Magical Writing

Dear M,

There are many different ways to write fantasy; but these are the few that I have made note of.

One is to write it like it is to us - difficult to believe. Example Harry Potter stories. Harry himself finds it difficult to believe at first that such a magical world exists. So do we. And we see how the world functions, through his eyes.

Another way is to present it as though it is quite commonplace. (They sometimes call it magical realism.) As you read it, you wonder, could this be true? could there be a place on earth where this happens? did the author just say something weird or did I imagine it?

And yet another is to claim that it is not fantasy, and that it is true (or it could be true) just like everything else. For example, they tell us there are galaxies and we believe them, they tell us crap about microscopic life and we believe them, so if I tell you about these, why can't you believe them?

Magical writing - when we can continue to read without thinking this is all bullshit.

Love.

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You Must Write Short Stories

Dear M,

Most fiction writers begin (so I am told) with short stories. For one thing, short stories are small enough to be finished quickly; for another, we can build a story from so little. Zoom into a particular moment and you're done.

However, many writers progress to novels as their confidence grows, and they forget the short story. They are neck deep in the possibilities of the wider canvas. When they finish a novel, they might find time for a short story idea they had. Whether they write it or not is up to them. They could postpone it because a new novel idea has burst into their inner eye.

In R.K.Narayan's words,
The short story affords a writer a welcome diversion from hard work. The novel, whether good or bad, printable or otherwise, involves considerable labour.

I think every fiction writer should attempt the short story very frequently. Without jumping into the writing, giving it much thought and time to build it. The thinking will always happen in the background, even while you are working on the novel. As R.K.Narayan said, sometimes the novel could be too overwhelming. A break could do us good. And then we should plunge into it and finish it in one sitting. Practical difficulties of writing one story in one sitting notwithstanding, the joy it brings when it is done is incomparable. Think of it - you may take months to finish a novel or at least get it into some shape so that you can take a break. And the short story? Is ready in a matter of a few hours. Done and dusted and garnished.

When you go to bed after that effort, there will be a smile on your lips.

Love.

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What's your genre?

Dear M,

What genre do you write in?

Many of my writer friends have clarity in what they want to write - such clarity that makes me jealous.
I am a fantasy writer.
Mine is Sci-Fi.
Oh, me? I read and write romance.

I had no idea about the genre I would want to write in - thriller? I didn't think I could thrill anyone. Horror? Ugh, it will sound like comedy. Comedy? People will cry. Fantasy? Hmm. Perhaps a touch of it here and there. Science fiction? Same. Romance? Naaaaaaah. No way. Literary fiction? Gulp. The safest bet was to call my story contemporary fiction. Neither here nor there. Perfect.

They say you should write the story you would love reading. If it were only that simple. It's like trying to steer the bicycle for the first time. We know where we want it to go, but that bicycle doesn't. It decides to go where its fancy takes it. We cling to the handle bar for dear life and try to turn it this way and that, and to keep it steady, but the dude has his own mind and makes decisions on his own. (And lo and behold, we find ourselves on our a$$, on the ground.)

That's what happened. I tried to write the story I would have wanted to read, something inspired by a story I enjoyed reading, a novel that made me think, this is the kind of story I like. Yes, that's what I want to write. Then it began to steer me.

I had absolutely no idea where we were headed, the story and I. And we ended up in a place that was not exactly the destination I had in mind. And yet, I did not find myself on the ground either. I guess somewhere along the way, I learned to keep my balance. (But my genre is still contemporary fiction, until I learn to steer closer to one of the other solid ones, without crashing to the ground.)

I think we should try our hand at every genre, at least those of us who aren't sure of ourselves yet. A little experimenting never hurts. For one thing, it will show us clearly which ones we are good at. For another, (I believe) we can observe a curious phenomenon: when we try Sci Fi, we will end up writing a lot of fantasy as well. When we try Romance, we introduce a touch of fantasy into it. When we write thrillers and adventure stories, there will be a bit of fantasy here and there. The inclination towards fantasy will not escape us, if we are observant enough. And voilà - that's our genre.

Love.

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