The Ultimate Short Story Workshop: A Quick Summary

On the 28th of July, 2018, I conducted a creative writing workshop at Atta Galatta in association with Juggernaut books. The aim of the workshop was to give a jumpstart to writers who were keen on getting their creativity flow through short stories.

It was my first time facing creative writing students as all my previous students have been engineering students during my stint as a lecturer at my alma mater. Yet, it was fun from the word go.

Here is a brief summary of the topics that were discussed at the workshop:

The concept of the Artist Brain and the Editor Brain:

Writers often struggle with creativity because there is always a war going on inside their heads. Everytime the creative or the 'artist' brain comes up with a brilliant idea, the 'editor' brain or the logical brain nitpicks and discourages the writer.

Yet, when these two work alternatively on the manuscript, it often results in a brilliant, bestselling story.
The trick is to involve the artist brain in the creation of the ideas/ first draft. The editor brain is great at structuring the story and revising it and hence use it that way. 

Exercise: As the 'artist' brain works best under time pressure, the students were asked to come up with a short synopsis for a story idea they had within ten minutes.

Types of writers:

Writers are different in the way they create stories. Yet we can divide writers into mainly three categories.

1) Pantsers or Gardeners
2) Plotters or Architects
3) Plotsers or Hybrids

Read in detail about the different categories by clicking here.

6 Key elements of a short story

1) Character
A character can be a person, animal or thing around which the story is developed.

2) Setting
Setting talks about when and where the story is happening.

3) Conflict 
Conflicts can be of two types: Internal and External.
The kinds of conflicts are 
a) Man vs Man
b) Man vs Nature
c) Man vs science fiction
Read more about conflicts and character sketch here.

4) Plot
The plot is a series of events that takes the character closer to his/her goal.

5) Point of View or POV

The different types of POV are: 

a) First person (Walking-in-their-shoes style)
Here the main character is the narrator. This technique is very effective to draw the reader into the story.
Pronouns used: (I, Me, Myself)

b) Second person (Reader-is-the-character style)
Mostly avoided in fiction as it lacks the pull of the first or third person pov. 
Pronouns used: (You, Your, Yours)

c) Third Person (Fly-on-the-wall style) 
The narrator knows how the characters think, feel, react to various events and experiences. 
Two styles: Third person limited, Third person omniscient
Pronouns used: (She, He, herself, himself)

6) Theme
A theme is an underlying message the story has for the reader. It can also be a hidden lesson.
Read more about it here:

20 Themes in Fiction Writing with Examples

How to create vivid characters:

You can create a vivid character by getting to know your character better. 
Here are some details to jot down. Tabulate the following data for your character.

a) Biodata of your character
b) Physical characteristics
c) Describe their life in general when the story is beginning.
d) What are their goals, deepest fears, secrets, likes, dislikes?
e) How was their childhood?
f) Did they undergo any tragedy?
g) What is the best thing that happened to them?
h) Nuances and idiosyncrasies like accent, mannerisms etc
i) Habits


Even though we won't be using many of these in the story, it still creates a vivid picture of your character in your mind. This helps to write better scenes.

How to hook the reader from line one?

Writers use many techniques to grab the attention of the reader right from page one.
Some are:
1) An interesting first sentence
2) Beautiful description
3) Action
4) Humour
5) In-media-res (Beginning at a pivotal moment) (Read more about it here)
6) Intriguing character
7) An unusual situation
8) Show, don't tell. (Read more about it here) 
9) Pace
10) Exploding the moment ( Read more about it here)

Read more about hooking the reader by clicking here.

A Quick Formula to Plot a Story

The easiest way to plot is the ABDCE formula. In the ABDCE structure for plotting a story/novel developed by Alice Adams, the story begins with an Action or an inciting incident.

• Action: This is the inciting incident which sets off the story in motion.
• Background: What happened to the characters in the past that made them what they are today.
• Development: The course of the story where the characters chase their goals.
• Climax: This is the point where the goals are achieved with dramatic consequences.
• Ending: All the loose threads in the plot are tied up.

You can use this technique to plot a novel as well. Read more about it by clicking the below link

How to Plot your Novel using the ABDCE Formula

Editing your first draft

Some quick tips:

Stage 1) Take it up after a break. check for obvious flaws and errors.

