Books that take you to exotic countries and give you a taste of home — It’s not fun when your new year begins with a health condition that keeps you stuck at home. Of course, I was upset and frustrated. …

To reclaim the joy of doing — Did you know that the second Friday in January is termed as “Quitter’s Day”? I didn’t. Although I wasn’t surprised to learn that most new year resolutions are abandoned about two weeks into the new year and hence the term. There is something energising about the advent of another year…

Why I am not worried about the latest leap of AI technology — Unless you live (and write) under a rock, as a writer, you must have read many articles on the wonderful capabilities of ChatGPT and heard claims of how AI-generated writing will steal the jobs of writers. How do these doomsday predictions make you feel? In the twenty-first century, automation has…

Begin with just one word — It’s the time of the year when recap posts are written, followed by drafting of resolution lists. It requires time for reflection and space for clarity to emerge. I wanted to do it too but I couldn’t. Not for lack of motivation, but because I fell sick. Life intervenes when…

Books can change your life, these three changed the course of mine — When I make my reading list for the year, I leave some room for books that enter serendipitously. I may not know it then, but these are books that wander into my consciousness exactly at the right time. Here are three non-fiction books that I read in 2022 that shaped…

Unlearning self-made myths and misconceptions requires silence — When I first planned a weeklong solo trip to Phuket, I wondered if I was making a mistake. During the pandemic I took a two-day solo staycation in Singapore, but it was a way for me to take some time to focus on writing my memoir. …

Finding a pace that works best for you takes effort but is worth it — An author’s life is supposed to be a creative one filled with muses, epiphanies and accolades. From toiling away in solitude staring at a blank page (or screen) to receiving awards in front of huge audiences, there are many things a writer fantasizes about in the days leading up to…

To get to where you want to be, the first step involves a choice — The odd thing about changing your life is that it doesn’t always begin quite where you expect it to ~ Lucy Kellaway Whenever we reach a milestone, the question we get asked most often is — what next? Even before you catch your breath or take a few moments to…

To share the lessons from my journey from ‘writer’ to ‘author’ — On the first of October 2021, I was excited about the upcoming launch of my book, Rewriting My Happily Ever After — a memoir of divorce and discovery. Although I had been writing personal essays, memoir pieces and op-eds for several years, the journey from ‘writer’ to ‘author’ was a…