Andaleeb Wajid's Blog, page 5

Mentoring young minds

In the last week of October, I headed to PSBB LLA school in Bannerghatta Road where I was a mentor at a creative writing workshop held by Katha. Along with other mentors such as Vikram Sridhar, Mamta Sagar and Kausalya Saptharishi, we worked with a huge group of children each, for three days. Children from South Indian cities such as Hyderabad, Coimbatore, Kochi and Chennai had turned up for the workshop with their parents or teachers.

It was a fabulous experience all around. With around 45 students of varying ages in my group, we discussed what we liked about stories, how we made up stories, do beginnings always have to be in the beginning etc? We also wrote plenty of short fiction and I was amazed at some of the ideas that emerged.

I was apprehensive because it was the first time I would be handling so many children and actually doing a workshop. I wouldn’t say it was a piece of cake because it wasn’t, and my respect and admiration for teachers has gone up tremendously. But it was also a learning experience for me, one that will be really special, especially because of the spontaneously creative kids I worked with.

The workshop comprised of students from Std 4 to std 11 and it was no easy task ensuring that kids from all age groups got what I was saying.

On Day 1, we spent time getting to know each other and we played a few games trying to get a feel of how the class would write individually and as groups.

On Day 2, the kids wrote a little more as part of a writing exercise and I read out one of my old short stories to them, asking them to come up with an alternative ending. A lot of interesting outcomes came up. Post lunch I divided them into groups and asked them to put up a 5 minute skit. It was fun to see them all huddle together and come up with ideas and execute them in the short time I gave them.

On Day 3, they had to write and submit their short stories. All too soon, it seemed as though the workshop was over. I’d been looking forward to it from quite sometime, worried as to how I’d do it and it was already done and dusted.

I had a bunch of bright kids with me and they came up with some absurd and yet creatively satisfying storylines. Also, I was heartened to learn from them that they were there because they loved stories, not because of some false notions of becoming rich and famous quickly.

Thank you Katha for giving me this chance! I loved it!

Groups discussing their skits

Selfie time!

A book launch is not just a book launch!

There’s a huge difference between your first book launch and your (no idea which) later ones. The first noticeable difference is that you’re no longer nervous. You’re also not worried about how many people will turn up and will it just be family and friends like last time. Or the time before that. Because it’s taken me all these books to realise that a book launch maybe many things but it’s above all, a celebration of a book. In the midst of coordinating with various celebrity guests and other such hassles, one tends to forget that and focusing on these things creates a situation where the author is tense and worried.

So here’s the thing. The very fact that the book exists is nothing short of miraculous. You conjure up the book based on just an idea in your head. You write all fifty thousand words (or more) and then if you’re lucky, you land publishers like Duckbill who give their everything to your book. And by that, I mean everything.

They work with you on the book, they make it probably two hundred times better, and they come up with a book cover that completely wows you and everyone else. And it doesn’t stop there.

Anyway, so the book is ready, but doesn’t reach until the very last minute thanks to courier glitches. Your publishers move heaven and earth to make sure you get at least three copies before the launch. They even send off twenty copies through a friend who’s flying to Bangalore from Delhi! You manage to make sure the book reaches the other very sweet author (Jane D’Souza Gopalakrishnan) and your English Literature teacher (Dr. Shantha from college) two days before the launch and hope they have time to go through it.

You call up your family and invite them to attend. This part is very important because I have to make sure I’m inviting them as I would, to a wedding. So you can imagine how I’ve had to invite everyone for all the book launches every single time. Yeah, but the nice thing is that almost everyone turns up. Because like I said, it’s a celebration of the book.

I’ve never been this *unstressed* over a launch and it probably had a lot to do because it was at Atta Galatta, an independent bookstore which is one of my all time favourite stores here in Bangalore. Of course, Lakshmi and Subodh Sankar, the gracious hosts and owners of AG have a lot to do with that feeling of comfort.

So, on 18th October, we all got together at AG for a celebration of my 8th novel, When she Went Away. Friends, family and colleagues turned up in full force! My mother surprised me by bringing a Shahi tukda sweet, all packed into small cups for all the guests and everyone loved it. The book was launched and the three of us got into a spirited discussion about the book. The audience got involved and we went on for quite a bit. The theme of the book was intriguing (after all, how often does a mother leave her perfectly all right family and go away without any reason?) and a lot of people asked questions, not just about the book but about my writing process as well.

