Writersmind.Surabhi

  A shimmer of light is crawling in, giving us hope to break free from the darkness that has engulfed us in different ways, since the start of the pandemic. This was a year when illness, unexpected death and hate raised their ugly heads, shocking me beyond belief. The year 2020 is finally reaching its end. 2021 is gently tiptoeing into our lives, carrying the promise for better things. I have been struggling for the best words to describe this hugely challenging year. I recently learned about a carinaria shell through Anthony Doerr’s book, All the Light we cannot see. A carinaria shell is simultaneously light and heavy, hard, and soft, smooth, and rough. This is exactly how this year has made me feel.  I feel like I have turned into a carinaria shell: heavy with pandemic fatigue and yet,  wearing a  light smile, thinking about the possibility of the bringing in newness, I feel  rough around the edges and still soft enough to soak in the goodness that brightens my days.   It has not be

The waves kiss my feet. I love the way they run in and out of my toes, letting the froth form designs on my skin. I revel in their graceful patterns, reminded of a dance of delight. They seem happy for no reason. Slow whispers, carrying thoughts that nobody else can hear. And at other times, they lash at the shore with a frightening aggression.   They sound like the roar of a hungry lion, wanting to attack anyone in sight. Sea gulls are having a field day, chatting amongst themselves, unaware of the mood swings of the waves, while few others look for a wholesome meal, basking in the view and savoring the moment. Waves are relentless. Each time they come running to the shore, only to go back again, to come back with more force and beauty, discovering more about themselves, listening more carefully to their own pulse and heartbeat. They fall and rise again, like everything around them is in harmony, their happiness, their struggles, their losses, or their gains. Shimmering lights adorn

  Trees are beginning to feel a little lighter. Leaves are changing their costumes, putting their make-up on, getting dressed to leave their old lives, making place for the new to take shape.  I try to add a spring in my step, crunching the dried leaves resting on the sidewalk. Patches of orange and green leaves, specks of yellow on a few others, deep reds peeping from the fresh greens are a welcoming sight for me. I am amazed at the way in which fall walks in year after year, accompanied by a quiet grace, making for gentle celebrations. There is a common thought that crosses my mind at the same time every year. Have I changed? What parts of me have I let go, fall away like the dried leaves that I just stomped upon? Where are my branches leading me? How much longer can I hold on to the green leaves? Am I prettier when I change color? This year is astonishingly different. The virus has changed nearly everything. It has taken away so much from us, including loved ones, jobs and the

Writing is a solitary activity. I have seen, read and heard this line many times over and over. I have also met writers who need total silence and shut themselves away from devices and people and keep themselves open only to their thoughts and ideas. I agree that if you have quiet time and no distractions, you can churn out good content and meet burning deadlines. In today’s piece, I am going to walk you through quite the opposite of this. Writing groups. For the past five years, I have been actively participating in writing groups. When I first started out, I had no idea how helpful and inspiring it would be to write with a group of writers. Creative writing groups in public libraries and other avenues in the writing community in Charlotte have given me a taste of how it works. Though awkward and shy initially, I slowly realized that it was a community with a purpose. The purpose was to get your thoughts out on a paper or on a device. Prompts and the ways in which writers in the

Teaching Surinder English was a nightmare. His handwriting was like ants doing a cabaret, pronunciation was a mystery since he avoided speaking to me in English and his marks were stagnant, like the puddle of rainwater, that never dried up. I dreaded correcting his test papers. His spellings, lack of structure in the sentence and the empty words filling up the page was no less than a horror movie. I was more than just worried and worried for myself, more than him. If he did not score well in the mid-term exams this year, the principal was going to be upset with me again. I would be beyond upset, not able to forgive myself for not being a good teacher. Honestly, I was doing my best. He was an average student, scoring fairly well in all subjects, except the horrifying ENGLISH. I stayed back after school hours, trying to make him read story books meant for younger kids, encouraging him to watch cartoons with English dialogue and sweated over translating every word in English from the

I had a chance to collaborate with  https://www.instagram.com/jeanonhertravels/  for this piece. A wonderful experience and loved sharing my words about my grandmother with the rest of the world!

