tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-82069211652117589642024-03-05T18:21:43.254-08:00Random BroodingsHello, I live in Mumbai. I like to call myself a writer. Would one day like to call myself an author. So until that day I will show my work through this blog. Please have a look. It's not as bad as you think. OK, it is.Going To Writehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03671716800580689422noreply@blogger.comBlogger85125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206921165211758964.post-36973784479285469052014-11-05T11:54:00.000-08:002014-11-05T11:54:06.408-08:00On Feeling Stuck<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Why does one feel stuck? I thought i felt stuck in Mumbai. But I guess I'm still as stuck in New York. You might think your job is making you feel stuck or that you chose your partner wrongly but that may not be it.<br />
You might be emotionally stuck and the only way to get unstuck is to investigate those emotions, those thoughts, your reactions over and over and over again. Doing good, making others happy is another way to feel unstuck.<br />
Feeling stuck is also a mood. And like any other mood, it can be changed, altered, manipulated.<br />
But I believe there is a level you reach where you can never feel stuck, where you can never feel controlled no matter how controlling your surroundings are or no matter what situation you get yourself into.<br />
Investigating thought, emotions and reactions must be the way out then.</div>
Going To Writehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03671716800580689422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206921165211758964.post-19292704055714946072014-11-04T20:50:00.001-08:002014-11-04T20:50:17.078-08:00But wait a second..<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
How am I going to live today if I'm so busy contemplating tomorrow?</div>
Going To Writehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03671716800580689422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206921165211758964.post-51071401651249941072014-11-04T05:10:00.000-08:002014-11-04T05:10:55.961-08:00My desires make me feel alive<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I desire to eat cereal, to watch a monk give a lecture on YouTube, to sometimes do my homework, to go for coffee with a guy I met online, to travel, to read, to socialize with people, to take a class in journalism, to write this post.<div>
Maybe today is the day I will finally start valuing my desires and start following in the direction they lead me, maybe from today I will stop worrying about earning my livelihood from them. </div>
<div>
OK, so the latter is definitely going to take more work. But today's meditation made me realize that we don't always have to look at the bigger picture. For days now I have been asking 'What is my purpose?' And I realized that my purpose is to eat cereal and to gain more wisdom, and to give, forever be in the spirit of giving, for giving is nothing but receiving tenfold.</div>
</div>
Going To Writehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03671716800580689422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206921165211758964.post-24254395500111460842014-11-01T11:23:00.000-07:002014-11-01T11:23:42.983-07:00Where are my answers<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I am just listening to Deepak Chopra interview a spiritual teacher Howard Falco about how he attained his bliss. Howard Falco says that he was so surprised that when he asked a question with such intensity the universe delivered.<br />
And so now I am asking the universe this question: What is my purpose? What am I meant to do? Does my purpose align with my happiness?<br />
Over the ears I've sometimes felt that I've had a hearing impairment but that was physically. I hope I don't have a hearing impairment when it comes to listening to the voice of the universe.<br />
What is my purpose?</div>
Going To Writehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03671716800580689422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206921165211758964.post-42005276332408169472014-10-27T22:58:00.000-07:002014-11-01T11:24:04.445-07:00My Life, My Mirror<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
As I lay in bed, dreading my future as I'm guessing we all do sometimes when we're feeling especially morbid, I felt this deep urgency to open this blog and vent. But as I fired up my laptop, Byron Katie's Loving What Is popped up right in front of my eyes, reminding me that now I had a way of working through these thoughts that caused me so much fear and stress and insecurity.<br />
My point is that I thought venting will make it better and maybe it would have but the Universe knows exactly what I need in which moment. I'm going to walk through those four questions here for my sake and for yours, my imaginary readers.<br />
<br />
Thought: I will be miserable if I move back home.<br />
<br />
Question 1) Is it true? This is probably the heaviest of the four questions. If you get this question correct then half your work will be done.<br />
Is it true that I will be miserable if I move back home? No. I was actually very happy when I was there before I got here.<br />
<br />
Question 2) Do you have a way of absolutely knowing that its true? This question is for those who got yes on the first question.<br />
No is my answer. There' no way I can predict the future.<br />
<br />
Question 3) What does the thought do to me? It makes me frown, it makes me negative towards my mother, it makes me look at the house and think of it as dreadful, it makes me think I won't have a career, it makes me think my parents will marry me off, it makes me miserable, it makes me cling to the life here, it makes me want to work harder to get a life here, it makes me dread the guy that I will supposedly be pressured into marrying, it makes me feel afraid that I will be a pushover and heed my parents' demands, it makes me worry that I will never follow my passion, it makes me worry that my husband will never understand me, it makes me feel suffocated to feel like I'd have to be married off into a typical Indian family.<br />
<br />
Question 4) Who would i be without the thought? Woahhhh. After all this fear, I think I'd be the happiest person on earth, I'll feel free, excited, focused,<br />
<br />
Turn arounds<br />
I will be miserable here.<br />
I will be happy if I move home.<br />
I will be happy here</div>
Going To Writehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03671716800580689422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206921165211758964.post-6742674000931796692014-10-27T06:44:00.003-07:002014-10-27T06:44:41.417-07:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
A friend of mine said once, "Waking up is the worst part of existence," and I agree with that statement whole-heartedly. And then I heard someone say, "You cannot think your way out of bed," and that statement resonated with me on an even deeper level.<br />
That's probably the mistake we all make. We're first in denial, denial about the earliness of the hour, our mind already complaining how little sleep we've had, our body acts as if it is soaked in lethargy. But then the alarm rings a third time and usually this is the time I take to go over the day's activities bargaining with myself if I have just a teeny bit to squeeze in a "last" 10-minute nap. Sometimes I give in and sleep for another two hours that way. But then there are days like these, when I act my way out.<br />
What if we skipped this whole process and went straight to jumping out of bed. Wouldn't that be amazing? Its easier said than done, for sure.<br />
But then what isn't?</div>
Going To Writehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03671716800580689422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206921165211758964.post-65267047356877711602014-10-26T22:23:00.001-07:002014-10-26T22:23:06.014-07:00Projecting Emotions<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I wish I could say I was a firm believer of the Law of Attraction or the Law of Manifestation. However, my beliefs have been tested and are still being tested time and again. Over the years they have become stronger.<br />
I believe this thought in my head: that I'm not smart enough for this. I don't know know enough for what I am doing but what I realized is that if I can, from my present state of mind imagine a scenario in which I am happy and peaceful with my level of intellect, the feeling is bound to manifest. It has in the past and there's no reason why it won't now.<br />
That's going to be my new goal for the week. Everytime I feel like I'm fumbling through something, I'm going to take a pause, take a deep breath and imagine a scenario where I am confident in my abilities and it will manifest.</div>
Going To Writehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03671716800580689422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206921165211758964.post-73018345491116534062014-10-26T09:51:00.001-07:002014-10-26T09:51:51.196-07:00The thing about confessions...<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
...is that you need courage. What I used last night is what everyone calls Liquid Courage. But that term got me thinking. We wrongly burden alcohol by making it the reason behind our actions. Yes, the alcohol helped me do it but it did not give me the courage to do it. The courage, I already had. That was never the problem, the problem was the story that I was telling myself and how strongly I believed it that I never bothered to believe otherwise when I questioned myself.<br />
Talking to people and directly asking them how they feel gives you a sense of perspective that you might be wrong (or they're lying) I'm struggling with the latter possibility a lot. But then who isn't? Its upto me what I choose to believe. Its upto me to decide if I'm worthy. And this takes courage that no liquid, or external substance can give me.<br />
The courage to believe.</div>