Jane had some interesting questions to ask while Dr. Shantha offered some sharp insight into the character of the protagonist and her mother as well. All of us at the launch felt like we were in a classroom (not any class but the Optional English classes she took for us)  once again, listening to her speak so eloquently. And magnificently!

We ended the day by taking plenty of selfies and pictures and the best part was the potluck dinner at my aunt’s house after the launch. Much yummy in the tummy happened!

What better way to bring a book into the world than with family and friends, all with you to celebrate?

Some pictures of the event.

Reading Hour with Anuja

Yes, I know this is nearly two weeks late but I’ve been really busy and there’s been no time to put anything down. Sorry guys! So here’s a quick recap of the event we did with Anuja at Atta Galatta.

Anuja turned up ten minutes before the event, proceeded to sign books and pose for selfies graciously and fans (including me) were thrilled to have her with us for a whole hour.

So, without any more delay, here’s the gist of the event.

There are some writers whose books you look forward to greatly, knowing that you’re in for a good time. You trust those authors and know that you can count on them to give you hours of reading pleasure. Anuja Chauhan, who really needs no introduction is one such author. Fans wait for every book of hers with huge anticipation. For readers, she’s a storehouse of dreamy heroes, strong wilful heroines and some deliciously complicated storylines. For writers, she’s a huge source of inspiration. I only have to go back to any of her books, just to be stumped at how much detail she invests into the lives of her characters and their worlds. So it was with much delight that I moderated this session of Reading Hour with  her on 20th September.

We got talking about how she’s such a popular author and whether she ever thought she’d become this popular. Anuja modestly admitted that she had no idea that she’d get this popular as an author. But she also admitted how she loved writing because one could just get up and without even moving from bed, pull over your laptop and start writing.

I then asked her about her deliciously complicated plots, if she made any chart to organise it. She admitted her methods weren’t very organised or scientific and although she has certain folders in her computer for plot etc, she ends up not using it.

Of course, when you’re talking about an Anuja Chauhan book, you have to be prepared for some really funny dialogues. Hinglish, yes, but even then, she does have an amazing ear for dialogue. So I asked her if she heard a lot of people talking and absorbed it. How did she retain it? How can she remember it all? Her answer was simple. How can you not remember, she asked, when people botch up pronunciations like it’s a perfectly normal thing to do. She recounted numerous incidents that made the audience laugh out loud, and there’s stuff there that I can’t repeat here. What happened in Atta Galatta stays in Atta Galatta. Ahem. Too bad some of you missed it.

When readers ask me where I can find the heroes in my books, I always tell them, in my imagination. When I asked her she said it’s not entirely in her imagination. A little of this, a little of that, and yes, a belief in a cause maybe, and there you have them.

It’s the same with the a spunky heroines in her books. From the first book till the fourth, they’ve certainly evolved. Anuja agreed, and said that though Zoya is the closest to her she’s enjoyed writing about all these new, sassy heroines like Bonu in The House that BJ built.

To wrap up, I asked her about the filmi plots of her books. How does she know when to stop? Where to draw the line? She admitted that her first readers do help her out but she also avoids using the too many coincidences and other elements that make the work ‘filmi’.

All of us, her eager readers are waiting for her next book, which she’s currently writing.

The next Reading Hour event is in November with Anjum Hasan. Don’t miss it! Details coming soon!

Show, don’t tell!

Any writer worth their salt will tell you how important it is to show, not tell, especially when you are writing a work of fiction. You’ve probably heard it at many creative writing workshops and yet, when you’re writing, you don’t know how to make sure you’re showing and not telling. Hmm?

I won’t say I have this in the bag completely because I’m still learning the process of writing. But there are a few things I do know after all this writing I’ve done. So, here I go, sharing my gyan once again.

1. Crackling dialogue can do what sentences and sentences of portraying your characters feelings can’t. If you’re character is going through something, it’s a good idea to use dialogue to showcase it. Sometimes banter, sometimes a serious conversation and sometimes even repartee can reveal your characters innermost flaws or feelings, as the case may be.

2. Sometimes how your character reacts to a situation shows your readers all that you want to convey. So instead of writing a scene where you want to tell your readers that something is happening, create a situation that speaks for itself. How your character reacts to it will tell the reader a whole lot without actually telling them. Here’s an example from my own work. Ahem.

Hope that explains what I mean!

3.

Dialogue has its place when it comes to showing something to your readers but what’s that old cliche about actions speaking louder than words? That holds true. If you make your characters react to something, or act on something, you can reveal a facet of their personality or their innermost feelings without actually spelling it out. And for that, we come to tip no. 4.

