I Just Wanna Be A Girl!

  The Riordan Voice Rick Riordan is an American writer, best known for creating the bestselling series, Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Riordan was a middle school teacher before turning to writing, and his works span various mythologies, making them accessible and interesting to young readers. Rick Riordan writes through narrators with very different personalities, backgrounds, and voices, yet his books still have something that makes them unmistakably Riordan. This voice is obvious because of the recurring patterns of humour, conversational narration, and contemporary language. These features keep showing up even when Riordan changes his narrator, his setting, and even the mythology behind the story. First, let’s look at the different series and narrators he uses, before diving into the similarities between the series. The first one we will look at is Percy Jackson and the Olympians , narrated in first person by the protagonist, Percy. The Heroes of Olympus is narrated in...

 To start off with, prosody is not a style of writing. It is not a literary form. Prosody can be understood as the ‘music’ of language. It includes rhythm, stress, meter, and feet. It also deals with intonation and the way people read poetry. One important part of prosody is syllabic structure. The meter and feet show readers how to read the poem. It helps them understand how the poem should be interpreted too. Here are some tricks for identifying the feet used in a poem. Firstly, there are two kinds of words - content words and function words. Content words are containers of meaning. Single-syllable content words are usually stressed. Function words have syntactic importance. Single-syllable function words are usually unstressed. Suffixes and prefixes are also usually unstressed. There should be a connection between rhythm and the meaning the poem is supposed to convey. If a poem starts with an unstressed syllable, the poem is usually sombre. Look at “Elegy Written in a Country Ch...

I’ve always been a consistent writer, but now, as a Creative Writing student, it’s even more important. Writing every day doesn’t just mean you have more to publish. It means that you have the discipline and dedication needed to make sure you pursue your craft seriously. I’ve been writing for years now. Sometimes, it’s just for me. Sometimes I erase everything I write or delete it. Other times, I might like it and share it with other people. Here, what matters isn’t how much you write or what you write about. What matters is the fact that you keep at it. Through my writing journey, I’ve learned how important it is to keep going. Consistency isn’t just about writing. It’s also about trusting yourself and being confident in your writing. It’s important to understand that you don’t need to listen to everyone else’s feedback. Sure, you can have beta readers and ARC readers. You can listen to some people you trust. But that doesn’t mean you need to listen to everyone. Your writing is yours....

 Today, I got to go to the Bangalore International Short Film Festival (BISFF). I’m the farthest thing from a cinephile, but my college arranged a trip to see some of the screenings. There was one that really stuck with me. I don’t know the name of it, because we entered the room a bit late. It was set in North India. The movie was about a couple from two different classes - lower and higher. They were trying to get a teaching job in the same city as each other. To do so, they had to bribe a government official. The man had trouble there, because to arrange the money, he had to sell his father’s shop. This shop meant everything to his father and when he asked his father if he wanted to leave the city, he said no. So here, the man ended up having to choose between the girl he loved and wanted to marry, and his father. At the same time, the girl would be alientated from or disowned by her family if she married this man. She was willing to do that, but the man wasn’t willing to compro...

Before we look into a personal essay, it’s important to know a bit about the essay as a literary form. Essays are a prose form - usually non-fiction - written for public consumption. They can be published in journals, newspapers, magazines, etc. They were popularized in the 17th and 18th centuries. This was partially because of the rise of the middle class. So, personal essays are usually written about people who usually have a very public life. They offer insights into the lives of people that readers are interested in. For example, a celebrity, singer, or actor. When such people write about themselves, about intimate moments that the press don’t yet know about, it’s called a personal essay. This is important because the idea of the self these days has become more personal and debatable. People could ponder for a long time about the kind of person they are, versus the kind of person they are portrayed as. There is a lot of focus on the self and the individual. A personal essay should ...

