Tag: Writing

Is your writing clichéd to the hilt?

Posted on by Reet Singh

A cliché is a phrase that is symbolic or figurative rather than literal; for example: I am over the moon. Really? Clearly not, unless you are in a space ship, in which case it is a literal situation and therefore not a cliché.

A cliché can be an idiom, as in the example above; a metaphor [it was the final straw]; a simile [she sank like a stone]; or a proverb [knowledge is power].

At one time, eons ago, it was considered natty to use such phrases in speech and in writing. The concept was still new and they sounded clever.

B is for Burnout

Posted on by Reet Singh

This week, the letter is B, and I’m going to talk about Writer’s Block and Burnout.

Let’s first distinguish Writer Burnout from Writer’s Block.
I read an interesting take on the topic at Litreactor.com:
When the voices in your head refuse to speak to you, it is Writer’s Block, but when they’re shouting at you to put pen to paper, and you simply cannot, that’s Burnout.

A is for Anti-heroes

Posted on by Reet Singh

Welcome to “Authors’ Tips – A to Z of Writing”

This is a new series of blog posts where eight of us – Devika Fernando, Preethi Venugopala, Paromita Goswami, Adite Banerjie, Ruchi Singh, Sudesna Ghosh, Saiswaroopa Iyer and I – will post on a myriad of writing-related topics with the topic corresponding to the Alphabet of the Week.

We are starting with the letter A, a very good place to start, and Adite has set the ball rolling with her post on Authenticity in Writing. I am writing on A is for Antiheroes

Character Development in ‘Take One Fake Fiancé’ – featured by Sudesna Ghosh

Posted on by Reet Singh

Tanay Devkumar, who can be seen in all his splendid glory on the cover of Take One Fake Fiance (TOFF), was a difficult man to create. He was to be ruthless and arrogant, suspicious and cynical, but then had to transform into a dream-boat – a sentimental lover craving a happy-ever-after with Mita, the woman he (once-upon-a-time) used to abhor.

Tall order – but here’s what I did:

I started by giving him a double barreled surname, hoping it would convince Mita, my feisty heroine – and also my readers – that he was not an ordinary man, and certainly not one to be toyed with. Then, recognizing how important the physical appearance is, I made sure he was

Blast from the Past: Liebster Award Nomination

Posted on by Reet Singh

Liebster Award Nomination

Thank you Devika Fernando for nominating my website for this interesting award. Its lovely to see bloggers promote bloggers!

If you want to know what ‘Liebster’ stands for, well, it is a German word, and you can read more about it in Lorraine Reguly’s post. She has also posted a lot of very fascinating history about the award – well worth a read!

Broadly, the rules are:

1. Link back and thank the blogger who nominated you in your post.
2. List 11 facts about yourself.
3. Answer the 11 questions asked by the blogger who nominated you.
4. Pick 5 – 10 new bloggers (each must have less than 300 followers) to nominate and ask them 11 new questions. Do not re-nominate the blogger that nominated you.
5. Go to each new blogger’s site and inform them of their nomination.

We have the choice to accept this nomination, and continue it by paying it forward. Of course, we can also politely decline it.

Author Pow-Wow: Preethi Venugopala

Posted on by Reet Singh

Dear Preethi,

Thank you for dropping in to talk to me.
I really enjoyed reading ‘A Royal Affair’ – let’s talk about it since it is my favorite from you so far.

How did the idea come about, to write an inter-racial romance? Was it a difficult one to write?

Hi Reet. Thank you so much for having me over. Great to hear that you loved ‘A Royal Affair.’ I don’t know how I got the idea to write an inter-racial romance as most of my story ideas seems to come in from nowhere. But the origin might have been somewhere in the ‘Who do you think you are’ series that I binge watched a long ago. It is a show on BBC where celebrities go in search of their lost ancestors. In ‘A Royal Affair’, Jane is coming to India in search of

Experiencing Ophthalmology for the First Time as a Medical Student – on the LovRR blog

Posted on by Reet Singh

I was a brand new third-year medical student and I was about to start a clinical posting in Ophthalmology. Being mildly curious and wishing to be prepared with what I’d encounter in the wards, I walked into the library and picked out a textbook of ophthalmology.

At first touch, an electric tingle began

Why doctors are eminently suited to writing fiction

Posted on by Reet Singh

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Anton Chekov, and Somerset Maugham.
More recently – Khaled Hosseini, Atul Gawande, and Abraham Verghese.

History bears testimony to the fact that revered physicians have been great writers.
Mythology, too, tells of Apollo, Athene and others, who were gods of medicine and of poetry.

Is it a happy accident?
Decidedly NOT, say Tony Miksanek, Andrea Crawford, and David Hellerstein.
Physician writers themselves, they believe that the two abilities, writing fiction and practicing medicine, are inextricably linked.

How NOT to write a book review – featured on Susan Palmquist’s Blog

Posted on by Reet Singh

Susan Palmquist: One think I encourage my students to do is become a book reviewer. It not only helps you figure out what makes a story work (or not work), but it also lets you see who’s publishing what and where your story might fit into the current market.

Today’s guest blogger has some great tips on how not to review a book…

Reet Singh: This post assumes that you are one of the precious few who write – or plan to write – reviews of the books you’ve read. I love you already!

A book is not just about the plot and the syntax and the characters, it is also the toil and sweat and blood of the author, so it’s always a great idea to let the author know what you like about their story. And also what you don’t like, but be aware that nobody writes a horrible story on purpose, so be gentle.

Blast from the Past: Writing Process Blog Tour

Posted on by Reet Singh

17 March 2014

My Writing Process

Thank you, my romance writer buddy, Ruchi Vasudeva, for inviting me to jump on the #mywritingprocess bandwagon!

Last week, Ruchi wrote about the writing process that works for her. In case you missed it, you can read it on her website right here.

Since she tagged me, and since I’m honored, and since today is Monday, the 17th of March, our #mywritingprocess blog tour day, here are my responses to the four questions:

1. What am I working on?

Book two for Harlequin® India!

Simi and Rudy are both doctors with chips on their shoulders. Their mutual attraction is engendering explosive stuf