4.

Reader experience as you well know is subjective. What I might deduce from a scene may not be what you deduce and that’s the beauty of a well written piece because it’s open to interpretation. This is exactly why showing is more important than telling. But how does one do it? By following tip no. 3. Your characters are like puppets (most of the time) and they will do or say what you want. It’s up to you to ensure that you do the right thing.

5.

Sometimes atmosphere shows things best. The right atmosphere or setting can convey so much to your readers. All you need to do is to ensure you don’t go overboard with descriptions. That is a real danger, worthy of another give writing tips post. But do remember that sometimes atmosphere can be the best thing about a scene or chapter. You can often make your characters emotions stand out in contrast with the atmosphere of the moment.

I hope these writing tips are helpful! Do tweet to me at andaleebwajid and start a conversation if you want to discuss writing further.

Getting ideas

One of the questions I’ve always been asked is, how I get my ideas. I wish I could tell exactly how but it’s not really possible to tell how my mind works right? In fact, there are times when I don’t know what it is that has prompted me or provoked me into a writing something. As a writer you’re always on the lookout for something that can be made into a story or a book or even a blog post. I thought about this for quite a bit and then decided to do a Writing Tips post for the blog.

Here are five tips on how I get my ideas and convert them into stories.

1. This might sound like a no – brainer but keep your eyes open. As writers we have to be like sponges and absorb things around us. Something somewhere might click. I once spotted a man talking to a woman while I was waiting for my mother to finish instructing her tailor and I was fascinated by their dynamics. They were discussing something important and yet there was an element of sadness to their conversation. I made up a story about them as I continued to observe them. This was a goodbye I thought. The woman was saying to the man that they can’t meet again and the man is convincing her to give them another shot. While I didn’t exactly use this scene directly, it did become the basis of a story in one of my books.

2. Truth is stranger than fiction is the often used cliche and it’s true. There are hundreds of weird things happening around the world. It’s up to you to choose one and twist it and make it what you want. I read about a girl who had the sleeping beauty syndrome, and I used it in my time travel trilogy as the possible cause for the protagonist’s condition.

3. Get inspired by history. If current events don’t really cut it for you, then go back in time (am I losing the subtle touch in plugging my books?) and look for inspiration there. History is always a rich source of stories and events that you can use as the basis of an idea. The point here is that you need to keep an open mind and think of anything and everything as a possibility for a story.

4. Make a list of things you like to write about. Then put two or three together and see if you can weave a story out of it. Sounds too random? Actually it can be fun although I rarely use this method. But it’s even better if you time yourself. Give yourself five minutes to come up with a list of things you like and then do a mix and match. What you’ll get here most likely is the premise of a story. It’s up to you to build it from there into something more viable.

5. Sometimes all it takes is a sentence, a look, a description, a word to plant an idea in my head. What you need to do is to not let go of it. Write it down somewhere. Hold onto it. Go back to it every now and then and see what you can do with it.

That’s it from me. Do you have any inputs or feedback on how you get your ideas? Do feel free to share them with me, either here in the comments below or tweet to me at andaleebwajid.

What’s in a name?

 

Judy Balan, author of the best selling novel Two Fates, Sophie Says and the more recent Nina the Philosopher series is a very good friend of mine. Since both of us are writers, we do talk a lot about the writing process and what works or doesn’t. One thing I’ve noticed about Judy is her fascination for naming her characters correctly.

I thought it would be fun to have a Q and A with her about this for both our readers. So here goes.

AW: As someone who would happily name her characters X, Y and Z if given the option, I find it to be one of the most taxing parts of getting started with writing a novel. Does the right name for a character matter much to you? And why? 

JB: Agree it’s taxing but yes, it’s extremely important to me. In fact, I can’t get on with the story if I don’t get the name right. And it doesn’t matter if it’s a great name. If I feel it doesn’t completely align with the character (and this is an entirely subjective, irrational process), I just can’t tell the story. Have you tried walking with a pair of fabulous shoes that are a size too small? It’s like that. 

AW:Okay, J K Rowling is a league apart in every possible way. She’s also one of the authors who has given the most interesting names to her characters except the titular character of Harry Potter. I’d love to hear what you think about this. 

JB: Oh, I had read in an interview a long time ago that she wanted a common name for the protagonist in order to make him relatable. Since she was writing for children, she wanted every child to see himself/herself as Harry. And I agree with that logic because Harry is so common, it’s almost like a non-name. Which means, you can easily replace it with your own. 