Going To Writehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03671716800580689422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206921165211758964.post-70202171986249351832014-10-22T18:05:00.003-07:002014-10-22T18:05:35.772-07:00The Choice<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Now I'm going to be shameless here and profess my undying unequivocal love for Oprah Winfrey. Her vision with her channel inspires me everyday.<br />
In the video that I saw today she had Limbless Nick come to her show and speak about the power of choice and what a speech he gave!<br />
To say that it uplifted my mood and motivated me would be an understatement. He says that he had two choices, either be angry at God, at the Universe for being "wired" differently or be grateful for the cards he was dealt with and that statement resonated with me and truly struck a cord.<br />
I have two choices at the moment: I can either complain about not having a mind that is very quantitative or I could be happy about the fact that I have other talents, like the talent of words, and the curiosity for news. I can be grateful for the education that I received until now. I don't have to try to live another's dream.<br />
I'd rather live my own.<br />
<br />
</div>
Going To Writehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03671716800580689422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206921165211758964.post-17810458041384002142014-10-21T19:37:00.001-07:002014-10-21T19:37:31.314-07:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
And here I am. Back to the blog that no one reads and frankly, no one should read. I think I will update pretty frequently because I am suffering and this is my moment to vent. When I say I am suffering the image that may cross your mind would be of a starving girl with her hipbones on display but let me tell you ladies and gentlemen, I am not starving and my hipbones are covered with at least three layers of fat. No, my suffering is of another kind-it is of the mind. And probably yours is too if you have managed to stumble upon this blog.<br />
I currently live in New York City and I am looking for an internship in the Finance industry. If you don't know what that is like, then you are lucky because this is ruthless. Not knowing that you are good enough, smart enough, focused enough is ruthless and painful. Not having a purpose is wearisome.<br />
But I must remember that this mood that I am in is like a wave- it sweeps on me from time to time, threatening to pull me under, but I have always hung on and I will strive to do so.<br />
Why is following my passion so tough? Why am I so resistant to it? I will find the answers one day.<br />
I hope I find my silence one day.</div>
Going To Writehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03671716800580689422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206921165211758964.post-11640767827731237962012-12-30T22:02:00.003-08:002012-12-30T22:02:27.531-08:00Friends Instead— my entry to the Get Published contest<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
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<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Idea Description:
<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">You know how you think that you’ve broken up on good terms and you can
continue to remain friends? Disha was of that opinion.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> She and Aryan were mature
adults—surely they can move and be happy for the other person, right?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Wrong. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">What Makes This Story ‘Real’:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">The ownership aspect
isn’t as easy to severe as a relationship. It’s like an almost invisible
thread—almost. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Let’s see, if it breaks with the strength
they are pulling or the elasticity of it brings them closer.<b> <o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Extract from the story:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">“So….” I call Aditi up and squeal into
the receiver. “Guess who I’m bringing with me to the New Year’s party
tomorrow?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">
“The cute guy from your class.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">
“The cute guy from my class,” I confirm. “He didn’t have anywhere to go
cause he’s from Delhi so I thought I’d ask him and he said yes. I can’t <i>believe</i> it, Adi.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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“Oh. My. God.” Aditi lets out a heavy exhalation that says so many things
a million words can’t. “But won’t it be awkward, you know, with Aryan around?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">
I hesitate before answering. “No. I don’t think so. We had a mutual
understanding.” I shrug even though she can’t see me.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="background: #FFFFCC; color: #222222; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">This
is my entry for the<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="http://www.indiblogger.in/getpublished/"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #ab3e3e; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">HarperCollins–IndiBlogger<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><em>Get
Published</em><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>contest</span></a><span style="background: #FFFFCC; color: #222222; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">, which is run with inputs from</span><a href="http://www.yashodharalal.com/"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #ab3e3e; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">Yashodhara Lal</span></a><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: #FFFFCC; color: #222222; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> </span></span><span style="background: #FFFFCC; color: #222222; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">and<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="http://www.harpercollins.co.in/"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #ab3e3e; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">HarperCollins India</span></a><span style="background: #FFFFCC; color: #222222; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
Going To Writehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03671716800580689422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206921165211758964.post-12284032031077684712012-12-30T21:59:00.002-08:002012-12-30T21:59:38.376-08:00 I Like You, I Don’t Like You— my entry to the Get Published contest<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b style="line-height: 16.4pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Idea Description:</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Devanshi hadn’t given much thought to relationships. Sure, her friends
had boyfriends and she had considered the thought of having a boyfriend—but
dismissed it as soon as it passed through her mind.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> So when Harsh, a mutual friend’s
friend takes a liking to her and asks her out, her friends ask her to think of
it as just another experiment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Will this experiment be a success
or will it leave Devanshi or Harsh with
singed eyebrows and perhaps a broken heart?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">What Makes This Story ‘Real’: <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">There are some
relations where they seem true throughout while some are only true for the moment. This story might be of the latter
kind.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Extract from the story:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Devanshi, you’re
going to die an old woman who can’t reach her toenails to paint them if you let
this continue,” says my friend Aastha. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">
“I’ll do Yoga and remain flexible.” I smirk at her.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">
“Please. Do this for me.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">
“What if I don’t want anyone right now? Why am I being forced into
this?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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“Don’t make it sound like a rape. I’m not forcing you. Just think about
it like an adventure, something to try out before you die. You know, something
on your bucket list.” Her eyes sparkle as she says this. I don’t know why she’s
comparing this to with an entry on your bucket list. With the way she’s dated,
it seems less like a pet project and more like the mission of her life to have
a successful relationship.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">
“I have a bucket list,” I defend myself. “I want to go to Egypt to see
the pyramids and Spain to study Gaudi’s work, I want to get accepted by an Ivy League—”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">
“Great. That’s all very great, Devanshi. I’m just saying add another
entry called Have a Relationship.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="background: #FFFFCC; color: #222222; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">This
is my entry for the<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="http://www.indiblogger.in/getpublished/"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #ab3e3e; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">HarperCollins–IndiBlogger<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span><em>Get
Published</em><span class="apple-converted-space"> </span>contest</span></a><span style="background: #FFFFCC; color: #222222; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">, which is run with inputs from</span><a href="http://www.yashodharalal.com/"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #ab3e3e; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">Yashodhara Lal</span></a><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: #FFFFCC; color: #222222; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> </span></span><span style="background: #FFFFCC; color: #222222; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">and<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="http://www.harpercollins.co.in/"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #ab3e3e; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">HarperCollins India</span></a><span style="background: #FFFFCC; color: #222222; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