Stage 2) Tighten the prose

Stage 3) Read aloud to see how the story sounds

Read more about editing in these posts:

15 Steps for Rewriting your First Draft

Of Dialogues, Drafts, Developments and Dictionaries

Kill your darlings

X-Ray Vision for Editing

Final Checklist

A checklist always helps when we are in the editing stage. At this stage, the editor brain has taken complete charge of your manuscript. It loves lists.

Check if there are:

1) Grammatical errors and passive voice

2) Structural problems

3) Punctuating and formatting errors

4) Interesting first sentence/ paragraph.

5) Is the character likeable?

6) Is the ending interesting/ cliched/ cheating? 

7) What is the readability quotient?

Hope this post gets you closer to your dream of converting your inner visions into perfect short stories.

Write More using the Pomodoro Technique! #MyFriendAlexa Post 4

Sitting is considered by doctors as the new smoking. The more you sit, the more you are lowering your chances of a long and healthy life. But that is a not possible for writers. We sit for long hours in front of our computers. 

So what is the solution?

That is where the Pomodoro technique comes to your rescue.

Pomodoro technique is a time management method developed by Francesco Cirillo in the late 1980s. The technique uses a timer to break down work into intervals, traditionally 25 minutes in length, separated by short breaks. These intervals are named pomodoros, the plural in English of the Italian word pomodoro (tomato), after the tomato-shaped kitchen timer that Cirillo used as a university student. (as explained in Wikipedia)

Stretch, walk about, do deep breaths, do whatever that will help your body to relax during the breaks.

The output of this technique is unbelievable. I use this technique regularly while I write or blog. Your productivity can increase manifold if you create a distraction-free environment during these sessions.

I have written 1000 words per session using this technique. Just imagine how many sessions can you squeeze in a day!

Because of this technique, I am able to cross off most of the items on my to-do list.

There are Pomodoro apps you can download. Or you can use the timer on your computer or phone or watch.

How can you write more using this technique?

1. Before you start, plan what you will write during the session. Make notes about the post/scene you are going to write.
2. Switch off the internet, so that you are not distracted during the session with pings, emails or social media notifications.
3. Stop when the timer goes off. This will be helpful to make you remain in the flow even after the session ends.
4. Take a break and resume writing in a fresh new session.

I have completed writing a novella within a month using this technique. That too while blogging, doing my household chores, reading, exercising and looking after a naughty 8-year-old.

I don’t spend hours staring at the blank screen thinking about what to write anymore. When I sit in front of my laptop, I have a note in front of me which will guide me. All I have to do is to expand the ideas.

Have you tried the Pomodoro technique?

 This post is part of #MyFriendAlexa campaign by @Blogchatter

I want to take my Alexa Rank to the next level with My Friend Alexa.

Do you Underwrite? #MyFriendAlexa Post 3

I am guilty of underwriting. Or should I say, I was?

I began writing fiction via short stories where the story happens within a short span of time. You cannot indulge in long descriptions of either the place, the person or the emotions in a short story.

When I started writing my novel, my technique of writing was the same. I used to treat each chapter like a short story with a clear beginning, a middle and an end. It is perfect as far as scene structure goes. But what about the details? 

As a result, my first drafts are often the thinner versions of my final book. I add in details later. Once I have laid down the rough draft of the story, the next phase is adding in scene details. With writing software like Scrivener, I can do this easily.

What are the details that should go into a memorable scene?

Details of the place: Use the senses to describe the smells, sounds and emotions the place evokes in the character. You can also talk about the geographic location of the place if the character is new to the place.

Emotions: The emotions of the characters add depth to the scenes and story. Describe the emotion using the last scene as a reference. What is the current emotion of your character? The previous scene in your story must have affected the character in some way. Describe it.

Reactions of the character: We react to every important moment in our lives. We react viscerally, emotionally, physically and intellectually to any occurrence, exactly in that order. So should our characters.

And yet each character will react to a particular action in their own unique way. A girl who is scared of cockroaches would scream and run the moment she sees one. She won’t pause to think logically as to whether the tiny cockroach can harm her.

