Writing across genres

Generally established writers write specifically for one genre. It is common sense that if he is successful in one then he can have success with another episode of the same. Also people recognise these writers to a specific genre so there is better marketability.

As a budding writer I feel people should try their hand at all types of writing. From letters, articles to various genres of fiction. This gives confidence in capability to write and also shows us what we are best at. You may just discover you write fantasy better than sci-fi or that you can mix elements of two genres to create a unique style of your own.

I have written and published at least 4 genres including Biker fiction, drama, horror, spiritual/inspirational and also a parody (latter not paid for). Currently I am sticking to what I do best and add other elements to it (to Biker fiction).

Although I had an idea for a fantasy novel, I am thinking of starting with biker fiction for my first book as it comes easy to me and would fill up the word limit in Nanowrimo faster.

Please go through stories at Personal Watchamacallit section of www.ujjwaldey.com and comment if you see a budding novelist.

Celebrity look-alike

It is awesome to have idols and heroes. We all have our favourite stars. These may have something to do with the movie roles they played or maybe their lifestyle. Mostly it is their on-screen personality that attracts us.

Having something to look upto gives us inspiration and motivates us. It helps us find that spark of energy which would carry us ahead. Whenever we are down we can find wisdom in the words or actions of our heroes and thus strive for our cause, determined to succeed since our hero could do so. This gives the same boost that maybe others find in religion or prayer. Faith in the hero is more sincere since he is more real, he is human and if he can, why not you?

However, bad role-models exist as well. These entice us to try alternative lifestyles or behaviour and causes disharmony among our environment. They may do more damage than good, and I am reminded what Robert De Niro said of playing roles about others – “One of the things about acting is it allows you to live other people's lives without having to pay the price.” Do you wish to take these risks and live frivolously without getting the benefits a fictional character gets?

Choosing a celebrity idol is easier than choosing a faith or religion. At least you are not born into it with obligations from family and society. There is more freedom in the choice. One would think that these options would help people see the basic difference and thus make a sound judgement on whom to idolise.

I guess the fantasy of cinema attracts us more towards those characters that are totally unreal in the present world, one which we can only aspire to be, a hero who can get away with things that in reality is impossible to do. That is what cinema is for after all - the escape. So while some choose the charisma of James Bond; others may choose his drinking or smoking. Some may choose the physique & determination of Rocky; others may choose his risky occupation. It would do well to get the best part from these heroes and use them such that it catapults you towards the most satisfying phase of your life – the successful phase.

In the meantime you can busy yourself in analysing your photo, comparing it to celebrities who look like you.

Casual to Consistent Craving

I came across an interesting parable about ‘The 99 Club’. The gist of it is that a King is amazed at his gardener being so happy in spite of poverty while he was not content. The King’s advisor said that the gardener be made part of ‘The 99 Club’. 99 gold coins were left in a bag outside the poor labourer’s home. He was happy to find it and counted it. He recounted again and again, looking everywhere, hoping it would be 100 but soon realised there were only 99 coins. He was disappointed but decided to work hard to earn the 100th coin. He was grumpy and overworked and toiled ignoring his family to earn the 100th gold coin. Soon he was miserable within a few days. The King astonished to see this transformation asked his advisor why the wealth didn’t make the gardener happy and satisfied. The advisor told him how the 99 gold coins sowed a seed of dissatisfaction and greed in the gardener’s heart and mind. He was now part of ‘The 99 club’ just as the King was.

We have daily needs and daily desires. If our needs are satisfied we have a more intense craving for desires. There is no solution for it unless you detach yourself from ego, ambition and comparison to have an overview audit of all that we are blessed with. If you have a good home while others stay in slums, think how better off you are. If you have a well-functioning body & mind, think how lucky you are while there are those who are handicapped or disabled.

Looking up is great to find infinite new possibilities. But to know your happiness and success, look down to those who are far below in achievement and comforts. You can’t walk with your eyes fixed on stars, you can’t be progressive with your eyes fixed on the dirt; but you can look straight ahead and meet daily challenges and greet those with problems with a compassionate smile and a lending hand.

