Monday, July 30, 2012

Love Marriage Ya Arranged Marriage

Indian Marrige, India Marrige Ceremony, Traditional Indian Marriage
Indian Marriage

Hello All,

      Marriage considered a sacred bond in India, is always full of happiness, pomp, show, joy, apprehension, festivity and rituals. Various long forgotten traditions, guests and relatives are recollected to an extra round of extravagance (read pomp and show).

    The basic debate, Love Marriage Ya Arranged Marriage is never ending and yet is quite entertaining with various solutions to various people. For me what works? I am not so sure for I haven't tried it yet. Given the choice, I would prefer Love Marriage with one of my long time friends *anything less than five years is short
Bride, Bride in dress, wedding gown bride, bride
Bride 
term*. My argument is simple, friendship, a beautiful relationship in itself. of-course demands a lot. When I can, time and again, prove my worth as a friend, it means I would be ready to do anything for the other and that is what a successful marriage needs. Ain't I right?

    What I need to consider of-course is the habit of friend-zoning every eligible bachelor by girls *I really hope this is false and all those pics and memes on FB are jokes*. The concepts of dowry, caste, traditions and any other ugly thing that crops up, can be dealt with little patience and probably a little rough handedness on those pesky relatives who fuel up the flares, for my best buddy viz the bride wouldn't mind my idiocy.
Best Friends, Friends forever, friends
Best Friends


    So, for sure, love marriage is preferred as it gives enough time, tests and chance to build a long lasting relation. I am not very sure, this would be the case if marriage is arranged between my best buddy and me. Somehow, love marriage is the better one.

    What is your opinion on the same? I felt like sharing my opinion on this topic topic after knowing about Love Marriage Ya Arranged Marriage contest on Indiblogger.in. Already married? Your opinion on my views?

with warm regards
Abhishek Boinapalli

Friday, July 27, 2012

Book Review: Faces the Mind Never Traced

Morning All,


 As promised earlier, here is the review of the book Faces The Mind Never Traced by Mark A Cherrington. 


--x--

My rating:
 8/10. A very good read.


Book Cover Faces The Mind Never Traced By Mark Cherrinton, Mark Cherrington, books by Mark CherringtonA fantastic yet super short collection of stories which is not just fascinating but intriguing on what an identity of a human face is, how the various emotions change it and what it says about the heart and mind of the underlying human being. The book for sure leaves youw wanting to read a little more. I might add, that the book will make you a little angry on the author for not having compiled a few more stories. In just 3400 words, the author for sure captaures the interest of the audience, tells you a tale and leaves you thinking about the book, the people around you, the faces that keep coming back to you all night and about much more. 


This is my first book of this genre and thanks to it, it captured my attention and I shall try a book or two in this genre now for sure. What is interesting is, though every story is super short, it depits happiness, joy, amusement, confusion and various other emotions in true life situations. 


Don't forget to try this book out here

--x--


  Mark Cherrington can be reached on his blog here


  Have you tried this book or any book in the Inspirational Fiction genre? Got any suggestions for me in this genre?


with warm regards
Abhishek Boinapalli

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Featured Newbie Bloggers - Week 02

Morning all,

 As mentioned earlier, I shall feature new bloggers (blogging for less than nine months) every thrusday on this blog. Details here. So, this week, we have the following bloggers:

--x--
Featured Blogger Of The Month




Mark A. Cherrington
 Who  started the blogging on June 28th 2012. at Make Your Mark
The main purpose of me blogging is to regularly connect worldwide with different people who enjoy all kinds of books. I want my blog readers to use a few feeling words to describe the current book they're currently reading so that the emotions from the book can be put onto the blog giving other bloggers an idea of the book.
I love the thought of connecting to far away people and corresponding with them as I aim to build a little community of authors and readers via my blog where we SUPPORT and ENCOURAGE each other.
Blog Logo:
The blog doesn't really have a logo. it has 3 little birds in the left corner and this symbolizes that as humand we too can fly and go where we want to in life and make our mark.
Personal Message:
I hope that everyone of you will have a look at my book  as I feel that a lot of people can relate to one of the stories. Please feel free to email me or let me know which one has moved you as I would like to be in touch with the people who are reading my work. Also look out for my first full length novel "The Son Of A Nun" coming shortly.






