How a writing programme in Iowa taught me to feel for people (and learn to become a better writer)

A university student from India has a life-changing experience meeting her counterparts from Pakistan in the US.

Payal Nagpal

· Sep 22, 2019 · 05:30 pm

Finding your book: Vikram Chandra on the exhilarating yet excruciating journey of the novelist

‘As you begin, you know very little about what the book is. But the thoughts and visions persist...’

Vikram Chandra

· Aug 17, 2019 · 07:30 am

This novel proves that the omniscient narrator is making a comeback to contemporary fiction

The Australian author’s choice isn’t just literary, but also a philosophical and ethical one.

Julienne van Loon, The Conversation

· Jun 24, 2019 · 07:30 am

How to be a millennial and write a novel centred around a romance in the India of the 1970s

With love in the age of Tinder being the contemporary experience, the author of ‘Once Upon A Curfew’ had to fall back on family stories and films.

Srishti Chaudhary

· Jun 22, 2019 · 08:30 am

Can the first page make or break a novelist’s career? An editor answers

An interview with David Ebershoff on the value (and pitfalls) of the opening page of the novel you are writing.

Pooja Bhula

· Dec 09, 2018 · 07:00 am

Why writers should eavesdrop constantly if they want to better their craft

Listening in unashamedly on other people’s conversations is one of the best ways to write good dialogue.

Sayantani Dasgupta

· Nov 10, 2018 · 05:30 pm

I’m talking to you: Are second-person narratives in literature effective?

Have you ever read a novel in the second person? You probably found it strange.

James Peacock, The Conversation

· Oct 01, 2018 · 05:30 pm

Ten writers talk of words they detest and prefer not to use (and of words they love)

Why do certain words evoke abhorrence from those who make a living out of words?

Shashank Bhargava

· Aug 12, 2018 · 08:30 am

How to be a writer: Why everyone should learn to write their own messy stories

A teacher of creative writing explains that, contrary to what many think, writers are made and not just born.

Sayantani Dasgupta

· Jul 21, 2018 · 12:30 pm

A writers’ retreat in Goa promises an immersive experience with three published authors as mentors

The Bound Writers’ Retreat is accepting applications for a five day-long program in March and will set you back by Rs 32,000.

Scroll Staff

· Feb 07, 2018 · 06:14 pm

Embracing your complicated family and four other lessons on fiction writing from Amy Tan

The American writer of novels such as the ‘Joy Luck Club’ stood out at the Jaipur Literature Festival for her candour, self-reflection and insight into writing.

Harsimran Gill

· Feb 06, 2018 · 08:30 am

Publishers insist writers stick to one genre. But what if they don’t want to be a ‘genre author’?

Marketing wisdom says developing a niche genre is good for positioning. Not every author listens.

Kiran Manral

· Dec 17, 2017 · 05:30 pm