Almost everyone around you is in this 99 club. It is not a celebration. It is a sad, miserable, deceitful and hateful place. You can walk out on your own with the knowledge that you don’t need to be part of this hell, realising that God has already blessed you with enough to be content and resourceful.

Casual desires, when wrongly meditated upon, turn into deep-seated greed and creates constant craving that never ceases. The more you feed this fire of discontent, the more it ravages your peace and harmony. Soon you are consumed in flames of unhappiness and depression.

If a stitch in time saves nine, a stitch in your fabric of thought in time would enable you to avoid your solace from being torn to shreds by the blade of cravings.

Stay positive and reflect only on good efforts instead of lingering on poor results. See the world in its true multi-dimensions. If there are bad aspects to your situation, there must be good ones as well. Ultimately you can rejoice at your asset that if you have nothing, you have nothing to lose in trying your best.

The one thing you believe in...

It is not easy to have faith. The concept of ‘Faith’ itself pronounces the will to accept a belief system with disregard to logic and reason. That is not to say a scientific mind lacks faith. One could have faith in science itself. That everything can be explained mathematically or through analysis.

The origin of faith seems to lie in community and religion. These two can be separated to see faith in a political system – a fascist patriotism; and faith in a religion – a fascist ideology. Going to extremes in either is not what they are all about. But once you believe there is no reason for you to hear any objection to the ideas you profess to accept wholeheartedly.

So is faith a root of evil? It depends much on the idea you focus your energies on. Can you in the modern, corrupted, violent world defend your faith through non-violent ways? If that is what is taught by your belief system then you should give it a try; otherwise you are lacking in faith in the concepts of your ideology.

Atheism is based mostly in scientific reasoning of how to prove existence of God or or lack of reason for all the ills in the world when God exists. Most have given up metaphysics and accept only cold logic as a sane belief system. Religion to them is a refuge for the weak, wishful mind.

Isn’t faith also about courage; the bravado to believe in an idea when there is no reasoning available to support the ideas? Then what attracts people to such ideas? Spiritualists consider it as a matter of spiritual growth or awareness. If you can see the beauty of meditation, prayer, rituals; then you are spiritually advanced and hence blessed with these insights. Transferring these qualities to a non-believer is like telling a dog that the flower bed is colourful while he can only see in black & white. Faith needs individual evolution.

Reading is a great way for advancement of knowledge. If you need help with your ideology, read relevant, acclaimed books. Seek a teacher who is enlightened, for a blind man can’t lead another blind man. Interpretation of Holy books or even political ideas is important. Wrong interpretation centered on the interpreting person’s own concepts or ego will lead to misinformation and ignorance.

If the science of medicine, engineering or management needs to be taught; so does the metaphysical science of spirituality. You can't run before you learn to walk.

Just as they say that if you don’t direct your course, the elements will take control of your direction (wind, currents, etc); similarly if you don’t have faith in an ideology, you would be swung like a weathercock and reach nowhere.

If you disbelieve in many things, try and find at least one thing you believe in and see how much support, strength, security and refuge you find in it.

You can list the one thing you believe in here in comments…

Novel Idea

Some people wonder around me as to how I am able to write short stories. They find it difficult to even consider drafting an email application for a job. They can’t use 200 words to describe any thing or person.

It seems odd to me that educated people can be so lacking in creativity and originality. Why would one person be open to thought while others dependent on sourcing other’s thoughts?

I am myself frustrated with the creative process. I write but not enough to be a full-time pro. I wish I could have the courage to go through with writing a complete novel. Ideas exist in plenty. The will, determination and dedication required make me procrastinate and goof off my spare time. Its not easy writing a full-fledged novel.

Many issues exist apart from plot and characterization. The reader’s interest should be held till the last page. Actually it is said that the first 10 pages itself decide the success of a novel – from the selection by an agent/publisher, to the critic and the paying reader.

Great starts could fizz out and others may get lost in sub-plots or two-dimensional characters. Also a clear message, a concise prose and real action/drama is not what every novel can boast of.

