Category Archives: Writing

Writing Romance in Newfoundland: Interview With Victoria Barbour

Posted on June 20, 2013 by Rati Mehrotra

Despite the fog, the forbidding crags, the marshes and the stormy Atlantic – or perhaps because of all these things – Newfoundland is an amazingly romantic place. The perfect setting for Victoria Barbour’s light-hearted and enjoyable romance novel: Against Her … Continue reading →

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What Cugel the not-so-Clever teaches us about character

Posted on June 3, 2013 by Rati Mehrotra

Jack Vance died on 26th May in California aged 96. Enough has been said on the blogosphere about this amazing genius of a writer who wrote over 60 genre fiction books, and I’m not going to repeat it, except to … Continue reading →

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Breaking the deadly loop of the debut writer

Posted on May 28, 2013 by Rati Mehrotra

I’ve heard it time and again. If you’re a debut science fiction and fantasy novelist out there shopping your nine part epic fantasy on the Aardzork empire wars – don’t. Your first novel must stand on its own, regardless of … Continue reading →

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Monsters, myths and machines

Posted on May 21, 2013 by Rati Mehrotra

I hid in the closet for years. Everyone around me is so literary, I never really admitted to my love for writing fantasy and science fiction. That’s changed now but the conversation still leaves a little something to be desired: … Continue reading →

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The tears of the second draft

Posted on May 13, 2013 by Rati Mehrotra

I just finished the first draft of a new 47000-word middle grade fantasy. “Tada!” I thought triumphantly as I tapped out the last line. Now I can relax and celebrate go back and read it and discover just how crappy … Continue reading →

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Fact and fiction, truth and lies: Braco

Posted on May 8, 2013 by Rati Mehrotra

“What you see is not true and what is true is not seen.” Violence and war in fiction can rarely match up to the sordid, devious reality of it. We cannot dream of the depths to which we humans can … Continue reading →

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Fragments of (non) sense

Posted on April 15, 2013 by Rati Mehrotra

Woe is me. Even my illustrator, the inimitable Amy, thinks I cannot write. “You use too many sentence fragments!” she scolds. “Try not to begin sentences with ‘and’ or ‘but’”. But Amy! We don’t speak in complete sentences. Must I … Continue reading →

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Riddle me this

Posted on April 10, 2013 by Rati Mehrotra

‘The riddles are three, but Death is one’, Princess Turandot warns her suitor Calaf in Puccini’s famous opera Turandot. Undaunted, Prince Calaf answers all three riddles correctly: What is born each night and dies each dawn? (Hope) What flickers red … Continue reading →

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Rejecting the Frivolous Cake

Posted on April 4, 2013 by Rati Mehrotra

Some things are not meant to be analyzed. Poems and rejection slips, for instance. I stare at my latest editorial comment on “multiple points of view” and “episodic plot” and give up after a bit. The latest news from Galleycat … Continue reading →

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The serial comma

Posted on March 29, 2013 by Rati Mehrotra

I know. Sounds a bit like “serial killer”, doesn’t it? My editor, the inestimable Marie-Lynn, returned my manuscript liberally streaked with red. “Inconsistent use of the serial comma,” she accused. “Do you know what I mean by a serial comma?” … Continue reading →

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