How to get Published

For any writer who aspires to be an author, knowing how to publish a book is essential. It's a common scenario — you have an idea for a book but you have no way of knowing how to translate that idea from your computer screen into print or online.

Now, more than at any other time in history, there are more opportunities and possibilities to write, share, and publish a story — and interact with an audience. Whether you are after the traditional publishing experience, complete with an agent, editor, and publisher, or want to self publish your book, it's completely within your grasp. You decide what works best for you and your work.

We're going to guide you through the book publishing process and give you the resources to choose which publishing option fits your work best. But first, you should know about traditional and self-publishing.

Open Letter to Hardik Patel

Kind Attention

Shri Hardik Patel
Patidar Anamat Andolan Samiti

Subject:  Basically, what are you trying to do?

Mincing words is not my forte; hence allow me to put it upfront that your actions have caused great distress and convinced me beyond reasonable doubt that the single point agenda of what you are doing through your organization in Ahmedabad is quick, personal and material political benefit of a very myopic nature. I am also certain almost by intuition, of the artificial origin of your political activities catalyzed by several unseen stakeholders with even more sinister agendas respectively.   

Holiday

As a child something about the word “holiday” used to confuse me. Whenever I saw “holiday season is here, time for some cheer” line of advertising I often wondered is holiday a season or a place ? Christmas , Diwali break, dussehra break , winter break and summer vacation were all “holiday seasons”. Then going to Manali, Dubai or your grandparents’ place was perhaps the real part of those  “holidays”.  Then there were the much awaited public holidays during “non-holiday season” or school months. Of course, all this thinking was triggered  by the very predictable “holiday homework” which often had an assignment for writing about the place you went to in your summer break. What if you didn’t go anywhere in that set of summer holidays ? Would it not count as a holiday if you relax at home or learnt something new pursuing a hobby in the summer ?

Why we love Batman

The most human and flawed of all the superhero’s known, the one who struggles who resists himself from killing someone although it might be the most rational thing to do, he saves people but has the urge to hurt them as well, the one who constantly suffers from the conflict between his goodness, his ethics, his morals and his anger, one wrong step one wrong move and he’s the long standing face to prankish mayhem. Yes we’re talking about none other than Batman and how he’s the best superhero among all the other know. Here are 6 of the many reasons that make him the best superhero read on and you’ll know. GOOO BATMAN!!!!

1. He’s just as human as we are

He’s not from krypton, has not been bitten by some radioactive unknown spider species or has not been sent from the sky to save us like Thor he’s worked hard to reach he pinnacle of his potential and that’s what makes him exclusively relatable and if he were to suffer from some incurable disease or slipped from a staircase of significant height he’d die just like any of us. AS SIMPLE AS THAT.

 So the next time someone tells you, you can’t do that  just reply “I’m batman” :P

My Choice

A fifteen day  old girl infant, found dead,  on the far side  of hospital bushes in despicable state. That unnamed , daughter of someone did not get any CHOICE to live!

Namrata , was wretched  to have any CHOICE to get raped or not.!!

Shabana , youngest of her brothers, was not given  any CHOICE to study further.!

Thousands of women , are getting NO CHOICES  when  they get  harassed  mentally and physically in buses, public places , offices and even in their  homes .Then what choices are  you talking about Miss I-will-bring-revolution queen  ooops !Deepika  Padukone!

Net Neutrality :- A serious issue

Net neutrality- People Vs Service providers

Technology is a wonderful thing but we are seldom comfortable with the tech lingo that is used. NET NEUTRALITY! The air smells of this term, the social media sites are flooded with the posts related to this, the news channels are also broadcasting about this. But how many of us really know what this actually means? In fact, even if we know, we do not completely understand the implications of this. Or do we?

What is NET NEUTRALITY?

Heard about “Open Internet”? Well, yes, Net neutrality is just an alias for open internet. Open Internet stands for the same speeds for data exchange for everyone on the internet. Every system is treated equally and given the same preference as everyone else on the internet. It is like standing in a queue waiting for your turn. Now, let’s move on to US. Comcast and Verizon are the leading ISPs (Internet Service Provider) of the US. They have introduced a bill in the US parliament for breaking the internet into two parts- fast lane and slow lane, which means those websites that are willing to pay extra for high speed internet will transmit data on high speed servers while all the others will be left in the cold on the slow servers.

Are you a March born

Do you feel the happy chills when you realize that the month of March is approaching? If yes, then definitely you are the “Fish”. Astrology has placed the sign of the fish in this month. Although the month is named behind the planet, “Mars”, its association with the sun sign is based on the position of Neptune. Boring, eh? Astrology can be boring but when you know the secret of getting the insights into the vagaries of human nature based on their birthdays, does it sound interesting? Probably yes!

