My Science School

The vampre saga continues…

Twelve years ago, a vampire captured the imagination of teens across the world. The story of the terrifying mythical creature – with a pale face and a chiseled jawline – falling in love with a human, won over hearts. Four books and five films later, the series has now received fresh blood.

A new comparison book to the “Twilight” series, “Midnight Sun” by Stephenie Meyer released in August and has already sold more than one million copies. Meyer has even announced plans for two more books in the vampire saga.

The rise of Stephenie Meyer

Like her famous counterpart J.K. Rowling, Meyer got the idea for her book all of a sudden. She was a struggling writer when she had a vivid dream – a boy and girl sitting in a meadow confessing that they were falling in love with each other. There was just one slight problem in this romantic tableau – the boy was a vampire and found the scent of her blood irresistible. Meyer remembered every glorious aspect of the dream and began penning it down so that it won’t slip away. Before she knew it, she had a complete book in her hands!

What’s the new book about?

Titled “Midnight Sun”, the new book is a prequel to “Twilight”. It recounts the story from Edward’s perspective, delving into his past. All the books in the series so far have been from Bella’s point of view. Meyer first announced the publications of Midnight Sun in May. 12 years after she abandoned the manuscript following an online leak of a draft. At the time, Meyer called the leak “a huge violation of my rights as an author, not to mention me as a human being” and put the project on hold indefinitely.

The Twilight saga

The “Twilight” saga was an instant success with teens. The first book came out in 2005, closely followed by a film adaptation with a star cast – Robert Pattinson shone as Edward Cullen and Kirsten Stewart portrayed the clumsy Bella Swan. Though the series received a drubbing from the critics, the films caused a sensation at the box office. More books – “New Moon” (2006), “Eclipse” (2007) and “Breaking Dance” (2008) – followed suit.

Other vampires in fiction you must read:

Here are some famous vampire stories in literature.

• “Dracula”: Bram Stoker’s sophisticated and mysterious Count Dracula remains timeless.


• “The House of Night”: This 2007 series by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast follows the adventures of a young vampyre Zoey Redbird.


• “True Blood”: Charlene Harris’s vampire novels feature Sookie Stackhouse and her close encounters with the fanged creatures.

Oh really?

• Meyer started writing the story backwards, starting from the meadow scene in chapter 13 and then writing chronologically till the beginning.


• Meyer began writing “Midnight Sun” in 2008, but abandoned the project after half of the manuscript leaked online. She said it violated her right as an author and a human being.


• Twilight fans are divided into two camps – those who prefer the vampire Edward and those who think that the werewolf Jacob is a better choice. Are you team Edward or team Jacob?

 

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Whether it is Peter Rabbit, Peppa the Pig or Winnie the Pooh, stories of talking animals are an integral part of our childhood. And the doctor who has an ability to talk to and understand animals holds a special place in our heads.

Doctor Dolittle first appeared in Hugh Lofting’s book. “The Story of Doctor Dolittle” in 1920, and was republished almost annually thereafter, as were many of the 11 other books in the series. But the character’s popularity grew because of the film versions – starring Eddie Murphy and the latest, Robert Downey Jr.

Who was Hugh Lofting?

A civil engineer by training, Lofting created children’s literature’s classic character Doctor Dolittle from the British Army trenches during World War I. He often wrote letters to his children from the battlefield. On their request, he began including drawings of animals were mistreated in the army. For instance, injured horses were shot dead and not treated. He imagined that humans would be less cruel towards animals if they could read their minds or communicate with them. And so he wrote stories of talking animals in his letters. These letters formed the basis of “The Story of Doctor Dolittle.”

Different faces of Doctor Dolittle

Even a century after his creation, Doctor Dolittle remains a popular character in children’s literature. However, the good doctor has undergone many transformations over the years as the books were adapted to be silver screen multiple times.

In the book, Lofting depicted Dolittle as a portly physician living in the Victorian era. He starts a veterinary practice after learning the secret of speaking to his parrot Polynesia. As his fame spreads throughout the animal world, he sets off on wild adventures across the world.

The first three books in the series were merged into a 1967 Hollywood film starring Rex Harrison as the doctor. Though this film did not do well at the box office, it won the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects and Best Original Song.

It was the comedian Eddie Murphy who immortalized the nutty titular character in the 1998 version of the film “Dr. Dolittle”. The film’s success spawned many sequels and spin-offs.

The latest version of the doctor is played by Robert Downey Jr. in “Dolittle” which released earlier this year.

• Oh really?


• Lofting’s experience in the army trenches turned him against war and the glorification of combat, including in children’s books. In 1942, he published “Victory for the Slain,” an epic poem about the futility of war.


• “The Story of Doctor Dolittle” won the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award in 1958. The sequel “The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle” won Lofting the prestigious Newbery Medal in 1923. Eight more books followed during his lifetime, however, two more were published posthumously. They contained short previously unpublished pieces. Lofting passed away on September 26, 1947.

