Ekta R. Garg's Blog, page 60

New Instagram posts!

Happy Friday, Write Edge readers. First and foremost, my thoughts go to the families who lost loved ones on Sept. 11, 2001. There aren’t enough words to describe my feelings about that day, and I’m sure those of you directly connected to it feel even more so. I wish you strength and togetherness.

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I’ve posted my latest Instagram posts for you. They include what I’ve just finished reading, what I’m reading now, and more. Check them out with my handle, @EktaRGarg, or on my Facebook author page (where you’ll find lots of other cool stuff too, exclusive to Facebook!)

Have a good weekend, readers! Remember, stay healthy, stay safe, stay distant, and wear a mask.

E.R.G.

New book review up!

Hello, Write Edge readers! I’ve posted my latest book review for you. Today I share my thoughts on Fredrik Backman’s newest novel Anxious People. Here’s the opening to my post:

A bank robbery goes wrong, making the thief desperate enough to take an apartment full of people hostage. As the day progresses, the hostages, the thief, and the police officers on the case will all find themselves grappling with their lives’ greatest hurts. Veteran author Fredrik Backman returns with another touching, funny, relatable novel with his latest book Anxious People.

Read the full review now on The Write Edge Bookshelf!

Have a great day, readers! Stay hydrated, stay safe, and wear a mask!

E.R.G.

Surprises, surprises

Good evening, Write Edge readers! I’m grateful that this week has started out differently from last week. Both have had their share of surprises. Last week we dealt with a power outage, a water outage, and an internet outage. By the time Friday rolled around, everyone in our house agreed we were happy to see it.

So far, this week has gotten off to a much better start and a much more interesting one, I have to say. I spent part of today on the phone with family friends I haven’t heard from in years. That was the first surprise. I also surprised myself with my short fiction for the week in that it’s not so short. But more on that in a minute.

This Wednesday I’m doing another online workshop for our local library, but you don’t have to be a member of the library to attend. Here’s the link for my workshop on how to start a short story:

https://champaign.org/event/live-webinar-where-to-begin-4501819

I posted this first this week instead of the motivational quote because, as the quote reminds us, if it’s not easy to write well it’s not exactly easy to write a terrible story either.

“Bad writing is not easier than good writing. It’s just as hard to make a toilet seat as it is a castle window. Only the view is different.”—Ben Hecht

If you’ve ever considered writing a short story and want to know where to start, register for the workshop and come say hello!

Speaking of writing, I’ve posted my latest short story for you. This one surprised me, because it’s not done yet and I thought it would be. I’m really curious to find out what happens next, though, and I think I just might continue it next week for you all. Here’s a snippet of what I have so far:

The entire center stayed quiet for approximately 3.7 seconds before sounds exploded. Phones began ringing. The head of the team sent out repeated calls to the spaceship, his voice rising in pitch with every unsuccessful attempt. Other team members ran back and forth between various stations with reams of data and new calculations.

Xavier dropped his head in his hands. What had gone wrong? Who had made the mistake?

Read the whole story now on The Write Edge Writing Workshop!

Tomorrow is the release of Fredrik Backman’s latest book, Anxious People, and I’m going to review the novel for you on Wednesday. Since his first novel, A Man Called Ove, came out in 2012, Backman has hit bestseller lists around the world time and time again. Did he manage to create magic again this time? Find out in the middle of the week on The Write Edge Bookshelf!

And on Friday it’s back to my latest posts on Instagram. Check out the thumbnails of previous pictures right here on the home page of The Write Edge, or come chat with me on Insta using my handle, @EktaRGarg. Not on Instagram? Find my posts (and other fun content exclusive to that platform) on my Facebook author page.

Have a fantastic week, readers! I hope it holds some fun surprises for you as well!

(P.S. Stay hydrated; stay healthy; stay safe. Wear a mask.)

E.R.G.

Instagram posts up!

Hello, Write Edge readers, and happy Friday! I’ve posted my latest Instagram posts for you. You can see what I’m reading these days, get a peek into my writing life, and more. Check them out now on Instagram with my handle, @EktaRGarg, or on my Facebook author page.

Have a fantastic long weekend, readers! Remember: stay healthy, stay safe, and stay hydrated!

E.R.G.

No book review today

Hello, Write Edge readers! I know I don’t do this often, but I won’t be posting a book review today. I had to add The Darkest Evening by Ann Cleeves to my DNF (Did Not Finish) pile — I was unable to finish reading the book. But hold your horses, because next week brings the latest release by Swedish author Fredrik Backman; he’s back with Anxious People, and, admittedly, I’m a huge fan of his, so I can’t wait to tell you what I think about it.

In the meantime, stay healthy, stay hydrated, and stay safe, readers!

E.R.G.

The last quarter of the year…

Good morning, Write Edge readers! We’re poised to start the last quarter of the year tomorrow. Can you believe it? As I wrote in last week’s Growth Chart, time these days has a strange elasticity, stretching across itself and over and around itself in ways I think we’re all still trying to understand. All I know is we should take the good moments when they come and enjoy them. When the bad moments come, chin up. You’re not alone. If this pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that we’re literally sharing this with the entire world.

