The Writing Pages

Whether it be a webpage, a book, a short story or even business articles- first impressions are often made on the creativity of the titles. And as they say, first impressions are the best impressions.

Whatever you do, please understand that titles hook the reader. If surfing the net, the reader will not waste time on a title that reads Harry Potter but something that says, Harry Potter- the 8^th Part! Everyone knows that there is no further sequel so the reader will be intrigued to read on.

Thus stands the creativity of the author in writing titles. Finding a creative and suitable title is pretty much a skill in itself.

Finished with a story and still confused about a suitable heading? This is a very common problem for me. So today I decided to share some tips with you that I prefer using when trapped in such a mess.

Usually, I read my write-up at at least thrice. It acts as a good revision, and along with, some lines or a phrase may strike you as a suitable title.

Be as tangy, wild and imaginative as possible. Go out to a garden, look around…..and who knows? But if yours is a moral article, often age old phrases are best preferred.

If nothing strikes you then too, then it is better to give your brain some rest and leave it alone for a day or two. Read your story again after a day and something is sure to thump you.

It’s often better to take help from friends. They might strike on the magic word you’ve been missing.

Or better, I’ve recently found many a sites for writing prompts which provide you with suitable headings based on which you form a story. I often use Serendipitous Story Title Generator or Title-O-Matic for this purpose

I hope these help! Do share your views and ideas.

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• No smile is so beautiful as the one that struggles through tears. -- Margaret Fishback Powers
  
• I always thought why somebody didn't do anything about that....then I realized, I was SOMEBODY! --Anonymous
  
• NOBODY "is" Perfect, and I am NOBODY!
  
• When someone throws a stone at you, throw back a flower-- M.K Gandhi..........But remember to throw it along with the pot! - Today's Youth!
  
• If you tell a guy that there are 300 billion stars in the universe, he will believe you; but if you tell him the park bench has been painted, he'll have to touch it to be sure!
  
• In the new generation, even pizza comes before police.
  
• Walking with a friend in the dark is better than walking alone in the light. -- Helen Keller
  
• The bus stops at a bus station, the trains tops at a train station …..And my desk is a work-station!
  
• You are the window through which you must see the world -- Laura Ingalls Wilder
  
• Men occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing ever happened. -- Winston Churchill
  
• You never get ahead of anyone as long as you try to get even with him. -- Lou Holtz
  
• There are two types of employees: Those who do the work and those who take the credit. Try to be in the first group; there is much less competition there. -- Indira Gandhi
  
• Hold fast to dreams, for if dreams die, life is a broken winged bird that cannot fly. -- Langston Hughes
  
• I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can still do something. And because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something I can do." -- Edward Everett
  
• The only trouble with being punctual is that there is no one to appreciate it!
  

This is my first tag for my blog, The Writing Pages.

I have been tagged by Zawan  at Zawan's Blog. 

It is a book meme and I have to answer some questions related to books.

What was the last book you bought?
Ummmmm…..I guess it was from the book fair in our city. Yup, it was Angels and Demons LOL! I know I was pretty late but now my Brown collection is complete!

Name a book you have read MORE than once
Arabian Nights?? I had this craze of reading short stories over and over again when I was 7 or 8 years old

Has a book ever fundamentally changed the way you see life? If yes, what was it?
Nopes…..I don't read such kind of books. Actually, I think those kind of books go above my head but I liked My Experiments With Truth- M.K Gandhi

How do you choose a book? eg. by cover design and summary, recommendations or reviews
By recommendations and reviews I suppose. My dad and friends are a great help!

Do you prefer Fiction or Non-Fiction?
I read mostly fiction and like them loads. I like Medical fiction and science- fiction too.

What's more important in a novel - beautiful writing or a gripping plot?
Ummm…..both I guess. A good plot isn't understood until it is beautifully expressed.

Most loved/memorable character (character/book)
Harry Potter by J.K Rowling, Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Hercule Poirot by Agatha Christie, Eragon- By Paolini. Even Frank and Joe Hardy- by Franklin W. Dixon.

Which book or books can be found on your nightstand at the moment?
I don't have that kind of nightstand. Dad asks me to put books back into the shelf after I've read them!

What was the last book you've read, and when was it?
The last book I read was from the school library, Nor M? by Agatha Christie

Have you ever given up on a book half way in?
Yep, Pride and Prejudice….I find classics a bit boring, though I've enjoyed reading many too!

