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My Favourite Fiction of 2010
As the curtain draws on 2010, I thought I’d give you a list of my favourite books of the year . The way I chose these books is a very scientific methodology; sometimes I pick up a book because I like...
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Project 1984: Bringing it Home
In 1985, I was about seven years old and living in Crawley, a small town 40 minutes by tube from London. I can’t remember exactly what we were all watching. We were all very particular about what we...
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Literary New Year’s Resolutions for 2011
Navdeep Singh Dhillon: An Unintentional New Father Every year I make vague and overarching resolutions – “exercise more,” “write more”- and end up getting bugger-all done. Last year was no exception,...
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Project 1984: Some Resources
I have scoured the internet, bookstores, scholastic journals and databases for exhaustive information to try and understand the reality of the events of 1984, as well as the unique nature of this kind...
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Finding the right Writer’s Colony and Writer’s Conference
I have been teaching English literature, developmental, and creative writing to college students for several years now. I have attended loads of conferences and workshops relating to my work as an...
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Jakara 2009: 1984 – Reflect. Respond. React.
A Quick Background The spirit of the Jakara youth movement is a model that I think should be emulated in other countries, including India. It began in 1999 when a handful of Sikhs in their teens and...
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Project 1984: An Overview
PROJECT 1984? The name of my project is an intentional misnomer. Initially, my project was supposed to be based on the events of 1984 in India. It has since expanded to include the aftermath of 9/11...
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Goodies and Baddies: Creating Complex Villains and Heroes
Navdeep Singh Dhillon: An Unintentional New Father Ever since my wife started her MFA in creative writing at the New School last fall, I’ve been spending a lot of time hanging out with my daughter,...
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Living In A Land With No Borders
My wife, the writer Sona Charaipotra, and I have gone on countless dates to Borders all over the country, often sitting in the café for hours on end, nibbling on pastries as we sift through stacks of...
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Martin Amis on “The War Against Cliché “
The mere mention of Martin Amis’s name (in England, anyway) sends grown men hurtling towards a nostalgic past they were probably never a part of, and women into hysterics. The sort reserved for...
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Back From My Slumber!
When my daughter slumbers, I slumber. Some of you have emailed me or left comments wondering where I’ve gone, expressed in various shades of concern/relief/glee/distress/ambiguity. Not to worry, I...
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The “Big” Mac Writing Software Showdown: StoryMill vs. Storyist vs. Scrivener!
I was eight years old and in Punjab for the summer holidays the first time I was proud of something I had written. My paternal uncle (chacha) bought me a small 8 x 24 inch-ish wooden plank called a...
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Summer of Fun . . . and no Writing!
Me and Kavya Bhangra-ing On the Beach This Summer, I had big plans to make amends for my word count of about 0 since January. Needless to say, my New Year’s resolutions didn’t pan out quite as well as...
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Reflecting On 9/11: Ten Years Later
Kavya having brunch at Agave in New York City Weekends are a special time for our little family. During the week, Kavya, our 20-month-old daughter, goes to daycare, while Sona and I “work” on our...
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“Ghazal King,” Jagjit Singh is Dead, But His Ghazals Live On
Tonight, my father-in-law, Kamal Charaipotra, posted, “my buddy is gone” on his FaceBook wall. He had been out all day, so had no idea that his “buddy,” world reknowned “Ghazal King,” Jagjit Singh had...
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The Original Speedy Singh: 100 year old Fauja Singh, Marathon Runner And Now,...
Yesterday, while most of us squeezed out the last bit of fun from the weekend by lounging at home and watching telly, Fauja Singh earned a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records for being the...
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It’s National Novel Writing Month, Can I Get a Woop Woop?
Two Novembers ago, I attempted to write 50,000 words – a completed novel – during National Novel Writing Month, most commonly referred to as NaNoWriMo, and those in a love-hate relationship with it...
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What Are You Doing to Prepare for National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo),...
Yep. This cartoon by Errol Elumir pretty much sums up my thoughts on preparing for NaNoWriMo. I have my Scrivener sorted out (here’s a post I wrote to figure out what writing program to use: Scrivener...
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NaNoWriMo 2011: Day 1
NOVEMBER 1, 2011 Start Time: 9:00 am End Time: 11:00 am Today”s Word-count: 1,200/1,644 Total Words Written: 1,200/50,000 I didn’t hit my exact word count, but so far, so good, athough I did a lot of...
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NaNoWriMo 2011: Day 2
DAY TWO: NOVEMBER 2, 2011 Start Time: 9:30 am End Time: 2:00 pm Today”s Word-count: 1,000/1,644 Total Words Written: 2,200/50,000 The Good: I did force myself to sit down and write. And I am pleased...
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