Featured Blogger Of the Week:

Yatin Khurana
who started blogging Feb, 07, 2012 at Dear Dairy Blah Blah

Yatin Khurana, Blogger Yatin Khurana, Featured Newbie Blogger

Why has Yatin Khurana started a blog?
 Okay! Am not a stereotype of the perfect blogger…..you expect to read…….but I also ain’t that bad……the one down with the melancholies of life, the one who you read in Charles Dickens pieces,…….. looking for an audience I can bore with the high ups and downs of my life….no….. Am juzz a regular writer….. out here to maybe discus the regular happenings……. And present you with a different (hope so) perspective ....

 Personal Profile:
    Yatin Khurana from badarpur, delhi, India, an ammateur blogger, who says for me they say am a paradigm of the term cynic, to add more, someone said i'll make you hate me, despite of your concern towards me....hehe

To reach him:
  • Visit his blog 
  • Join him of FB 
  • Fire a mail here

--x--


  Hoping everyone of them success, requesting you to visit those who are of interest to you,
Abhishek Boinapalli

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Book Blurb: Faces The Mind Never Traced

Morning All,

   I have a rather interesting book that falls into the genre of   Inspirational Fiction today with me. Written by Mark Cherrington under the title Faces The Mind Never Traced. 
Book Cover Faces The mind never traced by Mark A Cherringon
Faces The Mind Never Traced


Short description
Imagine going about your daily life observing and walking past different people not knowing if that one face could be the last one you see. Each of the short stories explore this with emotion and courage. Prepare to open your awareness and think about that face your mind never traced. 

Extended description
This is a fictional book but can be seen as a reality for a lot of people.
I hope that the reader will be able to relate to some of these life experiences.
I would invite you to think about the different emotions that are evoked whilst paying particular attention to the actual conclusion as it was this real life experience that the concept for this book was derived.



Hope you would be interested in trying out the book. The review of this book will go online on Friday on this blog. Kindly stay tuned. 

with warm regards
Abhishek Boinapalli

Saturday, July 21, 2012

Guest Post -- Kate Benzin


Morning Everyone,

 Hope your week went well. Today we have, Kate Benzin, the author of Transformative Travel opening up on some of her inner passions.

--x--
Do you have a passion for travel?  Do you dream of living and working overseas?  Or maybe you have some other kind of dream that you’ve been hesitant to try.
“20 years from now, you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” – Mark Twain

Do you often think that there just has to be more to life? Maybe you feel that something is missing, but you’re not sure what that might be.
It can be very scary to think about examining your own life and asking yourself whether it has really become what you had hoped it would. What if the answer is no?  What would or could you do at that point? If you acknowledge that your day-to-day life is not what you want, you can’t just go on with it as usual. That’s when you find yourself in a very scary position.

How long have you been in your boring job?
Maybe you thought you’d take that job temporarily just while you got your head together. And then weeks turned into months, months turned into years. If you’re not careful, before you know it, you’ll be ready to retire without having worked at a job that inspired you or without having accomplished what you wanted to do while you were still young.

I drifted along like that - from one boring job to another. I worked in several office situations. I tried different business enterprises. I went back to school to become a psychologist. And then finally, I saw an opportunity that seemed to me as if it was just meant to be. I read about a short-term job in Indonesia, and I grabbed it.
I’d always wanted to work overseas, but there were always things holding me back. I’d gotten myself into a lot of debt and couldn’t seem to climb out. I always seemed to be in the middle of an apartment lease, a relationship, or some other important event.


My biggest obstacle, though, was that I had a dog and a cat that I loved very much. How could I go overseas and leave them behind?  Actually, however, I probably just used them as an excuse for not being brave enough to venture out to find a more exciting life.

But even while I was hesitating, I kept my eyes and ears open, and I happened to see an ad for a short-term overseas position – the answer to my prayers since I wouldn’t have to leave my pets permanently. It seemed perfect, so I jumped at the chance. But then I found other obstacles.

While some friends congratulated me on being daring enough to grab the chance that I’d found, others tried to hold me back. They tried to talk me out of taking the position. One friend even took it very personally – as if I had consciously chosen to offend her by moving away. Luckily, I didn't let any of their nay-saying change my mind.

