All about Me tag

Dear Reader,

Rules:

1. List eleven facts about yourself
2. Answer eleven questions given to you by the person who nominated you (I was tagged by mariesbookblog​)
3. Ask eleven new questions of eleven other people. Don’t nominated the person who tagged you (unless you’re a rebel)

Facts:

1. I'm obsessively organised.
2. I hate crumbs.
3. My fiance is exactly 3 weeks older than me.
4. I'm getting married on 22nd March 2015.
5. There hasn't been a time that I haven't had a book to read, since I was 14.
6. Last month I finished writing my first novel (it's a pseudofairytale).
7. I have 15 other ideas-for/partially-written novels...
8. I have two brothers that I love dearly.
9. I've lived my entire life in London (UK).
10. I have over 250 books in my bedroom.
11. And finally, I've been wearing a hijab since I was 11 and chose to do so of my own free will and against my father's/family's wishes. 

Questions:

1. Are you an introvert, an extrovert, or somewhere in between? Mostly (especially socially) I'm an introvert but my profession (high school teacher) doesn't allow me to display my introvert nature while working. 

2. How do you take your tea (or coffee)? Tea is best when it's milky and sweet!

3. Hogwarts, Narnia, or the TARDIS? I love you Narnia, but I'm sorry, Hogwarts has indoor plumbing (even if the plumbing houses weeping ghosts and giant serpents).

4. Cats or dogs? Cats. Definitely cats.

5. What is your favorite TV show? (list three if one is too hard) I cheated: 

1. Arrow/The Flash
2. Once Upon a Time
3. Downton Abbey/Sherlock (even though they aren't being aired at the moment and I have to make do with re-watching old episodes)

6. What position do you read in? Sitting (anywhere really but preferably in bed)

7. What is your favorite holiday? I don't celebrate "holidays" per se. (I'm British and we don't even call them holidays). But religiously I do celebrate the two Eids.

8. What is your favorite movie? (list three if one is too hard) Where do I start!!!! (I'll give one from each of my favourite movie categories)

1. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
2. Beauty and the Beast
3. Saving Mr. Banks

9. What is your favorite color? Right now it's somewhere between forest green and teal.

10. What is your favorite meal? My mum's homemade spinach and potato curry (will eat it with almost anything).

11. What five books should I add to my 2015 reading list?

1. The Lunar Chronicle (especially Cress) by Marissa Meyer
2. The Butterfly Mosque by G. Willow Wilson
3. Sunshine by Robin McKinley
4. Fire by Kristen Cashore
5. Alif the Unseen by G. Willow Wilson

I Tag: (Sorry if you've already been tagged or you've done this tag before)

1. bookpillows​
2. bookishwallflower​
3. heartwayland​
4. meanstoabookend​
5. shewalkswithwings​
6. mutemedicmoonie​
7. sammymfrost​
8. notareal-nerd​
9. wittybookdragon​
10. thebookhangover​
11. bumblebookbee​

My questions for you are:

1. What is your favourite childhood book?
2. Who's your role model
3. What are your three favourite ships?
4. Do you have a pet? (If yes, what animal is it? If no, which exotic animal would you keep as a pet?) 
5. What are your top five favourite genres in books?
6. Which author do you dream about meeting in person? (Time travel is possible in dreams)
7. Which fictional character would be your best friend?
8. Is there a story you really really want to read but haven't found it yet? If so, what is it?
9. Actual books or ebooks?
10. One memorable quote that really got to you?
11. What five books should I add to me 2015 reading list?

If anyone else, who isn't tagged, wants to do this tag then they are most welcome. 

Take care and keep reading,

Nida

reading Slumps & youTube

Dear Reader,

Leviathan, image by
Keith Thompson

It has come to my attention that I haven't posted my reading list on this blog for a long time now. The last one I believe was just before my disillusionment; and my writing since then has been going through drastic ups and downs. I had been keeping up with my reading however. But I seemed to have entered a reading slump after finishing the Leviathan Trilogy by Scott Westerfeld and Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell at the beginning of this year. I even tried to re-read my all time favourite novel North & South by Elizabeth Gaskell but even that did not bring me out of my slump. 

What finally brought me round was actually The Fault in Our Stars by John Green (often shortened to TFiOS). I'm not sure why I put off reading this book for so long, since I've been follow John Green and his brother Hank on Youtube for a few years now, and am proud to call myself a Nerdfighter. (Aside: some clarification for you, dear Reader, a nerdfighter is not someone who fights nerds but actual nerds who fight to increase awesome and decrease world suck i.e. bad things). 

So spoiler-free mini book-review: TFiOS is, on the most basic level, about a 16 year old girl named Hazel Grace Lancaster, who loves reading and watching American Reality TV and has an obsession with this inadequately ended book called An Imperial Affliction by Peter van Houten. Also, she's in the last stage of her terminal cancer. Then, in the typical style of boy-meets-girl stories, one day at Support Group she meets Augustus Waters, a gorgeous and charismatic cancer survivor who is, in turn, obsessed with metaphorical resonances. And so they embark on both an emotional and physical  journey to find out what happens after the ending of An Imperial Affliction. 

