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.
What If I Fall Flat On My Face? I hope you do. Sounds awful, I know. But I really think the best thing that can happen to you is for you to take a timid little leap and fall flat on your face. Then, I want to see you get back up, evaluate what you did wrong, and jump again. Keep on taking that leap of faith and learning from each and every mistake until you become used to jumping and used to falling. Then, you'll get over the fear of falling and you'll finally begin to concentrate on flying.…
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Sunday, 15 June 2014 19:27
Storytelling - The Great Motivator of People
Written by Aneeta Sundararaj
Storytelling - The Great Motivator of People In a data-driven world, facts and figures are the order of the day in sales calls, employee meetings, board rooms, and political assemblies. Traditionally, when a person is trying to convince someone else to do something they use the logic of benefits and features - long the sacred domain of anyone in sales. What truly moves us as human beings, what prompts us into action, is emotion. Imagination is the conduit of emotion and well-crafted storytelling carries the imagination. Consider this story: You place your hand on top of your head, only to…
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Hire a Proofreader Do not try to proof your own work. You are too close to the manuscript and will miss some typographical errors. You need a professional with fresh eyes to proof your work. Proof Communications writes, copy edits and proofreads successful tenders, proposals and awards submissions; we write interesting thought leadership, blogs and case studies; and we proofread annual reports, sustainability reports, RAPs, PDSs and IPO documents for companies worldwide. Your computer’s spelling and grammar checkers are good for a first pass, but never rely on them exclusively. In fact, these computer marvels often teach us more about…
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ROI in storytelling ROI is generally defined as ‘Return on Investment’ and almost always concerns ideas of business and finance. Let me put a slant on this for you - have you ever wondered about how much ‘return’ you would get if you invested in acquiring knowledge from storytelling? Imagine having a wealth of stories to give examples when you are tying to explain something complicated? Imagine reading about the past and in the process get inspired to find new ideas? Stories from all over the world are full of intrigue, suspense, espionage and pure entertainment. Let me introduce to…
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The Beauty of Africa Whenever Africa is mentioned, most people think of roaming animals and jeep safaris. Whilst Africa has much more to offer than animals, the beauty that nature has bestowed on this continent cannot be overlooked. The animal inhabitants of Africa are amongst the most varied and beautiful in the world. Most of us know that Africa is home to the magnificent giraffe and the impressive cheetah. However, there is also a wider range of animals that live in Africa. These include gazelles, crocodiles and the mighty hippopotamus. In some desert parts of Africa there are camels that…
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Saturday, 21 June 2014 03:52
The FIRST Essential Ingredient for Business Success
Written by Aneeta Sundararaj
The FIRST Essential Ingredient for Business Success You had 24 hours yesterday. So what did you do with them? Did you fritter them away in mindless and pointless activities? Did you vegetate in front of the TV? Did you go out for dinner with your lover? Did you work for 8 hours making someone else rich? Did you work on your business so that it grows and achieves for you the dreams you dream of? The most precious commodity we have is time. When you are young, it seems like it comes in an endless supply. Yet as we get…
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Saturday, 21 June 2014 03:48
Anxiety Disorders - Distinguishing the Types of disorders
Written by Aneeta Sundararaj
Anxiety Disorders - Distinguishing the Types of disorders People suffer from a variety of anxiety disorders, each with their own set of symptoms and recommended treatments. These disorders are clustered on a spectrum of overall anxiety, with some that affect the overall quality of life and others that are very specific. At one end of the spectrum is Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD). Individuals who suffer from Generalized Anxiety Disorder will experience a overall tensions or anxiety that with their ability to lead a normal life. Even the smallest things incite low levels of anxiety, even when there is no apparent…
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Saturday, 21 June 2014 03:44
Great Resources For Publishing Your Works!
Written by Aneeta Sundararaj
Great Resources For Publishing Your Works! Are you the next great budding novelist among us? What story have you written that you can't wait to tell? Are you passionate about a hobby and want to share your knowledge with fellow enthusiasts? As a writer, you share one thing in common among each other: the pursuit of a means to get your written works out to the general public. When large publishing houses once dominated the book market, a literary agent was needed to promote your works. This needed to be established before an editor would consider your writings. Due in…
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iPause - Take a Break Before You Break Down by Aneeta Sundararaj and Rohi Shetty "How beautiful it is to do nothing, and then rest afterward." ~Spanish proverb You are in trouble. Your back is aching; so are your shoulders and wrists. Your mouth is filled with painful ulcers. You feel mentally drained and emotionally numb and you can't remember the last time you didn't feel stressed. But you can't take a vacation just yet because you are working on a tight deadline. You wonder whether you will burn out before finishing your book project. Does this scenario seem familiar?…
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The Semantics of Democracy [This essay was written last year, after the revolution in Egypt. It seems apt to post it now, seeing how Egypt has elected a new President.] *** In the wake of the dramatic political events in the Middle East in February 2011, there are many who wonder if some countries there will now embrace democracy. Indeed, since the revolution in Egypt, there is analysis of how fast its citizens were able to start the revolution to oust the regime of Hosni Mubarak. Also, there has been debate about the blueprint for democracy that Egypt will now…
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The ‘Delete’ Button and a Writer Writer 1: I received an email from X. She said she’d read this blog post of a man who thinks one of my books is horrible. Writer 2: Oh. What were his exact words? Writer 1: I don’t remember the exact words. Don’t make me go back and read them. Please, I beg you. Writer 2: But who is he? Writer 1: Actually, I don’t know anything about him. *** For anyone who has been in the writing world long enough, they might have been Writer 1, Writer 2, counselled several Would-Be-Writers-1, or even…
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Making the Most of Your Website [This article is an excerpt from Website Makeover] You’ve done the research, found a niche market and created a product that your customers would like to buy. However, sales remain sluggish. You wonder if setting up a website will solve your problems. The options listed below give you an idea of how to make the most of your website. To make more sense of the options, assume that you’ve written and published a cookbook that specialises in Thai cuisine. You currently have 500 copies of this cookbook which you’d like to sell as fast…
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What Makes a Good Story? Successful storytellers have a variety of opinions about what makes a good story. Keep in mind that not everyone will love, or even like, our story. Not everyone will love, or even like, us as storytellers. I will attempt, however, to discuss what I feel creates a good story that is strong and that most listeners do enjoy and remember — the true test. A good story is one that touches people in some way. As storytellers, our mission is to involve the audience, make them interact with us and the story, even if it…
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What Makes Storytelling Artistic There are some ideas about storytelling that have concerned me for quite some time. Those ideas are “…the power of storytelling lies with the story itself, and not the storyteller, dramatics, or any of the trappings of theater” and “A good story is a work of art all by itself.” Yes, “A good story is a work of art all by itself.” and I contend that work of art is writing, not storytelling. When the story can stand alone and loses absolutely nothing by standing alone, that is writing not storytelling. So what makes storytelling artistic?…
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Latest Posts
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Sakshi
Written by Aneeta SundararajI have been in a state of ‘emotional unwell-being’ for seven years. There, I’ve said it. Why? Well, after my father died, I believed that if I reached out with love to ‘good friends’, counsellors, suitors, and relatives, there could be pockets of joy to offset my grief and loneliness,…
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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…