Recently, I read an astonishing news which almost made me jump off my chair in surprise!
70 pounds and not an inch taller than 4 feet, but hey! don’t go by Adora Svitak’s size my friends…..for she stood proudly atop the stage addressing students of one of the best public high school at Chicago, which also counts Michelle Obama as one of the prestigious alumina, giving them advises on how to publish their books!
Yes!!! Can you believe it?
She stood lively in her pink pompom boots and sweat pants in a cherubic blue. It is supposed that almost 135 students listened with rapt attention to her words and most were encouraged and aspired to reach her level.
She told the students to become much more serious about their writing if their dream is to publish a book, and to limit their television time.
Just 11 years of age, and already the happy author of two published books, Adora from Redmond, Wash, was on cloud nine as she shared her experience as a writer with the students. She has already penned down more than 400 short stories and more than a dozen poems. She says that by the ripe age of 4, she conquered the art of reading chapter books and started writing soon enough. She has her own blog which you can visit by clicking here.
In a patent voice and gesticulations that contradict her age, Adora used prudent literary vocabulary like “protagonist,” “conflict” and “plot” as easily as girls her age use words for their favorite pop stars and television shows.
Adora, prefers watching nightly newscasts and reading fantasy, historical fiction and biographies than sitting in front of the idiot-box.
I just wish I was as smart as her. All I can do now is look up to her as an inspiration!
While surfing the net, I recently came across the world's longest poem.
World's longest poem in English literature is written by Nigel Tomm who is a writer and artist.
Here's an excerpt from the first page:
Blah me. Blame you.
Blah you. About you. You blame me. Blah you.
I blah as you or blah by blah,
You know. You blah. You blah it out of blah.
Blah blah. Blah blah.
His book "The Blah Story, Volume 8" consists of one poem which contains 98,728 words, 449,441 characters (with spaces), 23,161 lines, 728 pages. This becomes the longest published poem in English. The poem is called 'My Blah Story'. The book was published in February 9, 2008.
Intrigued, I searched more about this incredible author. Nigel Tomm is a writer/artist who time and again pushes the limitations of literature. His novel "The Blah Story" is a clear example of that.
"The Blah Story" is based mostly with sturdy beat with over usage of the word 'blah'.
Isn’t this really interesting? Have you ever imagined writing a poem more than 1000 words? And think of this incredible author sweating over writing a poem almost 1,00,000 words long.
Other known long poem "Pieces of Hope" by Patrick Huet, has nearly 7,600 verses written on a roll of fabric that stretches to almost one kilometer. The poem is not published. Other really long poems were written by ancient
So here’s your turn. Don’t shy away from sharing your longest piece of poetry with me. I’d be pleased!
The Wikipedia describes the journal as a daily record of events or business; a private journal is usually referred to as a diary.
Do you all keep a journal? I have been keeping one since I was in grade 6. Often, in the beginning, I thought that it was a sheer waster of time, energy and ink. But then I realized how it wasn’t as I thought.
If you do not maintain a journal, here are ten reasons for you to do so immediately:
1. One does not always have a person in life with whom you can share any or everything. A diary can be the best of your friend and the worst of you critic. You can share anything with it, and express the deepest of your thoughts easily.
2. Anne Frank never imagined that every teenager would someday read her diary and get inspired. Even if yours is not read by others, you might be inspired by it yourself, nonetheless.
3. It is similar to talking to oneself, but talking to yourself in a café can be awkward or embarrassing. But certainly, writing a journal wouldn’t be inappropriate at all. Writing a memoir becomes an output of pure emotion; purer than you can ever imagine.
4. It might unexpectedly act as you inspiration for writing a story, novel or anything else.
5. You can write in second person and advice yourself or motivate yourself, like no one has ever done. You can be the best of your advisor or friend.
6. You can chill out with it too. Your journal can be anything- a friend, a guide, a cuppa coffee for refreshment, a relaxation, a way of refreshing your pent up mind.
7. It is a safe way to keep your secrets :P
8. While reading through yourself, you can analyze yourself and see through your invisibility. Often, one can be surprised at how well he/she writes too.