Death Penalty for Rape

India after 68 years of independence though has achieved economic political and social progress but has constantly forgotten it's cultural values is what it can be believed. we say we should treat woman as individual agents, equally responsible as men are in the society , but is being considered equally responsible is anywhere the reason responsible for being raped? 

The people who at their top of their voices shout against gender discrimination are the same people who say she shouldn't have worn jeans it provokes people when a woman gets raped, it is hard to believe that we live amongst people who worship woman in the form of goddesses but don't think for a second before raping them. 

Beach vs Hills

Setting my foot ahead on

The vast bed of velvety, allaying sand

 With its each and every speck

  It  healed my soul

 I felt born again.

Recovering from my lingering anguish.

Well, standing on the beach, listening to the waves whispering in an uncanny tone and witnessing the sun setting down in unfathomable water, turning it all dazzling orange by its touch, stirs your heart. It makes you wonder if you have ever been the part of this materialistic world.  People often complain that beaches make them sad..Alone..Depressed. yeah!!They do that sometimes*conditions apply if you do not want to come out of your problem. But the sea, once casts its spell, you start embracing your solitude. It drowns your uneasy, edgy thoughts with its great wide sounds and imposes a rhythm upon everything in you which is bewildered and confused. Pardon, if the confusion is about giving scores to most sensuous damsel, Your buddies can help you better in this matter. Spare the beach.

10 facts about Mango

As the season of scorching summer starts, all we look forward to is MANGO- THE KING OF FRUITS! The most loved and popular fruit worldwide, the “‎Mangifera indica” is famous for its juicy, sweet, fibrous and healthy pulp. Due to its 100s of variety and names adding to the health benefit,it’s called the king of fruits! If you are a mango fruit fan read on to know interesting facts, you may have never known!

1)      Mango is a member of the cashew family of flowering plants; other species include the pistachio tree and poison ivy.

2)      The name 'mango' is derived from the Tamil word 'mangkay' or 'man-gay'. When the Portuguese traders settled in Western India they adopted the name as 'manga'

Friday the 13th

Today, when the world is moving on from all irrational facts, traditions and superstitions; there still exist some things, human can’t get away from. One such superstition is of Friday the 13^thor the Black Friday. Friday the 13^th is considered to bring with it- bad fate, unusual events.Though the superstition doesn’t have any scientific ground or logic, it is the most wide-spread superstitious fear (also referred as paraskevidekatriaphobia) till the date.

Why you need a Roommate

From parties to sleepovers, mesmerizing likes to disastrous dislikes, Bournvita to tequila and sneak in’s to sneak out’s.

A roommate is in charge of all we do or ever dare to do.

Nonetheless, what chemistry roomiesendure plays an important role.

Have you ever thought to share a flat with someone, only to find out you can't even think about living together?

Sustaining with someone could turn out to be poignant, especially having a different background. Mindset never allow to shatter a shell build long back, exploring the real world practically has turned out to be a myth, still, change is the spice of life.

On not having a Roommate

The web world is flashing across various articles on 10-20-30 things that tell you have the best/worst room-mate. There even is this application or something that tells who suits best as your room-mate. Such wow things! But there is still a section of young people, who ignore every time any such update pops up their screen. They are the loners, roomie-less youngsters. Ever cared for the sad look on their faces as you go about tagging your roomie in the comments,  inviting him/her to read a certain point #4, #5 and so on?

Discover Goa

Goa can be easily summed up into this one sentence – It is one of those places in this part of the country wherein you never mind losing yourself because, trust me, you discover a part of yourself that you had completely been alien to, until then. Yes, such is the beauty and complexity of this place.

The outlook welcomes you with exactly five beaches and the similar looking markets, the alcohol and the DJ nights, the babes and the dudes and maybe that’s why it is one such place wherein your counterpart who sits behind you on the two-wheeler holds a more prominent place for your odds on the journey than yourself. For it can be easily written off as just another repetition of beaches (read: the same alcohol) with the only interesting place being the aquarium.

The joy and agony of being parents

“It’s not always easy being her daughter..”, She said.

“Sometimes, I think, it’s hard no matter who’s daughter you are”.

We always begin by loving our parents as kids and then slowly as we grow, our world expand and begin to demand more space, some amount of collision is bound to happen.

Children are born with new eyes. They see things parents have shifted to their subconscious and don’t really think about that much. Parents, on the other hand, are holding up a universe together that they have to pass on to their kids. Traditions, culture, knowledge, social experience, stereotypes and conditioning.

10 tips for Blogging

Blogging is essentially a form of communication. One has something to say and the other wants to read. Blogs are a virtual and simple form of offline communication. People write to share, and read to accept what is shared and how it’s shared, express opinion and discuss. So what does it take to write a blog content that reaches all and sundry. That tugs at the strings of the heart of Your readers.