 

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Aurobindo Ghose was one of India’s prominent freedom fighters, who spearheaded several struggles for our nation to break free from the shackles of bondage from the British. He was born on August 15, 1872 and pursued his schooling in England. The writing of P.B. Shelley and his romantic idealization of the French evolution influenced his thinking early on in his life.

Subsequently he enrolled in King’s College, Cambridge, where he was drawn to lrish nationalistic beliefs, and saw their relevance to the Indian situation. He was particularly attracted to Charles Stewart Parnell’s ideology, which made him perceive India as an enslaved nation, a “mother in chains”.

On his return to India in 1893, he threw himself into the Indian struggle for Independence. He expounded on its importance for achieving the goals of universal brotherhood and equality among all beings. He was just 21 years old at the time!

As a nationalist revolutionary, he was charged with ‘conspiracy to wage war against the ‘Emperor’ for his involvement in the Alipore Bombing case in 1908. It was an offence punishable with death by hanging, and he was accused of it along with his brother Barin Ghosh. Even before this case, Aurobindo was acquitted, while his brother was found quality. During the trial, the brothers were held in police custody illegally and had to endure much torture. When he walked out of jail, he was a spiritually transformed man, he swore of violence and politics, and quietly moved to Poundicherry, to begin a new life and embark on a spiritual quest. There, he practiced Yoga in seclusion for four continuous years, and slowly developed his philosophy of ‘Integral Yoga’.

He was 75 years old when our country attained Independence. This was the dream he had envisioned for his motherland, since he was a teenager. His philosophy still lives in the hearts of millions of Indians all over the world even today.

 

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A story about women stifled by a patriarchal society, “Middlemarch” was published under a male pen name so that it would be taken seriously. But now George Eliot’s masterpiece will bear the name of its author Mary Ann Evans for the first time since its release in 1871. “Middlemarch” will be re-released along with 24 female authors who had to use men’s names to sell their books. ‘The Reclaim Her Name’ campaign, has been launched to mark the 25th anniversary of the Women’s Prize for Fiction. Throughout history, many women authors used male pen names. From getting their books published in male-dominated genres to escaping gender bias. Here’s a look at six female authors who had to adopt male pen names…

Mary or George?

Born in 1819, Mary Ann Evans forayed into writing when she was hired as an assistant editor at the radical journal Westminster Review. She adopted a male pseudonym George Eliot when George Henry Lewes – the English philosopher and critic – encouraged her to take up writing action. Evans believed that a male pen name would help her overcome gender bias. Evans’ best-known works include “Middlemarch”, widely considered to be one of the greatest novels ever written.

Messrs. Currer, Ellis, and Acton Bell

The Bronte sisters – Chrlotte, Emily and Anne – were among the most important literary voices of the 19th Century. Their novels are known for their strong-willed and feisty female characters. Ironically, when publishing their work, the sisters were forced to use male pseudonyms. They penned several novels and poems using male pen names Currer, Ellis and Acton Bell.

Currer Bell was Charlotte, Emily was Ellis and Anne was Acton. Charlotte even used this pseudonym while writing her most successful novel “Jane Eyre”.

She did not want to reveal her identity as she feared that the readers will not take a female author seriously. A famous poet had even told her once that ‘literature cannot be the business of a woman’s life.”

Playing it safe

Known for her novel “To Kill A Mockingbird”, Nelle Harper Lee consciously dropped her name which sounded too feminine and adopted a gender ambiguous name. When she published her work back in the 1960s, most well established authors were men.

Keeping it short

Author Nora Roberts is synonymous with romance novels, but did you know she took on a male pseudonym to foray into science fiction? From 1995 to 2001, Roberts wrote futuristic sci-fi books as part of the “In Death” series under the pen name J.D. Robb. She finally revealed her identity after the twelfth book of the series hit the shelves. The series is still going strong under the name J.D. Robb.

Writing pulp-fiction

Before she became well-known for “Little Women”, author Louisa May Alcott wrote fiction under the androgynous pseudonym A.M. Barnard. It gave her condense to write more, especially edge-of-the-seat thrillers, which were written largely by men. She penned pulp fiction about spies and revenge under the pseudonym.

From J.K to Robert Galbraith

J.K. Rowling’s publishers advised her to use initials instead of her full name hen publishing the first “Harry Potter” book on the grounds that it would better “appeal to boys and girls.” Years later, she took on another male pen name, Robert Galbraith to write non- “Harry Potter” books, beginning with “The Cuckoo’s Calling”. The book’s publisher even came up with a convincing backstory for Galbraith. He was claimed to be a former member of the Special Investigative Branch of the Royal Military Police.

 

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A passion for music, mystery and writing

After decades of writing about secret societies and symbologists, author Dan Brown has now started a new chapter in his life. And it was perhaps even more unpredictable than the plots of his thrillers. On September 1, Brown made his debut as a children’s writer with the release of the book, “Wild Symphony”.

