Discovering the Art of Storytelling (Mar 2010 - Oct 2010)
As I was slowly running out of steam, my researches on the internet related to blogging brought to my notice a monthly bloggers contest called Blog-a-Ton. I gingerly made an attempt to submit an entry for that and somehow inspiration struck me and I was able to put together a piece of futuristic fiction. Within an hour of posting, I got 6 comments, the maximum every in such short time frame, taking me to cloud nine. That was when I was introduced to the concept of networking with other bloggers. I across discovered two other forums - 'IndiMag' and 'Cafe Ginger Chai', which gave me inspiration to write more fiction. Most of the fiction I wrote during this period was philosophical in nature, exploring the human psyche. I made a few very good blogger friends and was even planning to bring out a short story anthology along with them. But somehow it did not work out and activity began to slow down on all these forums and I began to lose touch with my friends. That along with some trying situations in personal life again brought fresh clouds over my blog.
Time Travel
This was my first post for a contest or a prompt. It was a humorous fiction concept I had already tried once as fantasy. I rehashed the concept as science fiction keeping with the month's prompt for Blog-a-ton, an online contests where people write posts with same title and winners are selected based on votes by fellow participants. The response to my entry was so overwhelming that I was fully bought in to the concept of writing for online prompts.
My Views on Reservation Policy
This was one of the topics on which I felt I had offbeat views. An analysis kind of post where I take a view contrary to popular opinion and try to defend through logical analysis. As I mentioned earlier, I do not like to write essay type or analysis pots unless I have views contrary to the popularly accepted view points.
The Lonely Bus Stand
My first attempt at serious fiction. It was posted for a story writing contest conducted by IndiMag. It was well received encouraging me to write more fiction. This is a philosophical fiction drawing from some personal incidents from my life. I have written it in an unique style: a story told in ten mini scenes from different timelines.
Mohiniattam
This was my second entry for the story writing contest organized by IndiMag. This also drew from my personal experiences and the main character was based on a person I had encountered in real life. This story focuses on nature of human relationships.
Confessions of a Writer Wannabe
This is where for the first time I stop and reflect on how I have been doing as a blogger and writer. I had come up with the idea of a confession years before the confession craze on Facebook. However this confession is not about falling in love with a female blogger at a bloggers' meet.
Fool
As I was slowly running out of steam, my researches on the internet related to blogging brought to my notice a monthly bloggers contest called Blog-a-Ton. I gingerly made an attempt to submit an entry for that and somehow inspiration struck me and I was able to put together a piece of futuristic fiction. Within an hour of posting, I got 6 comments, the maximum every in such short time frame, taking me to cloud nine. That was when I was introduced to the concept of networking with other bloggers. I across discovered two other forums - 'IndiMag' and 'Cafe Ginger Chai', which gave me inspiration to write more fiction. Most of the fiction I wrote during this period was philosophical in nature, exploring the human psyche. I made a few very good blogger friends and was even planning to bring out a short story anthology along with them. But somehow it did not work out and activity began to slow down on all these forums and I began to lose touch with my friends. That along with some trying situations in personal life again brought fresh clouds over my blog.
Time Travel
This was my first post for a contest or a prompt. It was a humorous fiction concept I had already tried once as fantasy. I rehashed the concept as science fiction keeping with the month's prompt for Blog-a-ton, an online contests where people write posts with same title and winners are selected based on votes by fellow participants. The response to my entry was so overwhelming that I was fully bought in to the concept of writing for online prompts.
My Views on Reservation Policy
This was one of the topics on which I felt I had offbeat views. An analysis kind of post where I take a view contrary to popular opinion and try to defend through logical analysis. As I mentioned earlier, I do not like to write essay type or analysis pots unless I have views contrary to the popularly accepted view points.
The Lonely Bus Stand
My first attempt at serious fiction. It was posted for a story writing contest conducted by IndiMag. It was well received encouraging me to write more fiction. This is a philosophical fiction drawing from some personal incidents from my life. I have written it in an unique style: a story told in ten mini scenes from different timelines.
Mohiniattam
This was my second entry for the story writing contest organized by IndiMag. This also drew from my personal experiences and the main character was based on a person I had encountered in real life. This story focuses on nature of human relationships.
Confessions of a Writer Wannabe
This is where for the first time I stop and reflect on how I have been doing as a blogger and writer. I had come up with the idea of a confession years before the confession craze on Facebook. However this confession is not about falling in love with a female blogger at a bloggers' meet.
