the voice will come back soon and I can reply to *some* of the more delighted comments I heard about the voicelessness.

I received the May issue of The Writer about ten days ago. Kalmbach publishing, as I had mentioned before, sent me a magazine called FineScale Modeler by mistake. They apologised and asked me to keep it as a compliment. My nephew’s in love with it now.

Name: The Writer
Age: 122. Seriously!
Place: USA

I'm more or less in love with The Writer. How many magazines do YOU know that were born in 1887 and are still going strong today?

The May issue has a list of free writing softwares. I’ve relied on Office alone but after reading the article, felt brave enough to try the different s/ws. Now I wonder how I got on with mere Word all these years. Non-fiction writing including freelancing and writing copy for the web are given adequate coverage. Most writing magazines tend to be very fiction-centric. The Writer does cover fiction, poetry and non-fiction in that order, but generous attention is given even to the last two. There is also a feature on Flash Fiction. Novel reviews, interviews and market watch are not left out either. This isn't the most colourful-looking magazine out there, but I like the subtle, intelligent look. The cover itself will tell you that this is not a frivolous scan-and-throw mag.

The oldest existing magazine for writers does have those ads and articles on self-publishing. There are five ads for self/online publishing but thankfully no articles on that dreaded topic in the May issue. There is a classified section which includes contest ads and critiquing services. Events and writer-meets are listed (mostly US events).

There are 12 issues per year and it costs $33 if you're in the US and $42 for Canadians. Elsewhere, it's $45. Not a bad deal for 12 whole magazines. Plus, if you subscribe NOW, you get a copy of How to be a Better Writer free! (Message/comment/PM/Email me if you want the promotional code for this offer.)

If you are a subscriber (like yours truly) you get entry into the web resources for subscribers. There's a forum, feature articles and a blog. The forum could do with a lot more activity, but there are some interesting posts and articles nonetheless. Like the Writers’ Digest, The Writer tends to be US-centric. Having said that, I would recommend this magazine, but not for more than a year. After 12 issues, they all look the same.

Choosing the Write Mag - Review 1: MSlexia

2009-05-06T05:59:00.015+01:00

I bet you thought I was going to begin with Writers' Digest. Well, this one is easier to do for a first review, being lesser known. But before I say anything else, if you're a man, this magazine is not for you, so you might want to stop reading this review and wait until my next post, unless you're that huge a fan of my writing. Here goes:

Name: MSlexia
Place: UK
Age: 10

The name doesn't come from ManuScript Dyslexia. It expands thus: Ms. - Woman and Lexia - words. Their target audience is evidently women but I daresay men who write for women would also enjoy it.

When I got my first copy I thought, okay, this is going to tell me how to become a Harlequin author, or another chick-lit writer. Whoa! It does deal with chick-lit and various genres of romance, but also includes the more serious kinds of feminist fiction and has a lot of useful information for beginners and reviews some heavy stuff as well. It covers most genres - crime, horror, literary, action/adventure, fantasy, drama, thriller, paranormal, sci-fi, mystery and even poetry.

The content is structured attractively. There are several columns worth mentioning: the Ask the Expert column is a very useful feature. You can get help for anything from query letters to grammar issues right here. There are book reviews as well as the regular share of How-to articles and author interviews that all writing magazines carry. Insider Trading usually involves someone actually in the publishing industry, telling you what their publishing house is looking for in a particular genre. Margaret Atwood and Sophie Kinsella write occasionally. And no way can you call Margaret Atwood chick-lit, right? There's a separate section for New Writing - as far as I have seen, the writing is usually a piece that wins a competition, but having read just two of these mags, I can't generalise. A useful directory of publications/institutions that have writing competitions or want articles is also a regular of MSlexia. This is manna if you're in the UK. If not, you might want to explore emigration options :)

Unlike the Writers' Digest, there are no other publications but the publishers have brought out a VERY cool and useful Writers' Diary - one that I need to get my hands on NOW! Thankfully I just celebrated my birthday and can hint to my folks. There's space for scribbling those extra ideas and writing those notes about your villain's moustache, keeping track of where you've submitted what, a directory of contacts, inspiring quotes and recommended books. Here's a shocker: This magazine has THE lowest content of advertising I have seen. I'm sick of seeing "Publish your novel at affordable costs" glaring at me from every page, and believe me, there is nothing more disheartening than that sentence.

Now for money matters. There are four issues in a year and the price is £21.75 for a year if you are in the UK. The rest of the planet has to pay £30. The current exchange rate being $1.5 for every £1, the mag would cost you $45 for four issues. There are far better deals out there! So this magazine loses out where value for money is concerned.

So that's all that I have to say about MSlexia. The good news is that I've read and received a couple more magazines in the past couple of days. The bad news? This review series could go on for a while. Till my next review, happy writing!

Recovering from exam fever

2009-05-01T05:17:00.004+01:00

My profuse apologies to friends, blog followers and readers. I had a set of examinations and took a break from reading other blogs and posting on mine. I celebrated the end-of-exams yesterday on eBay and have a Boer War medal to show for it. I'm awaiting it in the post and shall post a picture once I get it. Anyway, they're over now, and so is the viva voce. Hopefully now I can get a bit of writing done.

I've been going through different Writing magazines in the market today (6 so far) and hope to do a series of reviews on them. I'm waiting for my copy of The Writer to arrive - instead of this, Kalmbach Publications sent me a magazine on making model vehicles by mistake! Of course, they were very apologetic and told me to keep the model mag as a compliment and promised to send me the right mag soon, so I'll reserve judgement. The model-maker is going to my truck-crazy nephew.