The picture book is all about an orchestra-conducting mouse who gathers characters from all over to play in his symphony. The music-loving rodent, Maestro Mouse, shares Brown’s love of music.

Short notes

Besides solving puzzles, Brown loved playing the piano as a child. He produced songs for children – some of them such as “Suzuki elephants” and “Happy Frog” became popular – and later went on to launch his own record company. He even moved to Hollywood to pursue a career as a singer-songwriter and pianist, but did not meet with much success.

Wild Symphony

Brown finally got a chance to combine his passions for writing and music through “Wild Symphony”. He has come up with an accompanying score for the book. Children can download the app for free and use it to listen to the right song for the right animal. The songs match the characteristic traits of each animal. Brown has written an original piece of music for each of the wild animals in his book. That means, as a child turns the page to the busy beetles, she can hear their song (by scanning a QR code on the page with the Wild Symphony app). Or listen to the bouncy and upbeat music accompanying the kangaroos on the next page.

Popular words

While working as a teacher in 1998, Brown penned “Digital Fortress”. It is a techno-thriller that explores the theme of government surveillance of electronically stored information on the private lives of citizens. Its success was followed in 2003 by yet another bestseller, this time a mystery set in the world of art history and religion, “The Da Vinci Code.” The book is credited with renewing interest in Da Vinci’s work and secret societies, leading to sudden spike tourism to Paris and Rome. It was adapted into a film in 2006 starring the inimitable Tom Hanks as the protagonist Robert Langdon.

 

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The trumpets were silenced, hearts were broken and disappointment reigned when the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) lost contact with the Vikram lander, just moments before its scheduled touchdown on the lunar surface. The words “Vikram, Do you copy?” echoed throughout the world, but the lander remained silent. While the ISRO could not re-establish communication, there is no denying that the Chandrayaan-2 mission was phenomenally exciting? If India has made significant strides in space exploration, it was thanks to the vision of one man, Dr. Vikram Sarabhai. Knowing the importance of a space programme for the country, it was he who helped set up INCOPSA way back in 1962.

Down-to-earth

Born in a renowned industrialist family of Ahmedabad in Gujarat on August 12, 1919, Sarabhai had a privileged childhood. But his parents, Ambalal and Sarla Devi, ensured that he remained grounded and in touch with his roots. Actively taking part in India’s Independence movement, they served as stellar role models for the young Sarabhai. Regular interactions with the likes of Rabindranath Tagore, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sarojini Naidu and Mahatma Gandhi, who were Sarabhai’s personality. He imbibed the values of hardwork, social responsibility and, above all generosity from them.

Love for science

From a young age, Sarabhai evinced a keen interest in science and mathematics. Impressed by his constant tinkering with machines, his father set up a workshop where Sarabhai was free to experiment.

Sarabhai graduated from Gujarat College and pursued further studies at St. John’s College, Cambridge University. Where he received the prestigious trips in National Sciences in 1940. The tripos framework includes a wide range of natural sciences from physical sciences to biology which are taught alongside the history and philosophy of science.

As World War II escalated, Sarabhai returned to India. He joined the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) and obtained special permission to complete his research on cosmic rays under the reputed physicist Sir C.V. Raman in Bengaluru. Sarabhai’s first scientific paper Time Distribution of Cosmic Rays, was published in 1942. In 1945, he returned to Cambridge for a docorate.

Sensing the need for better scientific facilities in India, Sarabhai convinced the Charitable trusts controlled by his family to establish the Physical Research laboratory (PRL.) Ahmedabad. He was just 28 then. From this small start, began his long, illustrious journey to build India’s space programme.

Shooting for the stars

After Russia launched its rocket Sputnik, Sarabhai convinced the Indian government of the importance of investing into a space programme. He set up the Indian National Committee for Space Research (INCOPSAR) which later grew and became the ISRO in 1969. Today, the ISRO is the world’s largest government space agency.

With support from Dr. Homi Bhabha widely regarded as the father of India’s nuclear science programme, Sarabhai set up the first rocket launching station TERLS (Thumba quatorial Rocket Launching Station)( centre at Thumba near Thiruvanathapuram, a location close to the magnetic equator. Sarabhai’s achievements earned him the Padma Bhushan, the third highest civilian award. After Homi Bhaba’s death, Sarabhai took over as the chairperson of the Atomic energy Commission. Taking up the work passionately, he helped set up many nuclear plants across the country. He also played a key role in developing indigenous nuclear technology for defence. He was committed to the peaceful use of nuclear energy. He was also concerned about the implications of the technology falling into wrong hands.

Visionary

Sarabhai had a vision to use science and technology for development. With programmes to take education to remote villages via satellites, he brought about a communication revolution. He also contributed towards the satellite-based remote sensing of natural resources. But Sarabhai’s vision was not restricted to science. Realizing the need for management education in India, he establishment the Indian Institute of Management in Ahemdabad (IIM-A). To promote visual and performing arts, he set up the National Institute of Design (NID) and Darpan Academy for Performing Arts.