AW:Two of my favourite writers, J K Rowling and Rick Riordan hold the notion in their books that ‘names have powers’. On the other hand, we have Shakespeare saying, what’s in a name, a rose by any name would smell as sweet. What do you think? A name is a name is a name or is it something more? 

JB: For me, it’s more. But I also know that many of us don’t identify with our own names, especially those of us with a weird combination of names (yes, Judy Pavithra Balan was traumatic). So I like having some fun with this as well. In my second book, my lead character was called Sophia Thilagam but insisted on calling herself Sophia Tilgum. I’m not saying that a fabulous person can’t make a dull name dazzle, or an obnoxious combination of names sound cool. But I’d leave that job for people who want to write life-changing, path-breaking fiction. Also – just saying – Vera Mindy Chockalingam simply does not have the same ring to it as Mindy Kaling. 

AW: Is there any special name you like a lot? Please don’t say Yatan. Apart from that. 

JB : Ha ha. Funnily, someone liked Yatan because he said it looked like ‘Satan’ and someone else had trouble seeing him as this badass in the book because he knew someone named Yatan who was quite the opposite. As for favourite names, where do I begin! I love the name iola (I’ve used small i ’cause I don’t want it to be confused with Lola) from Hardy Boys. I wanted to name my daughter that but picked Kiara ’cause I thought the chances of people butchering this name would be much less. Couldn’t have been more wrong – she gets called Kyaara, Keera, Kyra and Keerai (which means spinach in Tamil). 

As for last names, I have a terrible weakness for names that include three consonants in a row or names that end with z next to a consonant. Like, Horowitz. Noticed that’s the last name of one of the creators of Once Upon A Time. Also, it’s combined with ‘Adam’ (another favourite) so that’s kind of like an ideal name in my head. Other favourites are names that include ‘owska,’ ‘vrski’ and such. Add an accent (` ~ ‘) to it and I’m weak in the knees. Yes, it’s almost a fetish. 

AW: How do you go about choosing a name for your characters? Crowd sourcing? Or Internet? 

JB : Facebook friends list

Working around writer’s block

If there’s one thing every other writer will tell you or post on Facebook or tweet, is that they’re having writer’s block at some point or the other in their writing career. Of course, if you are a writer, you know for a fact that writer’s block can strike you unawares and the novel that you were working on is no longer flowing from your finger tips on to the keyboard. This feeling of being stuck, of not being able to move forward is typical of writer’s block. But here’s a secret. Writer’s block doesn’t exist.

What?

Yes. True story.

Writer’s block has more to do with your mental disposition at the point of time when you’re trying to write, rather than actually being the thing it is made out to be.

Over the past years as I’ve been writing my books there have been times when the words just didn’t seem right. There have been times when I haven’t felt like writing. A typical question that students I speak to, or interviewers ask is how I deal with writer’s block. This is how.

1. By acknowledging that it does not exist. I try not to get discouraged and I certainly don’t label it as a writer’s block. Typically you may get this block either when you’re in the middle of writing something or you might find yourself unable to start something new. Ideally don’t decide that you have writer’s block and go on with your life. Also, names/labels have power. The moment you decide that this is it, I have writer’s block, you’re relieved because you have something identifiable, something that other writers also face. It just makes it all the more difficult to work around it. When you feel this way, stop before you proclaim to the world at large that you have writer’s block. Instead, just say that you didn’t feel like writing.

2. Believe me, this one works. When I feel that the book isn’t flowing like free flow salt from a shaker, I shut the lid of the laptop and I do something as mundane as baking a cake. Or you can take a walk in the park. Go watch a movie with friends or read a book with your kids. In your head, just tell yourself that you’re having some downtime. And it’s okay. You’re allowed to have that. Even if you’re in the middle of a climactic scene in your novel or even if you are just before an all important scene when you don’t know how one scene will segue into the next, it’s okay to take a break. You never know when your subconscious will unlock so check out if you feel like writing after a couple of days. Ideally, don’t take a very long break because then you’ll lose interest and that’s the ultimate killer. Also, one thing I heard from Kamila Shamsie at her book launch last year (and that scared the crap out of me because I’d decided to take a break from writing in 2014), was this – Her aunt, Attia Hosain, told her once that writing is like a muscle. If you don’t use it, you’ll lose it. 