A word on writing magazines in general: there is definitely enough useful material in them. I find myself reading an issue and rushing to my MS to correct mistakes. The main thing is, the magazine (irrespective of which one) gets repetitive after a while. So the maximum subscription period without boredom is about a year or so. Even six months of a monthly will give all possible information you can extract from the magazine. Also, the presence of too many advertisements related to self-publishing makes me apprehensive. I'm NEVER going down that path, but what if all other paths are closed? I also have lots to say about writing competitions - that will be a whole blog post in itself.

Do you read a writing magazine regularly? Let me know your experience. And watch this blog for my reviews.

Background Story

2009-04-03T08:04:00.017+01:00

I have been trying to change the background of my blog for a while. The old one is just a bit too...bland. I'm amazed at the websites and templates available. Some blog backgrounds I did a double take at were Twilight, Breaking Dawn, Hannah Montana, Taylor Hicks (!! But no David Cook!), Obama, swear-word themed backgrounds, Coronation Street, Jack Sparrow (I was seriously tempted), iPhones, Imagine (yes, the song), Don't Speak by No Doubt, Royal Family...you name it, it was all there. What was missing was a background that blew me away enough to make me want it! No backgrounds for antiques, writing, fountain pens, war medals, Duke of Wellington, war or military. None for a pile of books either - the backgrounds that were tagged "books" featured a particular book, which, more often than not, was either Harry Potter or Twilight.

There were three backgrounds I particularly liked - subtle, classy and...writer-y, if you know what I mean. I have no idea as to how to download the first one or add the code. I clicked download for the other, got the codes and pasted them in the HTML content box (one at a time, of course). I couldn't even open my blog after that! This is one of them - http://images.blogskins.com/skin_images/134/391/images/mainfz3.gif. So I decided to settle for The Hobbit and downloaded the XML file. It doesn't even open, let alone let me install it.

I'd like a few ideas regarding blog backgrounds, if anyone has any. I'm looking for the same colour-scheme; maybe an open ink-pot and a fountain pen at one corner. An open book at another corner. It has to be free - I'm broke. So if you can, please do help out an internet-unsavvy fellow-blogger.

Five Fountain Pens

2009-03-27T04:41:00.013Z

Yayyyyy!! I picked up these fully restored beauties last week at a price of $220. From bottom to top:

1.WYVERN “The Perfect Pen”, Made in England, 14kt nib.
2.Parker Vacumatic Major with silver clip and band, Made in USA, Silver Pearl, Made in USA, 14k nib.
3.Parker Vacumatic Major, Azure Pearl, Made in Canada, 14k nib.
4.Mabie Todd and Co, “BLACKBIRD Fountpen”, Made in England, 14ct flexible nib.
5.Parker 75, Sterling Silver cisele cap and barrel, Made in USA, 14kt fine nib.

Mabie Todd is one of those underrated brands (pre-WWII) and their models were named Swan, Blackbird, Jackdaw and Swallow. I have two Swans and this BB and am looking for a Jackdaw and a Swallow, plus the other two in different colours and filling systems. I had been searching for a Blackbird for ages now and was on the verge of buying one for 35 pounds (minus postage, VAT etc) when I found this. I ended up paying just $40 for this one. Made out of Brown Ebonite with a clear imprint and self-design and with a sliding clip, this pen looks nicer and better than most newly produced pens. And it performs much much better. The only thing I don’t like much is that it is an eye-dropper filler. I use syringes or bladders to fill such pens and can never remember where I put the syringes. So I end up buying new ones each time I want to fill, and I have about ten syringes now. The bloke at the pharma shop is going to start suspecting me of substance abuse soon.

The Wyvern pen is another gem. Mottled blue pearl on black celluloid. Lever filler with an arrow-shaped lever. The down side? Very poor imprint. I can just about make out the words “Wyvern” and “Made in England” on the barrel. The imprint on the nib is very clear. Some brassing on the clip. $40.

The two Vacumatics were bought for $30 each. Very clear imprint, perfectly working vacuum filling system, smooth, perfect nibs, nice polish, no brassing anywhere. I have two Van juniors and these two Majors, so until I meet a Slender Maxima or a double-jewelled pen, I’ll stay away from Vacs.

The Parker 75 in solid sterling silver is something I’ve drooled after for a while. I have a grid pattern Parker 75 which is gold-filled over brass (a gift from my uncle and aunt). I don’t think I’ll buy any more Parker 75s unless the pattern is different. $80.

Actually my Grandfather who had frequented this pen store and made friends with the current owner’s father and grandfather, in the 1970s, recommended the place to me. The present owner is a friendly, reasonable person who delights in showing off the pens and lets you actually write with the inked pens, checks out everything, does any repairs and polishes and sets the nib to the thickness and smoothness of your choice before selling it to you. He even called up yesterday to know if all the pens were working well.

I saw this amazing, stunning, drop-dead gorgeous Jade Pelikan 800, which I was going to buy for $70. Unfortunately, the piston filler got stuck while he was demonstrating it. He has promised to repair it and put it aside for me. Seriously, if that pen were a man, I would have married it then and there.

Right, I’m feeling terribly guilty about all that money, so I’m not going to buy any more pens for a while…till May, perhaps?

P.S. Sorry about my deplorable photography skills.

Book Cataloguing Websites - Conclusion

2009-03-23T04:37:00.004Z

Ideally a pen and a nice Five-Subject giant notebook would be the perfect book catalogue, but without pictures of covers, reviews, blog widgets and other readers’ comments. I still keep one. Recently, I’ve found that the notebook has fewer entries than the online catalogue. A scary indicator of how net-dependent our lives have become.