Death came to Sarabhai in 1971 at his favourite resort on Kovalam beach, after he had witnessed the launch of a Russian rocket and inaugurated Thumba railway station earlier that day.

 

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Deepa Agarwal was born in the beautiful small town of Almora in Uttarakhand, and thanks to her book lover parents – her father, a doctor, and her mother, a school teacher, she became an avid reader. “My parents read to us regularly and provided us with a variety of books. I became such an avid reader that it was inevitable that I end up writing my favourite in school and I always entered any essay competition and often won prizes. I consider the authors that I admire my source of inspiration,” says the writer. She is one of India most prolific writers for the young, with 30 books in three decades of writing! Two of them have been out this year itself – “Blessed” and “Friendship Stories”. Let’s find out how she creates her books.

Writing tips for budding writers

Deepa Agarwal says that her mantra for good writing stems from a whole lot of reading! So, yes, read a lot. “The more you read, the better writer you will be,” she explains. Besides that, she also:

• Maintain an ideas notebook. Some story idea but are not in position to write times you get a story idea but are not in a position to write it. Save your ideas to develop them  when you have time.


• Keep a diary. As in sports and music, good writing needs a lot of practice. Keeping a diary means you are writing every day. Record incidents that made an impression on you and your emotional response to the. This could be valuable material in the future.


• Remember that each story begins with a problem the main character has to solve. She/he will receive help from friends and face opposite from enemies. The attempts to solve this problem create the story.


• “Where”, “when”, “who”, “why”, and “how”, are important questions in your story and you should provide this information of your readers.


• The main characters need to be developed in debit to be credible. Show action rather than report it.


• Dialogue should be natural to the characters.

When you have completed your story, revise, revise and revise!

And there’s not a moment to waste, seems to be the guiding philosophy for Deepa. “ I have two middle readers in the pipeline. One is a retold collection titled ‘Mahabharata Stories’ being published by HarperCollins India. The other, which will be out early next year, is a non-fiction, an account of the exploration of Tibet by legendary surveyor Nain Singh Rawat , titled ‘Journey to the Forbidden City’, to be published by Puffin.”

The writer’s routine

With a repertoire like that, Deepa Agarwal does have a disciplined writing routine. Most days she tries to settle down to her writing around 11.30 a.m., takes a short break for lunch and works for a couple more hours in the afternoon. “Many of my ideas come from real life – incidents that leave a mark or overheard conversations. Sometimes inspiration comes in the form of an opening sentence or a character. My recent nook ‘Blessed’ was sparked off by the image of girl disappearing into a hidden space. For longer works of fiction, I create a plot outline to stay on course, but for my short stories, I let the characters develop on their own and choose their actions. Poetry, of course, is usually spontaneous,” she reveals. That’s interesting don’t you think-having a different working style for different branches of writing?

Deepa Agarwal’s books

• Three Days to Disaster


• Anita and the Game of Shadows


•  The Tricky Tales of Vikram and the Vetal


• Caravan to Tibet


• Folk Tales of Uttarakhand


• Chandrakanta


• Rani Lakshmibai


• Write Right


• Rajula and the Web of Danger


• Ghost Stories Vol I


• Chanakya, the Master of Statecraft


• Spinning Yarns: The Best Children’s Stories from India


• The Wish-fulfilling Cow and Other Classic Indian Tales


• Go, Girl, Go!


• 100 Great Poems for Children


• Words to live By: The Best of Indian Non-fiction for Children


• Listen, O King!: Five-and-Twenty Tales of Vikram and the Vetal


• Best Stories from Around the World


• Scholastic Book of Hindu Gods and Goddess


• Sacked: Folktales You Can Carry Around


• Blessed


• Friendship Stories


• A Capital Adventure


• Everyday Tales


• Traveller’s Ghost


• The Hunt for the Miracle Herb


• Ghosts Everywhere


• The Hilltop Mystery


• Not Just Girls!

Bet you didn’t know that though Deepa writes in English, she only began to speak English fluently at the age of seven when she went to boarding school.

Bet you didn’t know that (this may sound positively pre-historic, she confesses) she had never dialed a number on a telephone till she was 16! They lived in a very small town had no telephone at home.

 

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Agatha Mary Clarissa Miller was born in Torquay, Devon, in the United Kingdom. She was the daughter of a wealthy American stockbroker, who died when she was only eleven, years old. Her mother taught her at home, encouraging her to write at a very young age.

When she was 16, she went to finishing school, in Paris to study singing and piano. In 1914, at age 24, she married, Colonel, Archibald Christie, an aviator in the Royal Flying Corps. White he went away to war, she worked as a nurse and wrote her first novel, 'The Mysterious Affair at Styles" (1920), which wasn't published until four years later. After her husband came back from the war, they had a daughter. However, in 1928, she divorced him and married Sir Max Mallowan, an archaeologist. She travelled, with him to various digs and several of her novels were set in the Middle East. Most of her other novels, though, were set in a fictionalised, Devon.