Going To Writehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03671716800580689422noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206921165211758964.post-40465647742358357062012-12-30T21:54:00.002-08:002012-12-30T21:54:55.107-08:00: Long Distance — my entry to the Get Published contest<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; tab-stops: 188.65pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Idea Description:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; tab-stops: 188.65pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Yash and Mansi dated for three years—they were the golden couple. They
clung onto eachother as all their other friends had failed relationships and
had one fling after another. But then Yash decides to go abroad for his
post-graduate and Mansi’s old insecurities emerge. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; tab-stops: 188.65pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> They make eachother all kinds of
promises but their relationship is tested with time and distance.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; tab-stops: 188.65pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Do Mansi and Yash have a chance
or will they too become a victim of Long Distance?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; tab-stops: 188.65pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">What Makes This Story ‘Real’: <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; tab-stops: 188.65pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Every couple thinks
that they’re story is going to be different when they part. This story is about
that. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Extract from the story:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">“What do you mean…” I
begin before swallowing. I stare at his oh, so serious face in my computer
screen. Technology does wonderful things, brings people closer—and apart. “You
want to…split up?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">
“Don’t make me sound like the villain here, Mansi. You had to know that
this was an option.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">
“What about all those things you said?” I am shrieking now. I have
thought of this moment before but the pain that thought caused me was a figment
of my imagination. It was like having a nightmare and smiling at my good
fortune when I would wake up. My subconscious was playing tricks, I would tell
myself. But, how do I deal with this? How do I deal with it now that it has
become my new reality?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="background: #FFFFCC; color: #222222; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">This
is my entry for the<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="http://www.indiblogger.in/getpublished/" style="text-decoration: initial;"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #ab3e3e; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">HarperCollins–IndiBlogger<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><em><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #ab3e3e; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; padding: 0cm;">Get Published</span></em><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #ab3e3e; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;"> </span></span><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #ab3e3e; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">contest</span></a><span style="background: #FFFFCC; color: #222222; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">, which is run with
inputs from</span><a href="http://www.yashodharalal.com/" style="text-decoration: initial;"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #ab3e3e; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">Yashodhara Lal</span></a><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: #FFFFCC; color: #222222; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;"> </span><span style="background: #FFFFCC; color: #222222; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">and<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><a href="http://www.harpercollins.co.in/" style="text-decoration: initial;"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #ab3e3e; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">HarperCollins India</span></a><span style="background: #FFFFCC; color: #222222; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt;">.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
Going To Writehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03671716800580689422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206921165211758964.post-67791188340093430912012-12-30T21:50:00.000-08:002012-12-30T21:50:11.435-08:00Mr and Ms Popular — my entry to the Get Published contest<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; tab-stops: 188.65pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Idea Description:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; tab-stops: 188.65pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">You know that couple in school that were that you admired from afar? Thecouple,
you secretky wished you were a part of?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; tab-stops: 188.65pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Well, Ananya and Sarthak were
that couple but was it all hearts and flowers as it looked from the outside?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; tab-stops: 188.65pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Follow these two mere fifteen-year-olds
deal with what seems to be the biggest problem they’re going to face in their
life.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; tab-stops: 188.65pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">What Makes This Story ‘Real’: <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; tab-stops: 188.65pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Even though its been
years since we left school, we don’t forget our biggest crushes and our ‘first
loves’. This story is about the innocence and the naiveté that young adults
show.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Extract from the story:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">“What am I going to do without him,
Anaita? He’s the love of my life. I’m sure of it.” I fall on the bed, removing
the only photo I have of him from the pillow covers and staring at his chubby
tanned face. In the original photo he is standing with his parents but I cut
them out after saving it from Facebook and printing it. I let my tears fall on
the thin piece of paper, smudging his face so that it looks like he has black
holes for eyes and a twisted nose.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="background: #FFFFCC; color: #222222; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif";">This is my entry for the<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><a href="http://www.indiblogger.in/getpublished/" style="text-decoration: initial;"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #ab3e3e; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif"; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">HarperCollins–IndiBlogger<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span><em><span style="border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #ab3e3e; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', sans-serif; padding: 0cm;">Get Published</span></em><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #ab3e3e; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif"; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;"> </span></span><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #ab3e3e; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif"; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">contest</span></a><span style="background: #FFFFCC; color: #222222; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif";">, which is run with
inputs from</span><a href="http://www.yashodharalal.com/" style="text-decoration: initial;"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #ab3e3e; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif"; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">Yashodhara Lal</span></a><span class="apple-converted-space"><span style="background: #FFFFCC; color: #222222; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif";"> </span><span style="background: #FFFFCC; color: #222222; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif";">and<span class="apple-converted-space"> </span></span></span><a href="http://www.harpercollins.co.in/" style="text-decoration: initial;"><span style="border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #ab3e3e; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif"; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">HarperCollins India</span></a><span style="background: #FFFFCC; color: #222222; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif";">.</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<br />
</div>
Going To Writehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03671716800580689422noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206921165211758964.post-60776452988275280292012-12-30T21:45:00.000-08:002012-12-30T21:45:12.957-08:00Queen of Rejection— my entry to the Get Published contest<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b style="line-height: 16.4pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Idea Description:</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; tab-stops: 188.65pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Naina was tired of getting rejected. She doesn’t know what it is about
her that sends men running, no sprinting, in the opposite direction.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; tab-stops: 188.65pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Sure she doesn’t look like