What does it mean if something is aesthetic? It's pleasing. It's pleasant. It's easy on the eyes. It could be appealing physically or otherwise. It might be something that's well organized. Organized chaos. It's beautiful. It's pretty. There a thousand other ways you could try to explain what aesthetic means. What are some ways you could make your writing more aesthetic and appealing? There are obvious techniques like making sure you have your own personal writing style. Making sure you don't copy off of anyone and that your work is original. Do some research about the genre or form that you are writing in to make sure it appeals to your ideal readers. However, there is something a little more interesting I want to share. Use your style sparingly. If you keep writing in the same way, readers are going to get bored with it. For example, imagine every single sentence you write ends with an exclamation mark. Readers are probably wondering why you're constan...

What exactly is literary nonfiction? How do you identify whether something is part of this genre or not? Is literary nonfiction any kind of prose that’s not a story? I don’t think so. Literary nonfiction is a type of prose that deals with facts. However, these facts are presented in a way that readers find attractive. This kind of nonfiction uses certain elements of literature and art. It could be a story about a person, city, place, family, events, institution, etc. It could be about anything a person writes in a journal or magazine article about. The literary elements that could be used range from imagery and dialogue to literary devices. The most important thing to keep in mind here is that literary nonfiction should be rooted in fact. Everything that you write has to be true and should be verifiable, if someone so chooses. When you study literary nonfiction, here a few things you might want to focus on. The first one is what the author is trying to say - obviously. A deep analysis ...

In today's class, my professor was talking about how we usually don't study things related to what we consume regularly. Let's look at an example.  An English literature student is asked to read classics like Bronte, Shakespeare, and other things like that. However, do they really like those authors? I'm sure there are a few who do, but for the most part, a student would prefer something more modern or something of a different genre. Now, I'm not saying there aren't people who genuinely enjoy the classics, because I know there are. But the question is... why are we studying something that doesn't really match what we consume on a daily basis?  There are a few reasons that might be. The classics help us understand how life was in different ages of literature. It would help us bring depth to our writing. It would help us gain an understanding of the world before us. I'm sure there are a lot more points.  But here, my point is that reading classics or other...

My first class today was about how perspectives shape how one writes. The activity we had was to write about the room we were in - our classroom - and our morning before we got there. Here's what I wrote.  "I woke up this morning to the sound of one of my favorite things ever - Taylor Swift. So, for some context, I'm a huge Swiftie and Taylor's music is my alarm. I think that's the best way I could start my day. I hopped into the bathroom for a nice hot shower. I know, some people say hot water makes them sleepy, but to me, it's rejuvenating. I was excited to get to dress in formals today, because I usually don't do that.  I realized after I got ready that I still had plenty of time before class. I decided to watch an episode of 'My Life With the Walter Boys' season 3. After that was breakfast. The highlight there was the vada. It was really crispy, just like the kind my dad and I like. Through breakfast, I was anticipating and looking forward to ou...

This is the title of a super cool workshop I attended yesterday.  The workshop talked about the context in which you write and the media you consume that feeds your writing. This is something that I actually had thought about before as well, but this is the first time I really dove deep into it. We were given worksheets about the two topics and were asked to answer a series of questions that helped us find out our context and identify how our consumption influenced our writing.  An important question we were asked was "Who are you as a writer?" Our professor wanted to know how our context and where we come from shape us as writers. When I was asked questions, some of my answers were based on the library I grew up in, back in the US. My consumption was rooted in mythology and the supernatural.  Now... my professor was talking about the fact that we write what we read. (Something similar to that). I found that to be very true. Like... I write books rooted in Norse mythology...

Yesterday, for the first time, we got to meet our professors and seniors. We were joined by a world-renowned poet, Mr. Neal Hall. He was a doctor by profession who then turned to poetry. He started the session with a poetry reading. And... wow. Each word he read showed us the pain his poetry carried. He told us that pain was his best friend and the catalyst for his writing. His poems were about racial discrimination and the Black American experience.  After the poetry reading, he took some questions from the crowd. Now, here's the thing. He didn't make us feel inferior, like he knew more than us or something. He welcomed all of our questions and answered them kindly, interacting with each of us in turn.  Next, we got to meet our seniors when they presented a small presentation about their experiences in college. We saw them joking around with the staff and teasing and being teased by them. The class group was small, which meant that the professors knew each of the students per...

