Murakami is one Japanese writer whom I worship and adore so when I finished reading "The Strange Library" by Haruki Murakami, I was left with a strong urge to read some other Japanese translation. I have a strange connection to Japanese literature, it feels like home to me. This is strange considering the fact that I have never been to Japan or interacted with anyone from Japan. So I came across "The Thief" by Nakamura and the title was enough for me to start reading it.

The best part about these translations is that they are as smooth as butter, you can't stop reading page after page after page and before you know you have finished a 300 page book in a day. "The Thief" as the title suggests is a crime novel, sort of crime novel you can say because it is more about the thoughts that are produced before and after the crime rather than the crime itself.

The book begins with a boy telling us about his picpocketing skills and just like in Murakami's works, there is a beautiful unattainable women. Here it is mother of a kid who are together a duo our narrator spots at a supermarket, they are stealing food. The protagonist of the story is a aimless pickpocketer who one day gets himself into a gangster murder drama and ends up killing and robbing people of high authority and importance.

Every page of "The Thief" you keep feeling something is going very wrong and yet you keep having hope that it shouldn't but it does. Nakamura has created a dangerous world in the most normal and serene settings ever and that is the beauty of his writing. Mundane things of life end up being the most challenging ones at times. The boy's interaction with the kid and his mother shows us layers of the boy's personality, his caring nature, his want to ensure that the kid gets what he craves for because he reminds him of his own childhood, such situations are beautifully written.

 So all in all, the book is a perfect read for a long weekend because once you finish it, you will feel you are in Japan and within Nakamura's world for atleast a day more. "The Thief" is a picpocketer's journey to the world of more serious crimes and how the tragedy strikes in the end.

This is my new series where I will be pointing out the general difference in personalities between men and women in different situations. This doesn't mean that all men are alike or that all women are the same, it is my own personal take which I have built over the years through my observation.

Traditionally men were supposed to be hunters and women took care of the homes, offsprings and ensured stability or so we have been taught was the case right from our stone age. Thankfully we have come out of the stone age into the current screen age, and the growth has bee enormous. Though there a few who still haven't been able to evolve and understand the concept of gender equality, overall the situation is much better than the stone age for sure. Do note that here I am talking about the local butcher and not the frozen meat section or the meat section in malls where the ball game is completely different.

Humans who don't eat meat or meat related products like eggs are called "Vegetarians" and the rest are called "Non  - Vegetarians". I have observed how the butcher shop was still populated by male customers. Not that women don't go to buy meat, but in general, women don't like to look at gory details and so they avoid the visit consciously is what I can guess. 

Men are okay with the gory details and violence? Now that they were traditionally meant to be hunters, I think that might be the reason that they are pretty neutral about watching animal pieces lying around. The stench is another aspect which keeps the women away from the shop while the men care a damn about it. If you ever see a woman at a butcher shop, you will see her covering her nose with a handkerchief. I find this ironical as women wash the meat, cook it and even eat it but can't stand the reality of dead pieces of meat being butchered. That's how women are no? We can kill someone if intimidated but we are also the ones who are scared of lizards and cockroaches. Sigh!

Men, in general, can be seen playing games on their mobile while they stand in a queue, some even taking pictures of the butchery while others just staring into endless space thinking about something only they know of. You will seldom find a man holding a handkerchief over his nose, at times I feel women have a heightened sense of smell.

The ordering style varies all well, men are straight forward and have complete knowledge of what to buy, this is only because the lady of the house has warned them about the portion of meat. Women, on the other hand, don't like to even look at the meat and just tell the butcher to give them a freshly cut piece and end the torture as soon as possible. I might be wrong as well, there might be women who love to be at the butcher shop, for some it might be like going to the candy shop, so please note that I am speaking about the majority here. 

One last distinguishing factor is the happiness men feel when they walk out from the butcher shop as they know they will be having a hearty lunch/dinner on that day while the remorseful sadness that just fills the women's heart out of no reason at all.

So what do you think, am I right or am I wrong? Share your views in comments!

The first time I came across the word "Gardener" was off course in school when we were taught that someone  who loves gardening and does it for a living is called a Gardener. But recenty I came across the same word being used in a completely different sense. Writer George R.R. Martin of the famous Game of Thrones Series exclaimed that he was a gardener and not an architect when it came to writing. Obviously I wanted to know more and so I read a few articles about it and realised that I too belonged to the gardener category, fortunately or unfortanetly that I am still to figure.

So what exactly does this mean? Well let  me explain (I like doing that!).