America’s Next TopModel but she’s seen uglier and way more stupid girls get a
guy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; tab-stops: 188.65pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> So when she meets Arun who is a
friend’s friend, she is self-assured that that attraction is not going to be
mutual.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; tab-stops: 188.65pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Will it be any different this
time?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; tab-stops: 188.65pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">What Makes This Story ‘Real’: <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">This isn’t a century where women can
hide under their duppatta and blush to do the trick. Women have to put just as
much effort in wooing as men do. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">
Let’s see if Naina breaks out of her shell to get Arun or not.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Extract from the story:</span></b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">I had to have a certain taste for masochism to be
doing this to myself again and again—it was like standing on the rail tracks,
waiting for the train that you are sure is come and screaming, “Hey, kill me!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #222222; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">This is my entry for the </span><a href="http://www.indiblogger.in/getpublished/" style="border: 0px; color: #ab3e3e; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font: inherit; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline;">HarperCollins–IndiBlogger <em style="border: 0px; font-size: 13px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Get Published</em> contest</a><span style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #222222; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">, which is run with inputs from</span><a href="http://www.yashodharalal.com/" style="border: 0px; color: #ab3e3e; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font: inherit; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline;">Yashodhara Lal</a><span style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #222222; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"> and </span><a href="http://www.harpercollins.co.in/" style="border: 0px; color: #ab3e3e; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font: inherit; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline;">HarperCollins India</a><span style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #222222; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">.</span></div>
</div>
Going To Writehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03671716800580689422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206921165211758964.post-3768411235192988632012-12-21T21:17:00.000-08:002012-12-21T21:17:56.064-08:00The Popular Boy— my entry to the Get Published contest <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b style="line-height: 16.4pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Idea Description:</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; tab-stops: 188.65pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">He is the golden boy of the college—the football captain, the chairperson
of rhe Rotoract Club and also a part of the student council. Everyone was his
friend and everyone shut up when he had something to say.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; tab-stops: 188.65pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> She wasn’t ordinary either but
maybe not as popular as him.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; tab-stops: 188.65pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Obviously she had no defense
against Mr. Always Politically Correct’s charms
but then again did she have to be that insecure?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; tab-stops: 188.65pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Or was he just too friendly with
every member of the opposite sex?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">What Makes This Story ‘Real’:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Usually women are attracted to money,
power, attractive looks—not say they’re shallow but I guess we have all had a
little thing for the most popular boy or girl in college.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">
But what if you get them? You are bound to be a little insecure, right?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <b>Extract from the story:</b><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Why are you always seen with that slut?”
I ask him, anger evident in my voice. “If there is nothing between you’ll then
why do I always—”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">
“She. Is. A. Friend.” He grits out. “How many times do I have to tell
you that?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p> </o:p><span style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #222222; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">This is my entry for the </span><a href="http://www.indiblogger.in/getpublished/" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #ab3e3e; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font: inherit; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline;">HarperCollins–IndiBlogger <em style="border: 0px; font-size: 13px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Get Published</em> contest</a><span style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #222222; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">, which is run with inputs from</span><a href="http://www.yashodharalal.com/" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #ab3e3e; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font: inherit; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline;">Yashodhara Lal</a><span style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #222222; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"> and </span><a href="http://www.harpercollins.co.in/" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #ab3e3e; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font: inherit; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline;">HarperCollins India</a><span style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #222222; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">.</span></div>
</div>
Going To Writehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03671716800580689422noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206921165211758964.post-57460554576418035362012-12-21T21:13:00.002-08:002012-12-21T21:13:33.070-08:00Shoved Together— my entry to the Get Published contest<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Idea Description:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">
They both have tried to find a respective other with no luck. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">
He is tongue-tied around the opposite sex and she speaks too much—
effectively shooing them away.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">
So when their friends decide that they will be the perfect couple, what
do these two have to say?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">What Makes This Story ‘Real’:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Sometimes its only
peer pressure that makes you want to pursue a relationship. But what if you
just can’t find a girlfriend or boyfriend for yourself?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">
The question here is—Do you have someone significant in your life that
you want or do you just want a girlfriend or a boyfriend? Or maybe its both.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">
What is it for Preeti and Kartik?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Extract from the story:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">He takes a deep breath gathering all
the courage he can and sits to type this message—<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<i><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Hi,<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<i><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Have you seen Life of Pi?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<i><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">If you haven’t then will you like to see it with me?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<i><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">-Kartik.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">
He hits send before he can over-think and talk himself out of it. After
sending it, he reads it and groans on how absolutely ridiculous he sounds.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">
But, he needn’t have worried because her reply is instantaneous.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background: #FFFFCC; color: #222222; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">This is my
entry for the </span><a href="http://www.indiblogger.in/getpublished/" style="text-decoration: initial;"><span style="background: white; border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #ab3e3e; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">HarperCollins–IndiBlogger </span><em><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; color: #ab3e3e; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; padding: 0cm;">Get
Published</span></em><span style="background: white; border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #ab3e3e; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;"> contest</span></a><span style="background: #FFFFCC; color: #222222; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">, which is run with inputs from</span><a href="http://www.yashodharalal.com/" style="text-decoration: initial;"><span style="background: white; border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #ab3e3e; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">Yashodhara Lal</span></a><span style="background: #FFFFCC; color: #222222; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;"> and </span><a href="http://www.harpercollins.co.in/" style="text-decoration: initial;"><span style="background: white; border: none windowtext 1.0pt; color: #ab3e3e; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;">HarperCollins
