The Writing Pages

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!

“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.

Related Posts:

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
   

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!

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 6^th century BC. He is said to have been a pitiable slave on the island of Samos. Much has been said about his uninviting physical characteristics. It is said the Aesop was the ugliest of men to survive on Earth. He had a deformed face, crooked nose, shrewd mouth and unruly hair with sore eyes.

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 21^st 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?

Related Posts:

• Charles Dickens and The Rotten Eggs!
  
• O. Henry-The Talented Prisoner!
  
• Do Some Gambling and Become a Great Poet!
  
• Sleep Facing North and Improve Your Writing!
  
• Improve Your Writing By Keeping A Rotten Apple!
  

Technorati Tags:

• Authors Bizarre Blog Books Little+Known+Facts Writers Writing

I have stumbled upon a writing blog afresh and here I share it with you. “Literary Jewels”, is another wonderful literary blog that you can visit and enjoy. The author of this blog is an Indian student, Amritbir Kaur.

It is a fabulous blog related to all kind of literary information and knowledge one needs. The author describes it as, “a creative insight into the world of literature. It is about the jewels of literature - fiction, non-fiction, poetry, drama and much more. I have attempted to interpret literature from my point of view. It also contains my little ramblings about general topics related to life.”

The blog has a vast range of topics to choose from and the author presents posts in a creative and unique manner. The quotes widget on the top will certainly enlighten your day as you go for a read. The articles written by the author have a unique charm and display abounding dexterity on her part.

One of her personal posts, Of Childhood, is a well framed article with smooth flow of words. The quotes perceived there are also a treat to the mind. The blog can give you interesting articles on many authors like, George Eliot, J.K Rowling, John Keats, John Grisham, T.S Eliot, Wordsworth, William Blake and many more.

One of the interesting posts that I found was Bill Gates’s Quotes, which has many witty anecdotes by the successful millionaire. Another good post is the latest one, Shakespeare’s Grave. All posts are an abode of good words, quotes and interesting views and information.

In the end, all I can say is Literary Jewels is certainly a dazzling jewel among the million others!

Related Posts:

• A Corner For Your Creative Writing!
• 
• Tips For Your Daily Writing!
• One Step Forward
• Library Thing
• Not Sure About The Exact Word To Use?
  

• blog, blog review, writing resources, writing tips

Welcome to my new blog.

Here, I bring before you some excellent sites and blogs which have helped me a great deal with my writing and I am sure they will be beneficial for all of us!

1. Library Thing
2. Quotable Quotes On Writers & Writing
3. The Teacher's Corner
4. Resources For Creative Writers
5. Glossary Of Poetic Terms
6. Shadowpoetry
7. Wikipedia