Christie and her characters, Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple, have become icons of "whodunnit" detective fiction. She is said to be the best-selling novelist of all time, according to the Guinness Book of World Records, with her novels exceeding 2 billion copies by way of sales and having been translated into more than a hundred different languages.

Many of her works have been adapted to film, most notably "Murder on the Orient Express" (1974). Her short stories, plays, and novels have also been adapted to television, radio, and at least one video game ("And Then There Were None", 2005). In addition, Christie boasts the Longest running play in the world: 'The Mousetrap", which she originally wrote as a birthday gift for Queen Mary. Christie received numerous honours during her Lifetime, including the Mystery Writers of America's Grand Master Award, (1955) and, the order of Dame Commander of the British Empire (1971).

She is credited with developing the “vintage style" of mystery, which became popular and, ultimately defined, the Golden Age of fiction in England, in the 1920s and '30s, an age of which she is considered to have been Queen. In all, she wrote over 66 novels, numerous short stories and screenplays. She also wrote a series of romantic novels under the pen name Mary Westmarott, Indeed, she is still considered by many as one of the most popular mystery writers of all time.

This writer grew up reading those edge-of-the-seat mysteries that were solved by Christie’s fictional sleuths Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple, and hopes that you too will enjoy following their adventures!

 

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Now Lets start counting on our fingers. she is a management graduate from XLRI. She has been Creative Director with top advertising agencies. She has written for magazines across the world. She is currently co-building an app. And in the middle of all this, she Loves writing books! Meet Jane De Suza, the Singapore-based, multi-talented writer of the SuperZero series, Uncool, The Spy Who Lost Her Head and, the most recent, Flyaway Boy.

Stepping into writing

As an only child, growing up in the town of Jamshedpur, Jane made up stories constantly in her head and (believe it or not) in the margins of her textbooks! "That won me the Love of friends and the dismay of teachers. My parents had loads of books, and when I'd, read all mine, I started on theirs. And when I'd react theirs, 1 started writing my own," she says, about her journey into the world of writing.

The Writer’s Routine

Jane admits that she isn't the sort who can sit and churn out the daily 1000 words. 'The churn shows," she says, "it produces stoic, sludge writing. I've only ever started a book when the idea or character is unique enough to Leap out at me. And then the story writes itself. I start writing manically for hours at a stretch, oblivious to the pings from, either phone or pressure cooker." She gets her first draft out in a fever, and Later rewrites it many more times.

Writing like Jane De Suza

Jane believes that ideas can strike at any moment. And that as a writer, you must always be prepared. So jot down these tips quickly!

Ideas are like sudden storms. Carry a pen and napkin (that you won't blow your nose on Later and fling out). if a tune inspires you, hum it into your phone. If its an image of an upside down crow in a puddle, click the pic. Labels on bottles, lines from a book - write down anything you can build on Later.

Start a chat with people - auto-drivers, hair dressers, grandparents, cobblers who are fixing your shoe. Walk around,. Eavesdrop. Put your phone away if you’re alone in a cafe or street, and look at people around. What’s the couple fighting about, you think? is it a boyfriend, brother, boyfriend's brother? Aha,-story idea emerging, huh?

Look at the world from someone else's point of view. Argue against your own, beliefs. write from the perspective of a tree about to be cut down, or a dog with no home, or a man who cannot remember. Write when completely alone. That's why the best ideas hit in the loo. The only one I’d allow around, me while writing was Marco, my dog.

I write best at night, when everyone's asleep and, my imagination, has the world to romp around, in. I go back and edit in the mornings, in the clear Light of day.

Talk to your characters, talk as your characters. Talk aloud. Make their conversations real.

Write if you love to, not because you want to be rich, or famous. And don't write a me-too book because someone else who wrote it, is now rich and famous. Find, your own voice (it may take months/years of rewrites). Write a story that no one else in the world, but you, can.

Jane De Stint's books

For mid-school readers:

• The SuperZero series: SuperZero, SuperZero and the Grumpy Ghosts , SuperZero and the Clone Crisis


• Uncool


• Flyaway Boy

For YA/adults:

• The Spy Who Lost Her Head

Bet you didn't know that

• Jane cuts off heads and ears and, chins; relax, she takes terrible selfies!


• Jane went through about 25 career options while growing up and still does!


• Jane's sense of humour often gets her into trouble!

 

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‘Kin’ on adventures

Over a few weeks in August, Jeff Kinney, author of the “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” series, visited bookstores across the U.S. to hand out signed copies of his new book, “Rowley Jeff erson’s Awesome Friendly Adventure,” in a safe, fun, socially distant way – via a custom-made 96-inch, trident!

First published in 2007, the “Wimpy Kid” books have become widely popular among young readers, who have grown up devouring the adventures of the middle-school weakling Greg Heffley. A profile writer, Kinney comes up with at least one book every year.

