Title: Kissing The Demon
Author: Amrita Kumar
Publisher: Harper Collins India
Review
What got things going for me while reading the initial pages
of ‘Kissing the Demon’ was Amrita Kumar’s verdict: “…. writers are born and made, that talent can be innate and developed.” What I inferred from
this is that one can polish one’s craft and hone the skills to go on to become
a good writer. It sat well with the aspiring author within me.
A longtime writing teacher/mentor, Amrita shares her approach
to developing creative writing skills in ‘Kissing the Demon.’ She has infused
all her creative interests into this work. If you are planning to write a
book then you should most certainly grab this one to channelize your literary
prowess better and in an orderly fashion.
This book has five chapters. Each chapter breaks into
subsections tackling smaller topics, with many examples and checklists to keep
the information organized and to aid the readers understand better the workings
of that which goes into developing a quality work. It helps to navigate the
maze of plot construction, narrative viewpoint, character development, dialogue
creation, and description.
This book is an effective — and affecting — first read to
call forth the writer’s voice. There are several books out in the market with
related material. What sets this book apart from the milieu is that it specifically
targets the Indian scenario. While Amrita’s approach has plenty of New-Age
flavor, it’s also her pedagogical belief which helps one learn to write through
a process of observing experiences and then expressing the same in the written
form. Through this book, she has attempted to break the process of writing down
into as replicable a craft as possible.
All aspiring scribblers, who want to quickly absorb the
fundamentals of writing and getting published, will find ‘Kissing the Demon’ to
be a concise manual. An orderly, no-frills guide to the craft of fiction as
well as non-fiction writing — a must have for all those out there dreaming to
be successful writers.
Buy Link
About the Author
Amrita Kumar is an anthologist, novelist, writing-mentor and
creative writing teacher. She began her career in the godowns of Daryaganj to
select books for a chain of bookshops, moving on as research writer for the
Department of Culture, Government of India, then on to publishing as associate
editor, Penguin India; editor-in-chief, Roli Books; managing editor,
Encyclopedia Britannica; editor, Indian Design & Interiors magazine; and
vice-president, Osian s Literary Agency. In addition, she has freelanced for
Rupa & Co., HarperCollins India and Oxford University Press. She lives in
New Delhi.
I'd like to thank the author for letting me review the book.
I do hope you end up liking the book when you read it. Thank you so much for
stopping by, and happy reading!
* I received a review copy
from Writersmelon in exchange for an honest review.
** Picture courtesy:
Amazon.in
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