Surprisingly enough, it was not the book-within-a-book aspect that I like most about TFiOS (unlike Cloud Atlas, where I thought the book-within-a-journal-within-letters etc... was the best part). It was actually Hazel and Augustus's existential discussions that I loved the most. For example, that cancer and depression are just "side effects of dying", that there are an infinite number of infinities and that "some infinities are bigger than others" or how the world isn't a "wish-grating factory" and so disappointment is just an inevitable side effect of life. Anyway, I agree with Markus Zusak (The Book Theif) in that TFiOS is definitely John Green at his best. 

To add to the brilliance of this little blue book, around the time I was reading it I also discovered the booktubers' community on Youtube, which felt like coming home after a long and tiresome vacation. They reminded me of my love for reading, of discovering the stories that others had put words to and introduced me to a whole new chapter of books that I have still to explore. Which was something I was particularly lacking since my fellow bookworm/best friend, Codename: Pixie, had major eye surgery and has been unable to recommend new books to me for sometime. Anyway, there are in fact a few booktubers I'd particularly like to mention: thereadables, booksandquills, supersushipizza and Bookables.  

This post has become a lot longer than I had originally anticipated so my rather long reading list will just have to wait until next week. Be patient, my dear Reader. Now all that's left to say is: don't forget to be Awesome.

Nida 

P.S. - make sure to follow me on twitter @Bookaholic786, (though I realise now that that name isn't technically correct).

what Makes a Heroine?

Dear Reader,

Since I started thinking about the quartet I'm currently working on, Chronicles by Anamika, which is to say for about 6 years now, I've often found myself asking this question: "what makes a heroine?" It's also the question that Jane Austen explored quite well in her first complete novel, Northanger Abbey, especially in the first chapter: "No one who had ever seen Catherine Morland in her infancy would have supposed her to be born a heroine."   

To answer this question, I've often turned to my favourite stories, looking at the characters in particular and analysing why I liked them so much. That is how I formed my list: 'Favourite Fictional Heroines (not including Fairytales)' which I plan to share with you today. Aside: this list is not ranked by favourite first, but rather in order of how I read them.  

Matilda by Roald Dahl:

The first book I ever remember reading was a picture book by Roald Dahl called The Enormous Crocodile. From then on, my childhood was littered by his books, including the famous Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. But the one that stayed with me the most was obviously Matilda. As a child, she was the one I identified with the most: she had this endless thirst for knowledge and loved to read. Though, Matilda also had many qualities that I aspired towards: she was spunky, mischievous, always did what she believed was right and just, and had the power to move things with her mind! You, dear reader, can probably see why this appealed to the shy little girl that I was.    

Illustration of Matilda by Quentin Blake

Lucy Pevensie from The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis:

I first read The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe back in year five with the rest of my class. It took me another year or two before I found the rest of the Narnia books and fell deeply in love with them. Of the two Pevensie sisters, I only liked Susan because she was 'the voice of reason', cautious and practical (much like myself), but it was Lucy who really found a way into my heart. Looking back now I've realised why that was. Lucy was the embodiment of childhood innocence, she was imaginative and trusting and completely loyal to her family and friends.  

Miranda Otto as Eowyn,
The Shieldmaiden of Rohan

Éowyn daughter of  Éomund from The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien:

Back in 2001, when I was just on the brink of my teenage years, my cousin (who is 8 years older than me), took me and my elder brother to the cinema to watch The Lord of The Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring. She was already a big fan of the books and told me to read them as well. It goes without saying that I'd read the entire trilogy and The Hobbit before the next film was released a year later. There aren't actually many female characters in Tolkien's works, but the few that there are, are all rather memorable. My favourite of the lot is definitely Éowyn, though she is not my most favourite character from the trilogy (that would be Gandalf and Sam Gamgee). The reason why I like Éowyn so much (and on whom I somewhat modelled my own character Sharon) is because she is brave and she wants to prove that women can do so much more than just take care of hearth and home, and that when it comes to courage, size and strength doesn't matter. Plus, she says the simplest things in a very interesting manner: "I have waited on faltering feet long enough. Since they falter no longer, it seems, may I not spend my life as I will?" (I wish people still spoke like that *sigh*). 

Sally Lockhart from The Sally Lockhart Mysteries by Philip Pullman:

While Philip Pullman is better known for His Dark Material trilogy, I personally much prefer The Sally Lockhart Quartet. I actually found these books in a neglected corner of my secondary school library, when I was 16 and was working there as a library assistant. I was just beginning to develop my love for history and all things Victorian, so these books (which are set between 1872 and 1882) greatly appealed to me and were also written in modern English, making them easy reads. So, when we first meet Victoria (Sally) Lockhart, she's a feisty 16 year old, albeit one in mourning for her beloved father and thoroughly determined to solve the mystery surrounding his death. Then over the years (and books) she goes on to become a successful businesswoman, then a single mother trying to juggle her work, an old nemesis and her personal life, when all the while she's also been battling against the stereotypes of the British Victorian Society. This unconsciously taught me an important lesson in writing, that heroines are much more interesting when they don't conform to society's view of a 'typical woman'.  And being a bit of a nonconformist at heart, these books gave me the courage to just be who I am and not care much for how inconsequential others saw me.     