Apart from the five websites I’ve reviewed in detail, there are plenty of other options for those who want to keep track of their bookshelves online. These do not offer as many features and conveniences as the five, but I’m just mentioning them in case you’re adventurous or bored enough to try.

There are websites such as Whatsonmybookshelf.com, Bookswellread.com, Revish.com which I would rank lower or at par with aNobii for a variety of reasons: no discussions possible for books, cannot recommend, no blog widgets and the like.

An interesting website is the Internet Books Database – ibookdb.net, which is very similar to the Internet Movie Database. Information about books and authors (instead of movies and actors) and socialiazing facilities. While it has plenty of information about books and authors, books can be organized as Owned, Wanted, Favorites, Read and Unread. There is a blog widget as well but for sheer looks and ease of usage, I wouldn’t rank this very high as a book catalogue.There’s also the Internet Adult Book Database which deals with erotica alone, and the Internet Book Database of Fiction, which is actually very informative. Other websites include the Internet Book List, the Internet Speculative Fiction Database. I’ve left out a handful of other sites, but that’s because I felt they were irrelevant.

Whichever the website, there is definitely room for improvement. Shelfari must provide a way to add our own covers. Ditto GoodReads. GoodReads must also provide an easier way to change labels – moving from Reading to Read is not as easy as it ought to be. While the above features are present in LibraryThing, I’d rather spend the money on buying a book rather than on cataloguing it.

Okay, winding up. Now I really can’t name ONE website as the best for book cataloguing. I recommend GoodReads, LibraryThing and Shelfari. If you want a free cataloguing site, pick Shelfari OR GoodReads, or as I’ve done, keep both! Feel free to send friend requests. I love seeing other people’s reading lists! Enjoy book cataloguing :)

Disclaimer: I am not trying to promote any of these websites, nor am I associated with them/their creators and employees. I’m just a user who signed up for a free account on all these websites, used each one for at least a week, spending the better part of my time looking around, before I decided to write this review. All views and opinions are mine alone. Now, these reviews are not comprehensive and there may be stuff I’ve left out. Feel free to correct or comment.

Book Cataloguing Website Review 5: Shelfari

2009-03-15T04:34:00.004Z

This is not the last post in this review series, there will be one last post about other websites and final thoughts.

Shelfari

Came into existence in 2006. Currently owned by Amazon.

Features and Pros:
1. STUNNING bookshelves. Yes, you have shelves in Mahogany, Rosewood, Walnut and more.
2. You can see the front cover of the books on the shelf.
3. Bookshelf gives it a nice professional yet vintage look.
4. Nice blog widget. Here too, you can have a shelf in the wood of your choice.
5. You can choose the width and height of the shelf on the blog, and the number of books per tier.
6. Mouseover reveals rating, title, author, whether you have the book, ability to add the book to shelf and basic rating.
7. List view includes a helpful bulk-edit feature. So you can change all books to Owned, Read or delete them all at one go.
8. Pleasant, colourful pages.
9. Many users, and the Amazon ownership, so you might get the edition you’re looking for. I did most of the time, but failed miserably when it came to my Biggles books. So, several of them have the boring blue covers on my shelf. About 80% successful edition-finds.
10. Discussion pages for each book and author, groups for books and authors.
11. Personalize your copy of the book. Add notes, ask a question, add a summary, add the number of pages, if the book is signed or not...
12. Keep track of books people have borrowed from you.
13. Lets you import books from Excel, tab-delimited notepad, LT or Delicious Library.
14. Your own public notes.
15. View your list on your mobile phone (m.shelfari.com). This feature is awesome when you’re in a bookshop and don’t know whether you have the book or not.
16. You find a book you are undecided about reading. One click and people will be willing to give you their opinions.
17. Download your library to hard disk.
18. Sign up to edit author pages (comes under My Contributions).
19. Invite friends from Yahoo, Hotmail or whatever.
20. Search boxes on each page – use author, keyword, ISBN or title.
21. Allows the following options:
Read
Reading
Haven’t read
Alongside, you have three more options:
I own
Wishlist
Favourites

Nice. All I have to do is send the link to my wishlist to my family before my birthday.

The Cons:
1. You don’t see the different editions right when you search. You need to add the book first, go to your bookshelf, click change cover, and then switch to the edition of your choice. After a while, you get tired of doing that, and just pick the edition you first see.
2. No delete button aside the books. To get them out of your bookshelf, you should move mouseover, un-tick the “I’ve read” and “I own” options.

While editing a book, you can’t upload a picture of the cover from your harddisk. Although Shelfari has promised that this feature will be added soon.

What I liked best: STUNNING bookshelves. Absolutely drool-worthy!

Disclaimer: I am not trying to promote any of these websites, nor am I associated with them/their creators and employees. I’m just a user who signed up for a free account on all these websites, used each one for at least a week, spending the better part of my time looking around, before I decided to write this review. All views and opinions are mine alone. Now, these reviews are not comprehensive and there may be things I’ve left out. Feel free to correct or comment.

Next week: Conclusion. More websites and my recommended site.

Book Cataloguing Website Review 4: LibraryThing

2009-03-07T06:47:00.003Z

LibraryThing

Another cataloguing site that was born in 2005. The BIGGEST in terms of books and members.