The misconception that blog writing is an elixir for skilled writers, is a myth. Today, anyone makes it to the most popular blogs list. Blogs that have gained repute and following include blogs by famous artists to the ones by jail inmates behind the bars. Therefore, we can safely conclude the fact that the Blog content is not restricted to the narrow confines of a proficient writer. You only need to have a story and a heart to say it out loud. All of us writers are looking to write a post that gains us both popularity and/or critical acclaim.

A bit of happiness

It was the evening of my 20^th birthday. A day well spent  amid surprises and laughs, I surely was thrilled to core, another reason why I gladly agreed when my Mother called me up to join her at a temple once I was done with college. Not that I am an atheist, but temples get to see me just occasionally. After contently thanking God for the day and mumbling my usual prayer, and making all sorts of offerings on her instructions, I left with mom. Thanks to the unusually less crowd, I felt good even after a tiring day. Unknown to me, there still was something to add to that feeling. As I waited for mom, holding a big carton on my scooty, containing my gift of the day, a giant Teddy, I watched a young boy of around 10 approaching her. As he held out his hand and started speaking something to her, it became obvious he was a tramp. I quickly reached up to her, asking to rather buy him something to eat than give money. Seemed like that wasn’t even needed. She was already in the process. It’s a mother’s heart, after all. In fact, she added a bit more to her gesture, and asked if he would like a plate of chaat or an ice-cream. Going by my usual experience, I assumed he’ll refuse both and ask for the money. But as I saw the child nod for an ice-cream and eat it with pure glee, something pricked me inside  and I could feel my eyes welling up.  And that moment I knew I had actually lived my birthday. Neither the cake I had savoured, nor that big teddy, but instead this sight was the perfect end to the day.

Do me a favor, let's play Holi

It is time to welcome Spring. There is happiness in the ambience and the atmosphere  is all colorful. Everybody has already started to bounce off the walls and prepare for Holi. After all, it is one of the most awaited festivals and people are all set to  fling themselves into the celebration mood.  The festival of colors not only encourages the feeling of brotherhood and peace among all but also sparks  the spirit of enthusiasm and energy. The people raise the toast to the occasion in several different ways. From the traditional, custom-based ceremony of playing with colors, to the modern bhaang-lassi and sometimes alcohol trance in the urban cities, the essence of this festival has changed with time.

Valentine's Week:- Being Single

     “They didn’t agree on much. In fact they didn’t agree on anything, they fought all the time and challenged each other every day. But despite of their differences they had one thing in common they were crazy about each other” 

she read and smiled, it reminded her of her favourite duo- Arima and Ayaan, they were finally together and no one in the world could be more happier than her, they completed each other in ways that could not be understood, it was then she knew what love was like, she had read books about it, books about fairy tale love and thought it was just fiction, something so powerful, so magical could just exist in books and stories; but Arima and Ayaan made all her conclusions go wrong, her theories failed. They had what people would call fairy tale love, what everyone longed and wished for, that could make people jealous, and now this is what she longed for and wished to have.

Valentine's Week:- Valentine's Day

Those two parallel universes will try tonight, to coincide
followed with coy letters, and, an audacious lover to transcribe.

Arima was all cold.

More than the obfuscated past, heart- melting activities of present, haunted her.

Words could never describe the hurricane which shook her – The hurricane of silence.

*Will Ayaan stay, forever?*.

That one question, echoed a zillion times in the void created long back, deep down.

Only if someone could offer her a wand to figure out the future, as she is begging for a fair conclusion.

Valentine's Week:- Kiss Day

The Kiss Day

This wasn’t surely a day I had been waiting for. Unlike most of my friends who had planned for a perfect evening with their girlfriends, I was totally unprepared. It sometimes made me wonder, “Who the hell on earth planned the valentine week?” I mean, “Come on! Why do you need special days to show love?” No wonder the valentine week leaves you with very less money in your pocket but it is all paid off when you live the moments with your “special one”.

Valentine's Week:- Hug Day

Wandering, aimlessly trying to fall in love with the idea that you love me. 
Chaos came and went with each passing breath we took. 

Because loving you was beautiful. 
Because loving you was madness.

‘Bhaiya’ he played with the collar of his shirt, ‘how much time more before the jam finally breaks?’

‘Apun Bhagwaan dikhta hai kya?’ the auto-driver frowned looking at the rear-view mirror, ‘This is Mumbai – the place is known for its jams.’

‘Okay!’ he actually smiled at the sudden bashing, ‘so you mean to say, half of your lives are spent in the jams, do you?’

