Prem Rao : Stories from a Story Teller
Stories from a Story Teller
Today, for me H is for “He Sees Everything” which is the name of my anthology of short stories, the full title of which is “He Sees Everything & Other Short Stories.” This was my first attempt at self-publishing and is available on Smashwords, Kobo etc.
Continue reading “H for “He Sees Everything”: #A to Z Challenge”
For me today, G is for Generals because of my deep interest in military history. I am often asked how I developed such an interest despite never having served in the defence services. It’s not that I came from a family with a military background either though my grandfather went to Mesopotamia (as it was then known) during the First World War as a doctor with the old IMS in the British Indian Army. His son became a doctor like him and maintained the tradition, this time serving in the jungles of Burma during the Second World War. His brother served for many years in the Indian Navy being one of the earliest fliers in the Fleet Air Arm.
As a writer, for me F is for Fiction. You know as well as I do as to what is fiction and what is not. What impresses me most about fiction, both as a reader as well as a writer, is how the writer crafts a story using his/her imagination. There are all kinds of stories. Fast-paced thrillers, melodramatic romances, and of course humorous ones like those written by one whom I consider to be the finest writer of the English language, Sir Pelham Grenville Wodehouse. To each his own. There are different genres which could appeal to you. About. com has this article which could help you to choose a particular genre.
E is for Escapes as I remember “Escapes from Prisoner of War camps” when I think of the letter “E” today. As a kid, I read as many books about the Second World War as I could. I particularly loved Paul Brickhill’s “Reach For The Sky” the story of Group Captain Sir Douglas Bader, the legless fighter hero of the Royal Air Force. I was totally impressed that even after he was shot down over France and taken prisoner by the Germans, he continued to harass them in ways he could as he believed it was the duty of every POW to do his best to escape. Bader couldn’t do much because of his disability in the actual digging of tunnels but he was vociferous in what was called “goon baiting.”
The first thing that came to my mind when I reached D was “D for Dialogues” but then I noticed I had used this in the 2011 A to Z Challenge. Having decided not to use the same theme for even one of the alphabets, I needed to think of something else. So this year, I am going with D for Diary as I have been writing diaries ever since I can remember.
When you write fiction, your story hinges on the characters you create. So for me today, C is for Characters. You could have a splendid plot and storyline but they fall flat if they are not carried off by your characters. To me much of the pleasure of writing a novel comes from creating and developing characters. They are at first vague ideas in your mind. Man or woman, young or old, they assume shape in your mind as you think more about the story. It’s amazing how attached you get to your characters. By the time you are through with your novel it feels as if you know them personally. You know every intimate detail about them. And it’s natural to do so, because you were the one who created them.
Today is the start of the Blogging A to Z Challenge in which I am participating after a break of a couple of years. Did you know that some 1800 bloggers from all over the world are participating in this event? I am proud to be one of them and have chosen to go without a particular theme this time.
Seeing that the challenge starts off on April 1, A has to be for April . Today, April 1, is celebrated as April’s Fools Day or All Fools Day in many parts of the world. Friends pull each other’s legs with pranks and everyone has a good laugh. With so much tension and stress around us, I think April Fool’s Day is a great stress buster. Of course, much of the enjoyment depends on whether or not you are on the receiving end of the prank.
Decades ago when I was working in Mumbai (then called Bombay), some of us decided to teach a lesson to a colleague who was very stuffy and looked down on our easy-going attitude. He used to mutter, “Grow up, fellows. You are no longer at school,” whenever we cracked jokes or had a laugh which was very often.
There were no emails in the ’70s and one morning he found a hand written message slip on his desk that the Big Chief, the General Manager of our Division wanted to see him at 9.00 a.m. the next morning. We youngsters and, I suspect, most of our seniors too, were terrified of the General Manager who was a nice person in his own way but a strict disciplinarian. Our colleague didn’t mention about the note , nor did anyone else. The next day at 9.00 a.m. sharp he presented himself at the GM’s office. The Executive Secretary to the GM who wielded almost as much power as he did, stared at him in a cold manner. She asked what brought him there so early in the morning as she had just walked in after a harrowing journey on the local trains which most of us used in Bombay. Our friend said he wanted to meet the GM. She said he can’t be seen without prior appointment. He said, ” He wants to see me. ” She replied, “I decide who gets to meet him.” When in triumph he showed her the message slip, she laughed loudly, bringing work in that part of the building to a standstill. “You poor fool. Someone has made an ass of you. I don’t blame them for it. Today is April 1. In any case, the boss is in Tokyo and he can’t see you or anyone else.”
Coming back to A for April, I find that April is the month for the National Poetry Writing Month, where poets write a poem a day. I guess this is much like NaNoWriMo where we writers write a 50,000 word novel during the month of November each other. I am thrilled that I have successfully completed NaNoWriMo for five consecutive years. Frankly, I believe writing a poem every day for a whole month is far more difficult than writing a 50,000 word novel in a month. To each his own, I guess.
Prem Rao : Stories from a Story Teller 