Inspire Yourself to Write

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Time comes in the lives of the writers when nothing works. No matter how hard they try, no word, no sentence, no image form in their heads. They just sit blank, wondering will it ever be like the past again, will the words come back.

I don’t know about you, but I suffer from this syndrome frequently. I don’t have the habit of waiting for the inspiration. I know what happens when someone waits for something to happen. I waited three years for inspiration and did not write a single line. Now, I follow Jack London’s advice with all my heart and chase inspiration. Yet, time comes when nothing works. I keep writing without my heart in it. I derive no joy in creating. Have you ever felt like this? If the answer is no, you are fortunate. You can skip reading this post.

Inspiring the writer within you is important at a time like this. When wind doesn’t blow, you need to steer the boat yourself and move forward. This is the only way you can get something done.

I have been writing for a long time. So long that now I cannot recall the time I did not write. And in these long years of effort I have learnt something valuable - that inspiration does not come. It is up to you whether you give up or get going. Once I gave up and I paid dearly. I had to start all over again. Thus I don’t give up now. I try to inspire myself. It takes time to get back in the mood but it does work.

It’s true that you will not be able to inspire yourself without assistance. You will require tools to make yourself write again. For me books have been of great help. Whenever I feel my creativity is taking a leave of absence, I turn to the pages of books I love reading most. I read words created by the masters. John Grisham is one of the writers I read to motivate myself. This is the writer I have always considered as my mentor. His writing has the power to make my fingers itch and my heart composed again. Rainmaker is one of my personal favorites. You may choose to read someone else. But do read. Nothing helps writing better than reading. No matter what you read, you get better at writing.

Take a walk outside. Writing is a lonely task. Yet, you need to get out of the comfort of your home. You need to interact with people. You write about them, you need to study them. In my case, I am fortunate. My work demands that I go out and communicate with others. This makes me write better. I feel free when I return and hold my pen again. Next time when you interact with others, don’t take them as mere human beings. Instead consider them as characters of your novel and see what happens.

Do something unusual. Take a walk in the rain. Feel the droplets pouring down upon you. Drenching you. Let the blessing from heaven wash away the blockage and refresh your soul. Frequently I stand in the rain, looking up, gazing at the sky and thanking the monarch of the heaven. I thank Him for the words that I write. I thank Him for the images that will not let me sit in peace. I thank Him for the books that are being written. I thank Him for being there. Lastly, I thank Him for life. And when I return to writing, I feel like another person. Try it.

Get drunk. Lol, getting controversial. Don’t drive in the state. Allow the alcohol to sooth your senses. But hey, try not to make it a habit. Once in a while indulge into this beverage and well…you will wake up yet another person (sometimes with killer headache).

Write something different, something unconventional, something that you haven’t tried before. Why not write an erotica? Explore and see what you can come up with. Write about that date who did not call again. Take this person to a land where only dead people walk the night. Write a long letter to someone, you haven’t met. Why not write to your characters? Explain why you put them through so much misery. Praise them and tell them why they are unique.  

Work out. Kick box, stretch, run and sweat it out. You will be able to go past the blockage that is preventing you from writing. Umm…these are not laws of writing that I have pronounced. There is no law in this profession. You can invent your own law. The secret is to have fun and worry less. Banging your head against the wall will only make you bleed. Rather grow wings and try to fly away. Writing is not a task that you have to perform. Writing is salvation. Surrender yourself and take pleasure in the journey. 

Balancing Life and Writing

Life is Not Easy…

And it’s never gonna be. You will have to chase your dream today. You will have to make it today. If you sit around and wait for the things to fall in the place, you will be waiting forever.

Once I made this mistake. I was working for an engineering firm. It was hectic. Exhausting even. Each day I returned drained. Hardly, I had the energy to open a book, let alone the willingness to hold my pen and start writing. So, I chose the easy path. I started waiting. I waited for the things to fall in place. I waited for the time when I wouldn’t have to work to pay the bills. I waited for that time to appear. Months passed. And I waited. I did not open a single book. I did not write a single line. I was waiting. Waiting for the situation to get better.