Features and Pros:
1. Detailed list with Cover, Author, Title, Publication details, Rating, Comments, Summary (!), Swap, Tags, Your review, People who have the book, and other reviews! Whoa!!!!
2. The library loads fast, in spite of the wealth of details being downloaded.
3. You see only the booklist/library, and no annoying extras.
4. Spreadsheet-style library is very professional-looking
5. Search 690 different sources across the world for books (I stuck with Library of Congress, the British Library and Amazon UK and found EVERYTHING I wanted).
6. Search and tag at the same time.
7. Search with title, author, ISBN, LC card number or keywords.
8. One click to add books, and right when you search, you see all the different editions. Scroll down and click on the book to add it.
9. Want to change something? Go to your library. One click will let you change the tag, author, cover, rating, publisher, review and summary. And no, you’re not inconveniencing other people – those changes are for your list only. So if you want to put Twilight under fantasy, not paranormal in your list, feel free.
10. Pleasant, colourful pages.
11. Colossal number of members.
12. See who else has your books and has similar tastes.
13. Lets you have a more detailed profile than the other sites.
14. No ads once you’re logged in.
15. Keep your library private if you want.
16. A local page which lists library branches and bookstores in your city.
17. Auto-suggests other books.
18. You can tell people if you want to swap a book.
19. I’m sure this site WILL have the exact editions people are looking for. I mean, I found a fountain pen repair manual with the right cover, and that book was for private circulation only, and has never been formally published or sold in bookshops. 100% success rate!!

The cons:
1. The greatest con – there’s a 200-book limit. You want more books on your shelf? Pay up a yearly fee OR a one-time subscription fee. This site has the maximum number of members, so obviously there are people out there who've paid money and who think it's worth the price. I’ll think about it after the recession. (Very Personal Opinion: I’d rather buy a book for that money)
2. No search box on every page. You have to click the tab “Add books” each time and then search.

This catalogue is also a list, not a shelf, but it looks nice, unlike aNobii, so I wouldn’t take away marks for that. The list is on a separate page, away from your profile, and you can’t see anything else except for the books and their details, so this website scores where aNobii and weread failed.

What I Liked Best: Seek and ye shall find the exact book you want. Now if only it was free…

Disclaimer: I am not trying to promote any of these websites, nor am I associated with them/their creators and employees. I’m just a user who signed up for a free account on all these websites, used each one for at least a week, spending the better part of my time looking around, before I decided to write this review. All views and opinions are mine alone. Now, these reviews are not comprehensive and there may be stuff I’ve left out. Feel free to correct or comment.

Book Cataloguing Website Review 3: Goodreads

2009-03-02T15:02:00.004Z

For those who fancy themselves patient enough to try the never-ending quiz from wereads, click here. Don’t blame me if you suddenly discover that ten years have passed since you started the quiz! And I hope you’re strong in Harry Potter and Star Wars.

Goodreads

Goodreads, LT and Shelfari are the Bigger Three Book Cataloguing websites. There are more members on these three, according to internet statistics. And from now on, there are fewer brickbats and more bouquets. After visiting the previously blogged-about two, I felt like I was entering a whole new territory with these three.

Features and pros:
1. This is where the biggest departure from the earlier two sites comes in – a more comprehensive, professional-looking shelf/list, and when you click on mybooks, all you can see is your booklist, and no other annoying information.
2. Lets you search and add quotes to your profile and blog.
3. Search boxes on each page – use author, keyword or title.
4. Gives year of publication along with search results AND on your shelf!
5. Just rate the book from search results and it gets added to your shelf. No need to click Add to my books.
6. Updates from friends, in Newsfeed form.
7. Lots of groups with competitions! Try out the status-update novel competition.
8. Allows ratings upto two decimal places!
9. Separate lists for Read, To-read and Reading.
10. Allows you to find and buy book on various sites – Amazon, Barnes & Noble, AbeBooks…

11. Even lets you compare prices between said book sites.
12. You can see what “people with similar taste viewed”, and compare books with other lists.
13. You can recommend, as well as say who recommended the book to you in the first place.
14. Download your library as excel or tab-delimited files.
15. More privacy than previously mentioned sites. Only friends can see your profile.
16. More people = more editions available. Found over 80% of what I wanted.
17. Allows the following options:
- Read
- To-read
- Reading

I think these options are quite sufficient and apt.

The Cons:
1. You don’t get the different editions on just hitting search, but the search results link up to other editions.
2. In list form, not shelf, on the website, and for the blog widget, you get only a white box or a montage of books. The montage looks nicer.
3. Annoying pop-up asking you to rate and review each time you click on add a book. The way out? RATE the book already and it automatically gets added; no pop-ups.
4. Lists people who are online or who “live nearby” and a bunch of losers might send friend requests in hopes of hooking up.
5. Could use more graphics/spice.

What I Liked Best: Very efficient and professional for something that looks so simple. The pros clearly outweigh the cons. Even better, the cons can be resolved. I added some of them just for the sake of having cons.

Disclaimer: I am not trying to promote any of these websites, nor am I associated with them/their creators and employees. I’m just a user who signed up for a free account on all these websites, used each one for at least a week before I decided to write this review. All views and opinions are mine alone. Now, these reviews are not comprehensive and there may be things I’ve left out. Feel free to correct or comment.

Book Cataloguing Website Review 2 - Books iRead or Weread

2009-02-28T05:21:00.007Z

Books iRead or We Read

I had used this as an application on Facebook, but removed it when I found that I had about 40 apps. This one is only eleven months old.

Features and Pros:
1. Links to every social networking site you can think of
2. Chuck a book (Recommend)
3. Offers nice ads – I saw one for self-publication.
4. Tells you what “you may also like”
5. Buy from Amazon.
6. Allows basic ratings.
7. Book clubs for each book.
8. Read the whole book if it’s on Project Gutenberg, or just read a section.
9. Plenty about authors as well, and ways to tell them you like their books.
10. Search boxes on each page – use author, keyword or title.
11. Found the right edition to about 65% of the books I searched for.
12. “Find in a library near you” - excellent! Doesn’t work all the time, but I love the concept.
13. You can also classify books into Own, Favourites, and Heck No!, the last of which is one way of starting fights.
14. There’s this never-ending quiz…
15. Write reviews and comments.