Lirael by Garth Nix: 

I read The Old Kingdom Series (aka The Abhorsen Chronicles) just a little while, maybe only a few months, after The Sally Lockhart books. Anyway, in the very north of the Old Kingdom lives the Clayr, who are all fair-haired women and all are Seers. Amongst the Clayr is dark-haired Lirael, a misfit since her birth. The only place she finds sanctuary is in the mysterious and convoluted Library, where she works as a librarian and is usually accompanied by her unusual companion: the Disreputable Dog. But soon enough her adventures in the Library lead her to begin a journey that takes her all the way across the Old Kingdom, in which a dark evil is rising once again. And it is in the murky waters of Death itself that she finally begins finding her identity. The last time I read Lirael was about six years ago now, and considering the hundreds of books I've read since then it is only understandable that I no longer remember much of the story or the names of other characters in this one. But the fact that I have a lasting impression of Lirael in my mind and still see her as being one of my favourite heroines, is testament to the fact that she was such a well written character. 

Sabriel & Lirael by Claire Lenth

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë:

When I was studying for my A Levels in English Literature (as well as Biology, Chemistry, Maths and History), I was also going through 'my Classics phase'. That's when I read Jane Eyre for the first time, as well as all the other books by the Brontë sisters (save for Villette, since my local library didn't have a copy). There are so many reasons why the character of Jane Eyre is such a brilliant a heroine that I'm not sure where to start. I suppose it'll only be true to Jane if we use her own words: "Do you think because I am poor, obscure, plain and little, I am soulless and heartless? You think wrong! - I have as much soul as you, an as much heart!" Actually I think this quote by an 'anonymous' reviewer, also captures her just right: "The book revolves around the trials and tribulations to which she [Jane] is subjected. Jane is headstrong and fights for what she believes in; she stands up for her rights and retaliates when harassed. She can be passionate and determined." I would like to add that what I liked best about Jane Eyre was that when she finally married Mr. Rochester, they were completely equal, both in terms of wealth and status as well as their dependency on each other.  

Anne Elliot from Persuasion by Jane Austen:

Sally Hawkins as Anne Elliot
from the 2007 ITV adaptation of
'Persuasion'

(Also a part of my 'Classics phase'.) Of the six complete novels that Jane Austen wrote, Persuasion is my favourite. It's all about second chances and persuading each other to not give up on hope and love, even when there is little chance of it. And as for Anne Elliot, the protagonist, I feel a lot of empathy towards her. Her family, and some of her friends, are very negligent of her and constantly under appreciating her kindness, compassion and good sense. They never miss an opportunity to impose their arrogant aristocratic values on her. Anyway, what better way is there to describe Anne Elliot than with the words of Captain Wentworth (the 'hero') "[There was] no one so proper, so capable as Anne ... Her character was now fixed in my mind as perfection itself, maintaining the loveliest medium of fortitude and gentleness." So basically I really look up to Anne Elliot, she seems to embody all the values that should be in a down-to-earth young woman. On a side note, her personality greatly reminds me of my mother.    

Margaret Hale from North & South by Elizabeth Gaskell (both my favourite book and author):

Another amazingly-realistic and moving book written in the Victorian Era. I won't say too much about Margaret today because I plan to write an entire review post about this book in the near future, Inshallah. I will say however that one of the things I like best about Margaret Hale and Mr. Thornton is the way they both change and develop into better, less stubborn, people over the course of the novel.

Lady Fire from Fire by Kristen Cashore (the only American author on this list, funnily enough):

It took me only two and a half days to read this book, that I had purchased on the day of its release in the UK, which happened to be only a few years ago (2009). What kept me so hooked on this book was not only its fast paced and engaging plot, but also the way that Cashore uses the character of Lady Fire as a medium through which to explore broad and thought provoking themes. For example, the struggle between control and freedom, which was embellished with the exploration of the idea that hardly anyone is either entirely good or entirely evil, everyone has their own shade of grey (ETA - no reference any other rather "popular" book), as well as the concept that if one has power, it is so very easy to abuse it. I hope to convey similar themes in my novels, and the fantasy genre seems to be a really good way to go about doing that.    