India</span></a><span style="background: #FFFFCC; color: #222222; font-family: "Lucida Sans Unicode","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 115%;">.</span></div>
</div>
Going To Writehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03671716800580689422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206921165211758964.post-86206772363968102822012-12-21T21:12:00.000-08:002012-12-21T21:24:06.697-08:00Clinging To The Past — my entry to the Get Published contest<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Idea Description:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">She thought
she’d found her The One and her mission of life was accomplished. But this
illusion is shattered when her boyfriend of four years dumps her.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Two years later she thinks she
still needs time, which Rohan, her co-worker isn’t ready to give her.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Is Dhwani ready to give up the
fantasy of her past and courageous enough to go after her future?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">What Makes This Story ‘Real’:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">This isn’t the era of
everlasting love. Relationships break more frequently than they last and serial
dating is the norm. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">
But how does one actually recover and move on?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Extract from the story:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">“It has been two
years since Anshuman, Dhwani,” points out my elder sister, Devika, resting her
hand on the enormous bump that is her stomach. “It’s high time you move on.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">
“Thanks for that point of information, sister. I was completely unaware
of the time that has passed,” I say in a saccharine sweet voice.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">
She rolls her eyes. “What is wrong with this guy?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">
“Nothing.” I sigh. “That’s the problem.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">
“That’s impossible.” She snorts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">
“I like him and everything but I’m just, I don’t know, guilty about
dating him.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">
“Rohan really did a number on you, didn’t he?” she asks softly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">
“I don’t want to talk about it.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">
She sighs. “OK, then. Let’s talk about this guy. Do you have a picture?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">
I nod and pull out a picture from my phone. I pass it over and hear my
sister whistle under her breath, no doubt enchanted by his height and muscular
frame, contrasting drastically with his geeky glasses.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">
“Wow.” She looks up, her eyes shining. “Why are you making him wait,
again?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">
<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="line-height: 16.4pt;"> </span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">ready to give up the
fantasy of her past and courageous enough to go after her future?<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">What Makes This Story ‘Real’:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">This isn’t the era of
everlasting love. Relationships break more frequently than they last and serial
dating is the norm. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">
But how does one actually recover and move on?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Extract from the story:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">“It has been two
years since Anshuman, Dhwani,” points out my elder sister, Devika, resting her
hand on the enormous bump that is her stomach. “It’s high time you move on.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">
“Thanks for that point of information, sister. I was completely unaware
of the time that has passed,” I say in a saccharine sweet voice.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">
She rolls her eyes. “What is wrong with this guy?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">
“Nothing.” I sigh. “That’s the problem.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">
“That’s impossible.” She snorts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">
“I like him and everything but I’m just, I don’t know, guilty about
dating him.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">
“Rohan really did a number on you, didn’t he?” she asks softly.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">
“I don’t want to talk about it.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">
She sighs. “OK, then. Let’s talk about this guy. Do you have a picture?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">
I nod and pull out a picture from my phone. I pass it over and hear my
sister whistle under her breath, no doubt enchanted by his height and muscular
frame, contrasting drastically with his geeky glasses.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">
“Wow.” She looks up, her eyes shining. “Why are you making him wait,
again?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">
<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #222222; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">This is my entry for the </span><a href="http://www.indiblogger.in/getpublished/" style="border: 0px; color: #ab3e3e; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font: inherit; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline;">HarperCollins–IndiBlogger <em style="border: 0px; font-size: 13px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Get Published</em> contest</a><span style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #222222; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">, which is run with inputs from</span><a href="http://www.yashodharalal.com/" style="border: 0px; color: #ab3e3e; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font: inherit; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline;">Yashodhara Lal</a><span style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #222222; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"> and </span><a href="http://www.harpercollins.co.in/" style="border: 0px; color: #ab3e3e; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font: inherit; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline;">HarperCollins India</a><span style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #222222; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
</div>
Going To Writehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03671716800580689422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206921165211758964.post-62804911411707356202012-12-20T08:12:00.001-08:002012-12-21T21:21:13.009-08:00The Pursuit— my entry to the Get Published contest<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Idea Description:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">
</span></b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">He has been hitting on her for years now and
she has been rejecting him for just as long a time. She lived in Mumbai and he
in Delhi but when he decides to come to Mumbai for further education, he decides
to go full out.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Tired of refusing and playing the Hard To Get
Game, she gives in.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Will their relationship last or was it just
a game of pursuit?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">
</span></b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">What Makes This Story ‘Real’:</span></b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">People often mistake
attraction and the challenge to achieve that they are attracted to for true
passion and love. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">
But is it the same for Keya and Gautam or will circumstances bend for
them?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Extract from the story:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Looking around the yacht all, I see are red roses
and the water beyond. It can’t get any better than this, I think to myself. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> I lower my
eyes to his, where he kneeling down with a bouquet of Orchids—my favourite
flower, I just can’t find my usual pessimism when it comes to Gautam. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> Gautam Punjabi has charmed me, that much cannot be denied. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #222222; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">This is my entry for the </span><a href="http://www.indiblogger.in/getpublished/" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #ab3e3e; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font: inherit; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline;">HarperCollins–IndiBlogger <em style="border: 0px; font-size: 13px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Get Published</em> contest</a><span style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #222222; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">, which is run with inputs from</span><a href="http://www.yashodharalal.com/" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #ab3e3e; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font: inherit; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline;">Yashodhara Lal</a><span style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #222222; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"> and </span><a href="http://www.harpercollins.co.in/" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #ab3e3e; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font: inherit; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline;">HarperCollins India</a><span style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #222222; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">.</span></div>