3. I have a select group of friends who always read the books I write, while I am writing them. It gives them the kicks but it also helps me streamline my writing. Of course, I never usually take their inputs even if they have any because crowd sourcing my book is not my thing. But sometimes, when you’re stuck, it helps talking to friends who know what you’re writing. Even if you don’t want anyone to read your work in progress, you can talk to them about it, give a gist and sometimes something they may say might change the way you view your own work. Friends like these are like sounding boards. Use them! They’ll be most willing to help!

 

4. For a clutter lover and slob like me, I am meticulously planned and neat (questionable since my handwriting is such that only I can understand it), only in one thing. My notes. When I decide to write a novel, I take out a note book and start writing notes. This could be a stream of consciousness putting down of what I want in the book or it could be a more organised plan. I like to have a two or three page idea of what I want in the book before I start writing. You’ll see that people who write non-fiction do not or cannot work without a plan. Planning it down to the chapter level is a bit too much for me so I don’t do that but having an outline helps a lot. That way when I get stuck, I just have to refer to those notes and it helps me move forward. 

 

5. Picture this. If you’re walking somewhere and you come across a road sign that says, road under construction, wouldn’t you just approach your destination from another way? Or if there’s a boulder on your path, you’ll walk around it, right? Just like that, think of the block as something that you have to tackle from another angle. What also works is if you try writing something else. Do you have a blog? Then write a blog post. If not, focus your energies on writing something else. It could be a book review, or even a short story that you may never want to publish. That’s okay. What helps is that it gets the flow moving. 

 

Is there any other way in which you handle writer’s block? What works for you? I asked this question on Twitter a couple of days ago and these two responses were interesting and useful.

Would love to hear your comments on this, either here or on Twitter. You can tweet to me  @andaleebwajid and I’ll get back to you and do a follow up post featuring your tweets as well, provided I do get more responses! 

Till then, kick that block and get back to writing!

Reading Hour with Abhijit Bhaduri

In August, the Reading Hour session was held with Abhijit Bhaduri, Chief Learning Officer at Wipro and author of Mediocre But Arrogant and Married but Available and Don’t Hire the Best.

On a cool Saturday evening, we sat down at Atta Galatta for some conversation and coffee. Thankfully it was not raining and the atmosphere was perfect.

Abhijit is good fun and I developed a really good rapport with him during the course of our conversation where he cleverly tried to steer the questions towards me instead of answering them right away!

Since the topic was about how authors play God with their characters I asked him if he liked it. His answer wasn’t straight but from what I gleaned I think authors don’t have much choice. So there isn’t really a question of liking it or not.

Then we got talking about his love for the oxymoron as is demonstrated in the names of his books – Mediocre but Arrogant and Married but Available. Abhijit joked that if he writes a third one it could be called  Middle-aged but Attractive.

Students are often known to keep derisive nicknames for their professors and he too has kept plenty for his professors as is evident in the book. I wanted to know if he knew what his students had nicknamed him but he didn’t know. Ideally, we should have had a student of his in the audience too!

We also spoke about the life of students in the 80s as opposed to the lives of students today. One thing that stands out probably is that students today end up treating support staff like furniture and often don’t even know their names.

One of the things we also talked about was his consistent blogging. I wanted to know how he stays motivated enough to continue it from so long. He admitted he started off by uploading his entire novel on his blog at first and then removing it when he realised that that’s not what blogs are about. Abhijit blogs about his work, his interests and reviews movies and books as well. Check out his blog at his website www.abhijitbhaduri.com

Abhijit also gave us some tips on Twitter. He suggested that people who are either useful or interesting get more followers and ideally you should be a little of both. I’m trying Abhijit! I’m trying.

Reading Hour August was enjoyable and good fun. We hope more people will show up for the next session in September. Just a heads up to everyone. We’re getting Anuja Chauhan for September and it’s on 20th September. Don’t miss that!

Five things I can do now that I’ve finished writing my novel

So I finished writing my novel last night. My twelfth novel. I still remember the exhilaration I’d felt when I finished my first one in 2005. Now, it’s more relief than exhilaration. Because now, here’s a list of what I can do, now that I am done writing! 

 

1. I can get my life back. All these days my life was split between the lives of my protagonists and my own. In my head, they took up more place than real life people did. It’s not just that. I created and altered the events in their lives. I had to make sure it all mattered in the long run. Yeah, although I can get my life back now, what’s the fun in that? 

2. I can go back to watching TV shows without feeling guilty. (Arrow, here I am!) I used to sneak in an episode here and there as reward for finishing a chapter. Now I can binge watch. Oh yay! 