UK book cover

Elinor Dashwood from Sense & Sensibility by Jane Austen (again): 

Surprisingly enough, I didn't get around to reading this one until only 2 years ago. I'm not exactly sure why that was, but I'm sure it no longer matters since I have finally read it. Simply put, I like her because Elinor Dashwood is 'sense' personified. Though she also has a great deal of patience, fortitude and faith in her too. To this effect, she is described quite well by Austen in Chapter 1: "Elinor, this eldest daughter whose advice was so effectual, possessed a strength of understanding, and coolness of judgement, which qualified her, though only nineteen, to be the counsellor of her mother ... She had an excellent heart - her disposition was affectionate and her feelings were strong; but she knew how to govern them."  There is not much more that I can add to that. 

Hermione Granger from The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling:

Emma Watson as Hermione
Granger (2003) 

I've already explained in this post why I read the Harry Potter books only recently, so I won't go through that again as it might be boring for you, dear reader. When I read about Hermione, especially in books 1 through to 4, I kept thinking back to myself as a teenager. I was a complete nerd, with goofy front teeth (and braces later on, though I didn't acquire my glasses until more recently), spent lots of time in the library, had a penchant for answering questions and getting them right (though I'm not nearly as clever as Hermione), got along quite well with most teachers, was enthusiastic about learning (although not so much about exams), just a tad bit bossy with my friends and brothers (okay, okay, really bossy), and was very neat, tidy and super organised (still am). Furthermore, among many other more unpleasant things, I was often called 'teacher's pet', so much so that for my 13th birthday one of my friends, Codename: Guji (who up until recently possessed my Inkheart trilogy) gave me a teddy-dog with a graduation cap and the words 'teacher's pet' written on it (I still have it sitting among my books). So when it came to Hermione, not only did I feel sympathy for her, but I could very much relate to most of what she went through (except her crush on Ron, as I didn't have a friend like him). But there were also many things that I learnt from Hermione; one of which is that a girl can be adventurous, brave and beautiful while still remaining proud of being a nerd. It's one of the things I like best about her: she has integrity and dignity, as she is not willing to sacrifice her intelligence, or any part of herself, to be more likeable to other people, especially boys.  
       

Though these next two are not technically heroines, I still think they deserve a mention among my favourites. 

Angela from Eragon by Christopher Paolini: 

Eragon is a book that holds a rather special place in my heart, since it was the reason that I first properly spoke to Codename: Pixie, who is now one of my closest friends. This was about 9 years ago, so we have been friends a very long time. You know, dear reader, eccentric Angela rather reminds of Pixie, if she were 40 years old that is. If you want to know what sort of woman Angela is, all you have to do is read page 179 and 180 of Eragon, and you'll also understand why I love her so much.(They are very much the same reasons why I love Luna Lovegood).  

Professor Mcgonagall from The Harry Potter Series (again): 

There are plenty of amazing/noteworthy female characters in the Harry Potter books that I absolutely adore, but I thought that I'll only mention Minerva Mcgonagall in this post. Professor Mcgonagall is all about discipline, on the outside at least, though she is caring and warm enough that no one really hates her. And she also has this way of commanding peoples' respect, including my own. As tough and no-nonsense her exterior is, she has a very soft heart on the inside that, on the rare occasion, makes itself known: for example, in those first few pages, of the first book, when Professor Mcgonagall's eyes tear up, when she hears about James and Lily Potter's death ... *sigh* ... or when she becomes rather emotional when Harry & Ron say that they want to go visit the petrified Hermione. Actually, I really want to know Minerva Mcgonagall's back story, after all, we got to know Professor Lupin's, Professor Snape's and even Professor Dumbledore's. I want to know what she was like as a talented student at Hogwarts, then as a young woman and how that led to her becoming a Professor. And yet, I have a feeling that her story can only be bittersweet.          

Dame Maggie Smith as Professor Mcgonagall

Anyway, it has not escaped my notice that many of my favourite heroines (7 out of 11) are of the 'bookish' sort (i.e. they really like reading). But that is probably because I myself am bookish and so can relate really well to those kind of girls/women. Moving on. So, to answer the question 'what makes a heroine?':

1. I've learnt that a heroine must be relate-able, so the reader can connect with her
2. While she should still symbolise something 
3. She must have the strength, will and determination to shoulder the story's plot  
4. She doesn't have to conform to the norms of society
5. She should be true to herself and I should make sure that her characteristics are consistent 
6. She must also be likeable so the reader doesn't despise her (which may put some people off)
7. She can be a medium through which heavy themes can be explored
8. She should grow and develop into a better person through the course of the novel. 
9. And finally, she should be well written and memorable.

Nida

what Next?

Dear Reader,

So now that I have relatively more time on my hands, I've been doing a lot of thinking. And, of course, this has lead me to the question "what next?" I'm a bit of an obsessive planner, so it goes without saying that I pretty much have my life divided in short term and long term plans. 

The long term plans are all the usually, typical, boring stuff: get training, get a job, find a literary agent, get married, move to different country, go on hajj, so on and so forth. However, it's the short term plans that are much more interesting: what I plan to do with the time I have between now and when I start training.     