Similarly, a man scared of heights would panic the moment he realizes he is at the edge of a cliff.

Find and write down appropriate reactions of your characters.

Dialogues: Dialogues are a very important element in your novel. Crisp, meaningful dialogues that take the story forward should be included in your scenes. Dialogues are considered as 'action' in any scene. Hence you are showing and not telling by using them.

What else should we consider?

Every scene in your book should do either of the two things or both:

• Reveal character
• Take the story further

If it doesn't do either of these, the scene doesn’t belong in your book. You can remove it.

The final goal of the main character should be there as an undercurrent in any major scene. It should be the driving power of the story.

Are you guilty of underwriting? If yes, what do you do?

This post is part of #MyFriendAlexa campaign by @Blogchatter

I want to take my Alexa Rank to the next level with My Friend Alexa.

Where do I Find my Stories? #MyFriendAlexa Post 1

Whenever I make a new acquaintance and I tell them I am a writer, I often get asked this question. Where do I find my stories?

I believe every story finds its writer. Sounds esoteric, but I have reasons to believe it is true.

Get it here

This September 26^th, the eBook version of my novel ‘Without You’ will turn two. It has remained in the top 100 books in its category ever since it release-date and reached the #1 position on Amazon multiple times. Amazon gave it the #1Bestseller tag recently. It has 244 ratings on Goodreads, and 59 reviews on Amazon India till date. All these stats are organic. My Kindle reports tell me thousands have read my book till now worldwide. 

And this story idea came to me in a dream. I saw the entire story like a movie.

I remembered only the prominent scenes by the time I woke up. I immediately jotted down whatever I remembered. The names of the characters, the places it happened, I jotted them all down. The reason I got the dream was I was troubled about the Mangalore Plane crash of 2010.

Till now, five of my short stories have been published traditionally. Four are in paperback and one as a standalone eBook short story on Juggernaut Books. I have signed a contract for 9 other short stories.

 I have a published novella which was co-written with 7 other bloggers. I have three books for kids published online as well.

Some of these stories came to me out of nowhere. I have never sat in front of a blank screen brooding about what to write. Sometimes, I have a clear idea about the story, as in, scene by scene clarity. But sometimes all I have is a vague idea and an urge to begin.

Read this quote by Games of Thrones writer George R.R.Martin.

“I think there are two types of writers, the architects and the gardeners.

The architects plan everything ahead of time, like an architect building a house. They know how many rooms are going to be in the house, what kind of roof they're going to have, where the wires are going to run, what kind of plumbing there's going to be. They have the whole thing designed and blueprinted out before they even nail the first board up.

The gardeners dig a hole, drop in a seed and water it. They kind of know what seed it is, they know if planted a fantasy seed or mystery seed or whatever. But as the plant comes up and they water it, they don't know how many branches it's going to have, they find out as it grows. And I'm much more a gardener than an architect.”

I am neither an architect nor a gardener. I am a hybrid. I have to plot my scenes, give my story a structure before I sit down to write. But when I start a story, it has a mind of its own. Then I watch how it unfolds and go along with it.

I have a few good mentors. I turn to them whenever in doubt. I also need to have a clear head before I sit to write. Meditation helps in a big way.

This post is part of the campaign #MyFriendAlexa by @blogchatter

I want to take my Alexa Rank to the next level with My Friend Alexa.

My current Alexa Rank is 1,19,4423

Zodiac Signs and Writers

Long ago during a summer break from school, I came across a small book which predicted that according to my birth star I would become someone who will make a career using words. 

When I told this to my family, they chorused I would become a lawyer. Wasn’t I an expert at winning arguments at home?

But God had different ideas for me. I became a blogger and a writer.

Image source

I believe in all things esoteric. Zodiac signs declare that the movement of the celestial bodies is closely related to human characteristics and behavior. ‘As above, so below’. 

I am fascinated by them. I find they are almost accurate representations of persons as far as my experiences go.

I found this interesting list on the internet where writers are classified according to their Zodiac signs. 

I have many eminent authors like Sylvia Plath, Neil Gaiman, Fyodor Dostoevsky, John Keats, Chinua Achebe and Margarette Atwood for the company. What a blessed list!

Apart from such fun classifications, writers can use the Zodiac list to create character sketches.