Fool
This piece is one of my personal favorites. When I read it at times I can't even believe I wrote this. This was again for the Blog-a-Ton contests I managed to express my deepest frustrations through a story set in Victorian times and rendered in verse. It was one of the works written much before I had even the slightest idea about rhyme, meter and forms. I was a bit disappointed though with the bland, listless comments from fellow bloggers of Blog-a-ton.
Blog-a-Ton used to stimulate my creativity and enabled me to produce really varied kind of works. This was again a different kind of philosophical fiction, exploring lines between dreams and reality. This story was again cathartic for me like most of my other works during this phase. It is a slightly longer work which in later times would have been written as series fiction.
This is one of those rare posts where I expressed my opinion on a hot current affair topic. As usual an against the tide viewpoint.
This was written for a team blogging contests organized by Cafe Ginger Chai. Given the cliched nature of the topic, I attempted a different kind of presentation. I have used English nursery rhymes to present Indian arranged marriage system as a way most Indians find love.
An attempt at paranormal thriller - again a Blog-a-Ton entry. I wanted to continue this as a series, with one post every month based on the theme of Blog-a-Ton. A decent read as a stand alone as well.
This was also a post for the Cafe Ginger Chai team blogging contest. We were to write what would be the words of the last tiger. I attempted a preachy philosophical post from the point of view of the last member of a dying species. I was happy with what I wrote but did not cut much ice with the judges, sowing the first seeds of my discontentment with contests. Possibly when judges give a topic they have something in mind and when I begin to write it, the post assumes an altogether a different character which may not be in line with what the judges may have expected.
Website Review: Parihara.com
I am not into product reviews. But when a very close friend asked me to review his semi-commercial website, I just could not say no. So I came up with a review of his website. In some ways, this served as precursor to my blog reviews later on.
Wish
A continuation of my first series story starting with hidden. It was an attempt to write unrelated scenes that look like stand alone stories in the beginning but begin to tie in later on. I was trying to coordinate the episodes with blog-a-ton hoping the regular blog-a-ton readers will get hooked on to the initial episodes and continue to read on the later episodes as well.
Return
The third episode of my first series story. It is in a totally different style compared to the first two episodes. It is written like a myth. After this episode I decided to stop linking the series to monthly blog-a-ton prompts.
Twelve Month Wonder
This was the fourth episode. I wrote this independent of Blog-a-ton and tried to cover too much ground in one episode. After this I began to feel I was losing control of the story and began to develop self doubts. So I ended up abandoning the series in the middle. But now I feel I must take it up where I left, resume and complete it as I do not want to leave anything I have started incomplete. So the series might see a completion some time. But it is possible that this episode might not fit in with the new scheme of things.
The Abandoned Station
This was my first attempt at micro fiction. Seeing a picture prompt for Blog-a-ton, I felt a poem would be more appropriate than a story. After a lot of though, I ended up writing a 55 Fiction instead of a poem. In some ways I consider micro fiction closer to poetry than fiction, because both require you to convey a lot in limited words.
I am not into product reviews. But when a very close friend asked me to review his semi-commercial website, I just could not say no. So I came up with a review of his website. In some ways, this served as precursor to my blog reviews later on.
Wish
A continuation of my first series story starting with hidden. It was an attempt to write unrelated scenes that look like stand alone stories in the beginning but begin to tie in later on. I was trying to coordinate the episodes with blog-a-ton hoping the regular blog-a-ton readers will get hooked on to the initial episodes and continue to read on the later episodes as well.
Return
The third episode of my first series story. It is in a totally different style compared to the first two episodes. It is written like a myth. After this episode I decided to stop linking the series to monthly blog-a-ton prompts.
Twelve Month Wonder
This was the fourth episode. I wrote this independent of Blog-a-ton and tried to cover too much ground in one episode. After this I began to feel I was losing control of the story and began to develop self doubts. So I ended up abandoning the series in the middle. But now I feel I must take it up where I left, resume and complete it as I do not want to leave anything I have started incomplete. So the series might see a completion some time. But it is possible that this episode might not fit in with the new scheme of things.
The Abandoned Station
This was my first attempt at micro fiction. Seeing a picture prompt for Blog-a-ton, I felt a poem would be more appropriate than a story. After a lot of though, I ended up writing a 55 Fiction instead of a poem. In some ways I consider micro fiction closer to poetry than fiction, because both require you to convey a lot in limited words.
6 comments:
I like how you're reviewing your own blogging. Thanks for sharing the links.
Yes I agree with Damyanti. It's good to see that. :)
Wow. You are quite a versatile writer! Great works!
Thanks a lot, Damayanti. Glad you liked this bit of narcissism.
Thanks a lot, Ankita.
Thanks, Pankti.
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