Maybe, though, the tough experiences are a good thing. I don’t say this with a Pollyanna-esque look at life. It’s more like a sober examination of the facts. If anyone in the world needed a reminder not to take the people in their lives and the positive things they have for granted, this is probably the time they’ll pay attention to it. This week’s motivational quote looks toward that idea with a daunting piece of advice that is also somewhat encouraging, because it reminds us that we can get better and stronger.

“It takes a lot of bad writing to get to a little good writing.”—Truman Capote

I mentioned sharing earlier. It’s the last Monday of the month. The day I share my blog with other writers to elevate them and their work. Today on our monthly writers showcase, you’ll find a story about a young woman and child that makes you want to linger in it and a poem that will make you nostalgic for travel. Read all of the pieces now on The Write Edge Writing Workshop!

In the middle of the week, I’ll come back with a new book review. This week I’m letting you know what I thought of The Darkest Evening by Ann Cleeves that releases next week. Come back for that on Wednesday on The Write Edge Bookshelf!

And on Friday, I’ll go back to sharing Instagram posts. If you want to catch up with old ones, find them on Instagram with my handle @EktaRGarg or on my Facebook author page (where I also share other fun stuff exclusive to Facebook!)

Stay healthy, stay safe, and stay hydrated. Have a great day, readers!

E.R.G.

 

New parenting adventures posted!

Hello, Write Edge readers! I’ve posted my latest parenting adventures for you. Here’s a quick excerpt:

Parenting is about contradictions, and never is that more true than in our current age. We worried about gun violence and cyberbullying. Now we worry about COVID too. Our heads turn in sharp angles when we hear someone sniffling or a person mentions a headache. We watch the news and hear the stories about the families who have lost their children to this terrible virus, and we want to hold our own a little tighter even as they squirm to be free.

Read the full post now on Growth Chart!

Thinking of all the families in Louisiana who have lost loved ones and their homes in the hurricane. If you can find a way to help, readers, please do so. Also, please stay safe yourselves. Wear a mask. Social distance. Stay hydrated.

Have a good weekend.

E.R.G.

Last installment of Thursday R.E.A.D.s now up!

Good morning, Write Edge readers! This whole month I’ve focused on The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins in my deep-dive analysis feature called Thursday R.E.A.D.s. Today I’m sharing my last installment of the analysis of the book where I look at it as a d.reamer of words and stories. Here’s an excerpt:

Writers are often encouraged to think of their work in terms of an elevator pitch—one to three sentences, about 30 seconds, of what their books are about. But these a.uthor celebrities don’t need elevator pitches. They own the entire building that houses the elevator.

Read the whole post now on The Write Edge Bookshelf Thursday R.E.A.D.s!

Stay safe, stay healthy, and stay hydrated, readers!

E.R.G.

When Monday slides into Wednesday…

Hello, Write Edge readers! I know, I know, I was supposed to show up two days ago. Yet, as the title of my posts suggests, somehow Monday slid into Wednesday.

Never fear, however! Your favorite R.eviewer-E.ditor-A.uthor-D.reamer of stories and books is back, and I’m cramming a lot of content into this post. So for the first half of it, just pretend it’s Monday, and then for the second half you can go back to Wednesday.

It’s easy, in challenging times, to lose faith in ourselves, but these are exactly the days and times we need to hold fast to our passions. This week’s motivational quote illuminates that in the most succinct way:

“When you doubt your power, you give power to your doubt.”— Honore de Balzac, French author

And that power can be for a number of things, like hard decisions. I’ve posted this week’s short story, which is about a woman who has to make a tough call but who doesn’t really doubt herself for a second. Because even though doing the right thing can be hard, it isn’t impossible. Here’s an excerpt:

Twilight coated the sky, and they rode in silence. Charlie had taken up his vigil of the outside world again, and the skyscrapers and apartment buildings gave way to retail and commercial buildings and then suburban spaces. As the train stopped at some stations and sped past others, Samantha read the names. Her mind clicked ahead to the coming stops. She knew where to get off if things went bad, if they went well, if they were a draw.

Read the whole story now on The Write Edge Writing Workshop!

(Here’s the part where it gets to be Wednesday again. :>)

In these months of shutdown, I’ve gotten to read way more than I normally do. Today I share my thoughts on Chosen Ones by Veronica Roth, which came out earlier this year. She’s the author of the wildly popular Divergent series. This is her first novel for adults. Here’s the opening to my review:

After saving the continent from a major threat, five young people find themselves struggling to return to normal life. When one of them dies, the others discover their mission may not be over. Author Veronica Roth offers her first adult novel to readers in a book with several shortcomings called Chosen Ones.

Read the full review now on The Write Edge Bookshelf!

Whew! Okay, now that we’re all caught up for the week, keep an eye out for Thursday R.E.A.D.s. It’s going to be the last installment of our analysis of The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins. And then on Friday it’s back to parenting adventures and Growth Chart, so come back for that.

Stay safe, stay hydrated, and stay healthy. Have a great week, readers!

E.R.G.

New Instagram posts!

Hello, Write Edge readers! Check out my newest Instagram posts now, and see what I’m reading these days, where I’m working (spoiler: it’s not my writing studio, for once,) and how nostalgic I can get. Find me on Insta with my handle, @EktaRGarg, or on my Facebook author page!

Have a fantastic weekend, readers! Remember, stay healthy, stay safe, and stay hydrated!

E.R.G.