The Idea-smithy

The Corner Coffeeshop was open for business but its traffic was at a lull. It was too early in the evening for the post-work crowd, too late for the students and AC-enjoying unemployed to be hanging around.
Outside, the sun had gone down but that curious combination of atmospheric density and light’s acrobatic bending made it [...]

We concluded the first Mumbai BlogCamp of 2010 on Saturday, 20 Feb 2010. First of all, thank you and congratulations are due to Gaurav, Adil, Arushi and their team at ACM for setting up a great venue for us. My backbencher-at-college days of yore had not prepared me for the spanking new campus, the soft [...]

I’ve just discovered a kink in my sexual make-up. I have a thing for gender role switching. That’s not men dressing in lingerie (eww, gross!). It’s a woman who’s sexy because she’s wearing a guy’s long tee-shirt that comes down to mid-thigh. It’s the breath-catching oomph of a rolled-up cuff revealing a slender arm. Or [...]

A re-telling of this 55-word tale as a writing exercise. Give me your thoughts.
~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~o~
Luke walked out of the door and stretched. It had been awhile since he had gone outside. What next? he wondered. His eyes darted over to Guy lounging about, nearby.
Luke walked over and prodded his sibling with his toe to shake him [...]

I thought I’d die if I didn’t have you
And I very nearly threw away my life when you asked me to
Just about but not quite
Because in the last minute, some shred of something pulled me back
What was it?
Self-preservation? Self-respect? Dignity? Sensibility?
You called it selfishness
I’m so glad that I’m a selfish person
It saved my life
That I [...]

A quick update on NovelRace. I know this is mid-week so a little late for this but I want to keep the diary going.
As the forerunners start to complete the race and drop off the list, the rankings of the rest of us obviously improve. Also, possibly because we are still learning the ropes and [...]

Lunch at the cafe, alone. At long last. My thoughts and I dine together.
The host wants me to sit in any one of the dingy corners and ignore the brighter, roomier booths in the center. I make a wry face so he concedes and lets me take the bright corner. The cafe isn’t even crowded [...]