9. It’s the easiest way to go to bed with a sound mind.
10. You will always have someone in the time of need. I bet you will never feel lonely.
These days, the trend is to keep an online journal. You can keep a blog, which can be kept private or share it with the blogosphere. It is quite the same as a traditional dairy.
And to encourage you even further, there are different simple techniques that can be used.
You can write a dialogue journal which can be written as a letter to yourself when you are down in pits. When you find a solution to your problem, write another letter. This could serve as your own bank of wisdom.
You could write a gratitude journal, where you can make yourself realize that life is not always bad and there are good things that happen to you too. Write them all down in a diary. When you are feeling low, look into these pages and you’ll feel better.
You could even write a goal journal which is especially handy for those who can never stick to their resolutions. Goals are likely to be met if penned down.
Art Journals are for those whose creativity knows no bounds. Not one to use ink?? Use colors and paints and splash it all the way!
So get to work. Choose you journal today and start writing!
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."
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“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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- Digital Fortress- by Dan Brown
- Angels And Demons- by Dan Brown
- Fatal Cure- by Robin Cook
- David Copperfield- by Charles Dickens
- 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!
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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!
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
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
Poe wrote for various magazines in
Being a heavy drinker and smoker, Poe was never in robust health. Poe thus, died under mysterious circumstances at age 40 after visiting
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!!!
Though, I do not blame you if you get bored of reading it after a while. As all old writers, Jerome too has the habit of accentuating minor points and increasing the length of the story. But I know you’ll be tempted to read on.
So go, grab a copy, immerse yourself and have a good laugh and enjoy yourself.
Now what is to do with him that intrigues me, you ask? If you are interested in further reading about him, you can click on the link for Wikipedia. Yes, so now I come to the point!
Franz Kafka believed that a healthy body has a healthy mind and one of his major exercises or methods to remain fit was……yes……to chew his food well.
I am not certain about the figures, but they say he chewed his food at least 45 times before swallowing it. I guess he wasted major part of his time at dinner table but does that matter until, he kept fit and excelled in his profession? And fortunately, he did……setting a perfect example for all those ignorant people like us!
So go on guys, the next time at dinner, remember me and this post, pay attention to the way you chew you food and chew it well and hard and who know this might be the secret behind your success just like Franz Kafka.
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A perfectly exhilarating plot with stimulating narrations. Brown certainly knows his ways with words! It is the story of a Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon who is in Paris on business. He receives an urgent call one night and when he arrives at the spot of the murder…..the sight he sees is absolutely stunning! The body was arranged as a cipher meant for Sophie Langdon, the granddaughter of Robert. She is a French cryptologist.
Langdon is stunned to discover that it all leads to a trail of clues hidden in the works of Da Vinci…clues visible for all to see…and yet ingeniously disguised by the painter. Later, after a lot of struggle, being the major suspects of the case, they discover that Langdon, the late curator was the member of the Priory of Sion-an actual secret society whose members included Sir Isaac Newton, Botticelli, Victor Hugo, and Da Vinci, among others.
The Louvre curator has sacrificed his life to protect the Priory's most sacred trust: the location of a vastly important religious relic, hidden for centuries. Through various twists and turns, the twosome finally discover the stunning truth.
Truly a commendable read but after turning the last pages, I realized it had not actually risen to the level I thought it had. Anyways, in no way can you call it disappointing so run up and grab a copy now!!
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- Great Expectations- by Charles Dickens!
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I would not believe it if any of you said you do not know who Aesop is. However, Aesop is actually said to be the author of a plethora of animal stories and fables, which are fairly similar to the Indian Panchatantra and teach worldly knowledge and wisdom!
Now comes the information I attained, they say that according to Greek historian Herodotus, Aesop survived on planet Earth sometime during the 6th century BC. He is said to have been a pitiable slave on the
People, as they are, used to laugh more at Aesop and his bleak beauty rather than his stories. But Aesop, being a man of fortitude and patience bore through the pain and canalized his anger or agony into producing better and better stories. And at last, they say he succeeded for half the people in the 21st century do not know that Aesop was probably a real person. His name has become phenomenal and synonymous to the word “fable” and many tales not composed by him were nevertheless attributed to him.