Rowley is the hero

Originally slated to release in April, the “Rowley Jefferson’s Awesome Friendly Adventure” was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic. It finally hit the stands on August 4. The new book is the second in a spin off series that follows Greg’s gullibly sweet friend Rowley. In the latest adventure, Rowley attempts to write a fantasy story. Greg acts as a critic, agent and publicist for his friend, and tries his best to not stir any trouble – which, of course, means that he ends up making things worse.

Rowley’s story features Roland and his best friend, Garg the Barbarian, as they leave the safety of their village and embark on a quest to save Roland’s mum from the White Warlock. On their way, they encounter all kinds of creatures from Sherlock Holmes and mermaids to wizards and a centaur (though it is part cow, not horse.) All the trappings of a must-read!

Doodling for a living?

Right from childhood Kinney loved to draw, but he wasn’t very glad at it. So he developed his own drawing style with stick figures and bug-eyed characters. Using his surroundings as an inspiration, he created comics strips about the life around him. One such comic strip was “Igdoof”, which Kinney ran in his college newspaper at the University of Maryland. However his work looked too juvenile and so he never received any offers from big newspapers. In 1998, he came up with the idea for “Diary of a Wimpy Kid”. Kinney worked on his book for almost eight years before showing it to a publisher.

Did you know?

• The Heffleys are loosely based on Kinney’s own family. Like Greg, the author too felt caught between his four siblings- elder brother Rodrick, his sister, and his younger brother, Patrick while growing up. He draws heavily on these childhood memories to write about Greg’s family.


• Greg’s younger brother, Mannu became associated with the Black Lives Matter movement, after videos and graffiti made by activists went viral on social media. He was chosen as an icon because he is familiar to Gen Z and easy to draw.


• The series started off online on Funbrain.com in 2004 and made its print debut in April of 2007. There are now more than 200 million copies of “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” books available in 77 editions of 65 languages.


• Kinney wrote the “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” originally for adults. It was meant to be a reflection on what it was like to be in middle school. When he fund an editor who liked the manuscript, he was told that what he had written was more like a children’s series than a book for adults.

Oh really!

• Kinney opened an independent bookstore called An Unlikely Story, in his adopted hometown, Plainville, Massachusetts in 2015. Throughout the lockdown, the bookstore has held online chats with famous authors like Stephenie Meyer, John Grishan and David Nicholls.


• The 15th book, “Diary of a Wimpy Kid; The Deep End”, is set to launch in mid-October, and sees the Heffley family going on an RV vacation.

 

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Who is Quentin Blake?

An English cartoonist, illustrator and designer, Quentin Blake is known for his collaborations with children’s author Roald Dahl. Through his expressive style, Blake breathed life into Dahl’s endearing characters such as the gentle BFG, the graceful Matilda, and the toe-curling Witches. He also created other memorable characters in children’s literature. And there is no stopping the octogenarian. He continues to sketch, winning the hearts of millions of children even today.

Early life

Blake grew up in Sidcup in the U.K. with a pencil in his hand. A self-taught artist, he never went to an art school. He learned to draw on his own by poring over the technical plans, or drawings, of machines that his father, a civil servant, brought home.

At 16 while still in school, his first sketches were published in the Punch magazine. He entered the children’s book sphere when he illustrated “A Drink of Water” by John Yeoman in 1960. He went on to become the head of the illustration department at the Royal College of Art in 1978, and served there till 1986.

Friendship with Dahl

Blake became friends with Dahl when he began to draw the BFG, Dahl rejected the first two sets of illustrations and even sent Blake one of his old sandals with a note stating “this was what the BFG should be wearing and not the clumsy knee-length boots” that he drawn.

Blake went to visit Dahl at his home in Gypsy House, at Great Missenden, northwest of London. There he saw Dahl with his family, especially his granddaughter Sophie after whom the little girl in “The BFG” was named. It prompted him to re-think the character of the giant as he found a similarity between the BFG and Dahl. Both were “tall men who put dreams into the heads of children.” At first, he had drawn the BFG with a clown face. But he redrew him in a “gentler manner” and made him “grandfatherly.”

The making of Matilda

Like the BFG, Blake created the character of Matilda in his unique style. She was drawn repeatedly until her face exuded “not her intelligence exactly, but her magic powers”. Willy Wonka’s appearance was also Blake’s visualization. He drew Wonka like a sprite because everything that happened inside his factory seemed unreal, like a fairy tale.

Such examples show that Blake gave shape to Dahl’s characters in his own way and that he did not blindly follow Dahl’s instructions. Perhaps, that’s why Dahl entrusted only Blake with his work. Blake has illustrated almost all of his books. Dahl’s final book, “Billy and the Minpins” was the only children’s book Blake did not originally illustrate, but a new updated version includes Blake’s illustrations.

Centre for illustration

A new gallery dedicated to Quentin Blake will open in London in 2022. The Quentin Blake Centre for illustration will become the world’s largest public arts space.

