The cover is the first thing people see about your book. You want it to grab attention and set up an expectation of what the book is about. I am so glad the Press gave me the opportunity to contribute … Continued
No phrase has killed more dreams than “what will people say?” Any person who has ever put themselves or their work in the public sphere has been concerned with how it will be received. It can be paralyzing for any … Continued
We writers are an anxious, self-doubting lot. We tie ourselves up in knots, expecting Pulitzer-worthy flow from our pens, have whip-cracking inner editors, self-flagellating internal monologues… It’s very common then, for us to second guess ourselves and our accomplishments. Even … Continued
You have to renovate the kitchen. Your boss needs you to take the lead on a work project. You have to give time for charity work. You are trying to launch an e-commerce startup… You also have a writing project. … Continued
Exactly one year, one month and a day ago, I wrote my first Scribe’s Madness post. What started as a virgin attempt at blogging turned into a labour of love. The past year brought me closer to realizing my writing … Continued
It’s not easy being ruthless. I get attached to the sentences I write. I develop soulful relationships with whole stanzas and passages during the process of their creation. If I hang on to them with the ferocity of a pitbull … Continued
This blog post is for two types of people: 1- Those who want to write but are paralyzed at the thought of beginning their project. 2- Those who start writing but their passion, ambition and ideas fizzle out midway through … Continued
Right off the bat, let’s clarify: Perspective and Point of View (POV) are two different things. Perspective is the character-speaker-narrator through which you want to tell your story or poem. POV is how that character tells the story (in first, … Continued
“It has been estimated that the average person has sixty thousand separate thoughts each and every day.” – Wayne W. Dyer. Most of us have minds that race night and day and if you’re a writer a major chunk of … Continued
I’m visiting Pakistan, Ramzan just ended and it’s Eid holidays. That alone should be enough to make me throw down my pen and surrender to the lure of long-awaited family gatherings, conversations that end at dawn, excursions with kids, constant … Continued