Someone who plans all sub plots of a story, details out every character and all hook points, has precise beginning, mid and end in his mind belongs to the Architect category of writing styles. While someone like me who starts a story and then lets everything around feed the story in my head while I write, allowing time to pass between the actual writing process and doesn't have everything figured out before they write belong to the Gardening thought process.

Like everything, both the stylesh have their own pros and cons. Like the Architects of storytelling can really end up writing a story without emotions and feelings as they have to stick to a plan and also there is very less space for imprompto additions. Since they have the entire story blueprint ready,at times it becomes difficult for them to sit through the entire actual writing process. On the other hand Gardening process makes the writer hooked to the story and keeps him thinking all the time. But at the same time, this process is very time consuming as one story might take days, months and even years to complete as the process is slow and is not a controlled one. For example, George R.R. Martin has been writing the 7th book of the Game of Thrones series for over six years now and he is expected to finish it not anytime soon.

While Artchitect style of writing is highly productive and these writers end up writing a book every year, Gardeners are more likely to churn out more creative ideas. 

It's not that I tried to get more disciplined and crossover to the Architect style of writing, I did. But it just doesn't work for me. I guess to each his own, not everyone can be bound to a style they just can't imbibe naturally and be comfortable in.

For now I am happy that my style matches with that of legendary George R.R. Martin !!!

What's your style of writing ? Do share it with me in the comments section.

I like walking, but unfortunately time constraints don't allow me to do it that often. So rickshaw rides for shopping is quite normal for me. So the other day I took a rickshaw to Vasai station and when I took the rickshaw, it was empty, I was the only passenger. After five minutes, two eunuchs stopped the rickshaw and I was a bit surprised as this was the first time I ever saw Eunuchs stopping a auto rickshaw for travel. So instead of shifting in and giving them space to sit, I got down from the rickshaw.

They stared at me thinking I got down because I didn't want to sit with them. And the moment I understood the wierdness of the whole scene, I clarified,

"I have to get down before station so I will sit outside" and hearing that they sat in and I followed and took the window seat. Now they were huge, I could barely sit,  so I requested the eunuch sitting besides me to shift a little to which he replied,

"WHY DO WE ONLY HAVE TO ADJUST IN EVERYTHING? THERE IS NO SPACE, YOU CHECK." 

I had no reply to this, I was just plainly flabbergasted because I was not expecting a societal problem as a revert to my genuine inability to fit into the small space that was offered. I pushed myself in and somehow made the space. It was a 10 minute ride but it felt like a half hour ride with them staring at me the entire time. I had some work messages to be read and I felt the eunuch sitting besides me staring into my screen, I ignored it because this was human nature, many aunties have done the same to me on many previous rides. I won't lie, I was intimidated and I don't know why other than the fact that my entire childhood has been loaded of incidents of eunuchs banging at our door insanely for alms. The same thing happens when we travel in trains, there are few eunuchs who get so aggresive when you don't give them an amount that they have fixed in their head that they start abusing. And let me be very clear, I am not saying every eunuch does this, no they don't. But there are a few out there who are just scandalizing the entire community of  people who were earlier regarded as carriers of good luck and prosperity.

I just hope someday, we progress so much as a country that no one feels dominated or supressed and no human being has to beg for a living. Yes many consider it a choice and also label them shameless for begging but in reality it is the most degrading thing a human being can do and won't ever do it if the conditions were not extreme and all other options were tried and tested but didn't work. Atleast the genuine, real humans would always love to have their self respect intact no matter what.

Hoping some day no gender feels they have to "Always Adjust".

As a writer you know that there will always be room for improvement. You can never stop being a better writer, so here are top 10 free online writing courses that will help you to improve your writing skills considerably.

This course will help you become a better writer and also a better blogger. You can learn at your pace and it has in depth sessions which will help you to take your blog to the next level. Created by Eric who is the brains behind Single Grain and the five-star-rated podcast, Growth Everywhere, this one is a must for every writer to ensure that he or she gets the exposure that is required.

Want to make your stories stand out ? Feel you need a professional guidance in doing so? Then this is the course for you. Join this amazing course by Daniel José Older which is 40 minute long and will make your creative writing juices flowing amazingly. 

So plot is the most important thing when it comes to creative writing and this is the best course if you are just starting your journey as a writer.

Want to write a TV show pilot and have your own show script ? Then this one is for you. This will help you write a perfect script for your TV show pilot that can help you reach out to biggies like Netflix and Amazon Prime.

India is a country of traditions and rituals. Tomorrow 4th March 2019 India celebrates Mahashivratri in a huge way. Millins fast, visit temples and dedicate their day to Lord Shiva, the Indian god. But what exactly is Mahashivratri and why is it celebrated across India?

