Musings from a Writer’s Life
Musings from a Writer’s Life
Frankly Speaking
When asked what draws me to writing, I’m tempted to respond: because I don’t like speaking. While this might seem trite and evasive, it points to one of the greatest struggles of my life. While not obvious to some, I have been a stammerer — albeit a covert one — from a very young age and continue...
An earnest trier with a ready smile
Until fifth grade I was a total nonentity as a student. My report cards were good but not exceptional. No one, teachers or fellow students, paid much attention to me. But when I entered Michael Jeans’ 5A class, something radical happened. By the end of that year I...
Who Would Have Thought?
Australian author Tim Winton said he had three writing desks so he could move from one project to another, depending on how each was going, be it a novel, short story or children’s book. I found myself doing something similar when working on my memoir (The Boatman)...
Confession: I’m a Westwallah!
During six years in India I grew accustomed to hearing the word ‘wallah’, whether it be a chai wallah, rickshaw wallah, or one of dozens of other trades, specialties or locations that wallah denotes. It was one of those Indian words that had seamlessly slipped into English and everyone understood it.
When I embarked on writing and publishing some years ago and was searching for a suitable name for my business, Wordswallah immediately came to mind. I was delighted when my graphic designer created a logo that not only captured the word beautifully but linked it stylistically to its Indian origins.
Becoming My Own Publisher
After having had six books published in four countries, I decided to try self-publishing my latest book, MORE THAN HALFWAY TO SOMEWHERE. This decision was driven by comments from a previous publisher and a writer friend who both deemed my collection of travel stories ‘not commercially viable’. But I also had a desire to experiment with this way of reaching readers, in which I would have control over the entire process, from writing and editing to designing, printing and distributing my book. Or so I thought.
It’s OK to Judge a Book by Its Cover
How often have you been told “Never judge a book by its cover”? While there is wisdom in that saying, it tends to mask the vital role that actual book covers play in capturing readers’ interest. My experience with covers of a number of books bears this out. But getting to the final choice has often been a circuitous, rushed and last-minute undertaking, as the following examples show.
Titles and Subtitles: Critical Choices
When I published my India memoir, THE BOATMAN, in 2014, I received an email from a reader in Australia who enjoyed the book but felt deceived by my choice of title. He was a very talented artist, who had spent many years painting exquisite pictures of the lithesome...