While I was writing my debut novel, in my first draft, I had written the male lead as a September born. 

But as the story required his birthday to fall in the month of July when the female lead visits his place, I changed his birthday to July 3 in the second draft. 

Then while researching for adding details to my characters, I came across a Zodiac description of Cancer men (men born between June 21-July22).

 I was completely shocked as the characteristics I had described in my hero was typical of a Cancer man. That too considering that I had completed writing the first draft of the story assuming he was born on a different date.

 I used my research in my book also which was loved by many readers who wrote to me about it.

After this discovery, I check the compatibility of the star signs of my protagonists after I assign them their fictional date of births. 

If they are not compatible, they need to change their birthdays without delay. (*Wink) 

I believe the characters we write about in our stories do exist somewhere. The infinite source from where we writers get our ideas is, in fact, the supreme consciousness.

 Hence, we are tapping into something divine, which becomes solid and 3-dimensional through the words that we use to narrate our stories. 

Do you believe in Zodiac Signs?

 During this A-Z April Challenge, I am exploring the A-Z journey of writing a Novel with examples from Literature.

The Letter of the day is Z

Linking this post  to Blogging from A-Z

and Blogchatter

Have you read the Letters A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H  I  J K  L M N  O P Q R  S T U V W X and Y?

You Can Become a Published Author

According to statistics, 90% of bloggers aspire to become a published author. Out of that 97% do not finish writing what they begin. 

Image Source

If you have written a novel, congratulate yourself, sit back and bask in the glory. You persisted in chasing your dream while the others were busy being busy. You have become a member of that rare 3% who succeeds in completing their novel.

April A-Z Challenge this time might change this statistic I guess. The percentage of people who are going to emerge as winners are surely going to be very high. People who persist for a whole month, writing every day for a month.

 Blogchatter is going to guide the A-Zers registered with them to publish their eBook using their A-Z posts, get it reviewed and market it as well.

A book is born through hours and hours of dedication. There is no short cut.

As Hemingway said, “There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.”

In this era, publishing has become easy with the advent of many self-publishing platforms like Amazon, CreateSpace, Kobo etc, authors are able to find a platform for their stories easily. Get a detailed insight into the various online platforms available here.

Many of the bloggers I know are publishing eBooks based on their A-Z challenge.

Anmol Rawat is planning to terrorize his readers with an A-Z anthology of Horror stories.

Tina Basu is about to make her readers drool with an eBook of desserts.

Paresh Godhwani is writing an A-Z memoir about Travel in the Local Train.

Dr. Amrita Basu is publishing an eBook about the A-Z of fruits.

Vinodini Iyer is publishing a collection of A-Z letters to her son filled with wisdom to face life in its many facets.

Deepa Malhotra Gandhi’s eBook is filled with A-Z parental wisdom.

Mayuri’s eBook is a collection of her favorite Indian sweets with an associated memory or incident from her life.

Roma Gupta Sinha is writing a heartwarming love story.

Upasna is writing the A-Z about minimalism.

Many of these bloggers are already published authors. This time they are taking the e-route via Blogchatter. 

If you wish to read these posts before they are taken down, rush to their blogs.

Though my initial intent was to convert my A-Z posts into an eBook, I realized these posts were bringing organic traffic to my blog as my theme was A-Z essentials of writing a Novel, which is a much-searched topic online. Hence these posts will remain on my blog.

As this month is proving, the distance to getting published can be just a month.

Are you planning to publish an eBook using your A-Z posts?

During this A-Z April Challenge, I am exploring the A-Z journey of writing a Novel with examples from Literature.

The Letter of the day is Y

Linking this post  to Blogging from A-Z

and Blogchatter

Have you read the Letters A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H  I  J K  L M N  O P Q R  S T U V W X?

X-Ray Vision for Editing

Once we finish polishing the final draft of the novel, the next process is submitting it to an editor for in-depth editing.  This is the final and most important step in the creation of the novel.

Image Source

The editor we employ needs to understand what we want to convey through our book.

I have read books where the editing was pathetic.

Recently, I beta-read a book after its final draft and found it wonderful. When the book got published, it had lost all its magic. During the editing process, in order to conform to their word count limits, the editor had cut out many scenes which were crucial to the story and gave depth to the characters. I felt so bad for the writer.