Are you living the life that fulfills you? If not, what is holding you back?
There are always challenges to face in creating an ideal life. But remember what Mark Twain said about eventually being more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the ones you did.

There are opportunities around all the time. It’s just a matter of keeping your eyes open and being willing to seize the chances that come your way. Hopefully, if you find a new direction in life, whether temporary or permanent, your friends will be happy for you on your new path. If not, then maybe they weren’t the best friends to have.


It took me a long time to follow my dream of living overseas, and that temporary move gave me the chance to discover that living overseas gave me the adventurous living that I’d been seeking. And yes, I brought my pets over to my new adopted home.

As a writer, I now have the chance to share stories about fulfilling my dreams. In Transformative Travel, I describe fulfilling another one of my dreams – trekking in the Himalayas. What an adventure and what great memories!


 “Nothing is more expensive than a missed opportunity.” -- H. Jackson Brown, Author

So what I’m saying is – grab opportunities that come your way. Don’t let them pass you by.

--x--

What do you feel? Wanna check out Kate's latest book? Visit it here.

with warm regards
Abhishek Boinapalli

History Of Teddy Bear

Hello all,

    Ever wondered why the ferocious bear, which can fight any human being on earth become cute nice teddy bear? Here you go: 


    The cartoon of Mr. Morris Michtom about the hunting party of President of USA Theodore Roosevelt, lead to birth of our beloved Teddy Bear. In the cartoon, Mr. Morris made the bear look cute enough to inspire toy makers create teddy bear.

with warm regards
Abhishek Boinapalli

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Featured Newbie Bloggers - Week 01

Morning all,

 As mentioned earlier, I shall feature new bloggers (blogging for less than nine months) every thrusday on this blog. Details here. So, this week, we have the following bloggers:

--x--
Featured Blogger Of The Month



Mark A. Cherrington
 Who  started the blogging on June 28th 2012. at Make Your Mark
The main purpose of me blogging is to regularly connect worldwide with different people who enjoy all kinds of books. I want my blog readers to use a few feeling words to describe the current book they're currently reading so that the emotions from the book can be put onto the blog giving other bloggers an idea of the book.
I love the thought of connecting to far away people and corresponding with them as I aim to build a little community of authors and readers via my blog where we SUPPORT and ENCOURAGE each other.
Blog Logo:
The blog doesn't really have a logo. it has 3 little birds in the left corner and this symbolizes that as humand we too can fly and go where we want to in life and make our mark.
Personal Message:
I hope that everyone of you will have a look at my book  as I feel that a lot of people can relate to one of the stories. Please feel free to email me or let me know which one has moved you as I would like to be in touch with the people who are reading my work. Also look out for my first full length novel "The Son Of A Nun" coming shortly.



Featured Blogger Of the Week:

BookMark Review Blog
Nicolas Bastien:

Blogging for the past 3 months at Bookmark Review

Why am I blogging:
I am blogging so I can share my oppinions and feelings on books. Also to get in touch with other people around the globe and to get to know them through their own responses aswell as letting them know a little bit about myself through my reviews.

When did I love blogging/book start:
I started to love blogging when I started 3 months ago. At first I thought it would be a great oppurtunity to get some money into my paypal account ( don't we all?) And then I realised it had much more to offer other then money and so I fell in love and soon got loaded with requests and here I am 3 months later still trying to get my TBR list down and tell the world which books did I like and disliked.

--x--


Hoping everyone of them success, requesting you to visit those who are of interest to you,
Abhishek Boinapalli

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Kylo from Despicable Me

Morning all,

 One more of my stupid funny and hilarious pictures. This is based on character Kylo of Despecable Me.

Kylo, Kylo the dog, funny cartoons kylo dog, dog, kylo

Poor Kylo. Ha Ha Ha! Don't forget to check out my troll pictures 


with warm regards
Abhishek Boinapalli

Saturday, July 14, 2012

Author Interview - Shannon Mayer

Morning All,
   Hope you had a great week and are about to enjoy the weekend. Today, I have Shannon Mayer, the author of Sundered giving us a small interview.

--x--
What inspired you to want to become a writer?
I think it runs in my blood, my mother fed that by encouraging me to read books way beyond my age which only pushed me further into the world of the imagination. So, I guess it’s my mom’s fault.