Well firstly, as you can probably tell by my previous post, that I plan to  do a lot more sketching and painting. I'm also working on the first novel from my fantasy series, Book 1: The Legend of Sharon, which I hope to complete by the end of this year Inshallah. But, unfortunately, I've been having some difficulty writing Chapter 5, which is turning a lot longer than I had originally planned. I've already split the main events over two chapters, and splitting it further would only make the plot drag. Oh well, I'll finish the Chapter as it is, then come back to it after the whole thing is finished and change as needed.      

I also plan to spend a lot more time with my mum, get in on some of that precious mother-daughter bonding time that I'd been missing so much, which isn't all that surprising as my wonderful mummy is also one of my best friends. We plan to experiment with all sorts of new desserts and she wants to teach me to make some traditional foods like gol-gappay. It's a bit cold now to do much gardening, but we still have some cherry tomatoes ripening in our vegetable bed, so they also require some looking after. And me and mum have been doing a lot of catching up on Pakistani and British TV dramas that we watch together, especially since I had to put all that on hold as I completed my thesis. It's really fortunate that the new series of Downton Abbey just started, which gives me something to look forward to every Sunday.          

But what I want to do most now, is simply just READ. The last fictional book I read was Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, and that was back in July. I've missed reading, so I'm really looking forward to having time to just sit back and read for the pleasure of it. I have quite an extensive list that I want to get through by the end of this year, but I'll only give you, dear reader, some of my most anticipated titles from the list:

1. The Anthologist by Nicholson Baker
2. Raven Boys by Maggie Stiefvater
3. The Mark of Athena by Rick Roirdan
4. Sapphire Blue by Kristen Geir
5. The Named by Marianne Curley
6. The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

I was going to write a review about Fahrenheit 451, but I think that this video (part 1) and this one (part 2 and 3) do a much better job of explaining and exploring the book that I could ever do.

Nida

six Styles of Writing, and Me

Dear reader,

1) When is comes to writing - a thing that I do a lot of - the easiest form for me is, believe it or not, poetry and verse. Subhanallah, sometimes I find that even my thoughts are following some sort of rhyme scheme or meter, trochiac pentameter (with a lot of causurae) seem to be my subconcious' favoured style. (Aside: if you didn't understand anything from the last sentence, click on the links or over here.) When I confessed this to my mother the other day, she gave me such an odd look, as if I was a person she didn't recognise. Kind of heart breaking, given that she is the person I love second most in the world. But, in order to show you, dear reader, how natural poetry is to me, I present to you a poem that I wrote about Writing Poetry: 

Sometimes the most beautiful things

Are those with no inherent cause

Are spontaneously inspired

A single thought that brings

Words upon words without a pause.

So that is when these poems

Emerge and grow out of my brain

They take on life and flutter around

And align like gems upon a chain

But in my mind they cannot remain,

So I cease and caress the words

Nurture those seeds into a stem

Then my pen begins to caper

As I coax the words onto paper

That was bland and lifeless without them... 

2) The next style of writing, that I suppose I'm modestly good at, is description, in particular scenic description.I believe that description forms the majority of a piece of fictional writing. Without it, the piece would be only half-imagined and only half-conveyed. I know a lot of people who struggle with writing description. I often struggle with it myself. For some people, it's difficult to take exactly what they see in their minds and put words to it. For that, I recommend reading a dictionary and thesaurus, keep one close when writing or try thefreedictionary.com. For me, where the problem mainly lies is that my descriptions become far too long and wordy. Trust me, this is a BIG problem, because then the reader either loses interest or gets lost in the convoluted sentences. Which is the last thing any writer wants. And also, it diminshes the power and meaning of what we're trying to say. Here is a piece from Life in Conversations that, ironically, I struggled to get just right.    

She sat there,in her comfy corner seat, gazing out through the right-angled French windows; the precarious ones that over-looked the front of the house. Today she was looking out onto a silent Saturday-morning street. The summer sun causing everything to radiate with a warm glow. As she watched, a strident gust of wind swept through the yawning trees, pulling petals away from blossoms and across the sapphire sky, so that they resembled snow falling upwards. It was a perfectly inspirational moment.

Yet Nabiha’s normally spry pen hung over the page, stalled mid-sentence.

So she just sat there, her face serene, her skin soaking up the sun, her hair swathed over her neck like a blanket of silky scarlet-brown flames. Her shinny new note book lay open in her lap, with only the first page and a half filled with stunted-but-serpentine scribbles. The shaky tapping of her foot was the only indication of the frustration pent up inside her. Her brain sprinted and scrambled through hundreds of possible solutions but none of them fitted comfortably, seamlessly into the dilemma she had created. She was stuck. 

3) Then comes dialogue. I love to read dialogue. I love writing dialogue even more. Probably because it allows  the writer to reveal a person/character's personality without saying banal things like 'she liked to read the news' or 'he was witty'. Also, dialogue is one of those places where, as a writer, I can explore and develop characters and their relationships. Most of the time, when I'm in the flow of a conversation, I find that it can lead me and my characters to places I had not realised/planned, Alhumdulillah. I'm actually, at the moment, experimenting with dialogue within poetry, since I've finally begun working of my epic ballad(which I talk about here). It's called The Legend of Sirene and is the fourth "book" in fantasy quartet Chronicles by Anamika. Here's a sample from the first chapter: 

“I am one of the Sultan’s elite guards.