Another book I beta-read and gave feedback as having many excesses came out like a shining gem after being edited by a brilliant editor.

This kind of X-ray vision is what we seek in an editor. The ability to step into the shoes of the writer and reader simultaneously to understand both the perspectives. The editor needs to use his/her X-ray vision to study the following details.

1. What does the writer want to convey in the various scenes? 
2. Will the reader understand what the writer wants to convey?
3.  Is the scene necessary?
4.  Is the writing concise and apt?
5. Is the prose grammatically correct?
6. Are there plot holes?
7. Are all the threads closed at the end of the book?
8. Are the characters three dimensional?
9. Is the showing and telling balanced?
10. Is the word count appropriate for the genre?

Editing is categorized into developmental editing, line editing, copyediting, and proofreading. Usually, in a publishing firm, different editors are in charge of each of these tasks.

Developmental editing looks at the big picture and analyses the entire story for inconsistencies in the story arc, character arc, plot holes etc.

Line editing is the editing at a paragraph level where each paragraph is given attention to and scrutinized.

Copyediting looks after the grammar, usage and consistency issues.

Proofreading addresses how things look on the page. Typos, repeated words etc are weeded out.

Kill your darlings is the favorite phrase of the editors. But the writer should have faith in his/her story and the final word should always be theirs. The darlings need not always die.

We should not allow any editor to mutilate our creations. If they enhance our writing with good editing, well and good. But if they strip down the essentials, it is time to put your foot down.

As the writer of the story, we often have the characters fully developed in our mind. We often know what drives them, their likes and dislikes.

 In order to show them in their true magnificence, we often add scenes which flesh them out on the pages. An editor might think they are not necessary.

 If it so happens, explain why you did it and why the scene is important. If the editor can convince you why it is not needed, then go with it.

Otherwise, stick to your opinion and convince them why it is necessary with valid arguments.

After all, it is your story and you should tell it your way.  

During this A-Z April Challenge, I am exploring the A-Z journey of writing a Novel with examples from Literature.

The Letter of the day is X

Linking this post  to Blogging from A-Z

and Blogchatter

Have you read the Letters A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H  I  J K  L M N  O P Q R  S T U V and W?

What If Questions

What if questions govern a writer’s life in a multitude of ways.

To begin with, it helps a writer create.

A story idea might originate from a simple ‘what if’ question.  A spectacular twist in the story comes out of a ‘what if’ idea.

The various dimensions of a character become evident as answers to different what if questions. The pace of the story, the character arc, the climax, the ending… every element becomes different from a similar story when the writer attempts to give life to a ‘what if’ idea.

A writer brings in variety and newness into the scene ideas, the dialogues, and the conflicts by asking many what if questions.

What if the villain turned out to be an extraterrestrial? Such a question is bound to change the genre of the story.

What if the characters begin to speak as if they were given different scripts? It can lead to hilarious situations or create conflicts.

What if one of the characters dies unexpectedly? This technique is widely used. ‘Kill your darlings’ is a tactic often adopted by authors when writing a book series. The Harry porter series sees the death of at least one prominent character in each book.

Yet, ‘What if’ questions also hinder creativity. It is one of the main questions that can bring in fear. 

Some of the common what if questions that trouble writers right from the beginning of their writing career are:

What if I am not meant to be a writer?

What if I am not able to complete this novel that I have begun?

What if this book turns out to be the worst book ever?

What if I face multiple rejections from agents and publishers?

What if the book never gets published?

What if the readers hate what I write?

What if the critics tear my book apart?

What if this book doesn’t match the popularity of the previous one?

What if I earn peanuts as a writer?

What if… such fears haunt the writer and the result is often ‘Writer’s Block’.

It is for us to decide whether we will use this simple phrase to create a question that will make us create or block our creativity.

Do you think what if questions are powerful?

During this A-Z April Challenge, I am exploring the A-Z journey of writing a Novel with examples from Literature.

The Letter of the day is W

Linking this post  to Blogging from A-Z

and Blogchatter

Have you read the Letters A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H  I  J K  L M N  O P Q R  S T U and V?