Tell us your most rewarding experience since being published.
Anytime I get a 4 or 5 star review, I just feel the flush of knowing that what I’m doing/writing, is making people happy. That is an incredible feeling.

What was your favorite book when you were a child/teen?
The Chronicles of Narnia, but of course! What proper writer of fantasy would say anything else?


When you were little, what did you want to be when you "grew up"?
A veterinarian for a long time. I was always told that there wasn’t a real job in being a writer, it was what you did for fun or a hobby. Then I grew up and realized that my stories were not only cool ideas, but that with some effort and learning, my writing wasn’t half bad either ;p


What's one piece of advice you would give aspiring authors?
Just keep at it, the only way you will fail is if you give up. Don’t worry about hard critiques and one star ratings, all authors get them, in fact, I would warrant that until you get a one star rating, you are still a baby in this business :-)

What movie and/or book are you looking forward to this year?
I don’t have time for these things any more! LOL. But I am looking forward to Laurel K Hamilton’s new release in the summer, her books are always fun.

How do you react to a bad review?
It’s just a part of the process. If there is constructive words, take them, try to apply them to my writing. That’s all you can do, everyone is entitled to their opinion, you just have to as an author, suck it up and take the good with the bad. If you can’t, you’re probably in the wrong business.

Any other books in the works? Goals for future projects?
The sequel to “Dark Waters”, “Dark Isle” will be out in June if all continues to go well, then I have the third book in that trilogy set to be released in July. After that I have two standalone full length novels, (both urban fantasy) set to be released. In September is “Priceless” the story of a Tracker who hunts down children kidnapped by supernaturals, and in December “The Chronicles of Sin” follows Toni, a woman who carries Gluttony within her and how she sets out to free herself from her vice.


One food you would never eat?
Balut (don’t know if I’m even spelling it right) It’s when you eat an egg that has a partially formed chick in it. GAG.


--x--
Wishing Shannon Mayer all the luck,
Abhishek Boinapalli

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Fifty Shades of Pleasure Reading

Morning all,
 Today I have a guest post by Preeti Sharma. She is here to do a review of the highly popular Fifty Shades trilogy.   Here is you:

--x--

If you are not aware about the ‘Fifty shades…’ trilogy, you are certainly missing something big. The trilogy, ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’, ‘Fifty Shades Darker’ and ‘Fifty Shades Freed’, is a series of erotic novels by British author E L James, released in 2011. The novel has taken the world by storm as everybody everywhere can’t cease to talk about it. Such is the effect that the story of the novel has had on people so far that it has already raked in $20 million by selling over four million copies! It is, in fact, the only non-Harry Potter novel to register such records.

The fastest-selling novel for adults actually has very adult content. The trilogy features the protagonist, Anastasia Steele, a college graduate, who has a steamy relationship with Christian Grey, a troubled young billionaire, who flies a private jet plane and owns a fleet of Audis. The relationship just doesn’t involve love and romance but is quite formal and stylized corporal punishment in BDMS way. The novel makes you search about BDMS in detail over the internet where you learn that it applies to bondage, dominance, submission and masochism.

James’ writing style is very animated and instantly hooks you on to the plot. The language is crisp with words from modern lingo, such as jeez, crap, double crap, triple crap and many more. The incredible dialogues keep you awake while reading (“I'm a very wealthy man, Miss Steele, and I have expensive and absorbing hobbies"; "No man has ever affected me the way Christian Grey has, and I cannot fathom why. Is it his looks? His civility? Wealth? Power?"; “I don’t do the girlfriend thing”; "Don't bite your lip...I can’t keep still if you’re going to bite that lip” "...I want to bite it too, hard”).

Anastasia or Ana’s initial attraction towards ‘Oh, so handsome’ Christian Grey is obvious infatuation but interestingly it gradually blossoms into love. There is a constant war between Anastasia’s “subconscious”, which tries to instill some sense in her and ofttimes passes off, and her “inner goddess”, who is always eager for the relationship, BDSM, so be it.

