Writers' Cavern

WARNING: "AVENGERS: ENDGAME" SPOILERS AHEAD. SKIP THE FIRST TWO PARAGRAPHS TO AVOID IT IT HAS BEEN a long while since my last post about the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Well, I was knocked sideways by the death of Tony Stark. I had binge-watched the series and had gone through dozens of articles about MCU to write my previous post. These two acts of mine got me attached to the characters on a level deeper than I imagined was possible. I would be lying if I said the death of Tony Stark was the only reason for my delayed post. I had other pressing issues going on in my life. However, Tony’s death did have an impact on me. He is one of those characters whom I looked up to as a child. And knowing that I won’t get to see him anymore disturbs me - even though I have moved on. Anyway, forget it. Let’s talk about the importance of writing. A few days ago, I happened to come across Jordan Peterson’s video in which he enlightens his audience about the best way ...

On Dec 27, 1996, Marvel fired one-third of its employees as its cash inflow could not even equate its cash outflow. The company was $610 million in debt. Marvel was then just a comics publisher that would license its intellectual property to various movie studios. Movies like Blade, X-Men, and Spider-Man were relative successes but Marvel saw a meager percentage of profits. After the financial turmoil, when Marvel landed in the hands of two Toy Biz executives - Isaac Perlmutter and Avi Arad - it needed quick cash as it was fresh out of bankruptcy. So, they auctioned the cinematic rights of their characters to Hollywood. But there was a problem. The Hollywood executives didn't see the value and Marvel was forced into unfavorable deals. In 2003, Marvel was getting ready to sell Captain America to Warner Brothers and Thor to Sony Pictures. This was when David Maisel who calls himself a cross between Iron Man and Peter Pan stepped in. He is a multimillionaire who doesn't hav...

You were sure, when your manuscript was published, that it was going to be a good read. How could it not? You have spent countless hours researching the materials required to make your work grand. Numerous sleepless nights were spent writing, striking and rewriting paras and pages. And, those who read it gave you a pat on the back. You were overwhelmed with  excitement until you realized your books were not flying off the shelves like you had anticipated. And, this is one of the most vulnerable stages you can be in. Because, during this phase, self-doubt starts to sprout  in your mind leading you to ask yourself, “Why do people not like my writing?” What you must realize is that the problem has nothing to do with your writing skills but everything with your state of mind. Let’s analyse this from the viewpoint of a psychologist. The Filtering Phenomenon When something happens to a person, which they believe to be bad for them, over and over again, it’s ea...

What is purple prose? It is when you have read 20 or 30 pages and the character has not yet finished brushing their teeth. Well, I agree with you that never happens in a novel. I exaggerated. But you get my point. It’s when you let your plot stagnate -- for longer than required. People used to sew purple patches to clothing to show pretentiousness in wealth, since purple dye was an expensive rarity. And, Roman poet Horace compared writing such prose (wordy) to sewing purple patches to clothing. Should every word in your novel drive the plot? Not necessarily. And I agree, you must describe the environment so that the story doesn't take place in a white background in the reader's mind. But don't make your work wordy. How to determine whether your work is wordy? According to Majesta Maxwell, author of Trials, “It is hard to actually put your finger on what purple prose looks like because everyone has such different views on what constitutes as ‘too much’ detail...

IN DARIUS FOROUX'S book, Do It Today, there’s a chapter called “How perfectionism is destroying your productivity.” Reading that, I felt it’s a problem most of the budding writers face, including me. Let me share the content of the chapter with you. I hope it benefits you as well. He says, “If you are a perfectionist, you’re just a procrastinator with a mask.” When you constantly worry about getting things right, you are nurturing doubt in your mind. Doubt causes indecision, and indecision gives birth to procrastination. And perfectionism is not as innocent as you might think. Research specifically shows that perfectionism is closely related to depression and low self-esteem. And there are two types of perfectionists: i) The one that never starts (because of doubting themselves) and ii) The one that starts but has too high standards (they set their goals so high, work too hard, when they have burned themselves out they feel helpless, and feeling helpless force them to ...

C liff-hanger, simply put, is when you end your story on a dramatic and exciting incident at the end of a chapter or book. For instance, in 'Sherlock: The Lying Detective', it was the moment when Eurus Holmes pointed a gun at Watson and squeezed the trigger. It drove us nuts for a week. We were desperate for the next episode. As you can see, cliffhanger is one of the most powerful literary tools. However, what writers often forget is that it is a double edged sword. Ending each chapter on a cliff-hanger will eliminate the possibility of your book being replaced in the shelf. Right? Let's see. There's no doubt cliff-hanger leaves your audience in suspense and anxious not to miss the next chapter or book. But like every other tool, it too becomes blunt when improperly used. Imagine this. You are lying on your back after a muscle tearing and lungs squashing trek. You reach for your bottle and have a sip. How do you feel? On a scale of 1 to 5, 5 being the highe...