As per one of Indian purana, a pot of poison had emerged during the infamous Samudra Manthan. This poison had the power to destroy the entire planet and so everyone seeked Lord Shiva's help. To ensure the poison doesn't create a havoc, Lord Shiva is said to have swollowed all of the poison which made his throat turn blue. This was also the reason he was given the name "Neelkantha". Shivratri celebrates this event by which Shiva saved the entire planet by himself drinking the pot full of poison.

Another of the puranas have a different explanation. Accordingly, Lord Bramha and Vishnu were once fighting over their importance. The fight escalated so badly that all gods seeked Lord Shiva's help to stop the ugly battle. Shiva then took the forn of a huge fire column and stood between them. They both decided to find the end of this massive column to prove their superiority.

Whoever has watched Titanic, has unknowingly fallen for Rose essayed by Kate Winslet. Rose Dawson takes on her journey on the gigantic Titanic with her fiance and her mother. Her fiance is an irritating male chauvenistic guy and she doesn't like him a bit but still agrees to go on this beautiful voyage with him. Right from her first scene in the movie, we see layers of sadness on her face. Rose acts happy but is not, this is very apparent from her close ups, she is constantly taken over by thoughts. It is this sadness that makes her more beautiful. She is tired of many things, majorly of her repetative routine. So much so that she even jumps from the ship to commit suicide and end it all. This comes as a surprise for us as audiences because Rose never discusses her problems with anyone, that might be one of the reasons her frustations pile up on her pushing her to end her life. 

Personality

She is passionate, headstrong and fearless, this is seen clearly in the scenes post the iceberg hits the ship. Rose who was once shown fragile and delicate in the begining of the movie, can now be seen in neck deep water trying to save as many people as she can together with Jack and at the same time find an escape out of the sinking ship. 

Challenges

Jack played by Leonardo DiCaprio saves Rose and fails her suicide attempt, he too is travelling on this huge ship with a lost soul. They eventually fall in love and changes in Rose's character can be easily seen. She was always sopposed to be poised and classy, though she wanted to do many things for fun and liesure, her class in the society did not allow that. Once she falls in love with Jack, she throws all cautions and is seen doing random things with him that sets her soul free. Rose is finally happy, why? Because and only because she can be herself, and more importantly she can be herself around someone and that someone loves her.

Control

As far as control is concerned, Rose is not in control of anything. Neither the ship, not it's sinking nor her own love life, she is merely a part of the happenings. One more detail about her liking Picasso over other conventional painters reveals the fact that she indeed had choices that are not within the societiel boundaries, she had a mind of her own. Someone who has a mind of her own and yet can't control anything in her life, there is an epic contrast in her character which makes it more likeable.

Skills 

Rose doesn't have a specific set of skills but her inner self changes a lot from begining to the end. She starts from being a girl who wants to kill herself and ends up being a girl who want to live for just a few moments more with her lover.

Major Contrast

Everything about Rose is a major contrast in itself. She is from upper class but hates upper class and it's antics and rules, she is a lady with unladylike habits, she wants to kill herself but instead ends up falling in love. She is headstrong and yet has a fiance whom she hates and keeps tolerating. 

Relationships

While we witness Rose's relationship with many men including her fiance and Jack, there is only one women she has a relationship with and it is her cold heartless mother. She is completely opposite of her mother, though this realationship is not much developed in the movie.

Rose will always be etched in our heart, every time we see Kate Winslet he first thing we still think of is "Rose".

Which character biopsy do you want to read next? Leave your answers in the comments section!

Vinod Mehta wrote Meena Kumari's biography in 1972, the year in which Meena Kumari died. So this book is very close to the era she lived in than any other biography. I accidentally stumbled upon it in a nearby book store while looking for a good biography, apart from innovators, Bollywood stars have always been my favourite reads when it comes to biography.

So when I saw this book, I somehow knew I had to read it. Why? Because I was curious. I practically knew nothing about this legend apart from the fact that she was once known as the tragedy queen of Bollywood. The first half of the book is about Meena Kumari, her rise and fall and most importantly her death. The book begins with Meena Kumari's childhood and is beautifully written. Sometimes biographies are hard to read, more because you know a few things about the person, almost always it becomes boring after a few pages. But this one is more than entertaining, it has some amazing life lessons embedded in it. Through the mistakes and learnings of the actress herself, the author has tried to put on his thoughts forward. Brilliant piece of writing. Her two films Saheb Biwi aur Ghulam and Pakeezah her last film find special mentions in the book and a lot of behind the scenes details about these films are included in the book which is an added treat.