16. Allows the following options:
- Read it
- Reading it
- Want to read
- Won’t read

Why would you want to search for a book only to click on “won’t read”?

The Cons:
1. Only in a very basic list form although they call it "Bookshelf".
2. Ditto blog widget.
3. Nothing about the publisher in the bookshelf, unless you click on each book.
4. Every edition of a book will not show up in one search result. You have to click on “All Editions” below the book to pick and choose.
5. If you click on "won’t read" it goes under "Heck no!" I think Heck no’s are books you don’t recommend to people whereas won’t reads are what you refuse to read because someone told you to stay away from the book or you hated the author’s previous work or because you studied with the author and she poked you in the eye with a pencil or something.
6. Too many tabs in the Book list page. Unless you click on all, you’ll never see half the books that someone has.
7. Very bland - Could use more graphics/media for extra spice.
8. Mini profile of a user and comment box above their bookshelf. They could have used that space for more books.
9. Most of the questions on the quiz are from Harry Potter or Star Wars. I didn’t see any other questions.
10. The quiz never ends! Seriously!! I sat for about three hours and kept seeing black spots everywhere for the rest of the day.

11. Very few covers of books available. I didn't get even 50%.

12. No wishlist/Books I want/Swap

What I Liked Best: “Find in a library near you.” This site is hardly a year old and it’s definitely going to get better.

Disclaimer: I am not trying to promote any of these websites, nor am I associated with them/their creators and employees. I’m just a user who signed up for a free account on all these websites, used each one for at least a week before I decided to write this review. All views and opinions are mine alone. Now, these reviews are not comprehensive and there may be things I’ve left out. Feel free to correct or comment.

Book Cataloguing Website Review 1: aNobii

2009-02-26T04:44:00.011Z

Social cataloguing is supposed to be the next step after social networking, and from January, I’ve been joining and checking up some book cataloguing websites. The basic modus operandi is: sign in, search for a book, add it to your shelf, rate, review and recommend. These sites are obviously of advantage to me. Once I upload every book I own, have read or want, there is lesser chance that I end up buying duplicate copies. I still end up doing that, and pass on the duplicates to cousins who then gift them to their friends for birthdays and the like. The other thing is, I need not carry a huge sheaf of papers containing the name of every book I want. All I have to do is open my mobile, surf my bookshelf, and voila.

Five well-known websites for book cataloguing are:
aNobii
Books iRead (or WeRead)
Goodreads
LibraryThing
Shelfari
There are a couple more that provide similar services. More on those in a later post.

Anyway, after joining up and spending weeks and weeks checking them out until my eyes threatened to give out, I’ve got some idea of how they work and which one would be better for what. So over the next few updates, I’m going to review each of these websites, starting with aNobii in today’s post. Reviews will carry features of each site, advantages or pros, disadvantages, and the best thing about the site.

aNobii

This website is over three years old (one of the earliest book-cataloguers), and is based in Hong Kong. The weird name? Here’s the answer, directly copied and pasted from their website:
“The short answer is that it comes from the first few syllables of Anobium Punctatum, which is the proper name for bookworms.”
For more on that: http://www.anobii.com/blog-wp/?p=6.

Features and Pros (Features and pros are clubbed together):
1. If you want to buy, there are links with sale price in the currency of your choice to all Amazon sites for most books.
2. Allows basic ratings.
3. Not riddled with heavy graphics and very quick to load.
4. Search boxes on each page – use ISBN or title.
5. Import book list from Excel, Amazon, personal website, blog or LibraryThing.
6. Describe where you bought/found each book
7. There’s a Taste Compatibility metre, so you can see how many books you have in common with some random bloke, and hook up with him if necessary. Also, you get to see how many people have similar shelves.
8. Sell, swap or lend books.
9. If you’ve borrowed books, enter the due date, and the site will remind you to return them.
10. Make notes (apart from comments).
11. See who else viewed your book list.
12. Vote for your favourite comments about each book (not sure how this works).
13. Allows the following options for each book you enter:
- Finished
- Not Started
- Reading
- Unfinished

Now my opinion is of no consequence whatsoever to aNobii or whoever reads this, but hey, it’s my blog! I think that “Finished” looks a bit awkward with “Reading” – it would have been better to have Read, Unread and Reading as the options. By Unfinished, I suppose they mean the books we began but discarded, since Reading is already an option? So shouldn’t that be Unread?

The cons:
1. Few users, fewer editions. ONE person’s shelf has the Robin Cook I searched for, and the website didn’t have the edition I wanted. And mind you, I searched on the global site*.
2. The basic white page might be boring to a lot of people.
3. I find staring too long at pages with white backgrounds is harsh on the eyes (my eyes, at least).
4. The website guesses your region and takes you to the custom pages for your region. Eeek! I don’t want them knowing my IP number!

5. You have to click on the link to Global Site* at the bottom of the page to quit the region-specific option. That way you get more books in your search results, and even then it’s a dismal figure.
6. The book list/shelf occupies just a part of the page, so it’s distracting with so many other things showing up.
7. The use of the term “shelf” is an out and out misnomer for this website. It’s more like a list, a very basic one which just tells you the name of the book and the author, the rating you gave it and if you’ve finished it or not.

8. The most basic of all the websites. Once you been to any of the other sites, you're not going to come back to this one.

Didn’t see if there was a blog widget. I didn’t like the look of the “shelf” anyway, and wouldn’t have put it on my blog.

