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INTRODUCTION
I had a passion for creating short stories, poems, novellas and novels in Hindi language from my early school and college days but suddenly an urge came to develop novels, novellas, short stories and poems in the English language when my wife passed away. This interest became one of the ways of healing my sorrow and loneliness.
Here are a few of my initial creations in this specific genre for my readers to read, appreciate, critique and enjoy. I hope to add many more as my mood and interest develop and strengthen. It may be my next project.
One thing that needs to be considered is that English is my second language; hence a lot of my ideas and settings would come from my own cultural and social background and from my own reading and scriptures. These have naturally enriched my creation.
A story has five basic but important elements. These five components are: the characters, the setting, the plot, the conflict, and the resolution. These essential elements keep the story running smoothly and allow the action to develop in a logical way that the reader can follow.
The characters are the individuals that the story is about. I have tried to introduce the characters in the story with enough information that the reader can visualize each person. This is achieved by providing detailed descriptions of a character’s physical attributes and personality traits. Every story should have a main character. The main character determines the way the plots and sub plots will develop and is usually who will solve the problems and conflicts the story centers upon.
However, the other characters are also very important because they supply additional details, explanations, or actions and counter actions. All characters should stay true to the author’s descriptions throughout the story so that the readers can understand and believe the actions that are taking place—and perhaps even predict which character may do what next.
The setting is the location of the action. An author should describe the environment or surroundings of the story in such detail that the readers feel that he or she can picture the scene. Unusual settings (such as a fantasy world) can be interesting, but everyday settings can help the readers to better visualize the story and feel connected to the plot.
The plot is the actual story around which the entire story is based. A plot should have a very clear beginning, middle, and end—with all the necessary descriptions and suspense, called exposition—so that the readers can make sense of the actions and follow along from start to finish.
Every story has a conflict to solve. The plot is centered on this conflict and the ways in which the characters attempt to resolve the problem. When the story’s action becomes most exciting, right before the resolution, it is called the climax. Of course there are a few stories of mine which have some form of anti climax and attempt to reach denouement.
The solution to the problem is the way the action is resolved. For example, Rani often resolves a conflict by finding a compromise for two fighting characters or helping fix any mistakes she made while switched into someone else. It is important that the resolution fits the rest of the story in tone and creativity and solves all parts of the conflict.
I have used a variety of literary devices in my stories to make them interesting and exciting to read. My use of symbolism, foreshadowing and foregrounding are used in various situations and circumstances. Whereas there are others with a minimum of usage, for example, similes, alliteration, metaphors and personification have been sparingly used.
Thus all my ten short stories or novellas cannot be strictly called short because some are too short, others a little longer and one is almost a novel. The lengths of my stories depended largely on the time it took me to reach my resolution. Almost all my stories have a hidden prologue that introduces my stories and sets the tone for the story to enable it to act as a bit of a backgrounder.
The title “Attachment” or its translation in my language “Anuraag” symbolizes various forms of connection be they social, cultural, economic or political. The style and diction of my stories are somewhat personal to me too.
My stories do have an intense feeling that an audience goes through while waiting for the outcome of certain events. This is my use of suspense which basically leaves the readers holding their breath and wanting more information. Of course, without my themes, tone and tragedy I would not have successfully completed my task. These are intertwined aspects of my presentation but are easy to detect.
One of my strongest devices is imagery where I have used words and phrases to create mental images for the reader. Some of these are from my native language of Hindustani and are not limited to only visual sensation but may also refer to igniting kinesthetic, olfactory, tactile, gustatory, thermal and auditory sensations as well. Often I found that there are no equivalent translations so I used my own interpretation. Some people call this mother tongue interference but this interference has enriched my stories.
I have one reservation about my collection. Some of my short stories are not really short and can be classed as a novella but they do hold the suspense element for the readers. Please accept my apologies for this indulgence.
My wish is that the readers appreciate my ideas that I have tried to convey in my creations. I will feel good if people enjoy these in the same spirit that I displayed when creating them. Good luck.