What you’re doing could be seen as treason.

Meddling in my mission will leave you scarred.

So it’s time for you to find your reason.”

That’s when Conla felt a prick on his chest,

And saw the knife she had pulled on him.

He had to admit, he was quite impressed,

And his language she had spoken to him!

He faced her fully, her arm he held tight

So that she could not try to escape him,

Though, he had not the will or strength to fight.

Asking how she knew his tongue, on a whim.

“How and what I know, is my own business,

Now please, will you kindly let go of me.”

“I cannot, for that I ask forgiveness.

But I must take you to MannCarh, you see.”

At his words, her round eyes were all ignite,

She suddenly stopped struggling to be freed.

Overcome by an idea so very bright,

Those pretty eyes, shone with something like greed.  
...

Please, please, dear reader, let me know what you think. I really need feedback on this to see if my experiment is working well or not.            

4) I suppose the next style of writing for me, has to be informal, non-fictional writing, like this blog or e-mails/comments to friends. I really enjoy this sort of thing because here I can just be simple-old  me, just someone who is speaking thier thoughts, if not out loud, then in at least in virtual ink. I hope you enjoy reading my blog as much as I enjoy writing it. And even if you don't, it okay because your opinion on this probably won't stop me from writing, though I might try harder to improve.
  

5) Truth  be told, I'm pretty bad at writing action pieces where there is alot of movement and snap decision making. I think that this maybe because actions are not a verbal/wordy thing, and are much better seen than read. Take comic books, for example. They are well known for their superheroes and action-packed story lines mainly because they are so visual. In a comic book, you don't expect to find a long debate on the purpose of life and love, using metaphorical examples that hold little true meaning. But you can get action in novel form and, more often than not, it's vital to the story line. As I'm just beginning to realise, myself. Before, most of my novel ideas avoided action, preferring dialogue and conversation as a means to an end. But the fantasy quartet that I just spoke about, requires a lot of action. There's wars, spies, demons, pirates, chase scenes, flying dragons and hand-to-hand combat involved! So, yeh, I'm attempting to write action, but taking slowly, one step at a time. As an example, I give you the opening paragraph of the first novel in the quartet, called The Legend of Sharon: 

That regal buck had no idea what was coming to him, as he sipped away at the stream, his branching antlers skimming the water. Out here in the foothills of the CahnineCarh, a tall mountain range in the southern lands of MannCarh, the green woodland rang with its own music, oblivious to all that went on in the world at large. And as Sharon nocked an arrow in her long bow, she too was oblivious to everything but the buck. She held her breath, took aim, and let it go as the arrow flew from her fingers, and straight into the throat of the animal. A quick and painless death was her preferred style... 

6) Yet the style of writing that I am the worst at, is the one I have to do most of all: non-fictional, scientific/medical writing. It is the antithesis of poetry. And I absolutely hate it. My words don't flow out easily like they do with all the other styles. It just does not come naturally to me, for some reason. I have plenty of friends who can write fantastic scientific treaties and earn the best marks, whereas I'm always struggling to scrape out the right words from my mind. And I've been told by my professors an unaccountable number of times, that my writing is just too "flowery" or "unscientific" or "round-about".   

And really long essays are the even worse, because I quickly lose focus and my mind ends up wondering towards my next poem-in-the-making or an idea for a blog post (in fact, this is exactly what I'm doing at the moment). I think this might be because, scientific writing is just so bland and clinical; you have write very to-the-point sentences, bound in rigid structure, with no space for creativity. I'm not saying that scietific writing itself is bad. It is very important in this modern world of constant innervation. And I greatly admire those who can write scientifically and do it well. Probably because it is something that I can't manage to do. It's something that just does not sit well with my vibarent and flowing personality.

I truly have know idea how I've managed to get through medical university and to have done well! To have almost completed an MSc!! Sometimes I can't help thinking that maybe there are two different Nidas existing in this one body. One that is calm, studious, religious and shy; who wants nothing more than to curl up with a good book. She's the 'Nida' that most people meet on a daily basis. The other seems to be quite crazy and cheeky and loud and creative; who wears bright colours on dull days and wants to run around in green fields and empty beaches. But most of all, loves to paint, sketch and write about the made-up things she sees in her mind.

How they two seem to co-exist so harmoniously, is a mystery to me.

Nida 

P.S. - Please don't forget to tell me what you think about my experiment. You can do this by clicking on the comments bottom below. Thank you. 

thoughts On writing - Part 2

Dear Reader, 

As I was brooming the kitchen floor this morning, I couldn't help but think that this was what I've been doing my life lately: brooming and brushing away important issues rather than facing them. And one of these issues is my writing ... of the lack there of. 