What I Liked Best: I’m thinking, I’m thinking, gimme time.

Disclaimer: I am not trying to promote any of these websites, nor am I associated with them/their creators and employees. I’m just a user who signed up for a free account on all these websites, used each one for at least a week before I decided to write this review. All views and opinions are mine alone. Now, these reviews are not comprehensive and there may be things I’ve left out. Feel free to correct or comment.

Book Talk 3 - Thousands of splendid words

2009-02-24T03:50:00.022Z

WARNING: I've added a playlist on this blog, so each time you visit, it's best to turn on the mute button, otherwise you just might get a shock. My favourite genre is older rock, as you've probably guessed. To those people whom I've already freaked out, sorry! I'm adding a poll to decide whether the playlist should stay or go, and will wait a month before taking any action.

I just finished reading A Thousand Splendid Suns, and was pleasantly surprised to find that I liked it much better than The Kite Runner. Covering a time-span of three decades in one novel is not easy, but the author makes it appear that way. Having read The Kite Runner earlier, I was familiar with the his prose and was quite comfortable with the writing style as well. I had a huge lump in my throat when Laila found the videotape of Pinocchio in Herat. So everything in the book happened only because the stupid father was ashamed of telling the world that he had an illegitimate daughter. It's wierd how so many things in life are triggered off, "all for the want of a horseshoe nail", to use a cliche. Columbia Pictures is planning to make it a movie, and I hope it turns out well. I recommend both books to anyone who wants to read thousands of splendid words knitted together effortlessly and seamlessly into two unforgettable stories.

If you're an aspiring writer, please visit http://thewriterschronicle.forumotion.net/forum.htm. It's a great forum started by Emily who's also one.

Also, I've moved my Bookshelf from LibraryThing to http://www.shelfari.com/write-idea/shelf You can have a lovely bookshelf in Mahogany, Walnut or the wood of your choice, with no book-limit. It's not as easy to search or add books as LT and you don't always get the cover and edition of your choice, but the blog widget is nicer - scroll down to the end of the blog to see my bookshelf. And if you're a Shelfari member, feel free to add me as a friend :)

The Story of Failed Stories

2009-02-15T06:39:00.025Z

I've been writing for as long as I can remember. However, most of what I've written so far has been for my eyes only.

My first "novel" was written when I was an awkward, sticky-thin (I wish I were sticky-thin now...) 9-year old. It was called "Hetty Brown's Diary". It was about this girl who discovers her aunt's diary (couldn't bear to kill off her mom or gran) in the attic, and through its pages, discovers who her aunt really was, and even comes to identify herself with her aunt (Hetty B.) and ends up needing therapy. So what happened to it? When I was a (somewhat) wiser 15-year old, I came across my manuscript (written in a notebook) while tidying my room (which I do once every decade or so). I forgot about the cleaning, and sat and read the whole novel. I was so embarrassed and ashamed of what I'd written that I grabbed a pair of scissors and chopped my way through the notebook until there was enough paper in the waste bin to fool mom into thinking I'd done a LOT of tidying and cleaning.

The second novel I attempted was called "The Daring Dozen" and was written two years after I wrote Hetty B. The name itself proves that I was reading a lot of Enid Blyton at the time. That I was certainly older but by no means wiser when I wrote it can be ascertained from the name of the book's chief character - Yakov Androvsky. I made it up. He was courageous, honest, honourable, resourceful...perfect, and I had a crush on him. The "Dozen" he led consisted of 11-year olds from all over the world, who lived in the same village, and had all kinds of adventures during their summer holidays, as they tried to earn money to visit an amusement park. There was Victoria, Eileen, Graham, Wasim, Kepler, Courtney...I've forgotten the names of the rest, but I think that the names of several cricket players of the time featured among the dozen. Anyway, halfway through writing, Yakov hooked up with Eileen and I killed him off in a fit of jealous rage by throwing him under a train as he tried to save a 4-year old, and made Graham (my next crush) the hero. I regretted killing Yakov the very next day and decided not to continue with the novel. I threw away the sheets a few years ago.

I moved on to write a set of short stories (at age 16) - not fiction, but real-life incidents that happened to my grandparents and parents during their younger days. This is still with me, and I still like what I've written. Someday I will muster up enough courage to send it for publication (Do you find an agent first or send it straightaway? I can't decide for the life of me).

Then followed a romance novel during my stormy teenage. I refuse to give more details. People whom I actually see everyday might be reading this, and I couldn't face them if they knew I wrote a novel with steamy scenes. I'll just say that 1) the hero is based on someone who really exists and 2) therefore it will never see the light of day.

My university days saw me write several opinionated articles and features, some of which saw publication in class/local magazines. Some were too radical and were disposed of promptly.

Incidentally I won prizes at school and inter-school and university levels for poetry, essays and short stories. And no, they've never been published and will probably never be. I have to find a lot more confidence, courage and self-esteem before that happens. Am I writing even now? Of course! I need to write to keep myself sane. What has changed is that now I write about what I am familiar with, and try to keep the plot, characters and dialogues as realistic and simple as I possibly can. And my latest project/novel? Watch this space for more details. All will be revealed at the right time.

A Secret Indulgence

2009-02-13T04:21:00.020Z

No one else knows this. I own quite a few, and every ten days or so, or every time the stress is too much, I indulge in one. No, I'm not talking about that shot or snort, or even chocolate. I'm talking about Chick-lit.