Excited to share my writing journey. This post appeared on my birthday. So, it's extra special. Read here

I love writing! It has been a hobby of mine since I was 12 years old. As I grew older, my hobby soon turned into a passion, and then published books. As I continue to grow as a writer, I’ve developed a system of how I write my novels. I understand that not everyone will write a novel as fast as I have, still, I want to share how I wrote a novel in 4 months! 1.      Month One: Story and Outline For the first month, I write down a summary of the story. I write no more than a paragraph to start getting my writing juices flowing. Next, I write a chapter by chapter summary of what is happening in the plot. This structure I follow to set up my story: Chapters 1 through 6 are the opening/exposition, Chapters 7-15 are the rising action/climax, and Chapters 16 beyond is the falling action/resolution. I know that some chapters are maybe shorter or longer. Even in my books, it may not have this exact structure, but it’s a good layout to follow if you are stuck. 2.      Month Two: Begin to W

She remembered the red brick walls, standing tall between them, the blue paint peeling off from the windowpanes, the slight tip of the chimney visible from her balcony, where he saw her for the first time, her yellow dupatta waving to him in the wind. The overhead tank on her terrace, Where they held hands, stole kisses, counted stars on their fingertips, and dreamed of holding each other, for the rest of their lives. They waited for the nights to meet, to talk, to see each other under the soft light of the moon, to feel the power of love, and nourish the thoughts of being together, to eternity. Until that one NIGHT  that changed everything. And she lost him, forever. The impossible became possible. She began living alone, without him. She made up reasons on his behalf, struggling to find out what happened to him that night. But he never returned. Memories good, bad, and sweet, now cling to her, like greasy oil patches, and stubborn stains, bo

My eyes are now the most powerful part of my face. With the mask covering my favorite shade of lipstick, my lips which have never been described in poetry, and making my voice louder than I would like it to be, my eyes have now learned to talk. They are also more observant than they were earlier. They now focus on people’s eyes, rather than their masks, when they talk to me. My eyes want to feel everything and show everything that they feel. On the trips to the grocery store, watching the morning sunrise, meeting a familiar face on my evening walks, my eyes can now say a lot more than my words. I can feel them widen when they are surprised, smile when they are happy, talk when they are stimulated, stay content & happy to dream, when they are closed. They have invented a language of their own and speak their mind boldly.  Thanks to the mask! On a more serious note, we all know how important wearing masks are right now. Please check out my friend's blog if you want to

Excited to be published for the first time on this website. Read the full story here

A guest post on the techniques that I use to build characters. Read here

Another exciting opportunity for a guest blog. Read here

My eyes dance with a special sparkle when I think of her, My grandma. Her stories brought alive the writer in me, making my imagination waltz with my words. Her songs taught me more than notes of music, allowing my voice to slow dance with her wisdom. Her jokes and laughter kept me energized like feet moving in rhythm for an edgy, intense Hip Hop. Every time, my mind travels to the corners of these lanes of nostalgia, my heart dances, admiring the beauty in each memory, akin to the quiet elegance of a ballet in which, grace meets unseen energy. Just the way our memories meet at the slightest trigger. like feet moving in reflex to upbeat music. 

Honored to be chosen as the Woman of the Month on this blog. To know more, read here

And in other news yesterday’s  “India “ “China” face off seems to have subsided today morning Since it’s too hot I keep making short visits to the balcony while cooking , to cool down in the cool (comparatively) morning breeze as well as keep an eye on my avian neighbours Yesterday morning the gubbi ( sparrow in Kannada) crowd was at a very high decibel excited state, flying about , twittering away .... I thought maybe an unwelcome visitor to their bougainvillea bower ... Then spotted a sparrow couple engaged in a violent skirmish with the resident starling couple The starling couple have staked claim to the chimney exhaust pipe in the opposite house second floor ( The mynah bird couple are nesting in the third floor chimney exhaust having successfully defended their property from the pesky pigeons ) I have seen a sparrow couple getting in and out of the second floor exhaust during the day and have also seen the starling couple in the mornings and evenings Were they s

