Articles
On the whole, the articles listed on this page relate to writing and storytelling.
In the first part, I created a list of articles I wrote that focus on writing a novel. Thereafter, I’ve created an alphabetical list of articles written by others. They have been collected over many years.
You are welcome to consider any of the articles listed below for publication in your website/blog/newsletter. Permission is granted to reprint for free with the resource box and byline intact (this information is placed at the bottom of each article).
To view the articles, just click on the article you would like to view and you will be taken to the appropriate page.
I am aware the list is long. So, please don’t get overwhelmed and close this page. Do take some time to view it. Scroll down the list (all entries have been placed in alphabetical order) and I’m sure you’ll find something of interest.
Friday, 22 March 2013 01:52
Leaders and Stories: Growing the Next Generation, Conveying Values, and Shaping Character
Written by Aneeta Sundararaj
Leaders and Stories: Growing the Next Generation, Conveying Values, and Shaping Character How senior government practitioners can use their experience and leadership stories as mentors, coaches, teachers, and exemplars to help grow other leaders. A leadership generation in the public service will shortly pass the baton, but few freshly-prepared leaders are ready to run the next leg of the race. Coincident with a new administration, well over one-half of today’s senior federal executives are ready to begin the next phase of their lives. Retirement projections are notoriously imprecise. Yet, according to the Office of Personnel Management’s statistics and historical patterns,…
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Living Stories Stories when told by talented storyteller can become alive for the listeners and evoke vivid images in their minds as well as strong emotions. Well told stories can make people cringe in fright, cry tears of joy or sadness and motive the dullest person. Some stories can even take on a life of their own and come back to haunt you. This happened to me at least once. In the 1980’s I used to live in the city of Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Back then I was a drinking man and used to spend a lot of time in…
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Life, Passion… Deadline The Conclusion of the 8-Part BRING YOUR NOVEL TO LIFE Series You’re ready to write the story of your life. You’ve put your heart and soul into it. • Your themes resonate with you, and they’re the core of the novel. • You’ve hidden them so well you’ll write a story, not a message. • You’re willing to write honestly, knowing you can’t please everyone, but you’ll reach the people who will understand YOU. • You’ve layered your story with subthemes that will make plotting easier, and will make the tale you’re telling richer. • And you…
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Life After Rejections As writers, rejection is a hand we have to shake often. When you are at the beginning of your freelance writing career, and receive rejections, it is hard not to turn up your eyeballs and wail. Here, you had written this wonderful article or poem, and no one appreciated you. Sniff! But if you are looking to be a working writer, get real. Experienced writers get rejections too. The difference is that they don’t shrivel up and die. They toss aside the rejection note with elan, or simple press delete on the keyboard. And then they write…
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Friday, 22 March 2013 01:17
Letters of Reference – Writing Tips and Strategies
Written by Aneeta Sundararaj
Letters of Reference – Writing Tips and Strategies In addition to standard letter-writing dos and don’ts, there are a number of basic guidelines that apply specifically to most situations related to the writing of letters of reference. These are usually more “situational” than “how-to” in nature. These reference letter guidelines are important to both note and apply, since writing letters of reference is always a somewhat tricky and delicate matter. That’s because they almost always affect the reputation and future of the writer or that of another person. The following tips and strategies apply primarily to the writing of letters…
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Friday, 22 March 2013 01:09
Letters of Reference - Writing Power Phrases
Written by Aneeta Sundararaj
Letters of Reference – Writing Power Phrases As a result of writing literally hundreds of letters of reference over the years, I am aware that there are certain common elements and approaches that are applicable to almost all such letters. If you look closely at most reference and recommendation letters you will notice that there are certain “types” of phrases that recur over and over again, throughout the various letters. These statement types can be grouped into three major categories: opening statements, assessment statements, and closing statements. These statements are the three key components of any letter of reference. If…
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Friday, 22 March 2013 00:58
Let Them Rest! Overworked Phrases and Story Elements
Written by Aneeta Sundararaj
Let Them Rest! Overworked Phrases and Story Elements At one time, they were clever. That’s why clichés catch on. Problem is, by the time they do catch on, writers have to work harder to avoid them. When you attempt to describe something that’s flat, the first thought that comes to mind is probably “flat as a pancake.” Something that’s smooth? “Smooth as a baby’s bottom.” An ugly old theatre that puts on the best shows in town? “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” Advice for a jilted lover? “There are other fish in the sea.” As a writer, it’s…