</div>
Going To Writehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03671716800580689422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206921165211758964.post-41449562119249412592012-12-20T07:59:00.000-08:002012-12-20T07:59:54.918-08:00The Story Title: A Teenage Love— my entry to the Get Published contest’<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Idea Description:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">
</span></b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">She’s been in love with the unreachable
Football Star of the school since she was thirteen. But school is over now, but
Priya still thinks that he was her soulmate.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Nirav’s been in a relationship, if that’s
what you want to call it. It did entail a particularly entertaining chat on MSN
messenger and a very long phone call, in his defence. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> When Priya and Nirav are teased mercilessly
by their friends so that they forget their past, will they succumb to the
attraction building up between them? <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Or will they decide to cling on to their
past?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">What Makes This Story ‘Real’:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">This is a story of my
best friend and I was a witness to her struggle to give up her infatuation and
to enter a <i>real </i>relationship. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">
Most teenagers believe in love at first sight and are quite dramatic
about it, but they must realise that they don’t really know the person. <b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Extract from the story:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">Priya, I kow thid is late at night. But I kuv you. <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">“He sounds drunk,” observes Sonal from where she is
perched on my beige living room sofa. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> She
breathes a sigh of relief. Surely he wouldn’t be serious about it then.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> “People say
the truth when they’re drunk, Priya.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> And the
dread fills her again. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> “What time did he message?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> “Around
two. I think. I was sleeping,” she mumbles desolately.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> “Definitely
drunk,” She says. “I don’t understand why you are so upset about this. He seems
like such a nice guy.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> “Yes but I
am interested in—“<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> “Don’t even
say his name,” Sonal warns. “You’ve never even spoken to Ronak and you think
you already think you’re in love— ”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> “I don’t
think I’m in love with him. I <i>know </i>so.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> “Shut up.
Get to know this guy. He’s so nice and he looks good.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> She stares
at her vine coloured rug, “He is very nice to me,” she agrees.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> “Great!
Now, about your reply to his message….”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #222222; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">This is my entry for the </span><a href="http://www.indiblogger.in/getpublished/" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #ab3e3e; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font: inherit; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline;">HarperCollins–IndiBlogger <em style="border: 0px; font-size: 13px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Get Published</em> contest</a><span style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #222222; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">, which is run with inputs from</span><a href="http://www.yashodharalal.com/" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #ab3e3e; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font: inherit; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline;">Yashodhara Lal</a><span style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #222222; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"> and </span><a href="http://www.harpercollins.co.in/" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #ab3e3e; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font: inherit; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline;">HarperCollins India</a><span style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #222222; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">.</span></div>
</div>
Going To Writehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03671716800580689422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206921165211758964.post-60119527217636957692012-12-20T07:50:00.001-08:002012-12-20T07:50:58.706-08:00The Break-Up— my entry to the Get Published contest<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Idea Description: <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">
</span></b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">She keeps the wallpaper on her phone as DON’T
CALL HIM to stop herself from calling him and asking him to patch up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> He has deleted her from BBM but has asked his
friend to send each and every picture she updates and each status she updates.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Yes, he was the one to break her heart but he
had a reason to. What she doesn’t understand is that he also has a plan to get
her back. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Only things aren’t going according to plan
and the next thing he knows she is going on a date with some boy.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Will he make her see truth?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">What Makes This Story ‘Real’:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">
Love these days isn’t the Happily Ever After kind. It takes a lot of
work and a lot of experimentation.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Relationships break up all the time but then
there are also those who work through their issues.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">
This story sheds light on wheat relationships are like in this
generation.<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Extract from the story:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">“Dude, her status has
changed again,” says Ronak over the phone.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">
“What is it this time?” I sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose. I know
she’s hurting but does she have to bloody publicise it to the world and make me
feel like a loser? I had my reasons for breaking up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">
“Um, well…”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">
“Just spit it out, Ronak.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">
“It says, and I quote, ‘Waiting for tonight’ and her DP is showing a
picture of a girl immersed in a pile of clothes with a caption HAVE A HOT DATE,
TONIGHT.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">
I gasp.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">
“I spoke to Ria,” continues Ronak, “and she says it’s some guy from—”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">
“I don’t want to know,” I snap at Ronak and hang up.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
</div>
Going To Writehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03671716800580689422noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206921165211758964.post-86895738000361779292012-12-20T07:43:00.002-08:002012-12-20T07:43:43.095-08:00My Best Friend’s Brother— my entry to the Get Published contest<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; tab-stops: 188.65pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></b><b style="line-height: 16.4pt;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Idea Description:</span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">
</span></b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Alya has always had a little thing for her
best friend, Anita’s brother, Arjun. But to Arjun, Alya is nothing but his kid
sister’s friend who runs around imitating him. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> He knows of her little crush from the way she
stares at him and takes notice of all his moves and from the way she regards
all his girlfriends with scorn but he tries not to encourage it.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> But things change when Arjun comes back from
London after two long years and finds that Alya is not a fifteen- year-old with
braces and socks that go up to her knees. He finds the transformation in her
staggering.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> But why is she so cold to him all of a
sudden?<b> <o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">What Makes This Story ‘Real’:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">This story is of my
brother. My best friend had a crush on him for ages before she gave up and
decided to move on. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">
But fate had other ideas.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt;">Extract from the story:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">She looks at him from under her eyelashes in the
crowded dance floor. His pale skin is contrasting against his black shirt and
pants and he has his hands shoved inside his pockets carelessly while leaning
against the wall. Some girl is talking him up but his eyes are on her. He takes
a small sip of his whisky before lowering the glass on the bar table and