3. I can read a book without worrying that what I’m reading will colour my writing. I used to not read books at all when I started writing my second novel. I was scared something from what I read would slip in and I’d end up unconsciously internalising something I’ve read and spew it on my pages. Now that doesn’t happen but even when I’m reading, a part of me stays separate and doesn’t get involved because I don’t want to. 

4. I can finally give some much needed rest to my wrists, palms, arms, shoulders. I’ve gone to sleep some days with aching shoulders and hands that hurt so much that I can’t even dream of holding a pen. Writing is physically hard work guys! Even when the words flow as you type them out, it ends up tiring you, mentally too. At the end of the writing day, you’re strung out and yet raring to go as soon as the next day comes. 

5. I can stop worrying about what happens next because I bloody well know it now. I did know it when I started the book but it was mostly a hazy set of events that I’d constructed and noted down in my notebook. Once I get down to the actual writing, I have to either expand those events or change them altogether based on what’s happening. 

 

So that’s my list of five things I can do now that I’ve finished writing my novel. Anyone wants to add anything to it? Go on. Help me make a list of things I can do now that I am done writing! 

Writing unforgettable characters

When I’m reading a book, what stays with me after I’ve finished reading is not just the plot but the characters as well. So I asked my Twitter friends to tell me some of the characters in fiction that they find unforgettable.

Quite a few people responded and it’s added several books to my reading list as well.

The Kite Runner was a book that haunted me too. I recommended it right, left and centre before it became a big thing. I think the little kid in the end, Hassan’s son, stayed with me but yes Amir too.

A Fine Balance is a book that I don’t want to go back to, anytime soon. It fascinated me but depressed me as well. What an ending!

And there are some books which have been added to my reading list now.

And then there are these favourites too.

As a writer, I’m fascinated with characters and what makes them unforgettable. Continuing my Writing Tips series, I tweeted five pointers about characterisation. A little expanded version is here:

1. How well do you know your characters? Do you know what clothes they like to wear, what food they like to eat, what TV shows they watch, what books they like to read, what they don’t like… Everything about them. Keep a notebook about them and make notes about the characters. As much as you can at least. Keep those notes, refer to them whenever you get stuck about something and get writing!

2. No one likes perfect people. In real life or in books. Characters with flaws are what everyone can relate to. In fact the more flawed the character, the better the story is, depending on whether there’s a redemption story in there. It’s why we so often fall in love with anti-heros like Sidney Carton. Even if they can’t be redeemed, there’s something so relatable about them that they stay with you long after you’ve rest the book. Like Scarlet O Hara who annoyed me like anything. But she’s still unforgettable.

3. Sometimes an analysis of your favourite character might work. Trying to understand them, why they are the way they are. I’ve noticed that layered characters are the ones with rich back stories that allows writers to work their way back and forth. One of my favourite characters is Snape from the Harry Potter series. And what a character he is! Sometimes characters might not have any back story as such or you may not really be bothered with that because they’re so quirky. Whether it’s Hercule Poirot or Psmith, these are characters that live forever.

4. When I posted this tip on Instagram, a friend commented that this sounds a lot like having multiple personality disorder! It’s actually true. When you’re a writer, you’re leading multiple lives. Often you’re immersed in the world of the book, the problems of the protagonists and how they’re going to solve them. It’s what gives that dreamy air to writers and causes my mother to lament that I pay more attention to fictional people than I do to real people! Not true by the way. It’s just that my characters are real to me and I like them to achieve whatever they’ve set out to achieve. If they can’t, I stand back and commiserate. And sometimes I just find it hard to let go of them even when the book is written and sent out for publishing. So sometimes I make up fan fiction with them in my head. But that’s okay. You don’t really need to know how crazy I am! But it does give you an idea of the level of my involvement with them I suppose!

5. The most important one of all! Contrary to what my family thinks, I’m not always ‘lost in my own world’ because I’m looking at people carefully. I’m observing everyone around me and it all gets stored somewhere in my head where I’m not even aware of, but I draw inspiration from that hidden store whenever possible. The thing is, I don’t do this consciously. Neither the observing, nor the drawing out. It’s a part of my psyche. So try and start people watching (unobtrusively please) and make it a habit. You’ll discover a wealth of information that you might eventually use in writing about a character.

Well, that’s it for now now! I’ll be back with more writing tips on how to deal with writer’s block (err… What’s that?) and other such helpful pointers.

As for my favourite characters -

Actually I’m sure there are more but these were who I could recall off the top of my head during the Twitter session.

Follow me on Twitter to get involved in other such discussions in future. My Twitter id is andaleebwajid.