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Learning to Learn Strange as it seems, during my 16 years as a student, not one of my teachers discussed how to learn. Are you as interested in learning as me? LEARNING IS NATURAL – BUT NEEDS YOUR HELP For humans, learning is as natural and as automatic as breathing. But that doesn’t mean there’s no benefit to thinking about it. In fact, research on learning is now advancing and important assumptions are being overturned or reinforced. BECOMING A MASTER Becoming expert is one important area illuminated by new research. Our time is called ‘the age of specialization’ because most…
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Learning How To Write As a student of Spanish, my goal was to think in Spanish. Skip the word-by-word translation so I’d have the necessary speed to speak and listen. I know words in Spanish that I’d be hard pressed to translate. Usually profanity, I confess. Chingow! For years my students here in China have studied grammar, and know it better than you or I. They read. They write. But speaking involves moving faster than that. In conversation, we don’t have time to write it first and make sure it’s all grammatically flawless, then read it aloud, perhaps after a…
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Learn to let go – the book is finished Nothing ticks me off more than an Author who is constantly changing and revising their book after publication. Some Authors do this every couple of weeks and it is as though they are obsessed with a perfection very few of them will ever attain. I find it very frustrating and there I am thinking, Go away and stop wasting my time. Eventually I will snap and tell them enough is enough and that they have to pull their heads in or the tiger will come down from the Mountain. It is…
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Friday, 22 March 2013 00:41
I Can't Put It Down - How to Write Compelling Fiction
Written by Aneeta Sundararaj
I Can’t Put It Down – How to Write Compelling Fiction How many times have you heard people say this about a book? Have you ever analyzed the books that people say this about? I have. They all share one ‘secret’ in common. Questions. Reading is not a passive exercise. Not to the brain, anyway. As you read and take in the information on the page, the brain is trying to work out where the story is going, what significance certain actions might have. It’s also trying to work out puzzles and generally try to second-guess the plot. This is…
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The Value of 99 Cents These days, with so much free–YouTube has free music, Amazon has free downloads, libraries (for the most part) have free books, and the Internet has Free Everything–how does anyone manage to sell their wares? The answer, from one corner of the creative industries in particular, seems to be pricing countless items at $0.99: ebooks, MP3 tracks, TV shows, etc. But how does one compete in that marketplace if comparing, for instance, one’s two-page short story with the 500-page novel that costs the same amount? I ran into this dilemma when I put some of my…
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Great Fiction Comes From Writing Lightly Great fiction appears effortless to the reader. The characters and setting are so real, the story so believable, that the reader is completely unaware of the author behind the words. The smoothness of the text belies the hours of hard work and practice that went into its creation. The authors who achieve invisibility have learned the art of writing lightly; of subtly inserting so much information into the story without adding any new words that the book can’t help but spring to life. Here are some tips to help you write lightly too: Work…
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Giving Up Too Soon So you feel beaten up and bruised and you’re ready to quit. You have no support system or the one you have is pathetically inadequate for the goals you’ve set. You’re so tired that the couch is looking more and more inviting everyday. You have bills piling up and you probably ought to get a real job anyway. The failure rate is statistically high and nobody is going to fault you if you quit. Who really cares if you give up and quit now? You do. Let’s look at each piece one at a time. You’re…
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Latest Posts
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The Creative Industry Needs to Look at Things Differently Post Budget 2022
Written by Aneeta SundararajOn 29 October 2021, the Finance Minister, Datuk Seri Tengku Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz tabled Budget 2022 in the Malaysian parliament. RM50 million has been allocated for the arts and culture industry. This comes after a year and a half after the entire industry came to an absolute standstill. With…
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‘The Covid Positives’ – life lessons learnt from the pandemic by Phanindra Ivatury
Written by Aneeta SundararajAfter a long drawn battle with the biggest catastrophe in our living memory, global humanity is finally getting to see some quintessential ray of light at the end of the treacherous tunnel in the form of COVID-19 vaccines, currently being rolled out to all parts of the globe. A ‘COVID-19…
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Chaos of Whole Books
Written by Aneeta SundararajIs it possible to read several books at once? Aneeta Sundararaj finds out.When I was a child, my cousin used to boast that he could read four storybooks at a time. As an adult, when he invested in an e-Reader, he continued to boast that he could…
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Writing for You? Or for Me?
Written by Aneeta SundararajWriting for You? Or for Me? ‘You must always write with your reader in mind.’ This was one of the first pieces of advice that I received when I began my writing career. Honestly, I found this extremely hard to do because more often than not, I couldn’t picture my…
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One Book That Changed My Writing Life
Written by Aneeta SundararajMy latest novel, The Age of Smiling Secrets was shortlisted for two categories in the Book Award 2020 organised by the National Library of Malaysia. When I reflected on the journey that this book has taken, I acknowledged the enormous influence of one of my all-time favourite books, Joseph Anton:…