You see, I might be an introvert, but I'm also a thinker, an observer of life and people, a writer. And more than any of that, I ENJOY writing. That euphoria you get when you write a particular sentence that captures the situation accurately, or the smile that appears after writing a witty turn of phrase, that you know no one will notice but you like it all the same. That's what I've been missing. In these last few months, as I spiralled down a vicious cycle of despair and loneliness, after parting from a certain someone, I seemed to have forgotten all this.

So, even though I might never be published, let alone famous, and maybe no one will ever read what I've written, it should not stop me from doing something I really like doing. Because I actually am a writer, and I will keep on writing.      

Nida

Life: a work in Progress

Dear Reader,

I apologise if you feel neglected. I have been spending the majority of my time in lectures for my MSc that began last week, and all of my non-academic-work-time working on my online novella. I have written the prologue, chapter 1 and chapter 2 and am trudging through the beginning of chapter 3. I've been doing a lot more research to write this than I had first intended, but I suppose it's all for the better of the novella. *Sigh*

Image courtesy of proficientwriter.com

When I say research, one would generally think about looking into history books, geographical maps, other novels, going to the library, searching online  etc. (Aside: wikipedia is always a good starting point) All of this I have been doing. But I've also been doing some research into my own personal history, delving into my past to find stories and anecdotes from my childhood. I had no idea how much my own personal life had influenced this plot/story until I actually started writing it. Not that this novella is autobiographical, quite far from that actually. 

But still, this introspective and retrospective search has made me think about all the ways that I have changed over the years, and the ways that I have stayed the same. I've also come to realise that the main driver of change is experience. The circumstances life deals out to us, the people we meet, the decisions we make, they are all an intertwined  into that one word "experience". And I believe, as the writer, it is vital for me (if not the reader) to understand my characters' experiences in order to plot out the decisions they would make when put in the middle of a tight spot or dilemma.  

And I suppose this is also true for real people as well, not just fictional ones. To truly appreciate a person and know why they do what they do, necessitates an understanding of who the person is and what makes them tick. You know, dear reader, how they say "you need to know where you're coming from, to see where you're going" or something along those lines. If you know who said that, let me know in the comment section below.

A short post this time, but I must be getting back to a lavish South Kensington drawing room in 1838. So to conclude, all I want to say is that life itself is a work in progress - as I write out the lives of my characters, I'm also in the process of writing out my own.     

Nida

tales of Fairytales

Dear Reader,

I interrupt your daily routine to discuss, of all thing, fairytales. You see, these past few weeks I have felt quite surrounded by them. And they seem to come at me from the strangest places. For example, as last week was the half-term holidays for the primary and secondary schools, my beloved little monsters, I mean cousins, (ranging between 5-12 years old) came to stay around my house. Now, one morning as I was eating breakfast with the youngest one, Codename: Weedy, in Urdu he began telling me a very Grimm-Brothers-esque story he had come up with. It went something like this:

"One day, a Baker made a Ginger-bread man. But the Baker was really fat and so the Ginger-bread man ran away out of fear. While he was running through the forest, he came across a Giant who had a sweet tooth. The Giant said 'I want to eat you, Ginger-bread man.' And just as he reached down to take the Ginger-bread man, a Wolf jumped out of a bush and stepped between the Ginger-bread man and the Giant. He told the Ginger-bread man that he will protect him from the Giant but he should run and hide in the bush just in case. And the Giant did get scared of the Wolf and ran away..." At this point I was thinking 'Awww what a nice wolf, so much for stereotypes' before he continued to the end of his story. "Once the Giant was gone, the Wolf went into the bush and ate the Ginger-bread man!"   

I guess the moral of this story would be not to trust strangers ... or make assumptions about people by how fat they are ...

Do you, dear reader, see what I mean by 'Grimm-Brother-esque'? I had no idea my little Weedy had such a morbid streak, given his penchant for Disney movies and happy endings, his favourites so far being 'The Princess and The Frog' and 'Cars' (which he has made me watch at least fifty times with him now, to the extent that I now know all the dialogues off by heart).    

This reminded me of the importance that fairytales play in our childhoods, and how much influence they can have on children's lives, especially now with mass media companies like Disney. And because of this, it's important that we allow fairtales to retain they're original role in providng basic lessons like 'do not trust strangers' and not focus on the intanglible 'happily ever after'.    

Relating to this is this youtube video I reacently watched,  by author Jackson Pearce. Most of her videos are quite informative when it comes to writing and she give quite good tips. But in this video she talk about how fairytales adapt and change over time according to what society need them to be at the time.  

I only became interested in Jackson Pearce after I read her book Sisters Red last month (this book is part of my 2011 Reading Challenge, for more info click here or here, your choice). It is essentially a modern twist on the old fairytale, The Little Red Riding Hood. It's a very well written fast-paced book. And though I saw the main twist coimg from a mile away, it still kept me on the edge of my seat and still made me cry. I also love Pearce's use of symbolism and metaphors: from the scar on SCARlett's face, and the weapons of choice, to the actual wolves themselves. An incredibly enjoyable read overall, but not recommened for the faint hearted who do not like blood and gore.  