National Novel writing month is coming up. And the pressure to act on it is gaining momentum. You too can participate as a fun leisure activity. Mind it, it’s addictive and needs patience. It will be the best excuse to stay on the computer and most rewarding if you can create something you can call your own.

National Novel Writing Month

The Wisdom of Gollum

I must confess I never got around to reading Tolkien’s epic saga. The movie however brings alive everything – the atmosphere, the people, the monsters, the magic; in great style.

Gollum is easily the best attraction in the various characters. More so for me because of the personality he has. Here is a normal person, so possessed by greed and lust that he is transformed – he metamorphosed into a despiteful, hateful, evil creature.

We tend to become like him more times than we may admit to. It is our ego – the I. We as humans are naturally displaced towards selfishness. We crave more the more we have.

I feel like Gollum so many times. Self-loathing and poor self-esteem has little to do with this. They are factors but mostly I am disappointed that I find it hard to be truly generous.

Smeagol the Hobbit was a happy guy; until the ring came into his life. So consumed with greed and selfishness, he murdered his friend who had found it. He became consumed in his evil passion for the ring and became a social outcast. He soon started hating sunlight and lived alone among the cave in Misty Mountains. He found no great secrets, only darkness & emptiness.

"He hated it and loved it, as he hated and loved himself. He could not get rid of it. He had no will left in the matter."
- The Fellowship of the Ring: "The Shadow of the Past," p. 64

We tend to be consumed by our passions in as much as to ignore family or friends. We desire and crave more as soon as we get small rewards for our efforts. The carrot is eternally dangling before us and we chase it to our graves.

We too start hating all that is good (like sunlight) and go deep into our miserable, unwanted, dark desires; obsessed to gather all the wealth or pleasure.

Pleasure is not the same as Happiness. This is a very good proverb but not an easy one to follow. As a common human myself, I am prone to craving and desires. Selfishness is as natural as breathing; with effort it can change; the effort needs great courage.

For now I will keep the Gollum avatar as a reminder of my despicable nature.

Anxiety? Restlessness? Anger? Exhaustion?

If you suffer from the above problems and other things such as stress, indigestion, constipation, emotional turbulence, etc. what do you think the cure would cost?

You would think you need a very good doctor who will charge too much to prescribe medicines that would drain your finances so much it would again cause all the above in cycles.

What if I tell you the BEST MEDICINE for all the above and more such emotional, mental, physical ailments is available and accessible to all for FREE?

Hard to believe but it is true. All you need is Oxygen and a correct breathing to ensure the same. Most people have poor breathing techniques due to wrong posture or wrong habits.

A baby knows how to breathe. Or look at your sleeping pet dog, see how he breathes.

Breathing as humans have been endowed with is to ensure maximum lung capacity to inhale oxygen and purify blood. The best absorption is at the bottom of our lungs due to gravitation. Shallow breathing causes poor oxygen absorption. Breathing through your chest causes shallow breathing.

Let your tummy expand naturally as the diaphragm moves to expand the lungs. Don’t wear restrictive clothing blocking such a natural breathing process. Breathe deep and let your tummy expand without any conscious muscular force. THIS is natural breathing.

This natural deep Yogic breathing ensures the calming of mind and health of the body. Also it gives us a sense of control over ourselves alleviating any emotional disturbances. Healthy body, mind and soul at such a great natural and free way; how could you not be amazed at the wise old sages of India who knew how to be in charge of themselves and their environment?


But popping pills is what most people choose to do. They will not even try voluntary action to remedy themselves. They want pills to change their biology. Chemical dependence for such a natural thing as sleep is also extensively prevalent in modern society. So if you have to wear those hip jeans or compulsory necktie and sit with a hunch over your computer; remember that you are to blame for your physical and mental condition – no one else.

Do you wonder why all those Victorian women in old movies or novels keep fainting? It’s because they wore restrictive corsets that stopped proper breathing. Without air those silly ‘fashionable’ women obviously had to faint when they got excited and tried to breathe enough oxygen required by the body.