excusing himself from his companion.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> <i>Shit, </i>thinks Alya, <i>he is walking up to me. <o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<i><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> </span></i><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;">The washroom is the safest and the quickest exit and so she makes a dash
for it. Once inside the cubicle she calms down considerably. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"> When she
comes out he is standing there outside the bathroom and there is no escape for
Alya. His hands are shoved inside his pant pockets once again and he leans over
her, his lips brushing her ear and whispers, “Are you done running from me?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman', serif; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #222222; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">This is my entry for the </span><a href="http://www.indiblogger.in/getpublished/" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #ab3e3e; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font: inherit; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline;">HarperCollins–IndiBlogger <em style="border: 0px; font-size: 13px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Get Published</em> contest</a><span style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #222222; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">, which is run with inputs from</span><a href="http://www.yashodharalal.com/" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #ab3e3e; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font: inherit; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline;">Yashodhara Lal</a><span style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #222222; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"> and </span><a href="http://www.harpercollins.co.in/" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #ab3e3e; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font: inherit; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline;">HarperCollins India</a><span style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #222222; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">.</span></div>
</div>
Going To Writehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03671716800580689422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206921165211758964.post-7412607250598099782012-12-20T07:36:00.000-08:002012-12-20T07:36:06.607-08:00Love at First Sight? — my entry to the Get Published contest’<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Idea Description: <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></b><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 12pt;">She looks across the
corridor and finds herself staring at a Greek God. His hair is wavy and black
as night, starkly contrasting to his pale skin. She stares at him, stunned
speechless by his looks. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> But
what she thinks she lacks in beauty, she knows she makes up in courage and
sass. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Men aren’t
the only ones making the first move these days.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: 0.0001pt;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 12pt;">What Makes This Story ‘Real’:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> This story is about a friend of
mine who firmly believe that women are equal with men. So if she finds a man
attractive, she is going to do something about it and not just hide her face
and blush.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Gone are the days where a woman
waits for the man to make the first move. This story is about courage and
confidence.<b><o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Extract from the story:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 12pt;">“You’ll look desperate if you go to him and speak to him.” says Tina, my
best friend. She is holding a thick volume Marketing Research in front of her
face so that I can only see her eyes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> “What’s so desperate, dude? They
don’t worry about looking desperate when they hit on us left, right and centre.
We have the right to objectify them as well.” I shrug but my heart is
thundering in my chest. I wonder how Tina can’t hear it. For all my talks on
feminism, I think I should be able to walk up to a guy and ask for his number. “Look
at him, Tina and tell me you don’t want him.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> “I <i>do </i>want him. All I can think about is grasping that thick black
hair of his and stroking his naked chest.” She sighs in a daze.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> “Ew! Keep the details of your
dirty fantasies to yourself.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> “Please,” she huffs, “as if you aren’t
thinking of the same things.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> “I am,” I say taking a deep
breath. “And now I’m going to do something about it.” With that I make my way
over to the Greek God I’ve had my eyes for all morning.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #222222; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">This is my entry for the </span><a href="http://www.indiblogger.in/getpublished/" style="border: 0px; color: #ab3e3e; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font: inherit; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline;">HarperCollins–IndiBlogger <em style="border: 0px; font-size: 13px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Get Published</em> contest</a><span style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #222222; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">, which is run with inputs from</span><a href="http://www.yashodharalal.com/" style="border: 0px; color: #ab3e3e; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font: inherit; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline;">Yashodhara Lal</a><span style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #222222; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"> and </span><a href="http://www.harpercollins.co.in/" style="border: 0px; color: #ab3e3e; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font: inherit; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline;">HarperCollins India</a><span style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #222222; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">.</span></div>
</div>
Going To Writehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03671716800580689422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206921165211758964.post-13523841709840022642012-12-13T20:54:00.000-08:002012-12-13T20:54:32.736-08:00The Email Proposal– my entry to the Get Published contest’’<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm; vertical-align: baseline;">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 12pt;">The Idea Description: <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 12pt;">He proposed to her on a yatch under the
moonlight. They popped some champagne and shared a sensual kiss.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> He proposed to her by hiding the ring in the
cake. There were violinists playing in the background. His heart was beating
wildly and there were tears in her eyes. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> He
proposed to her by hiding the ring in the fortune cookie. She was stunned
speechless and she slowly nodded her head, yes, yes, a million times yes. His
face broke out into the most glorious smile.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> J didn’t
propose to P in any of these ways. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> He was
just a nervous engineer trying to make it in America. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Mr. Techno-Savvy
decides to fucking email. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> Does
she reply?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 12pt;"><br />
<b>Optional sections: </b><span style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial;">Feel free to
include anything else you’d like to include (within the word limit) about why
your story deserves to be told.This can include –</span><br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--></span><span style="font-family: "inherit","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-language: EN-IN;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 12pt;">What Makes This Story ‘Real’:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 12pt;">This is the story of my cousin. Almost a decade ago, he was striving
very hard to make it in America and his wife’s condition was pretty much the
same. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> What made me want to write this
story was how things have changed because of innovation of the world wide web
or the email. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> The use of technology and real
emotion makes this story real. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<b><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Extract from the story:<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<i><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Dear P, </span></i><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 12pt;">I type on my old and battered laptop. No, this sounds too fucking formal.
I back space. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<i><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Hi, P.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<i><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 12pt;">How are you? <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<i><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 12pt;">We’ve been friends for how many years? Three? Four?
<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 12pt;">How many years have you been friends with her for, idiot? You want to
flatter her, not sound nonchalant.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 12pt;">I look back to the day I met her.