Valentine's Week:- Promise Day

I turned. To look. But night was dark. And I lost. The stars started to shine out of the clouds after a while.
So much of human life is wasted in waiting.

I was waiting. He was waiting. In anticipation and retrospection.

I do not blame him
for not knowing 
the gentleness of my soul.

When I only showed him,
how  violently 
I loved.

-Saiber

____

So we never want things to change but worry ourselves to death introspecting changes. I was  scared about how changed our equation would be now. A part of me thought that how disappointed could he be! I mean he already called me hippo and what not. He knew I’d rather gobble down a pound of cake with him than go hiking and bird watching. He knew I would star gaze rather than spend the night sleeping. I was me. I hoped with all my heart that he was he too.

Valentine's Week:- Teddy Day

“My head is under water..but I am breathing fine..!!

You are crazy and I am out of my mind..

Cause all of me..!

Loves all of you..!!”

John lagend’s words were gripping my soul. The food lay cold in the oven. Plants on the corridor needed watering. My wardrobe called for critical action. I had several things to do. But I was drowning in memories. Damn!!

Valentine's Week;- Chocolate Day

She hurried towards the main door, almost tripping on the objects in the way; her heart was beating wildly with anticipation. She stopped to have one last look at herself in the window pane, her face turning crimson red with a hot blush, adding further allure to her porcelain complexion. Oh, that blush!! He always loved how easily she used to turn coy! With a pulsing heart, she unbolted the door.

'Heart to Heart Bakers', a big box greeted her read...curving her lips into the brightest smile she had had in months but which quickly shaped into a frown as the figure holding the box spoke up:, “Ms. Arima? This is your parcel we were asked to deliver.”

Valentine's Week:- Propose Day

You got me sipping on something ,I can't compare to nothing
I've ever known, I'm hoping ,That after this fever I'll survive
I know I'm acting a bit crazy ,Strung out, a little bit hazy
Hand over heart, I'm praying ,That I'm gonna make it out alive…

The bed's getting cold and you're not here
the future that we hold is so unclear
But I'm not alive until you call
and I'll bet the odds against it all…

She kept humming these lines. There was sudden rush of blood inside her body, she had butterflies flying in and out. She couldn’t believe it was real, she dreamt a lot about this day, now which seems surreal. It had been almost a year since he left but she remembers every second spent with him. His memories were the only thing that kept her going.

Jaipur Literature Festival

Here are the highlights of Jaipur Literature Festival  in 26 letters charismatic to the writer’s universe.

The journey begins...

A for Amish Tripathi:

Tagged as ‘India’s First Literary Pop-star’ by world renowned film director Shekhar Kapoor, Amish has become an ideal for pool of budding writers. The way he blend all the emotions without hitting any controversies is commendable.

Amish’s Shiva Trilogy has been the heart throb in recent past. His books have been translated in 14 Indian as well as International languages.

Valentine's Week:- Rose Day

A Rose Day Story

"Missing him was dark grey all alone,
Forgetting him was like trying to know
Someone you have never met,
But loving him was Red,
Loving him was Red..

Red roses were her favorite. She cut the stems of the beautiful big roses growing outside her window and assorted them in a large vase. Taylor Swift, the modern goddess of love and longing was filling the vacant spaces of her lonely apartment with notes of Love.

Mehendi ki Raat

Mehndi

A colour illustrating love, a fragrance to blossom upcoming life, a celebration depicting immense happiness and a trust to tie a knot of completeness...

Indian weddings are never accomplished without this prodigiously lavishing ceremony. Oodles of laughter shared with this ritual accompanied with *shudh desi* music. It gives a feeling of endurance, commitment, loyalty and a step forward to experience a soothing emotion.

Reasons to date a Geek

A stranger looks back from the mirror. I am dressed. Dressed for a date. No am not unrecognisable. 

Why am I hyperventilating?

Well cause I am dressed and I want an opinion. Yeah I have a roommate who is telling me that i look simple and only a tad better version of myself. But I don’t believe her. I think she only wants to get back to “Call of Duty”. Am ruining her weekend plan.

Am also hyperventilating cause this date is orchestrated by my and the guy’s parents. I have dodged it too long and now I have to face the date or the music. So now am dating in the music.(Got it? Forget it)

Social experiments:- Do they work?

2014 was the year of the social media. Sometimes I can' t thank the world enough for the internet and it's optical fibres connecting all of us together. One small voice can snowball into a movement in no time.

Social experiments have been put to use since as old as 1960s. These days, a few "social scientists", organizations, filmmakers and bloggers are all posing the questions that many are finding hard to answer. Indeed it is easy to speculate about what one might do in the situations posed in these experiments but what happens when the situation actually arises? Do we really live up to our own ideals of who we think we are? Some of these experiments are merely for fun but a few indeed make you stop and think.