I have been waiting to get here since last November, when I found out I was granted admission. Alliance University Bangalore.  I just got here today, and wow, was it one hell of a day. Today was just the onboarding. I got here around 10.30 and finished the entire process by around 1.15. Not long, all things considered.  I was surprised to see booths for each step of the process. Like... it wasn't one person doing the whole thing for you, but you had to move from table to table to finish the steps in order. That was fun. I think it took the edge off of waiting. It wasn't like you had to sit in one place and wait, but wait in multiple places. That made it seem shorter than it actually was.  After the tables came the hostel. I got assigned my room and went to check in there. The room is a typical Indian hostel room. I'm sharing it with one other girl, and she's pretty chill. After check-in, we went to have lunch. Here we means my parents and me.  They left after lunch. ...

This isn't really goodbye, but still a farewell.  Tomorrow morning, I'm leaving Chennai to go do my Master's in Bangalore. I still kind of remember stepping into Chennai a little over 10 years ago. I was moving back here with my family from the US. When I stepped out of the airport, I thought, "there's no turning back now." I remember the humidity enveloping me in greeting.  Now, I'm leaving. Sure, I've gone on trips before and studied abroad for a semester. This feels different, though. I'm going to be there for two years- yeah, I'm going to come back to visit, but it changes things, doesn't it? I'm not sure where these 2 years will take me. I have no idea what path they will set me on.  However, Chennai will always have a part of my heart. It's the city where I met my closest friends. It's where I learned to drive. It's where I accomplished so much and have passed through so many milestones. I will miss the humidity (a bit...

Today, the most magical thing happened. Something really exciting happened - this is related to my startup, but that's not important right now.  Right after it, I was sitting near the Korean Cafe in college, and two Taylor Swift songs played one after the other. The music was faint, but it felt like fate. So, after my meeting, I came skipping out of the room. Right after that, the Cafe was playing these songs. It felt like it wasn't just me celebrating. Everyone was.  As in any other endeavor, there were obstacles before my celebration. It was very hard - so much so that I almost thought I was going to quit and give up. I wondered if it was worth my efforts. But with some help from my loved ones, I knew I had to keep at it. I had put too much into it - and so had they - to just let it go without a fight.  The point of this post is that celebration can be the littlest things. It can be your favorite song playing in a place you rarely visit. It can be a loud grand party too...

Athenavate is an educational startup focused on teaching entrepreneurship and related skills to school students from grades 9-12. It originated from the Kid-Biz bootcamp that was developed from the ideas of Dr. P. Wilson, principal of MCC.  Okay... let's not sound too formal here. A few months ago, Aarthi Mam asked me to conduct a workshop for school students. It was called the Kid-Biz Entrepreneurship Bootcamp. I agreed at once. After that, I was asked if I would be interested in founding a startup based on this idea. It took me a minute to think through it, but I agreed. This was the only thing I hadn't done during my time as a student, but I was lucky enough to get the chance after I graduated.  Athenavate is pretty much an entrepreneurship workshop. The first phase is called Athena: Odysseus. It is conducted for 6 days, with each day focusing on a specific milestone. All these milestones are achieved through gamified teaching. What this means is that students won't end ...

Once upon a time, They mistook me for a story. Something to be edited until it became easier to read, Passed from one careful hand to another Until my truth no longer sounded like my own voice, Until the silence between their questions Said more than any answer I could have given. I knew stories long before I knew what fear could inherit. I carried them into classrooms Where children sat cross-legged on borrowed afternoons, Still convinced dragons announced themselves with smoke, That wolves always looked like wolves, And every lost child eventually found the path home. We read as though endings were promises. We believed enough kindness could rescue anyone. We believed that people were good. Perhaps I believed it most. I thought monsters could be defeated.  If you were good.  No one warned me that monsters could wear borrowed smiles And decide which stories deserve a sequel.  I thought truth possessed its own gravity, That it would always land where it belonged, Tha...