She was in front of the computer typing codes swiftly. We were introduced to
eachother and being the only Indians in an American office, our friendship was
instantaneous. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Until she moved to Canada.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Getting back to the email, I delete the last line.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<i><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 12pt;">We’ve been friends for four years.We know eachother
decently well. We are friendly. Well, most of the time we are friendly.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; line-height: 16.4pt; margin-bottom: 0.0001pt; vertical-align: baseline;">
<i><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 12pt;">I was wondering if we could take it a step further.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 12pt;">You get what I mean?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Probably not since I sound like such an idiot right
now.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 12pt;">I know I should be doing this in person, P. But, I
just don’t have the balls. This isn’t romantic or anything and God knows you
deserve better but this is just me. And I can’t help but give it a shot.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Will you marry me, P?<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<br /></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 12pt;">Thanks,<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 12pt;">J.<o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 12pt;"> </span></b><span style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #222222; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">This is my entry for the </span><a href="http://www.indiblogger.in/getpublished/" style="border: 0px; color: #ab3e3e; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font: inherit; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline;">HarperCollins–IndiBlogger <em style="border: 0px; font-size: 13px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Get Published</em> contest</a><span style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #222222; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">, which is run with inputs from</span><a href="http://www.yashodharalal.com/" style="border: 0px; color: #ab3e3e; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font: inherit; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline;">Yashodhara Lal</a><span style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #222222; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"> and </span><a href="http://www.harpercollins.co.in/" style="border: 0px; color: #ab3e3e; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font: inherit; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline;">HarperCollins India</a><span style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #222222; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">.</span></div>
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Going To Writehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03671716800580689422noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8206921165211758964.post-64399975108862181822012-12-13T01:37:00.001-08:002012-12-13T01:37:07.947-08:00‘’Growing Up’’: My entry for the Get Published contest<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<i><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; padding: 0cm;"><br />
<br />
</span></i><em style="outline: 0px;"><b><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; line-height: 115%; padding: 0cm;">The Idea</span></b></em><em><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; line-height: 115%; padding: 0cm;">–</span></em><span class="apple-converted-space"><i><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; padding: 0cm;"> </span></i></span><i><span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
</span></i><span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;">Anu and Aryan’s story, well, it isn’t all that special—just two kids
playing and fighting, going through the motions of childhood. They're best friends
until they're not. It’s all very innocent until it isn’t. One moment they are
playing G I Joe’s Saves Barbie and the next thing they know, they’ve their
falling in love. Not with eachother, of course. That would be absolutely
ridiculous, wouldn’t it? <i><span style="background: white; border: none windowtext 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: none windowtext 0cm; padding: 0cm;"><br />
<!--[if !supportLineBreakNewLine]--><br />
<!--[endif]--></span></i></span><em style="outline: 0px;"><b><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; line-height: 115%; padding: 0cm;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></em></div>
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<em><b><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; line-height: 115%; padding: 0cm;">What
Makes This Story ‘Real’</span></b></em><em><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; line-height: 115%; padding: 0cm;">–</span></em><span class="apple-converted-space"><b><i><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; padding: 0cm;"> </span></i></b></span><i><span style="font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%;"><br />
<br />
</span></i><em style="outline: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; line-height: 115%; padding: 0cm;">The story walks you through your childhood, making you remember that special friend you had
perhaps. Or maybe it is about those encounters when you realise that the person
you were looking for all along has been right in front of you but you were too
freakin’ blind or stubborn or, maybe just plain stupid to notice it. </span></em></div>
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<span style="background-color: white; border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', sans-serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; padding: 0cm;">This story is inspired from my two friends, whose anonymity I wish to keep.<br />
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</span><em style="outline: 0px;"><b><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 10pt; font-style: normal; line-height: 115%; padding: 0cm;">Extract</span></b></em><span class="apple-converted-space"><b><i><span style="background-color: white; background-position: initial initial; background-repeat: initial initial; border: 1pt none windowtext; font-family: inherit, serif; font-size: 10pt; line-height: 115%; padding: 0cm;"> <o:p></o:p></span></i></b></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB">“Mommy,”
Anu sobbed as a woman with a heart shaped face and curly black hair just like
her daughter’s, albeit neater, opened the door. She had an apron tied around
her waist and her hands were white with flour. Anu hugged her around the legs
and began to cry in her skirt.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"> “Anu?” she
said anxiously. “Are you hurt?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"> Anu’s sobs
were the only response she got.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"> She walked
to the washbasin, which was a difficult task with a four-year-old hanging on to
her legs for dear life. She quickly washed her hands and picked up her
daughter.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"> “What
happened?” She asked as she walked to the sofa. She sat down with Anu on her
lap. Anu’s head was on her shoulder.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"> “A-a-ryan.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"> “What did
he do?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"> “W-why am I
only four years old?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"> “Because
you were born four years ago.” She laughed. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"> But Anu
only cried harder. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"> “What did
Aryan do, baby?” She wiped Anu’s tears.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"> “H-he
s-said I was too young to play with him and his friends.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"> “What were
they playing?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"> “G.I. Joe
Saves Barbie.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"> “How about
we play the same game right here?”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"> “I want to
play with him!”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span lang="EN-GB"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span lang="EN-GB"><span style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #222222; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">This is my entry for the </span><a href="http://www.indiblogger.in/getpublished/" style="border: 0px; color: #ab3e3e; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font: inherit; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline;">HarperCollins–IndiBlogger <em style="border: 0px; font-size: 13px; font: inherit; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Get Published</em> contest</a><span style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #222222; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">, which is run with inputs from</span><a href="http://www.yashodharalal.com/" style="border: 0px; color: #ab3e3e; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font: inherit; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline;">Yashodhara Lal</a><span style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #222222; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"> and </span><a href="http://www.harpercollins.co.in/" style="border: 0px; color: #ab3e3e; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; font: inherit; line-height: 18px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-decoration: initial; vertical-align: baseline;">HarperCollins India</a><span style="background-color: #ffffcc; color: #222222; font-family: 'Lucida Sans Unicode', 'Lucida Grande', sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">.</span></span></div>
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Going To Writehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03671716800580689422noreply@blogger.com1