Her equation with her husband Kamal Amrohi which is infamous till date has been investigated in detail. Her relatives, her sisters and everyone around her stand in front of your eyes when you read about them, mind it their physical descriptions are not mentioned and still you will not forget them and not forgive many of them after you put down the book. The author Vinod Mehta was a die hard fan of the actress as he himself has mentioned in the book and the shocking fact is that he never met her personally. The second half of the book thus is all about how the author got the details and how the book was written.

I have to confess that I really felt very sad when the first half of the book ended as I just couldn't phantom the things that happened to the legendary actress Meena Kumari in her last days. It was not just tragic but deeply sadenning. This is where the author Vinod Mehta wins hands down, he makes you feel like you had a chance to meet this actress up close one last time and then she abruptly leaves you.

Vinod Mehta passed away in 2015 and he had written only 2 books in his lifetime. This is one of the best biographies you will ever read, so there is no doubt you have to read this one.

So I have been writing stories since my childhood. Be it making up stories in my head to avoid homework or be it for submitting stories online for a competition, stories have always come naturally to me. What doesn't come naturally to any writer is script writing. Having a story to tell and writing a script out of it are two very different things. So let's have a look at the stages of script writing which can help you churn out a good script.

Logline is a one or two sentence description of your story which excites the reader to read your story. It might sound easy but this is the most time consuming part as you have to be careful enough to not give out your entire plot and at the same time you have to ensure that you don't miss out on something which can be an exciting read.

Once you have developed your logline, proceed to your character development. What this means is that you have to put down every minute detail about your character. Realistically speaking you are imagining a person in your head, the more details you give out to people about that person will help the readers and the audience to understand your character better. How he dresses and why? What does he like, what are his goals? so on and so forth are the questions you need to answer along with his physical description.

Once you are done with the logline and character development, you can now move on to creating an outline for your story. Outline is basically the high points of your story. The conventional storytelling follows the three act structure so if your average screenplay if of say 120 pages then divide them into 3 equal parts of 40 pages each and at the end of every 40th page you must have a pinch point in your story. Essentially first act is for character development, second for obstacles and crisis introduction and third act is for resolutions.

First write down your story scene by scene, this will be your rough draft. Then once that is finalized, think about the treatment you want to give to your world. The treatment will decide the final length of your script. For example, a very general treatment is to clock the script around 30 pages.

Now that you have everything; characters, outline, story treatment and everything that you need to develop a fictional world, you need to start on your script. The rule show not tell comes into play here. You have to describe things tactfully. For example "He was upset" won't work, instead you will have to write "He couched on his sofa seat and stared blankly at the ceiling". This is merely an example of how actions can be used to convey emotions and not just put them as an emotion outright because onscreen you can't show "he was upset" in any way without an action conveying the same.

You can use the software called Celtx Studio for all the above and manage all the steps quite easily. Moreover it's free so it is the best tool out there for beginners. 

Yes you read that right, you have to rewrite your script more than once. Make sure you don't fall into the trap of getting feedback from professional writers and script readers because they have a different view than others and they won't be always helpful.

Lastly keep your passion high all the time, even when you are low and tired of writing and editing a million times. Know that the story you want to tell, needs to be told and you have to complete it.

I am a huge Twinkle Khanna fan when it comes to her writing style. I like the way she normalises everything and creates a connection between the most mundane things in our daily routine and life lessons. The cover says it all in this one, an inverted women showcasing inner turmoil and confusion, a bottle of ghee and herbs flying around had me interested from the time the book was launched.

When I started reading Pyjamas are Forgiving, I knew it was going to lend me a few chuckles. And quite frankly some of the paragraphs had to be reread just for the sheer beauty of writing.

The story is about Anshu who is at Kerala's Shanthamaaya which is an Ayurvedic Spa. And I am pretty sure I am never going to visit one anytime soon as I don't have the patience and the will power to go through so much of ghee and circular walking. Every page is a new chuckle, every chapter a new relationship insight.

I don't want to reveal much but it is a smooth read, you will not realise when you have finished the book. Though I would have wanted a slightly different ending, I would definitely recommend it to everyone who loves to read.

Everything at Shanthamaaya was going amazing until Anshu's Ex husband Jay turns up there with his wife no.2 Shalini. Post this it is a circus of emotions and as Twinkle Khanna might say, it is all that happens when you leave your plate of emotional vulnerabilities out in open for too long.

Waiting for her next book, until then I will keep reading her tweets and columns in DNA ;)