For the past week, I have been busy. I had the opportunity to teach school children in a workshop about entrepreneurship. This opportunity was presented to me by Dr. Aarthi, the Head of Operations, Innovation Park.  Now... here's the thing. I didn't think she knew me that well. I was really surprised that she came to me and asked me to be the resource person - or trainer - for this whole thing. If it was one of my professors, I wouldn't have been surprised, but this took me off guard.  Regardless, I said yes.  She said that she had a template and an outline of how the program should go - including the concepts that I would need to teach. However, she said that it was totally up to me as to how I wanted to teach it. I decided to gamify it. I realized that children might think that a workshop teaching something like entrepreneurship might be dull and boring - like a lecture. I wanted to make sure that didn't happen. I tried hard to think of a game or activity for each con...

Yesterday, I got to go to the CSK - LSG match at Chepauk Stadium. My dad has been saying he'd take me to a game for the past couple of years, and I had been eagerly waiting for it. I've heard stories about the aura and vibe of the stadium.  Now, before you ask, I am not really into cricket much. I don't really watch games. When I do, I can barely understand what's happening. However, this is one experience that I am glad I didn't miss.  The game started out 'not good.' LSG scored high in the first few overs. Unfortunately, I don't remember the exact stats. I was more focused on the energy there than exactly watching the game (Don't judge guys). The score was 203. CSK needed 204 to win.  CSK had an amazing start (in my unprofessional opinion). One of the players broke a record for the fastest joint 50 - in 13 balls. Then... things went downhill. And with that 'downhill' came a drop in energy. People started to curse at players for missing an e...

Today was my last day of college at MCC. I've spent the last three years here, for better or worse. And for better or worse, it has shaped me into the person I am today.  I remember on my first day of college, during orientation, there was something or someone that said "MCC can make or break you." It might sound cringey that I'm saying that now, but I think this place did both to me.  It broke me apart in ways that I didn't know were even possible. I did face the worst kinds of betrayal and heartbreak. (Which is of course part of life, and I'm not complaining.) However, it did also give me the best people in my life. Everything I went through made me stronger and turned me into the woman that my younger self would be proud of. I feel like I used every opportunity that was available to the fullest and built my portfolio.  I got to become an author. I am so proud of myself for publishing five books in just the last two years. I think it is a pretty big deal. It...

She who fought tooth and nail for me When I needed her by my side She who didn't listen to rumors But said she did so she could get the other side of the story She who asked for my opinion Like it really mattered to her She who taught me the art of poetry To write with her She who I've known for about 2 years And genuinely liked from the start She who once broke my heart But put it back together tenfold She who gave me a genuine apology Not what I wanted to hear, but the truth  She who let me grow close in my own time Giving me my space but checking on me She who gets excited about my opportunities And actually means it She who works with me on events Saying yes as soon as I ask her She who is my 'hype girl'  The best photographer ever  She who gives without hesitation Her affection and assistance in equal measure She who told me the truth  About people who were not who I thought She who protected me Even when I didn't know it She who listened to my tears And soothe...

This is one of my favorite lines from Rick Riordan's Heroes of Olympus: House of Hades. I've read this book maybe more than 50 times by now, and this line always makes me really think. Even when I was younger, and I didn't really know what the words meant, I knew they meant something.  Here's how I see it... You can't really choose where you come from. You can't control things that you didn't choose, for example, where you grew up or where you went to school. When you were little, your decisions were probably made for you, before you even understood that those decisions would determine some aspect of your life and who you would become.  But, another way of looking at it is... you get to choose who you want to be. With the expansion of social media and the rapid spread of reels, reddit and quora threads, and other videos, people learn a lot, regardless of how they are brought up. Through this exposure, you see new things and you can decide whether you want to...