I'd like to end this post with link to Shelina's blog post about fairytales and breaking out of the stereotypes that girls 'need to be rescued' to find their 'true loves'. Read it. It's really quite interesting and enjoyable  

Nida

thoughts On writing

Dear Reader,

As this year comes to an end, so does the poll I set up for the title of The Big One (a novel I'm currently writing).  So if you haven't yet voted, make sure you do before 01-01-11. Because every vote counts. --->;

Okay, election speech over, now on to more a important topics i.e. my self-confidence.

So I've noticed that lately I haven't been so hesitant to proclaim myself a writer or admit that I'm writing a novel or two. This is kind of a new thing for me, despite the impression that one might get from my blog. I'm generally quite a shy person and usually avoid questions related to my writing. I don't know exactly when this change began but I know it definitely has something to do with this blog. It might also have something to do with the fact that in these last few weeks I've been taking to uni, my main notebook for "The Big One" (see below for pictures) and the recyclable-folder (I'm as "green" as my bedroom walls) containing the printed version of all that I've typed up so far for this particular novel.

THE notebook

a Random page - so you can see the state of my thoughts

Now another thing you, dear reader, should know about me is that I usually don't put up much of a fight. Confession: Fights - I absolutely hate them, avoid them at all cost and don't even like the concept of them (except maybe in novels like The Lord of the Rings and kickass video games like Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood  or Prince of Persia) So when some of my uni-friends, Collective Codename: The Sisterhood, lovingly began pestering me to let them read some of my work ... well you can imagine how that turned out. But the comments that I got afterwards made me think that maybe, just maybe my friends aren't just saying all that so as not to hurt my feelings, maybe this stuff that I write isn't so bad, that maybe I should consider getting it published.

However, there is one thing I know for sure: I don't want "The Big One" to be the first thing I ever publish. The reasonings behind this decision are complex and even I don't fully understand it, but I'll try to explain it anyway:

"The Big One" is a work in progress and something that would change and grow and get better as I get older and, hopefully, wiser. It's an outlet for me into which I channel all that I observe in my surroundings, all that I feel and desire on the inside, all the irrelevant thoughts bumping around inside my skull and all that can be found in my imagination. And what I do is I "curl and crush it all into to a tight knit ball inside myself" and then "splatter it all across the empty pages that lie in my lap". So you see, other than being ginormously personal to me, it would be fair to neither my characters nor myself if "The Big One" is published before the story or I'm is fully actualised.

If you can properly understand all that, then I congratulate you on gaining more insight into my personality than I have.

Now I think that this is more than enough confessions and contemplations for me today.
Until next time,


Nida
 

Some Reviewing Part 2: Tam Lin

Dear Reader,

Lately I've been reading a lot of long poems and a lot about narrative poetry, ballads in particular. You see, for some years now, I've wanted to write my own epic/ballad; a sort of challenge to myself, though it had been a vague idea of something that I would do, some time in the future. But now I've finally got the story that I want tell through verse. I've got the characters, the setting, the plot and we can't forget the "bad guys". But, like any good story, before I actually start writing the epic/ballad, I need to do a bit of research. In this case, about form and structure of specific narrative poems.

And that, my dear reader, is how I stumbled across the 16th Century Scottish-borderland ballad, "Tam Lin". But as it turns out, a popular fiction writer, Pamela Dean, has written a modern re-telling of this old ballad. So of course I jumped at the chance of reading it.

It started off all well and good and interesting. However, for the first three quarters of the book, it read less like a modern re-telling of an old folklore ballad and more like the author's account of university life. And though I don't mind reading the later and greatly enjoyed her poetic language and discussion of great literary writers and their works (espeacially her take on Hamlet); more often than not, I found myself wondering when the magic and faeries would come in. At one point I became quite hopeless in my search for a spark between the two main characters, Tam Lin/Thomas Lane and Janet, i.e. the beginning of the story from the folk tale. And it is precisely because of this delay that some of her rambling descriptive pieces, though linguistically beautiful, became a bit of a nuisance to read. 

Nevertheless, it wasn't until after page 266 (more than half way through) that I began to spot some overt hints to the actual story of the ballad. (But when it truly began, the whole thing was resolved in less than five pages - make of that what you will.) So "all's well that ends well", right?

One thing's for sure, this book has definately got me interested in literature-that's-more--intellectually-challenging again, which is a bit of a move from quick-enjoyable-fictional-reads-that-don't-require-much-brain-power that I had been reading lately. But on the hole, though the characters didn't make a lasting impression on my heart, I still found it to be an intellectual pleasure to read, and would probably find myself revisiting it sometime in the near future.

As for my own epic/ballad, I'll keep you posted on any developments.

Nida

P.S. - sorry no video today. Maybe next time, if any thing significant pops up.