So grab a lung full of air and free your mind & body.
For those with too much money – pop another pill.

Cheap Newspapers

As soon as The Times of India daily newspaper started giving away Mumbai Mirror tabloid along with the regular Bombay Times supplement, the competition has gone nuts.

You can now get Hindustan Times & its supplements or DNA & supplements for less than Rs. 200 per year. This seems such a lot of waste. Also it shows the value of these competing dailies.

To capture market share they are selling in bulk to gain readership. But if anyone is gaining it is the “raddiwalla” (scrap dealer). The average newspaper reader would read only bits of the one or more dailies he subscribes, so it is a waste of rain forests and ink.

Who cares about those rich bastards toasting on every page of the tabloids? The headlines try to grab attention only to disappoint and repulse the reader with its poor writing and uninvolved analysis.

The only thing I seem to enjoy anymore in these papers are the comic strips. And I am glad they vary in each of these papers. One could start a comic strip on these media wars trying to control the minds and activities of the citizens.

They have been reduced to sourcing old news & articles from British and American dailies to fill their otherwise worthless pages. The content quality is as poor as the sunlight on eclipse; only the eclipse is much rarer.

Anyways I am glad I have enough papers to use in dustbins, use as impromptu floor mats, pack tiffins and maybe wipe what the cat dragged or left in. The money spent is recovered easily in the recycle sale to the local paper mart dealer.

It will be interesting to see how long it lasts. The Times of India seriously is pathetic becoming worse and losing credibility. But I don’t see anyone capitalizing on the content aspect. Hope they start giving out free copies as they wind up their business and new idiots arrive on the Daily scene.

Coffee & Tea

I wonder if anyone has the same affinity towards coffee and tea as I do. I like tea when I wake up and coffee throughout the day.

If tea is available and not coffee, I wouldn’t mind the former. Both have to have milk and should be hot or warm. Even in burning summer in this country people want hot tea or coffee.

It’s the same as wanting to wear jeans when the temperatures are beyond 35 degree Celsius; you know it will be uncomfortable but you can’t imagine anything else while you go out to have fun.

Tea is much better they say for health but bitter coffee works wonders for my lazy brain whereas tea calms me down. Then why do I need tea in the morning? Because the day’s depressing unfolding is already visualised in details in my head. The monotonous brushing & shaving, the relaxing loo & shower, the hot sun on my helmet riding to work, the daily grind at work, the frustrating traffic-laden trip back home & then lying lifeless exhausted by the thought of study or even recreation.

Addiction works wonders as a motivator. Someone could yell at you, slap you, kick you and you wouldn't budge but if instead someone offers tea or coffee break, any regular Joe is enthused with willingness, eagerness & compliance.

The brain changes its mechanism. We no longer work to earn bread and water. We start craving that hot sip; the foam at the end of the day’s tunnel. Is this bad? Any addiction or dependence is bad. But if it works, it can’t be broken.

As long as you are not using a kettle to hydrate and replenish yourself, you may go have another cuppa.

Kill Strife; Love Life
Drink right; Stay bright

CT - the Clutter Transmission

Conspiracy theories (CT) abound the internet. They have been long since the days of hacking and espionage movies. At first people worried about State controls and restrictions. With everything going digital, everyone going online; the idea of id theft, privacy breach and snooping on electronic media is a systemised paranoia affecting any and all.

These all are feasible criminalities. But that doesn’t mean you can’t shop online, join an e-group, or search on Google. The pathetic paralysis of these CT would mean that you can’t use internet or telecom or even watch cable TV. I wonder if the proponents of such theories sit in an underground bunker with lead helmets protecting their thoughts from being stolen.

“No one is out to get you”. It’s like you are talking to a schizophrenic. Only that these are educated people with computer knowledge who choose to hide their IP and then have a blog to list their insane ramblings.