Do you all know who Langston Hughes is? Langston Hughes was a poet and great writer whose works have been admired and looked upon by many amateurs. To read more on this famous African -American author and poet, please visit Wikipedia

The great poet, playwright, novelist, essayist or all-rounder in literary luminary, Langston Hughes achieved fame during the Harlem Renaissance. But do you know how or what he did earlier than that? I bet you do not, so I come here today to share some interesting tit-bits with you!

Before he became famous, Hughes was a common struggling writer, doing some or the other small job to support his promising poetry.

A common day in the year 1925, while working at a restaurant in Washington D.C., something got into him and Hughes arranged some of his poems under the dinner plate of then potent poet, Vachel Lindsay. The mesmerized and pleased Lindsay, shared the poems during his reading that night, and in the morning, Hughes was crowned Lindsay's new discovery, the "busboy poet."

Related Posts:

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2. J.K Rowling- Some Little Known Facts!
   
3. Edgar Allan Poe- Kicked Out Of The Army!
   
4. Chew Your Food Well!
   
5. Aesop- An Ugly Slave or A Famous Storyteller?
   

You might have often been intrigued by many  phrases. But ever wondered what was the tale behind their origin? I went on a searching spree and discovered some interesting origins of phrases, that you might never have thought of. So keep guessing while you read!

Raining Cats And Dogs

This means raining very heavily Though the origin is still controversial, some say that the abominable drainage system of buildings in the 15th century caused drains to run over, emitting out garbage and a few unanticipated rubbish. Thus, animals might have lived in the thatched roofs and when it rained heavily, the dead remains would fall! And maybe some even had some dead dogs and cats hit their heads, thus giving birth to the phrase. Anyways, this certainly is a strange way to describe the weather, eh?

Fit to be tied

It means being furious. This phrase originated when the practice of tying irrepressible and often hazardous people was followed.

Wing and a prayer

It refers to being hopeful but unlikely to succeed. It originated during the First World War, celebrating the return of an American Flyer who came back safely in spite of a badly injured wing.

Pass the buck

It refers to passing off responsibility to someone else. It originated from a game of cards. A marker known as a buck is used in card games to mark the player who is the existing dealer. When the buck is passed to the next player, the responsibility for dealing is passed.

Stink to high heaven

It means to have a very strong odor. This expression originated from the well-known Shakespearean play 'Hamlet'. From a dialogue uttered by Hamlet's Uncle, the King of Denmark - "O, my offense is rank, it smells to heaven; It hath the primal eldest curse upon it, A brother's murder."

Face the music

It refers to accepting the truth. It originated from the British Military practice of playing the drums when someone was court marshaled.

I have a bone to pick with you

Which means, I have an unpleasant matter to settle with you. It is believed to have originated when at the marriage banquets of the Sicilian poor, the bride's father, after the meal, used to hand the bridegroom a bone, saying, "Pick this bone, for you have taken in hand a much harder task." Another origin might be from the British where a bone to pick was a profitable appointment given to a difficult opponent in order to silence him. The reference is to throwing a bone to a dog to keep him from barking at you.

To read more origins of phrases, the best site I can suggest is "The Phrase Finder". Do read many more phrases and any more interesting information regarding their origins, is welcome. So all game to share your knowledge with me through comments? Any additions to the list are welcome!

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2. Improve Your Vocabulary
   
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5. 10 Tips On How To Write A Book Review
   

“Books are the quietest and most constant of friends;

they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors,

and the most patient of teachers.”

                                               - Charles W. Eliot

Books are the life and soul of a writer, author or even a blogger. Life without books seems unfeasible. And every second person reading a website or blog, needs a good book to read. So why not for a change, review a recent book you read and provide your reader with a chance to learn.

Do not know how to write a book review? Do not worry! Here are 10 tips that might help you out!

1. Read your book thoroughly

One cannot become a doctor without having the particular qualifications. In a similar fashion, it is necessary that you have knowledge about your subject before you are keen to write or share about it.

2. Gather more information

Though you might be knowing all about the book that you thought important, before embarking on writing a review, it is always better to read more about the book from Wikipedia or read another review of the book from the net. This help might prove valuable.

3. Make a rough draft

Write a rough outline of the plot, the flaws or anything that you find worthy of wiring. Only then, should you get to editing it and adding the additional information.

4. Be unique

While writing a book review, it is important that the reader is not reading a review of someone else. Often, reviewers tend to find the easiest way out by just copying down the book information/review at the back cover and camouflaging it ingeniously as their own!

5. Never reveal the whole plot

I have noticed often that writers tend to find it exciting to reveal the major or minor secrets of the plot (This applies to fiction stories, novels etc.). My fun of reading the last Harry Potter book had been spoiled for mostly the readers had leaked the secrets of the novel on the net. Please care about the excitement that a reader experiences so do not reveal the whole plot but as much as you think you would have liked to know if you were reading the review. 