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Everyone gets a wake up call sometimes in their lives. I was also fortunate enough to receive one. My wake up call came in the shape of high fever. I was at home, recovering. To pass time, I reached for my pen and notebook. I started writing. Only I couldn’t. I pushed myself to proceed. I even forced myself to create something. Yet, nothing came to my mind. With immense effort I constructed one sentence. But nothing followed the first line. Horror dawned on to me. I pushed some more. Nothing.

I realized that as I was waiting for the right time to appear in my life, I continued to lose the skill I built with so much effort. That I have lost the edge. That day, I gave myself a firm shake. I silently resolved that I would read and write everyday. That was in the August 2006. I have never stopped reading and writing.

You should not either. If you love to write, you will need to read and write everyday. Yes, of course you can take a break. Every writer takes a break. Maybe once a year. For me break comes in the shape of notebook writing. When I am too drained to write anything, when my characters refuse to act or talk or do anything, I pick up a topic and reach for one of my notebooks. Nothing calms me down better than an hour or two of wild writing session.

I know many of you are facing the similar dilemma. Many of you don’t get time to read or write. But, you must, if you want to improve yourself as a writer. You will have to invest sufficient amount of time for reading and writing (If you are wondering why I am insisting on reading, wait for my next post Read More and Write Better). So, how do you do it? You can think strategically and steal away time to indulge in your passion.

Carry a book…always. Instead of staring out of the window, try to read while you are travelling. I still do this. I carry a book wherever I go. This helps a lot.

Carry a notebook around. You will never catch me without a notebook (several notebooks if truth be told). I steal moments to write pieces. When I return home, I bring with me materials that help me proceed further.

Changing your writing time is another way to get something done. Get up early or go to bed late. Write in the spare time. Give up television. Give up social life. You need to be ready to sacrifice some of the things you love to improve yourself, to grow as a writer. Everything comes with a price. Your dreams as well. Are you willing to pay? Willing to sacrifice things that matter? Willing to say no to that movie you were dying to watch? Ask yourself and then make the plans. I am sure you will succeed. 

Write for Your Soul

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Being a writer is difficult. Being an unpublished writer is harder still. You will carry around your secret like a thief. Sometimes you will let it out and say with reluctant blush that yes, you are a writer, dreading the next question.

Have you ever been published? Have you? No, you are still unpublished. You are still trying to elevate yourself from the bottom layer of the pyramid and climb higher. You know the pain. You know the numbness that spread across your heart with each rejection letter. Yet, how easily they ask – have you ever been published.

And you say, ‘No. I am yet to make it to the publication.’ What follows forth every writer knows. A glance of suspicion sometimes. Glance of pity. Most of the times glance of mockery. It is the main reason we conceal the fact that we return home to write, to create, to tell stories.

I am not venting my frustration here. It is no way a platform to bleed. God knows we bleed everyday. God knows we cry with each rejection letter, even though we shrug it off in public. Time comes when we stand at the verge of giving up. We question everything, even our existence. Each time we stand facing a mirror, our reflection asks – why? We are unable to answer. Why we write? Why we put up with the humiliation? Why?

May be because that’s what we are. May be because we are born that way. May be because we are both blessed and cursed. May be.

I can’t speak for you. For I don’t know you. I can only speak for myself. I can only tell you why I write. Why I put up with the humiliation. Why…

Blankness bothers me. Every time I look at a paper, I see immense potentiality. I feel like holding a pen and scratching the surface. I feel like creating a world peopled with illustrated characters. My characters.

Numerous times I have reached the point from which no path leads ahead. I have stopped many times thinking now what. I panicked even. Yet, I couldn’t stop. How can I quit being me? I am a writer and I was born that way. For good or for bad, this is my life. Getting published is secondary. It comes after being a writer. But, the focal point is writing.

It does not matter who asks what. It does not matter who thinks what. It does not matter how many rejection letters come your way. You are a writer and your job is to continue and create. People may try to mislead you. They may try to force you to quit. And you have the option. You can quit. You can quit because they think you are not good enough. You can quit because you are not being able to get published. You can quit because some no-good teacher thinks you should.

But will you be at peace? Can your soul rest with the knowledge that you have given up? Can you live without creating? Can you? If yes, you are lucky. You are luckier than I am. For, I cannot. God knows I have tried. God knows I have given up too many times. But, I couldn’t stay away for longer than one day. I came back after sulking and throwing fit of temper around. And I am glad that I did. I don’t think there is anything else to say. I am not even sure that I have said anything worth reading.