The House of illustration in King’s Cross, founded by Blake in 2014, will make way for the new centre in Islington. The Quentin Blake Centre for illustration will be built at an estimated cost of whopping $8 million.

It will feature exhibition galleries, education studios, and events spaces.

It will also become a permanent home for Blake’s archive of over 40,000 drawings.

Oh really?

• Blake has worked with other children’s literature authors, including Russell Hoban, Joan Aiken, Michael Rosen and David Walliams. His own heavily illustrated and quirky books include “Mister Magnolia”, “Zagazoo” and “Loveykins”.


• Blake was honoured with a knighthood in 2013 for his work as an illustrator.


• So far, he was illustrated more than 300 books, Blake also works with hospitals and mental health units, decorating buildings with his sketches.

 

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On May 25, 1977, a low-budget science-fiction film opened in just 32 movie theaters across the United States. The film, packed with strange characters such as lightsaber-wielding Jedis and Wookiees, surprisingly caught the public imagination and broke all box-office records across the country.

That film was none other than the cult classic Star Wars, and the little-known filmmaker, who conceived, wrote and directed it was George Lucas. He pioneered a new way of making films and merchandising in Hollywood.

Want to know more about this cinematic genius? Read on…

Early life

George Lucas Walton Jr. was born in a small town of Modesto in California on May 14, 1944. From a young age, Lucas had big ambitions: he wanted to become a professional race car driver. A young Lucas was dazzled by the speed, glamour and thrill of the car racing circuit. As a teen, he even took part in underground car races. A near-fatal car racing accident however altered his aspirations and forced him to pursue other interests.

Cine-magic

He gave up car racing and instead, began filming car races. Gradually, he developed an interest in cinema, Lucas started devouring avant garde and classic European films such as Jean-Luc Godard’s Breathless and Francois Truffaut’s Jules et Jim. His interest grew so strong that he decided to study the art of film making. He signed up at the University of Southern California (USC) School of Cinematic Arts, one of the earliest universities devoted to motion picture film, where he met many other aspiring filmmakers such as Steven Spielberg and Randal Kleiser. At USC, Lucas developed a passion for camera work and editing.

Opportunity of a lifetime

In 1967, he submitted a short film Electronic Labyrinth: THX 1138 4EB at a student film festival. The film received critical acclaim, earning him a student scholarship by Warner Bros. As part of the scholarship, Lucas could work on the making of a film of his choosing. An enthusiastic Lucas chose Finian’s Rainbow directed by Francis Ford Coppola, a revered filmmaker of the time.

Impressed by Lucas, Coppola teamed up with him to create the American Zoetrope studio dedicated to encouraging alternative approaches to film making. His first major film was American Graffiti, based on his teenage years in Modesto. The film was nominated for an Oscar in best picture, a major achievement for a budding director.

Next Lucas decided to remake his childhood favourite Flash Gordon series. However, he was unable to obtain rights for it. So he embarked upon writing an original story based in space that would eventually become Star Wars.

Overcoming challenges

Contrary to the science-fiction films of the time, Lucas wanted to make something light and targeted towards young adults. So he began working on the space drama Star Wars. But its production was quite tumultuous. From budget constraints and health issues to natural disasters, Lucas had to overcome great odds along the way. On the first day of filming A New Hope, a huge Tunisian storm destroyed the set and delayed shooting, some of the electronic equipment malfunctioned, and to make matters worse, actor Mark Hamil, who plays Luke Skywalker, was injured in an accident towards the end of production. That’s not all, Lucas had an equally tough time finding producers for the film. It was turned down by major studios such as United Artists and Universal. But an undeterred Lucas, finally managed to convince 20th Century Fox to invest in the film.

Indy tales

After the success of the first film, Lucas worked on more Star Wars films and television spin-offs. Desperate for a break, he focused his creative energy on creating another legendary character, the rugged, globetrotting adventurer Indiana Jones. He collaborated with his college friend Steven Spielberg to develop the series, which remains popular even today.

Giving back

Star Wars and Indiana Jones became two of the world’s most successful film franchises, paving the way for others such as Harry Potter and Marvel. Today, Lucas is worth an estimated $6.1 billion. But in 2010, the billionaire signed the Giving Pledge, which is a promise to give away half his wealth during his lifetime. He was particularly interested in donating it for the cause of improving education. A noble gesture, indeed!

 

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This dynamic author has her eyes firmly set on young adult (YA) segment. Her writing is humorous, enjoyable and very with-the-times. Vibha Batra has a trilogy for YA – “Sweet Sixteen (Yeah, Right!)”, “Seventeen and Done (You Bet!)” and “Eighteen and Wiser (Not Quite!)”, and two independent YA novels – “The Reluctant Debutante” and e-book titled “Keeping It Real”. She has a book for nine to 12 years old as well, titled “EuroTrip”.