My piece on the little things that mean so much. Read here

I love collaborating with other bloggers and writing on their blogs. Here is one of my guest blogs, featured on ckyranis.com. You can read it here

PCOS ( Polycystic ovary syndrome ). It’s a common syndrome in women, and for some it can cause fertility issues.  As a young woman who wants children, this news is heartbreaking. On top of that, I was also 200 pounds overweight which has a whole set of childbearing restraints on it’s own.  As far back as I can remember, as a little girl playing with her baby dolls, I dreamed of being a mommy. Holding my babydoll I would sing to her, rock her back and forth, and do all of the things I had seen my older sister do with her babies. And that feeling never left my heart as I grew older.  So now that we are moving closer to Mothers Day, I want to share a letter to the child who made a mom in honor of the single most special day of the year for me.  My Long Road to Becoming a Mom Dear McKenna, At a young age, I was told there was a good chance I wouldn’t be able to have children, or at least it would be challenging because I had what is called In my early 20s,

The chaos is mine The peace that follows is mine The randomness is mine The order in that randomness is mine The frightening darkness is mine The blinding light is mine The moon begging to be seen is mine The music in the swaying trees is mine The clouds forming rainbows in the skies are mine The wildness in the roar of the flowing water is mine The sparkle in the stars are mine The choice is mine The power to choose is mine

Okay I get it. This is real. For a while I thought it was a farce; a dystopian narrative like in a movie or a book that are so popular nowadays. Unfortunately, I was wrong.  I never thought I'd live through a time like this when every day is worse than the day before and there's no end in sight, at least not for the foreseeable future. My training never prepared me for this. But fortunately, I’m a rational being and I'm not scared easily. Plus, my work gives me succor because I feel I'm making a difference. The very nature of my profession (I’m a physician) has taught me to be calm and do my job. The problem though is the uncertainty. What was ‘the norm’ yesterday is taboo today and who knows what tomorrow will bring. This is a new disease and a new virus. There's no actual cure though there are multiple potential cocktails being flaunted and used. They haven't been diligently studied or tested but have brought vital hope.  My thoughts change every d

My volunteering journey has been a fulfilling one, adding more value to my writing journey. Read here  about how I got started

Pouring my thoughts on another way to look at COVID-19. Read here

I am grateful and proud of this piece that I wrote for Charlotte Readers Podcast in this difficult time. Listen to me reading this piece here at 5 minutes 45 seconds. My New world Nearly empty streets, the deafening silence occasionally interrupted by stray sounds of cars passing by, quarantined smiles, waiting to be returned, fear speaking louder than ever before, welcome to the new world created by COVID-19. Technology is now my new friend, the camera on my phone is my new window to the outside world. I meet friends and family on video call, averaging on speaking to at least one new person every few days. Now, everyone has time for me, to talk, to connect, to express their thoughts on the uncertainty that is holding the world to ransom.   After the initial week of shock and disbelief on where this was heading, I transitioned to dwelling in the bubble of self-created positivity. I wanted to believe everything about the messages on social media, screaming and shouting on

A piece to lighten the mood in these challenging times of COVID-19. Read here

I enjoyed writing a short story after a really long time. You can read it here

A Rich Soul You were a rich soul Scott, blessed with an abundance of words laced with rhyme Your wealth of experiences reflected through your every word enriching my mind stirring my emotions in ways that I did not know existed. You wore your words like an armor shielding yourself from the harshness of the world Your words worked as a mirror that bared your soul Your kind words were your crown making you stand out in a world that was not as kind to you You were a rich man Scott and you left us with your priceless words and precious memories that have left us wanting for more. A prolific poet, an artist, a friend and most importantly a noble soul, Dear Scott, you were the heartbeat of our writing group. You were a craftsman who effortlessly brought art to life with the rhyme and rhythm of your poetry. You were the master of breathing life into the words, which worked as a lens for us to watch your life in the past, present and the future. "I wish everyda