So here comes the final verdict, “Every cloud has a silver lining!” What is yours?
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“It only takes one rotten apple to spoil the basket!” – Johann Wolfgang von Goethe would certainly disagree with this saying. I suppose he adheres to the saying, “Old is Gold”.
Goethe was so addicted to the saying that he could not write if he had no rotten apple in his desk. He says thoughts emerged in his mind only after he looked at the rotten apple!
Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, the renowned writer, is a German poet and novelist. Some of the renowned works of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe include Faust; The Sorrows of Young Werther and Wilhelm Meister's Apprenticeship. To read more about him you can visit this great article. Reading some famous quotes by Goethe at John Petrie's Collection is a must. For more information about this great author, visit Wikipedia.
Goethe's works span the fields of poetry, drama, literature, theology, humanism, and science. Goethe's magnum opus, lauded as one of the peaks of world literature, is the two-part drama Faust.
Maybe it was just a hallucination by the writer to think that keeping a rotten apple in his desk helped in improving his writing; but why not give it a try?
Goethe has revealed this astounding secret of his success of the rotten apple, now it’s time to share yours! I would love to know what you do to bear sweet fruits!
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David Copperfield is a classic novel written by the beloved author, Charles Dickens.
The book unfurls an exuberant rendition of the adventures of David as we face interesting characters and a well developed plot. The story continues with a well balanced blend of comedy, tragedy, treachery, love, honesty and brimming with energy.
The Plot
This is another beautiful rendition of the adventures of a juvenile soul. Deserted by a helpless mother and compelled by an imperious father, David finally decides it is time…time he lived his own life!
It takes you on a a ride through the life of young David, his hatred for his step-father and Aunt, Mr. Edward Murdstone and Jane. They torment him and finally send him to a boarding school where David becomes friends with Tommy Traddles and James Steerforth.
Then the novel returns again with a more matured David, after his mother’s and new-born half brother’s death. He takes work at a factory and the book describes the harsh cruelty of life. When his landlord, Wilkins Micawber goes to prison after bankruptcy, David flees from London as he has nobody.
 | David Copperfield by Charles Dickens Read more about this book... |
My Thoughts
Turning the last page, this book gave me a satisfied smile and a naive sadness that it was over. This is a wonderful recipe of life with all you can ask for. A trifle bit sour but magically unfolds an indelible taste of sweetness and exquisite happiness. I am you all will enjoy it so why not pick a copy now?
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Treasure Island- by R.L Stevenson
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Okay, so all those who have got that sharp memory might remember that I had earlier told you all about An Entire Novel With No Verbs. But here comes another amazing feat that has been achieved by Earnst Wright..
If you don't believe me, let me clarify what Wikipedia says about this novel:
- The novel is about 50,100 words long.
- The lack of the letter 'e' makes Gadsby a lipogram, or an example of constrained writing.
- The use of odd punctuation, contrived language, and disjointed air carry on throughout the book.
- As well as having to avoid common words such as 'the', 'he', and 'she', Wright made the task particularly hard for himself by setting Gadsby in the past tense, while avoiding the verb ending '-ed'.
- He also made valiant attempts to include objects that ordinarily require the letter E, such as a horse-drawn fire engine; he achieved this by describing the object without quite naming it.
- Wright never saw his work in print - he died at the age of 66 on the day it was published.
You can read here the Introduction of the novel by the author, in which he even states that:
THE ENTIRE MANUSCRIPT of this story was written with the E type-bar of the typewriter tied down; thus making it impossible for that letter to be printed. This was done so that none of that vowel might slip in, accidentally.
The letter 'e' is the most commonly used letter in English language (frequency being 12.70 %), followed by the letter 't' which has a frequency of usage of only 9.05 %. The letter frequency chart shows letters in this order:
La Disparition ("The Disappearance") is another 300 page French lipogrammatic novel, written in 1969 by Georges Perec, " without the letter "e". The English translation Gilbert Adair is named "A Void".