6. Add your own element

The main point of writing a review is letting the reader know what YOU think about it. So remember to write down any improvement in the book you think possible and all flaws or good points about the book.

7. Remember the author

I have read reviews where the plot and everything else about the book is mentioned, but unfortunately the reviewer forgets to tell about the author.Be sure to credit or criticize (as you think likely) the author. Whatever you do, do not leave him out….after all, it is he who created the book and some credit is certainly not denied!

8. Be sure you are catering to the right audience

Do not go writing a book review of Harry potter on a technical blog. Though it would be good, if you pointed out or included about the book in a post but try not to completely linger from your blog content, just to fill in posts!

9. Your Judgement

A final verdict on whether you think the reader should spend money on the book is necessary. If you do not think so, please write that aptly in your post.

10. Rate the Book

I do not do this in my posts but now I too have decided to include that. If you are keen on writing reviews, a wonderful idea is the rate the book on a scale of 5 or 10. The audience might get a better idea!



Whether these tips proved to be helpful or not, I would be grateful if you could share through your valuable comments. Any additions or suggestions are welcome.

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1. Digital Fortress- by Dan Brown
   
2. Angels And Demons- by Dan Brown
   
3. Fatal Cure- by Robin Cook
   
4. David Copperfield- by Charles Dickens
   
5. Murder On The Orient Express- by Agatha Christie
   

I am back again with another review of Dan Brown's book, the widely famous, Digital Fortress. I told you I'm high on Dan Brown fever/craze!!

Digital Fortress, as the name promises, is a science fiction that will leave your mouth gaping as Brown's novels always do. It is another brilliant piece of work by the author.

This time, the story is about NSA's (National Security Agency) top cryptographer, Susan Fletcher, who gets an urgent call from her boss on the weekend, Commander Strathmore, to come to work. She arrives to hear the shocking news that TRANSLTR, the NSA's incredible code-breaking machine which can even turn the best computer encryption software useless, has at long last come face to face with its enemy.

Codenamed the Digital Fortress, it is an unbreakable code created by an ex-NSA cryptographer, Ensei Tankado, who had threatened to make it available for public use if the NSA didn't make TRANSLTR's existence known to the general public. This startling events inculcated terror through the veins of NSA.

As Susan goes on a quest to find Ensei's secret partner, and relief to all of NSA's troubles, she is puzzled, angry and scared that Commander Strathmore has mysteriously sent her boyfriend David, an ordinary university professor, on a dangerous mission to Spain to retrieve this unbreakable code's key.

Will David ever be able to find it and live to bring it back? It's a rapid race as Susan and David fight through a tangle of secrets, lies and unknown mysteries....

Midwest Book Reviwers say it correctly, "Digital Fortress is the best and most realistic techno-thriller to reach the market in years. Dan Brown's ability to paint in living color the gray area between personal freedom vs. national security is awesome. The story line is so good, readers will feel a chilling thrill a minute as the book makes one think who is truly the terrorist and who is actually freedom's guardian."

Charles Dickens has always been my evergreen favorite author for his brilliant works which one cannot resist. But it is not only today that we realize his worth and extol him, it has been so even in the past years. Dickens has been the most famous author who ever lived.....and the only one who had his clothes ripped off by fans!!! You can read more about the famous author on Wikipedia.

It has been said that if there was ever a magazine for celebrities at that time, Dickens would certainly have featured on the front page of something called "Fashion from Boston"! He was certainly a very Mr. Popular. While in New York, Charles complained that he had multitude of followers as soon as he turned into the street.

Nonetheless he enjoyed his celebrity status. But did you all know that Charles Dickens had his clothes ripped off by crazy book fans at that time. I'm sure he's even famous than any other celebrity of our time, having clothes ripped off!

If this news has intrigued you and you posses any similar bizarre information about the author, I would be glad to hear it. Please do share you thoughts with me through your valuable comments!

Related Posts:

1. David Copperfield- by Charles Dickens
   
2. Great Expectations- by Charles Dickens
   
3. Charles Dickens and the Rotten Eggs!
   

Since my exams are over, I am now freely indulging myself into new books and have recently finished reading Dan Brown's prequel to The Da Vinci Code- Angels and Demons. And oh my! It certainly was an exhilarating read.

I'm an avid Dan Brown fan now, after reading all four of his books. Though his books are controversial, I tell you....they are certainly worth a read. The science fiction is stupefying as usual and so is the mystery. Angels And Demons is the first adventure of the Harvard Symbiologist (professor of religious iconology and art history at Harvard University), Robert Langdon.