Vibha says she has her genes to blame for her prolific writing. “My maternal grandfather, the late Shri Vishnu Kant Shastri, was a prolific author. My parents are avid readers. And I grew up in Kolkata, surrounded by books, and yummy food. All I wanted to do was eat. But despite my best intentions, some of my family’s love for the written word brushed off on me,” she laughs.

When her grandfather passed away, Vibha decided to translate his book on the “Ishaavaasya Upanishad” from Hindi to English. But she soon discovered that starting a book is one thing but finishing it is quite another. She confesses she was scared she wouldn’t be able to do it, that it would be too tough, too time-consuming, or worse still, she would abandon it midway. “So I did what all those self-help books ask us to do. I announced my goal to the whole wide world. And it worked! Every time I fell off the bandwagon, I would have family, colleagues and friends come up and ask me, ‘What happened to that book you were supposed to translate?’ That would really galvanise me into action! It took me over a year-and-a-half to translate it,” she reminisces. The book was published by Rupa in 2007, and that’s how it all started for this writer. Needless to say, her grandfather is her biggest inspiration. “His memoirs and his travelogues are my all-time favourites. His poetry comes a close second,” she reveals.

Writing like Vibha Batra

“I’m fairly certain tonnes of well-meaning career advice have come my way over the years. I’m also pretty sure that l’ve ignored most of them. Am so not a big fan of unsoliciated advice. But if I must dole it out, here goes!” says Vibha.

• Read, read and then read some more.


• The big idea you’re excited about? Start working on it now. Not tomorrow, not the coming weekend, not when inspiration strikes.


• If you find yourself distracted while writing, switch off the mobile phone/ landline, turn off the Wi-Fi (Sounds harsh, I know. Works like a charm, though).


• If you find yourself stick on a page, take some time off. Do something else, but make sure you circle back to the book.


• Never give up. Ever.


• And oh, did I mention, read?

The writer’s routine

“With a toddler and a day job, my day is one mad whirl.”

Yet, when she does get down to writing a book, she writes furiously, “like a woman possessed”. “I loose myself in it completely. I cannot hear anything or anyone. Not the cellphone, not the doorbell. On occasions, even forget to eat! I make up for it later,” she says.

Vibha Batra’s Books

• YA trilogy


• Sweet Sixteen (Yeah, Right!)


• Seventeen and Done (You Bet!)


• Eighteen and Wiser (Not Quite!)


• Euro Trip – for 9 to 12 year olds


• Keeping It Real – YA e-book


• The Reluctant Debutante – YA


• A YA graphic novel is slated for release early next year. It’s her first graphic novel.

 

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Growing up in the United States, Chloe Ardelia Wofford and her family struggled with racial prejudice. Her father was forced to flee his hometown on account of widespread lynchings of the members of the African-American community. A few years later, a landlord set fire to their house in Lorain, Ohio, because they could not pay the rent. While in college, she witnessed segregation in restaurants and buses. Wofford, who later changed her name to Toni Morrison, wrote about his African-American experience, particularly from a female perspective and became known as the champion of oppressed communities.

Her 1977 novel ‘Song of Solomon’ is one of her major novels. The book not only won the National Books Critics Award, but was also cited by the Swedish Academy in awarding her the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Her novel ‘Beloved’ inspired by the life of the escaped slave Margaret Garner was a critical success. The novel was later adapted into a movie starring Oprah Winfrey.

She won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction for her novel ‘Beloved’ in 1988.

She was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1993 for her novels “which characterized by visionary force and poetic import, gives life to an essential aspect of American reality". She married Harold Morrison, a Jamaican architect and fellow faculty member at Howard University, in 1958. They had two sons and later divorced in 1964. Her son, Slade Morrison, worked with her on several books and literary projects.

Slade Morrison died of pancreatic cancer on December 22, 2010, at the age of 45.

Toni Morrison died of pneumonia on 5 August 2019, at Montefiore Medical Center in The Bronx, New York City, at the age of 88.

 

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Stephen King’s name is synonymous with horror and suspense writing. His books are used as textbooks on how to write. And yet, King’s first novel, “Carrie”, which went onto to become a cult classic, was rejected by 30 publishers! King was about to give up and threw the manuscript in the trash. His wife, Tabitha retrieved it and urged King to resubmit it. The rest is history. King has since then published more than 80 books, many of which became bestsellers.

His mother did so many odd jobs to raise them and she even worked as a care taker in a nursery to meet the financial requirements of the family. The hardships faced by his mother left a strong impression on his mind which can be seen on his novels. In 1970’s, when he was working as a teacher at Hampden Academy, he became addicted to alcohol and his lifestyle changed. Though he was writing stories, his personal life was affected and his health condition too became worst.

Suffering like this for ten years, he finally gave up drinking and concentrated on his career. On 19th June 1999, he was involved in an accident and his situation became critical. Multiple fractures and the lung injuries forced him to take rest for more than three months and it took more than six months for him to become normal. He wanted to announce retirement during this period but the support from his family made him recover quickly and his successful writing career is still continuing.

 

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