Writing Life
-
The Lives I Didn’t Live (But Asked AI To Render Anyway)
AI-generated image: my mother and me at the Taj Mahal, a trip we never took. Forgive me, for I have mid-journeyed. I asked the machine to bring my grandmother back, not as she was when she died.. frail, sharp, and opinionated, but as a young woman standing in front of the Eiffel Tower, a place Continue reading
-
How to Not Write a Novel: The Impostor Chapter
Or, how I quit my job to write a novel I hadn’t started, then quietly returned to that same job three months later [Representative Image generated using AI] In 2012, I did what any delusional person with a vague idea for a novel might do. I walked into my boss’s office and quit my job. Continue reading
-
How to Not Write a Novel: The Epigraph Obsession
Or, how I found the perfect quote to open my novel, without actually writing the novel [Representative Image generated using AI] At some point in the last few years, somewhere between revising Chapter One for the fifth time and deleting Chapter Two altogether, I decided what my novel really needed was not more plot, or Continue reading
-
How to Not Write a Novel: The Author Photo Obsession
Or, how I spent three months curating a literary identity for a book that doesn’t exist [Representative Image generated using AI] You know what’s really important when writing a novel? No, not plot.Not character arcs.Not even finishing the draft. It’s the author photo. Because at some point during your fifth writing spiral and fourth abandoned Continue reading
-
How to Not Write a Novel: Structure Is a Scam
Or, how I confused a literary quote for a plot outline and never recovered [Representative Image generated using AI] When I first started writing the novel (note: it was still called The Novel back then), I did what any self-respecting, under-confident writer does: I collected quotes. Not just any quotes, writer quotes.The kind that sound like truth.The kind Continue reading
-
How to Not Write a Novel: The Short Story Spiral
Or, how I wrote 2,000 words, submitted to 18 journals, and got rejected by 17 (the 18th ghosted me) [Representative Image generated using AI] When you’re not writing your novel but still need to prove to yourself (and a few persistent relatives) that you’re a real writer, there’s one thing left to do: submit a Continue reading
-
How to Not Write a Novel: The Vibe Is the Plot
Or, how I had a playlist, a Pinterest board, and three fake book covers—but no story [Representative Image generated using AI] Let’s be clear: I never said I was writing a structured novel. I said I was writing a novel. That’s different. And by “writing,” I mean I have a Spotify playlist with 47 songs, all chosen Continue reading
-
How to Not Write a Novel: Research Is Just Gossip With a Purpose
Aka, how my novel is 0 words long but my browser history is a national threat [Representative Image generated using AI] Let’s be honest: writers love research not because it makes the writing better, but because it delays the writing altogether. Also, I imagine once you win the Booker or get invited to some random Continue reading
-
How to Not Write a Novel: Old Wine, New Bottle
How I Decided to Upcycle My 2008 WIP in the Name of Sustainability (and Shame) [Representative Image generated using AI] Back in 2008, I had a dream.Well, I had a Word doc, a pirated version of Scrivener, and a protagonist who quoted Paulo Coelho unironically, but same difference. It was a different time.Dr. Manmohan Singh Continue reading
-
How to Not Write a Novel: The Deleted Years
How I am kinda, sorta back.. [Representative Image generated using AI] Dear gentle reader (that is just me talking to myself, because let’s face it, there are no readers), Presenting: a resurrection and a comeback absolutely nobody asked for. Why did I quit this blog? Who knows. Maybe I thought I was protecting future me Continue reading
Primalsoup 