Therefore, I will draw the conclusion with a verse – my personal anthem. These two lines get me going when the way is dark and the sky is full of cloud with no stars to guide me ahead. I mutter these two lines and advance forward. For I know my destination is there somewhere, concealed in the darkness. Soon, sun will rise and lead me towards it. Till then I can only crawl and hope.

Karmanye Vadhikaraste, Ma phaleshou kada chana

It means – perform your duty without expecting result. 

Out in the Open

Note - This is a small part of another chapter of my whodunit mystery novel Out in the Open - A Rudransh Ray mystery. Hope you will like it.


Stench of death touched Lisa Brown. She halted by the window and stared out. For a moment she could see nothing. Or could she? Something moved in the garden. Or, was it someone? She leaned forward to take a better look. Her naked eyes could detect nothing. Everything appeared to be perfectly normal. She felt like a fool for being afraid. Yet, deep inside her heart, the fear remained. To be sure, she took another look at the garden.

Why the surrounding suddenly felt so frightening? She wondered. Thick cloud passed over and the moon vanished behind the curtain. In the utter gloom the garden looked like a graveyard. Or so she thought. The tall and thin trees loomed like lanky monsters. Heat rose and she felt the satin night gown clinging against her skin.

With a shrug she pushed the gown off her shoulders. Cool breeze touched her skin and a shiver passed through her body. She was cold all of a sudden.

True the night was chilly. True the wind cut through the flesh. But, inside the mansion it was warm enough to be comfortable, sometimes hot even. Then why? She wondered again. Her hands lovingly touched her breasts. She rubbed her open palms over the supple globes. Beneath the skin of her hands the nipples erected. She shivered, this time not from cold. She tilted her head and closed her eyes. 

Show Don’t Tell – Well Sometime You Should

Before reading this post, please note that I don’t consider myself a master of the craft. I don’t even consider that I know more than anyone else in this profession. I am not in any way contradicting anyone. This is just an expression of my personal understanding. I am learning and this blog is created to share the experience of the process.

This is yet another advice I have come across so many times – show don’t tell, make your readers feel, take them to the scene, etc, etc. A while back I was reading an interview of Lee Child. According to this bestselling thriller writer – we are telling stories, not showing it. I agree. We are storytellers. We tell tales in our own ways.

Of course, I am not advising anyone to say – Tina was angry and leave it there. When you do that you say nothing about the character. You just mention that a female character is angry. But, who is Tina? How old is she? What is her background? How angry is she? These are the questions that you are not answering. But that doesn’t really mean you should show the readers the exact shade of Tine’s hair color or the length of her skirt (although that might appeal to the male readers).

The point is you are a novelist. You are writing fiction. You are not a movie maker. Leave showing part to James Cameron. As a writer your job is to tell a story.

I have a habit of reading about writing. When I am tired of my own writing or don’t feel like reading another writer’s work, I read about the craft with the hope that I will be able to improve a bit. I have seen that teachers and writers have different opinion about this. Some are ardent supporters of showing and some want to break the rules and create one of their own. What should you do? As a beginner, even as a pro, it might be difficult to decide which approach is better suited for your story.

So, many times, I have stopped my pen (yes, I write my first draft with pen and paper) and pondered how to show this scene. I have tried to show everything in a story. But in the end it sounded like a manual. It took me a long time to realize writing is a fusion of both showing and telling. Too much of either one can make your story a dull read. So, what should you do?

I rather explain what I do as you should choose your own style and manner of writing. I try to understand the genre I am working on. Since I am a mystery writer, my job is easy. I deal with the human minds. So, I can get away with telling sometimes. How else do you portray someone’s thought? Rudransh Ray spends a good deal of time thinking and I need to tell the readers what he is thinking about. Here I have little chance of showing the thoughts.

But when it comes to action scenes, I do show the smell of air and the long stretched shadows. These are good ingredients of mystery writing.

Even if your genre is not mystery, you will have plenty of chances to tell your story. Readers want to know about the characters and to introduce your characters you need to tell them about the mind frame, the thought process. How a character feels is important (and I guess it is the most important part of a story). Therefore, don’t be afraid of telling your story. Rules are there. But you have the liberty of breaking those rules and do what feels right for your story. You are a writer. You are a creator. Don’t restrict yourself or your creativity. Dare to be different.  