"Everything you strive for is attainable; you are the one getting in your own way." This is something else I read when I was studying for my semester exams that I felt was really important to talk about.  It's kind of like... You are capable of anything, but you are getting in your own way. It's not someone else telling you that you can't do it, but you yourself are not letting yourself grow. Usually, when we fail to do something, we assume that some external force is saying that this is a bad idea. We think that something bad might happen if we keep trying. Or we might think that someone doesn't want us to keep going.  But here's the thing... did someone actually tell you that they don't want you to do it? Or did someone say that bad things would happen? I'm guessing not.  Do you know what that means? It means that you are the only one standing in your way. You think that something is holding you back, but it is you holding yourself back. And... i...

The French language was my first love. Way back in school, I was one of the few people who chose French as a third language. Above all, I loved my French teacher.  Now... there's no clear reason why I love French, but I just do. I feel like I've always been pulled towards it, the language, the culture, the food, the city. Though now I know that there are drawbacks to Paris and France in general, as a child, I thought it would be an amazing place to live.  These days, I have to admit I lost touch with the language a bit, but just thinking back for a moment brings it all crashing back.  Now, I have the opportunity to teach French to a little boy. Today, I had an introductory session with him and his enthusiasm took me off guard. It reminded me of myself when I was younger, and learning French for the first time.  It reminded me of why I actually liked the language, and the enthusiasm made me want to respond with equal or more energy.  Now, you might wonder why I a...

Alright, gang, this is going to be something new. I haven't tried this before.  But I came up with this word, and I am going to try to explain it to you.  First of all, the idea came from my professor. We were talking about 'slambooks,' and he asked me to try to come up with a new name for it. Something for the new age. And this is what I ended up with.  Remembrary So here's what this word is supposed to mean... Today, slambooks are a place for people to write about their opinions of you and their memories with you. It's about remembering the times you shared. Earlier, it used to be a small book where people would put in things about themselves - their contacts, their birthdays, things like that. Basically, things that they wanted the owner of the book to remember about them.  But now, it has transformed into what people want to remind the owner about themselves. It's something that, when looked at years later, will bring back memories and help 'remember...

Dear readers, this is your favorite Taylor's girl! In a recent ThinkTank session, I had the opportunity to sing. It was called a 'Jam Session.' I was pretty nervous at first, because I don't really sing in public. But in a few minutes, I gathered up the confidence, and I got to sing 'Enchanted.'  The thing is... loving Taylor Swift is kind of my brand now. To be honest, I wouldn't have it any other way. She - or rather - her music has done so much to me.  Now, I'm not one of those Swifties who obsessively follow Taylor's personal life. No, I like her for her music. I feel like it has done so much for me. No matter what mood I'm in - happy, sad, energetic, tearful, confident, or scared, her music embraces me. Sometimes, when I hear it, I have goosebumps running down my arms. It is like honey to my ears.  My connection to Taylor goes beyond just listening to her music. My first academic research paper was about Taylor's albums, and this paper g...

Today, I was in for a bunch of surprises. The department had organized a kind of gathering for the Magic of Storytelling, SLP members, especially those graduating. The previous day, I was told that there was a time allotted for me in the agenda to speak. The girl who told me said that I could talk about the history of the SLP and about my experiences, and vision for it.  That meant that I had had time to prepare, and I had a huge list of things I wanted to say. Before that, however, I got to listen to all the things that my classmates and other teammates had to say about the SLP. It moved me to tears - almost - to hear how they felt about this program that I poured my heart and soul into, and to see that it really affected them in a positive way, which is all I could ever ask for. It also felt extra special when each of them mentioned how I pulled them into this mesmerizing thing, whether they reallyyy wanted to or not. It is amazing that each of them showed up, and I loved to hear...

It was not control  Just a warning Stitched from old wounds And things I learned through pain  It was out of care  The kind that lingers  Even when it's inconvenient  Or misunderstood It was never meant to hold you back  Not a cage Nor a leash Not a need to decide for you But you heard limits in my voice Like I was telling you 'no' But there were only fractures  And wounds trying to speak  I saw how easily Trust could be twisted  How a smile could hide Something sharp  I walked through roads I thought were harmless And I remember How quickly the tables turned  So, when I spoke It wasn't to shrink your world  It was to keep it whole  And to keep you safe  You thought I was holding you back  When I was just Standing in front of a storm To keep you from harm's way  You went anyway  Certain of your footing  While I stayed behind Watching from afar incase you needed me  But when you thought I was h...