Meg Cabot's Princess Diaries - 1 is the book that made me a fan. I read it when I was a young teen and couldn't wait for the next book. The first book remains my firm favourite in the series. I read upto Book 6 and gave up, until I chanced upon the last book recently. Feeling nostalgic, I bought books 7 to 10. I think that 10 is the second-best book. I love reading anything by Meg Cabot. Guaranteed stress busters, and great fun.

I soon moved on to Sue Townsend, M.C. Beaton (Marion Chesney), Melissa Bank, Lauren Weisberger, Zoey Dean, Sophie Kinsella, Helen Fielding, Jennifer Weiner and Candace Bushnell.

Chick-lit is different from Feminist fiction (another favourite genre of mine). It is written by women for women, and the plot revolves around everyday life and issues such as career, relationships, friendship, love (these are different from romances - here it could be love of mother and child, for instance), obesity, illness, addiction and de-addiction, studies and so on. The writing style is usually personal, even confiding, and very, very humourous. The protagonists are usually intelligent women, but never boring. Even in the midst of the huge crisis, the character's tone is always humourous and the characters laugh at themselves. Serious issues are treated in a lighter vein, and the plot is most often realistic.

Don't get me wrong - when I said "no one else knows this", I did NOT mean to imply that I was or am in any way, ashamed of reading them. Were it so, I would not have revealed it here. It's just that for some unkown reason, Chick-lit novels have never come up in any of my lists or discussions of favourite books and authors, and therefore, no one I know knows this about me (until now - Friday, 13/Feb/2009. Why is Friday the 13th a revelation day for me?). I have no idea why there are so many brickbats hurled at chicklit novels and their authors. These are definitely NOT trashy and some of the plots, writing styles and characters could put to shame any of the self-proclaimed "serious writers". So go read them. You can never have enough humour and laughter in life, especially during these troubled times. Which is where Chicklit novels are extremely valuable. Here's a hint - pick up one when you're upset about something, grab a bar of your favourite chocolate, and I dare you to tell me you didn't feel better after reading the book.

More book-talk

2009-02-09T03:50:00.007Z

Found a 1902 edition of 'Sketches by Boz, Illustrative of Every-day Life and Every-day People' by Charles Dickens (whose pen-name was Boz). This is a little-known work consisting of short-stories divided into: Our Parish, Scenes, Thoughts about People, and Tales. Paid under $1 for the hardbound, which is in excellent condition for its age. The pages, though yellow, are not even brittle yet. I particularly enjoyed the sketches of the Beadle, the Curate, the Pawnbroker's Shop, Seven Dials and Vauxhall Gardens. Sometime later, I'd like to write an article each on them, especially Seven Dials. Regency and Victorian icons like Hansoms, Bow Street Runners, Almack's, White's, Astely's, the cotillion and the quadrille, Lord Byron, Brummell et al (even Mrs Fitzherbert) are fascinating and I've spent ages reading up on them :D I'd give anything to have lived in those times.

One of the most disappointing books I read last year was - I'm sorry to say this - Robin Cook's Foreign Body. I am a huge fan of Dr. Cook's, and when I heard that my favourite character by Dr. Cook, Dr. Jack Stapleton, would feature in this book, I could hardly wait. Unfortunately, Jack and Laurie are not the people they were in Vector or Contagion or Marker or Crisis. I certainly missed the daredevil-biker who called himself Billy Rubin, and who told Laurie, "I'm afraid our favourite Russian just got shot", in Vector. Laurie has been reduced to a hormone wierdo. That apart, the plot is good as usual, as is the setting. My expectations having been far higher, the disappointment was inevitable.

I just realized that I have just FOUR more books to own in Bernard Cornwell's Sharpe series. Ever since I read Tiger in 2003, I have been hooked completely. Military fiction is a wonderful genre to read (and write) but there are too few books in this category. For those new to the Napoleonic Era, Charles Esdaile's Napoleon's Wars is the ideal companion. Each time I read a Sharpe-book, I have Esdaile open, close at hand.

Apparently, you can't add more than 200 books to your LibraryThing, unless you become a paid member. I'm debating the idea of upgrading my membership once I upload 200 my library. Or there's always Shelfari.

www.shelfari.com/write-idea/shelf

Antique/Ephemera hunting - Bone-marrow jar

2009-02-04T04:36:00.016Z

Happy February!

Spent the weekend antique-hunting, and am disappointed to say that the yield was the worst ever. Found some Royal-event souvenir mugs (Queen's Silver Jubilee commemm. mug and so on), a soup bowl with a recipe for Lamb Broth printed on it, and a "Virol" bone-marrow jar, about 26cm high and in excellent condition. It's labelled "A Preparation of Bone-Marrow An Ideal Fat Food For Children & Invalids". I'm guessing that the last is probably Edwardian (though I hope it's Victorian!).

My favourite ephemera-website shows a price of GBP75.00 for the Virol jar - http://www.barefootdays.co.uk/shop/antique-stoneware/stoneware-virol-jar/prod_4.html. I paid GBP3.50. I believe bone-marrow was used as a children's food supplement as it was high in protein, and in adults as it lowered LDL. I don't know how much it is used today - apparently it is considered a delicacy roasted, and veal bone is a very popular dish. My knowledge about "Virol" also remains sketchy. Their tagline/caption used to be: "Virol. The way back to good health. " It was "sweet and sticky", and I think there was some controversy surrounding the use of bone marrow as food. I'd like to know if the company/product/manufacturer is in existence today. I did find a company named Vitol, but no Virol. Any clues?

Library Thing and Old Children's Books

2009-01-28T03:30:00.010Z

Back after the most enjoyable break.

I'm in the process of uploading a list of ALL books I own here --> http://www.shelfari.com/write-idea.