Write What You Know or Should You...

I began writing with utter reluctance. I knew that I was stepping into another territory. Although the turf is fascinating, even soul enriching, it frightened me. So, like every amateur, I sought help. I browsed Internet and read blogs of other writers (and I never stopped). I dug into books on writing. Surprisingly, every website or how to book I checked had one common advice – write what you know.

I did, I wrote what I knew and eventually I realized – I was producing trash. This got me thinking should you really write what you know? True John Grisham writes legal thrillers because he knows law. But, did J.K Rowling practice black magic? Did Raymond Chandler murdered people? Did John Sandford hack computers? No, none of them experienced what they wrote about. Even John Grisham did not work for the mafias.

So, what do we get here? Writing what you know will make the realm of fiction boring. This is fiction and you are crafting a story. You are imagining incidents that did not happen in the reality. You are illustrating characters that never existed. You are not writing what you know. You are creating.

Ann Rule writes what she knows. Of course, she does. She is a true crime story writer. But, are you? Really? If you want to write what you know, you should get into writing non-fiction. Fiction writing is exploring turfs unknown. You begin from a blank page and slowly create a world that will cease to exist without your effort. As a writer, I don’t think you should write what you know. Why restrict your creativity? Rather try to know what you want to write about.

Yes, this is the only way of writing truly compelling stories. If you want to write fantasy, research about magic. Learn how people cast spells. And you never know what you may create. Have the courage to step out of the comfort zone. Learn about the world unfamiliar to you. Enrich yourself and explore. Without the desire to know more, you cannot grow as a writer.

Since the childhood I have devoured mystery novels. Even in my adulthood I mostly read mysteries. Yet, when I picked up my pen, I feared creating a mystery story. I thought what do I know about crimes and criminals. I knew nothing about criminology either. So, I wrote what I knew. From my educational background I knew history and I wrote a historical novel. It sucked. While writing the story I knew my heart wasn’t in it. I could not visualize the world I created. But, I wrote what I knew and I was trying to be happy.

Reality hit me when the rejection letters began coming my way. I sat bemused, not being able to decode the mystery of being rejected. I was writing what I knew, then what went wrong? It took a while to realize that I was cheating myself. Historic fiction is not my genre.

That day, I changed my genre and created Rudransh Ray a criminologist who fights crime and Out in the Open just happened. When I started writing this novel, I did not even know that I will be able to finish it, that I will be able to write The End of this story. I stumbled too many times, threw away too many pages, read too many books and eventually I did finish my first mystery novel. The journey was a glorious one. What happens to this book is not the primary factor, at least not to me. I have succeeded writing a genre I know nothing about and that is the point here.

Next time you want to write that thriller, do write it. If you know about the topic, good, if you don’t know anything about it, even the better. You will have the opportunity to study and learn. So, go for it and enjoy the journey. 

Out in the Open - A Rudransh Ray Mystery

Note - This is the first chapter of my novel Out in the Open - A Rudransh Ray Mystery

The shadow

The shadow waited. Two sharp eyes followed everything. Tall trees, long stretched gloom and a Victorian mansion against the expansion of sky. It could be a setting from a gothic movie. But, it was a reality.

Light from one of the rooms on the first floor’s window illuminated a part of the garden. In this glow, Shadow could make out forms of leaves, hedges and flowers. Smell of rose and wet soil hung in the air. Cloud gathered and for a moment everything vanished but the mansion and the white light.

Shadow felt a reassuring heaviness against the chest. Metal and Wood had been used to carve this knife. Its blade could split an oak tree wide open.

Just one slash and it will all be over. The shadow inhaled. A cakewalk, it’s gonna be. Swift and fast. A smile flashed. But it vanished a heart beat later. Through the cracks of leaves Shadow watched and calculated.

With one movement of eyes, Shadow measured the challenge ahead. The mansion stood silent. Against the star clothed backdrop, it created a contrast with all its gloom.  A slender figure came to view in the first floor’s window. She had a crimson night gown wrapped around her body. Night wind played with her loose hair. She moved away from the view. 

Pacing. 

Restless.