Annie Zaidi's Blog, page 31

Short Story - Inverter

For a minute, nothing. Then a pool of light gathered at the window across, smearing itself untidily against the grimy glass.



I didn’t know what to do after that. I looked at the moon, at the street below, and sucked in the warmth spreading in my blood.



The next night was the same. She let her pool of light shimmy across the lane one more time, and went down the stairs. I too pointed my

A snatch of music

This is the latest script I did for The Small Picture in Mint. It comes from me missing music in public spaces, and then, chancing upon a few snatches at suburban railway stations last year. 

# wishlist 2014

I had, on an impulse, begun to tweet a wish-list in the new year. Most of these were civic or political wishes. Am compiling them here in one place and will keep adding to them as I keep wishing and wanting. - Can somebody not pass a law against people stealing others' hisse ki dhoop? Isn't sunshine basic human right like food, water, oxygen - Pass a law to prevent housing society discriminating

Plural losses

This piece was written for The Small Picture on December 6, and for my grandfather, who left so much unfinished, so much unsaid:

On writing, getting published etc

I often get approached by aspiring authors who want to know how to get published, and what my own experience has been like. So I thought I would just collect my various thoughts and responses in a single post. Treat all advice, however, as general advice. Each writer has a different journey and therefore different points of view.

- Finish the manuscript.
- Edit it to the best of your ability.

In gratitude, and regret

I cannot fully express the nature of my regret at not having done this post before. I had meant to, as soon as I walked out of the hall after watching Club 60. But it was late, and over the last month, I was always either too sleepy, or too distracted by my own struggles to stay afloat, to stay hopeful. Next thing I hear, Farooque Shaikh is gone. And though I never met him, I would have liked to

Low drama, low conflict

For a while now, I have been thinking about the need for 'drama' in stories, especially scripts. It is taken for granted that for a film or play to work, there needs to be a steady escalation of drama. That conflict must be established early on, that we (or rather, the audience) must be worried about the fate of the principal characters, and that the level of 'difficulty' in these characters'

Other loves and lives

Had recently reviewed 'Alternate Realities: Love in the
lives of Muslim Women' for Time Out. Sharing the text below, with some personal additions.



A brief anecdote first: I had wandered into a tiny bookstore in Lokhandwala where I frequently drop in, just
to browse. I had no intention of buying anything that day. I was picking up books
at random and reading the first couple of pages before

New poem

Another poem in another poetry magazine, Cordite.
 "Sometimes I wonder if..."

The rare poem of hope

 'Swiss Lace Blouse' was the 'poem of the week' at The Missing Slate recently.