Robert, receives the most peculiar call in the middle of the night from Maximilian Kohler. Kohler is the director of CERN, the world's largest scientific research facility in Geneva, Switzerland. Langdon has a rapid trip to Geneva on his call which he hoped would be over soon....but one knows that a call from the director that too at the dead of the night cannot be just-so-usual!

Reaching CERN's mesmerizing premises, he learns that one of their top physicists had been murdered, with his chest branded with the word "Illuminati." Since Langdon is an expert on the ancient secret society known as the Illuminati, he's asked to help solve the murder. And as the mystery unfold, with unexpected twists and turns, it takes you on the most exciting and blood curdling tour of the modern world.

All packed with loads of action with the antimatter bomb and a lady like Vittoria Vetra, with the Vatican City at stake....there's not time to loose as Langdon and Vetra get head deep into the search of the old unforgettable Satanist cult, Illuminati and unveil an astounding story!

The four cardinals,(the most worthy predecessors of the Pope whose recent death brought forth the conclave to choose a new pope), are kidnapped and missing. The Illuminati phones and tells them that they have four hours until midnight before the antimatter explodes and destroys the City and each cardinal would be branded and killed in the four sacred Illuminati churches and branded with the Illuminati symbols on their chest.

The fate of the Vatican, the cardinals and CERN....all lies in the hands of the two, Robert Langdon and Vittoria Vetra. Will they be able to save the place in time? Will they succeed??

I tell you guys....you should read the book. This is one of the best thrillers I have read, where scientific matters are explained in such a way that even laymen can understand. As Dale Brown says, ANGELS & DEMONS IS ONE HELL OF A BOOK.

A not- to -miss suspense and watch your heart beat grow crazier with every page turned.

But that is what I have found. What about you?

While browsing through the net to provide my readers with something interesting, one of the posts on Writers Digest caught my attention.

Writers Digest as it's description says- Write Better Get Published, is a wonderful writing site that will interest every amateur and budding writer. Along with giving valuable tips to young writers to help them enhance their writing, it also gives professionals an opportunity to help them get published.

One of the posts, Sub-Genre Descriptions is really very interesting, so I thought I'd share an extract of it with you too.

The Horror section particularly interested me.

according to the Wikipedia. Thus today, I share with you the definitions/descriptions of some commonly used terms in the genre of horror fiction.

Dark Mystery/Noir:inspired by hardboiled detective tales, set in an urban underworld of crime and moral ambiguity.

Gothic:a traditional form depicting the encroachment of the Middle Ages upon the 18th century Enlightenment, filled with images of decay and ruin, and episodes of imprisonment and persecution.

Hauntings:a classic form centering on possession by ghosts, demons or poltergeists, particularly of some sort of structure.

Magical Realism:a genre inspired by Latin-American authors, in which extraordinary forces or creatures pop into otherwise normal, real-life settings.

Science-Fiction Horror:SF with a darker, more violent twist, often revolving around alien invasions, mad scientists, or experiments gone wrong.

Weird Tales:inspired by the magazine of the same name, a more traditional form featuring strange and uncanny events (Twilight Zone).

If you enjoyed this extract, pay a visit to the site, Writers Digest, to read more of these Sub-Genres and I'm certain you'll enjoy them!

Okay, so this comeback post stands for all Harry Potter fans like me. I'm an ardent lover of that magical wizard. And so I guess is every second person in the world!!

But do any one of you know much about the unique and miraculous author, J.K Rowling?

So here's a chance for you to know more about her through this post. Read on friends....

J. K. stands for Joanne Kathleen. J. K. Rowling chose to use her initials for the book because her publisher feared that if readers knew she was female, the boy wizard, Harry Potter, would not gain as much fame as it deserved. Of course, everyone later learned this was hardly the case. And I wrote a post about it too. You can read it here, Female Writers Won't Appeal To The Masses!

The interesting thing is that the extraordinary story of the magical wizard was created quite normally, like every second struggling writer.....that too, on napkins!! Yea! She wrote the story of Harry Potter while travelling on train being a single mother then.

J.K Rowling was not born with a silver spoon in her mouth. Beleive it or not, the richest author in the world was an ordinary woman at a time. She completed her first book-length manuscript on an old manual typewriter while she was unemployed and living on state benefits.

It is known that about twelve publishing houses initially rejected her first novel, Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. A small publisher, Bloomsbury, in hope for some job, finally decided to give Harry Potter and J.K. Rowling a break, even giving the author a small advance.