There have been utterly mixed reactions to “Fifty Shades…” throughout the world. Some feel that it has changed their life forever, some categorize it as soft porn and some others feel that the book is worth a read as it is an experience in itself. There are debates if it is the sex that is selling it or the emotionally unnerving relationship between Ana and Christian that is making the novel sell. The world media too has published rave reviews about the book. The Guardian calls it “a book you'd be embarrassed to be caught reading on the tube. Another The Guardian article sees the novel as “demonise people whose erotic style embraces bondage, domination and sadomasochism,” which is “not a pathological symptom, but one of a wide range of normative human erotic interests.” In a lighter vein, NewStatesman views the criticism of ‘Fifty shades…’ as the problem from its being “porn for women”.  The book will now be marketed as a pleasure read with a tag line “reading for pleasure has a whole new meaning.”

Well, the best part is that the novel has turned out to be a miracle for the rather sulking publishing industry. Today, the world stands is divided into two types of people –the ones who have already read it and the other who are planning to lay their hands on it soon. Kindly check out the book here
--x--

" This review isn't done by me (Abhishek Boinapalli). Kindly feel free to contact Preeti Sharma to discuss the book and this review." 

with warm regards
Abhishek Boniapalli

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

One Piece -- Funny Scenes

Morning All, 


   Just sharing the love of One Piece, some of the very very funny scenes for you to laugh at!!











 Do you also watch Animes?? Love them?? What is your favorite Anime?? Naruto / One Piece / Bleach / something else? do let me know!! 


 with warm regards 
Abhishek Boinapalli

Saturday, July 7, 2012

200 followers giveaway - winners

Morning All,

 Hope you had fun all through the week and are continuing the same in the weekend. I am happy to pick up Mr. Vikki and Ms. Pragya Sharma as the winners of the 200 followers giveaway on my blog!!




Mr. Praya Sharma received The Immortals of Meluha book as part of giveaway while Mr. Vikki received The Secret of  Nagas book as part of giveaway. Congratulations.


with warm regards
Abhishek Boinapalli

Friday, July 6, 2012

Book Feature: God Loves You. Chester Blue

Morning All,

 Today I stumbled upon a rather wonderful book named God Loves You - Chester Blue by  Suzanne Anderson with an amusing yet thought provoking blurb. Here you go:

--x--
 

What if when you most needed help, a blue bear appeared with a note from God?

One night, Miss Millie of Blossom, Ohio turns her face to the stars and asks God for help. The next day, a package arrives on her doorstep containing a blue teddy bear and a very special note.

Over the course of a year, this remarkable blue bear travels across the country, showing up just when he’s needed most.

During his journey, Chester Blue helps a young girl trying to
Suzanne Anderson
impress her big sisters; saves a sailor caught in a terrible storm; reunites two constantly fighting brothers; helps a cowboy become a rodeo clown; and aids a father and daughter in bonding after divorce.

If you ever needed a message from God, it's here...
--x--

Wishing Suzanne Anderson all success,
Abhishek Boinapalli

Wednesday, July 4, 2012

Book Reivew: The Flight of Griffin by Christopher Gray

Hello All,

  I have the review of The Flight of Griffin, a YA fantasy novel by Christopher Gray.



Blurb:
Living in their old boat ‘The Griffin’ five young characters become the unlikely heroes at the end of time when a burglary sets them on the path to finish the ‘Last great Spell’ - a spell to stop the balance of the World tipping into Chaos...
They become the Magician, Thief, Priest and Fighter when a magical book guides them upon a quest that pits them against magic, demons and ‘The Hawk,’ an evil hunter of men.

Join a race against time to find three crystal skulls that must be brought together, while all the forces of Chaos try everything to stop them! 

My Review:
   In Short: 6.5/10 Good book, a little nice introduction to world of fancy for beginners

   The book does a good job with the plot, taking you from one place to the another based on abrupt clues given by a book. The book shows well the living conditions of the time, the towns, the harbors and such. Author Christopher Gray does a convincing job
while transforming four young street rats living together in an old discarded boat into heroes who venture on a quest to help restore the balance in the world, to fight the choas, to test their might against demons and the demon king himself with the aid of source, Mahra and a book. The book for sure shall allure young readers into the world of fantasy.
 