 "You can't expect a bad person not to harm others." Expecting someone to change their ways after these ways have been rooted so deeply in them for years before you met them is irrational. Now, I'm not saying that all people are bad people, of course. But there are habits in other people that you would want to change. For example, imagine your best friend chews with their mouth open. Now, if this were your little sibling, you would have had the chance to correct them when they were younger. But you haven't known this friend during their formative years, when something like this could have been changed.  This can also be applied to someone you love. Like, there might be something you don't like that they keep doing. This isn't something so horribly wrong that it warrants a break-up, but it's something that bothers you. You think that if you bring it up enough times, it can be fixed. But if you take a moment to think about a habit that you have that you ...

Today, we had a Think Tank session where I was asked the question: "What would I do with complete freedom?" The question stumped me for a bit. Partially because I didn't really know what complete freedom looked like.  In relation to this, I saw a post a while ago about what a teenager who was given complete freedom over their schedule would be. The teenager would sleep all day, get up late, play games all night or party all night. They wouldn't do their homework. But... in a few days, they would get bored of this and they would also feel like they are doing something wrong. Their conscience would speak out. Then, they would make a schedule for themselves.  That got me thinking today. I am still not sure what I would do with complete freedom. But I think complete freedom is an illusion. Eventually, everyone will succumb to the societal standards that they see around them. They would want to fit in and want to succeed. It led me to think about the power of society. It d...

Today, I finished my tenth paper presentation. This is a huge milestone. I remember my first one, about Taylor Swift's albums. I presented it at MCC at this thing called Eve's Eve. The chair for the presentation, the Dean of Women's Affairs, said my paper was really good and recommended that I publish it. And so, that's what I did. In my second year of UG, I had a paper published.  Now, guys... this post is kind of a how-to present and write papers guide. I've a lot of people asking me about this, and I thought this would be a nice way to help them.  First... pick a topic you really like. One that you don't have to think about too much, so you know plenty of background information about your paper. For example, I write about things like Taylor Swift, the books I read, or the poems that my teachers taught me that really resonated with me. I find that this makes things easier, in the sense that you don't have to think too much about what you're writing, bu...

Today, I had the unique opportunity to talk to representatives from Appalachian State University, who were visiting MCC. Dr. Phillip and Dr. Renee, specializing in matters related to public policy, political science, and globalization, were our esteemed visitors.  Right after my exam, my professor called me and told me that he had an interesting opportunity for me, and asked me to meet him in his office immediately. Off I went. I rushed over and he told me that I could interview these visiting dignitaries if I wanted to. I obviously said yes, and so did two of my classmates. We had about 30 minutes to prepare. We were given a short bio of the dignitaries and decided to first read that, for ideas of questions that would be useful for MCC students, looking to pursue their higher studies abroad, or for MCC students in general.  Additionally, we looked at the professors' profiles online, to learn their areas of expertise, so we could ask them about it. (Also, we wanted the brownie...

I know this might sound cliché, but it feels like just yesterday that I walked into MCC as a fresher, and I had my farewell today. I remember so clearly my fresher's day and my first Onam celebration, and pongal of my first year. My memories with my magnificent seniors and crying at their farewell are so vivid.  I can't believe I'm already going to graduate and move on to other ventures. My classmate read a poem that she wrote about the last three years. Through it, my classmates and I were close to tears. She reminded us of the memorable lines that our professors always say, taking us from our first year to our final month in just 3-4 minutes.  (Bear with me for my little remembrance too guys...) Thank you to Rufus sir's push that turned me into an author, blogger (with an iconic title) and academician and his constant support in my endevours, for Phebe mam's remembrance to keep my inner child happy and safe and her care when I needed it most, for Sam Paul sir for ...