There are journalists who have made successful careers out of their tales of e-eavesdropping. They mix the right element of fear, fiction and facts to create engaging documentaries and commentary on the wired world. If you are not making money out of your theories, you are wasting your time and creating clutter on our beautiful web. The key to understanding this form of “journalism” is to know their motive – infamy, money, eyeballs and a book or movie deal.

Kids who give out too much information on My Space or elsewhere are risking their privacy; but the amount of crime with relation to number of blogs and webpages proves that not everyone online is a suspect nor do they have the time or inclination to steal your profile to make profit. There are enough safeguards and policies for the buyer being aware.

So next time you read a Conspiracy Theory, remember that it is possible but without evidence or trial everyone is innocent until proven otherwise.

Concise Creativity

For the first time anywhere in the world Google created and promoted a writing talent 'search'. The idea was to get people interested in working for Google which has stringent recruitment process.

I registered at Google WordMasters Challenge and went to the contest held at National college Bandra, Mumbai. The contest was held in 8 Indian cities simutaneously on Sept 30th; 300 participants at each venue on first come first register basis (online registeration).

I got a call to reach the venue at 9:45 am while their email said to be there by 10:30-10:45 am. Anyways we all waited till 11am for their program to start when the IIM graduate manager bragged about the Google company. Finally it was revealed to us what the contest was.

We were given 2 sets of 20 'key words'. We had to use all these words from either one set to write an essay of more than 150 words but less than 200 words.

They made a lot of fuss declaring that if we mention a wrong word count and are caught we will be disqualified. This for a pen and paper test in a hall. Then the Google idiots complicated the word count issue further by saying that articles and stuff need not be included in word count.

Anyways they gave us 45 mins + 15 mins to finish the competition. Only 3 winners from whole of India will be selected as winners. Maybe they should Google "Population of India".

My entry is modest and not my most proud work.

One choice was - 'Angry? Who Me' with 20 words including a misspelled word 'democractic'

My choice was - 'Innovations'
The key words were to be underlined, here I have marked them in bold.

INNOVATIONS - Concise Creativity

Creativity is the most appealing quality to me. The power to think out of the box . A mental phenomena of original ideas forming practical solutions and novel technologies. An intelligent man may possess the power to know and apply skills but to create is a force that drives humanity towards progress.

It is not sheer luck that gives a scientist or artist that Eureka moment. It is his will; the determination to imagine the unimaginable and to never give up.

God is the eternally celebrated creator. As reflections of his image we are bestowed with the gift to view this world and translate our observations into a paintng or a poem. It is weird how some can be prolific writers or innovators while others lack the subtle creative energy to be different in their daily work or life.

If you lead such a monotonous existence, sleepwalking through life, it is time to experiment with routines & discover innate genius in you. Everyman has a unique perspective. It is therefore not entirely absurd to say that you can uniquely portay your thoughts. This direction of life is where you never take off your thinking hat.

Analyze your lifestyle choices and strikeout the word impossible from your dictionary. One who is inquisitive and innovative is truly alive. Leave horse sense to the horses of mortality.

Word Count = God knows or maybe Google

I got a Google pad, Google pen and Google keychain for my effort; we all did. ;-)

Humble beginnings

I just am not able to get the time to work on my sketches and spruce them in Photoshop. I decided to atleast keep the site alive with writing which comes easier and with lesser frustration.

Writing is always fun when you are not thinking about it. When you want to write it escapes your grasp like a housefly you want to desperately swat. I used to sit down and write more often, now life has taken its toll and I am at odds with time and my own impatience with publications.

It should be self-satisfying to write. If you want rewards or fans, you better be good or determined to be good. Unfortunately there are too many write-ups floating everywhere and a publisher can't spot talent when he has enough submissions to wipe his ass on.

Ultimately a writer should have credit or a day job. But you can't live on past glory either and ideas have to be executed swiftly to gain marketshare. It is all about marketability. Good writing courses tell you to research the market first, before you go about writing your grand epics.

Here in this blog I would like to blabber on topics of any crap that comes to mind. Spite and passion would be key ingredients. Hope you have an appetite for depressed musings and firebrand commentary.