    The author could have made the book more fascinating by telling us a little about the people, how they look, what they eat, what they study. The world of fantasy is about various tribes and their cultures and their hometowns. So Christopher M. Gray must have told a lot more about the hidden, about how they live and what they eat, whom they pray, what do they take pride in, what hurts them, what their language is,... Whether it is the normal people, or the magicians, or the people of desert or the hidden they all look alike, they refer to god as source in the book and they all seems simple enough. It would have been great if each had their way, if each of these tribes had differences and each race has its way.

  The villains don't seem to be good enough. Though the king of demons himself comes to fight, it doesn't look right. The heroes *better say, four street rats with help of a book* seem to easily fight and fend off against the mighty king of demons from start. That is a little disappointing. It would have been better, if a little detail is added to the fights, showing us desperate retreats, daring attacks, use of magic, will, guts, sacrifices and glory.

  In simple words, the book was good, though it could be made great. Takes you into a different world with flying beasts *griffin*, demon kings, source, crystal skulls, priests, thieves, fighters, magicians,... and intensifies the plot such that you wouldn't keep the book down till it is down.
 
with warm regards
Abhishek Boinapalli


Disclaimer:
I have received a free copy of the book, Raising Wild Ginger  for the purpose of review. This didn't in anyway effect the review. The review is sincere and straight from heart
 

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Author Interview -- Laxmi Hariharan

Morning all, 

    Today I have Laxmi Hariharan, the author of The Destiny of Shaitan answering a few nutty questions on herself, her writing career and her book. Here you go: 

--x-- 
Please tell us in one sentence only, why we should read your book.

 When you are ready to journey into yourself, and find out about what you really want, then The Destiny of Shaitan will be there for you. 
 
If you were stranded on a desert island what 3 things would you want with you?  
My kindle, a swiss army knife, my rayban sunglasses 

Any other books in the works? Goals for future projects?  
I hope to complete Return to Seven Islands, the second book in Chronicle of the Three, by next spring, and release it on Holi—the Indian festival of colours, March 2013. 

If you were a superhero what would your name be? TARA (which translates to STAR in English) 

What inspired you to want to become a writer? I have been writing for a long time, but two years ago I had a miscarriage, lost my baby and almost died. I came out of it with the realization that life is short. I had to get my voice out there for tomorrow is too late. This spurred to take that final step and give birth to my first born—The Destiny of Shaitan.

Night owl, or early bird? 
Early bird, my 4 am wake-up-to-write routine is insane but effective. 

If you could jump in to a book, and live in that world.. which would it be? 
Dance with Dragons (George R R Martin)

What's one piece of advice you would give aspiring authors?
It is in embracing my roots I found my voice. Do what it takes to find your voice and then be true to it. -

--x-- 
wishing Laxmi Hariharan all success, 
Abhishek Boinapalli

Monday, July 2, 2012

Guest Post -- Emlyn Chand

Hello All,

 Today I have Emlyn Chand, the author of  Farsighted giving a few tips to young writers. Here you go:

--x--
I’ve identified 10 lessons I’ve learned along the way. Maybe you already know these things. Maybe you don’t. I’m gonna share ‘em anyway...

1. Something’s gotta give.  

Writing is not something you can do with just a little bit of effort. To get through the first draft, editing, what-have-you, you'll have to work hard! Yes, you could space it out over several years, but if you want to finish anytime this year, you’re going to have to make sacrifices. For me, this was less time with friends and family, less television, and less attention to my health (eating right and exercising). Oops.

2. Write what you want to write—not what you think you should be writing.
 Boy, this was a hard one to learn. I’ve always fallen back on being “that smart girl.” When things didn’t go right in my personal life or when I was picked last in gym class, I took pride in my intellect. Therefore, I’ve always done what I can to improve my wit and make my best trait the best it can be. That being said, I spent a long time forcing myself to read classic literature. I did enjoy it, and I still do, but it’s definitely not what I find most entertaining (YA is). Still I kept at the classic literature because it was important to me that others respect my intelligence (damaged by high school much? :-P). 


Naturally when I decided to write a novel, it came out as literary fiction. That’s the me I wanted to portray to the world. I wanted people to salivate over my talent and proclaim my literary merit... Except the novel wasn’t that good, because it wasn’t a piece of who I really am. Now that I’ve cozied into YA, I couldn’t be happier. And the larger facade of who I once pretended to be has lifted. I. AM. FREE. Now this lesson doesn’t just mean: don’t put on a false front. It also means: don’t chase trends. Write what your heart wants to write, and it’ll all be good in the end.