But that small advance was quite a big turnaround for her, after the success of her books. In 2006, the author was named the second richest female entertainer in the world behind Oprah Winfrey. Her fortune is around over One Billion U.S. Dollars.

It is recorded, even in the Guinness Book of World Records that her sixth book of the Harry Potter series sold more copies in twenty-four hours than The Da Vinci Code sold in a year. Any guesses how many copies were sold, or how much money she earned every twenty-four hours?? My head turns just imagining so!

After that, as we all know, J. K. Rowling has assured the world that the seventh book in the Harry Potter series will also be the last. Many famous authors like Stephen King and John Irving have begged J. K. Rowling not to finish off the dear little boy wizard but unfortunately, for all of us alike, she has been sure footed about his destiny.

J. K. Rowling, a modest woman, even contributes a good deal of money and supports charitable causes. She has even suggested to publish an encyclopedia about the magical world of Harry Potter, and contribute all earnings from the publication to charity.

Was it not wonderful to know about this great personality? And if you know any additional information about her, please feel free to share it with me!

Vocabulary plays the principle role in helping you emote your expressions on paper. It certainly plays a pivotal role in building up a good and interesting piece on paper.

But it certainly is a tension….thesaurus and dictionaries do help you and can remain with you forever but will it not be more prudent of you to develop a good vocabulary and leave an indelible impression about your character to a person you talk??

So today I have some places on the World Wide Web which might help you improve you vocabulary. And please remember to drop back here and give me feedbacks too…..so here you go.

Write101.com is an interesting read which gives you links for the fastest ways to improve your word power and also tells you why it is necessary. There are some links at the end of this page which one might find really useful.

An excellent page which might help you is GRE Vocabulary Builder which might really play a key role in helping you qualify!

Another page which gives you information bout the tools you can use to improve is Improve Vocabulary. This is a page about how you can improve your vocabulary to talk smart! You surely cannot miss this one.

Also check out the post Power Words which certainly qualifies for an interesting read.

Links of some other helpful places of the site are here:

Vocabulary Software

Vocabulary Builder

Ultimate Vocabulary Review


Power Vocabulary Builder

Word Smart Review

Hope you all can benefit from browsing through this wonderful site.

Who has not heard of Egar Allan Poe??? Everyone has, irrespective of being a literature lover or not! But did any of you know him as a Sergeant-Major? It's true. Poe already had published his first volume of poetry, Tamarlane and Other Poems, when he joined the U.S. Army as a Private in 1827.

So what with it, eh? Apparently, the next year, in 1830, Poe secured an appointment to West Point. Poe excelled in his studies at first, but after an argument with his adoptive father, John Allan, Poe apparently let his studies degrade deliberately. After a court-martial in January of 1831, Poe was dismissed from the academy and from the army.

Edgar Allan Poe's classic poem "The Raven" talked about his reputation as a black-feathered literary master of the macabre. Later, Poe mixed poetry with work as a soldier in the U.S. Army. He was dismissed from West Point and moved to Baltimore, Maryland, where he began writing prose.

Poe wrote for various magazines in Richmond, Philadelphia and New York, and also published creepy short stories and poems, including "The Purloined Letter," "The Tell-Tale Heart" and "The Cask of Amontillado." His story The Murders in the Rue Morgue is widely considered to be the first modern detective story, with Poe, later emerged, masters of the craft like Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie.

Being a heavy drinker and smoker, Poe was never in robust health. Poe thus, died under mysterious circumstances at age 40 after visiting Virginia to lecture. He was found languishing on the street in Baltimore and taken unconscious to a local hospital, where he died.

Now, as I say….life histories about writers are always interesting and Edgar Allan Poe’s biography is one of the most interesting of all others! Hope you enjoyed reading and please pardon my for a while for not posting regularly for me exams are around the bend…..But I promise to be back soon!!!

Surfing the net has many useful results for me. Recently, I stumbled upon a very interesting website. All amateur and young writers like me, glance up and cross your hands!

Have you ever been out of ideas?? Especially for young ones like me....who suddnely loose out on what to write! But not anymore! For there is a website, ABCTEACH, which offers great and interesting writing prompt for kids and others. These prompts will certainly stimulate your brain cells and you'll come out with interesting results! For the prompts, click here.

Another site, Tooter4Kids has interesting writing prompts for us on a daily basis. You get prompts on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday……and every other day of the week, that also for every month. The prompts are such that they will compel you to churn your grey cells, if not force you to pick up the pen. To visit, click here.

So go, get a pen and sheet and put on your thinking caps…..