This is just the tip of the iceberg, and could take a while. The idea is to stop carrying about HUGE book lists when I go to bookshops. This way, all I have to do is surf the net on my mobile and there we are. My reading range could come as a surprise to many. There's material that ranges from most juvenile to complex psychoanalytical. I'm not embarrassed. What I read depends on my mood at the time. While eating, I opt for a nice William or Chalet School. I mean, who can digest Third World Politics along with a nice ice-cream?

It's an uphill task, to first dig out each book I've collected over the years, search on LibraryThing, find the exact cover and edition and rate it (I'll add comments sometime soon). To make matters worse, my book collection is extremely disorganized and books are everywhere, series have been split up in several places and previous lists of books I've made have all gone missing. I've given myself a year to finish the uploading.

One thing I'm proud of about my books is that there are NO pirated/fake copies in my collection. I abhor piracy, whether it's books or movies (so I own a LOT of original DVDs, but we'll go into that later). I try to collect as many First Editions as possible (Hardbound). I'm interested in acquiring old hardbound children's literature (pre-1960s) and I bought several from E-bay and the local second-hand stores. I returned from the UK with a tonne of books from Oxfam.

My greatest book-loss to date was in 2004. I found a lovely hardbound - "Winkles - Schoolboy Detective" by Rowland Walker (1948) from the Oxfam bookstore on Park Street, Bristol. I lost it on my flight back :( I read it and found it to be excellent and would love to own another copy. So if anyone has it, please let me know.

I was pleasantly surprised to find a hardbound Elsie Oxenham (The Abbey Girls in Town) last month in the local second-hand store. I paid less than $1 for such a delightful read.

My old undergrad college had a WHOPPING collection of hardbound first-edition Vintage school stories, ALL the Oxenhams and Brent-Dyers and a massive lot of first-ed children's books. I read each and every one of them during my three years there (the librarian used to let me take home one a day, and read another two on site while bunking class). However, just two years later, I was dismayed to find that the library had been revamped and NOT ONE of the old books remained. I was told that the children's books were all burnt, and upon hearing that, my heart burned. Had they sold them, I'd have bought every one. Instead, now I'm paying through my nose for one old book a year, on Ebay or somewhere. During my lifetime, I hope to acquire every title I enjoyed during my Bachelors and re-create the old college library at home.

New Sheaffer Targa :)

2009-01-20T07:16:00.003Z

Got my first ever Sheaffer Targa yesterday. Stainless steel, with gold trims, and a 14k gold Inlaid nib. The nib is made in Australia and the pen is made in USA. A medium point. The reason I didn't own a Targa until now was simply because the pen looked too modern to me. Besides, I'm not really fond of cartridge-fillers. But the moment I wrote my first word with the Targa yesterday, I was floored. The nib is so smooth and the pen feels so good in the hand that writing is an absolute pleasure. I paid US$40 for the pen and two complimentary cartridges - no box/papers. I think I'll use this pen to write on not-so-smooth paper, and keep toothier nibs like my Laureat or Striped Duofold for smooth paper.

In other pen-news, I restored a Conklin Endura Ringtop (black-and-gold) yesterday and it fills and writes very well. This pen has a fine point, but is also an extremely smooth writer. The only problems I have are that 1. the pen is a bit short and 2. I have to either keep the cap posted or hold it in my hand, as the cap has no clip and constantly rolls off to the floor.

Am off for a nice weekend break. I plan on hitting the beach, a couple of old museums and a national park. There's a wildlife safari and I hear there are newborn lion cubs right now. Tell you all about it after my return.

I'm back!

2009-01-17T13:57:00.003Z

Welcome to my new, improved blog, Mark 2. To those who used to read my posts on the earlier blog - sorry. I've forgotten my password and security answer and can never log in again. I know...but it IS true. Anyway, this time I've picked a Blog name that's rather similar to my MySpace id, and a password that is NOT a Slovenian word whose meaning I do not know.

Life's pretty much as usual so far this Jan. I've made my annual resolutions as usual too:
1. Lose weight
2. Concentrate harder on studies
3. Curb my arrant imagination, wild temper and swearing
4. Acquire at least 5 more war medals (good news - I've already got one this year, the details of which will follow)
5. Write That Novel (lol)
6. Socialise more. I'm sick of losing touch with people.
7. Travel - explore 1 new haunt and 3 old haunts, as usual. (Remember last year's Goa?)
8. Pay more attention to antique business.
9. Acquire at least 10 Fountain Pens (getting a new Targa on Monday....WOOOOHOOOOOHOOOO!)
10. Keep healthy, wealthy and happy :)
As always, there's not much of a difference in this year's resos. There's also "Live up to the phrase, 'Great Indian Reader'" and "Expand already bursting wardrobe" and "Get at least one more antique snuffbox" and a few more in my journal. And speaking of my journal, I really need to write more stuff in my blog - stuff that's not in my journal. Because last year, everything that was in my blog was already in my journal, although there were things in my journal that I didn't post in here.

My latest medal acquisition came in on Tuesday. A KGVI GSM with a Malaya clasp. Silver, but being issued during WWII, the silver quality is not as good as the earlier ones. Excellent condition. Issued to one "Ismail Ahmad, F. OF MPOL, 16874". My familiarity with Colonial Malaysian military being zero, I have no idea what that means. I'm guessing that it's Malaysian Police. Any help would be appreciated. Googled "Malaya F of MPol medal" and came up with nothing. I'm going to add "Research more about medals" to my resolution.

Last year was amazing where my medals and FPs were concerned. I had wanted 5 of each, but acquired way more than that. I must have bought around 30 FPs and 6 or 7 medals, including two QVs. I hope this year is as eventful.

TTYL.