3. You’re going to make mistakes. LOTS of mistakes.  
Practice makes perfect. Well, it makes it better than before. You may be an excellent writer, but if you’ve never written a novel before, you’re a newbie. That’s okay too! When writing that all-important first novel, you’re pretty much going to make every mistake in the book. In my first novel, I really struggled with keeping a consistent point-of-view and writing authentic dialogue. The POV problem was very difficult to fix, but in trying, I learned an important lesson—one I couldn’t have learned if I hadn’t made such huge blunders. Now that I do know how to correct and avoid these problems, dialogue and POV are two of my strongest areas (at least that’s what readers tell me).

4. Writer’s detour is a bigger problem than writer’s block.  
Writer’s block gets all the PR, but it’s not as dangerous as writer’s detour. When you’re blocked you’re not moving forward. When you take a detour, you’re moving in the wrong direction. Will you get to California quicker by taking a small rest in Boise, or will you get there quicker by following a pretty red car to Ontario first? (My advice, drive straight-on through to Cali if you can). Don’t get so caught up with a minor character (or a theme you want to convey) that you stray all over the place. Which brings me to my next point...

5. Structure is important. 
 We writers fall into two camps: pantsers and plotters. Some pantsers consider themselves superior, because their writing leads their plots—not the other way around. I used to think like that too. Even if you want to keep your plotline fluid, you need some form of structure. Shudder at the thought of outlining? Then mapping your characters is crucial. You need to know where you’re going and/or who's taking you there. Otherwise you’re just groping about in the dark. Yes, writing is absolutely a creative process, but don’t under-estimate the value of good planning.

6. Novel #1 may never leave the drawer.
 Or it may leave the drawer, journey around the query circuit, and then come right back to where it started. My first novel DID get me an agent, but 9 drafts later, it still wasn’t good enough to publish. When my agent suggested I change 2/3 of it for draft 10, I decided to move onto my next project. I just wasn’t enjoying the process anymore. I’m so glad I finally called it quits on novel #1, because novel #2 is so much better, and now I get to put it out there into the world. If I would’ve kept agonizing over the inferior manuscript, novel #2 may have never happened!

7. When you’re done, you’re not done.
 I’m just a big ball of sunshine today, aren’t I? But it’s important to understand just how much work follows being “done.” Anne Lamott said it best in Bird by Bird, you’re going to write “shitty first drafts.” I can guarantee it! Don’t let that stop you, just be prepared for it.

8. Writing is a business just as much as it’s an art.
 Getting a novel published and promoting it once it’s out there is infinitely more work than writing a novel in the first place. That’s not to under-value the writing process, but it’s true. Sure, you can finish your novel, self-publish it, and then do virtually nothing to promote it. Fine. 


But if you actually want to sell copies of your book, you’ve gotta handle the business side of things. Finding an agent is an extremely formal business interaction—you even have to write fancy business (AKA query) letters. Marketing your book is a TON of work. It’s pretty fun (at least, I think so, but I moonlight as a book publicist, so I realize I might not be normal). However, being fun is not equivalent to being easy. Not even close. Expect lots of work and lots of stress and not very much sleep. The good news: you get out what you put in, so give it all you can!

9. Querying will destroy your soul. 
 My unhappy place is remembering query letter Hell. I honestly can’t remember anything harder in my life. Ever. Make sure you have a good support system in place. Because even if you’re brilliant, you can pretty much expect a slew of rejections. I ultimately got an agent but had to suffer through 60 “not for us”s first. Of course, it hurts. As writers, we pour our hearts and souls into our manuscript. Our words are a part of who we are. Having a faceless stranger tell you it’s not good enough is pure torture. End of argument.

10. You will sustain injuries.
 Gosh, my neck is killing me while I’m writing this post. You’re probably going to get neck and back pain too. Headaches from staring at the computer too long. Possible eye problems. Definite poor posture. Maybe even carpal tunnel syndrome. That’s just the way it goes, so be prepared.
--x--

Wishing her all success,
Abhishek Boinapalli

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