November Nascence: Monthly Missives from The Dream Pedlar
Turning a year older, soaking up literary wisdom, and savouring the magic of storytelling
I'm officially a year older and wiser this month!
Not that anyone handed me a certificate of wisdom to make the latter official, but in a world where we can claim whatever we want, about ourselves or other people, and often get away with it, it feels wildly wicked to label myself 'wiser'. Surely, you're not going to contest that, are you? 😉
I'm 45 now!
Halfway to 90, someone quipped.
If you're lucky, that is, someone else added.
That puts everything into perspective, doesn't it?
I certainly feel lucky to be here. (I certainly hope I'm lucky enough to be able to watch the grand finale episode of Stranger Things on New Year's Eve!)
But on a more sombre note, in recent years many of us have come to realize that growth is actually a process of subtraction, not addition.
In keeping with that spirit, this missive comes bearing some reflections as well as some news and changes. As always, grab your favourite cuppa, and read on!
On Writing
Book 2 of the fantasy duology I'm currently working on is coming along swimmingly.
The more I come to the manuscript to see where the characters will lead me each day, the more and more exciting adventures they take me on.
I'm fully focused on finishing Book 2, and then I'd have the mental space to invite you all into this fictional world months before the rest of the world is introduced to it.
In the meantime, if you've read any of my books lately and loved them, could you please leave a review over on Goodreads?
Publishing still runs on word of mouth, so even a line or two from you would help other readers find stories they too may love.
Mrs. D'Souza's Dispute With God and The Mind Meddler were the two short stories of speculative fiction that were briefly available for free as part of a recent promotion, and would greatly benefit from your reviews.
Tales For Dreamers
I wrote and posted my 200th story in the Tales For Dreamers series this month!
This month's collection includes 'the call for validation', 'adrift' (the 200th story), 'pretty cauliflowers for sale', and 'a line that must never be crossed'.
Over on YouTube, I have two audio-stories for the month - 'At The End of A Pilgrimage', and 'Liquid Wisdom'.
It's been quite the journey, writing all these stories. I can no longer look at a leaf or a rock or any object for that matter without wondering, "What's your story?"
A big reason for this is that I'm no longer able to go on daily walks because of a recurring foot pain that my doctor and physiotherapist continue to have divergent opinions on even after a year.
One says it's plantar fasciitis; the other is convinced it's a nerve problem originating from my lower back. I'm going with the course of treatment that's giving me lasting relief from pain.
But not being able to step out for long walks means I'm no longer able to see and photograph the ordinary things that make North American suburbia magical and whimsical to my eyes.
The other reason is that my current WIP requires all my time and attention, and I'm happy to provide that to it without the distraction of having to produce and publish short fiction and audio stories on a weekly basis.
I'm also pulling the plug on my YouTube channel for the same reasons. I feel quite sad abandoning it only a few months in; I was greatly enjoying the process of narrating, recording, and mixing words with music.
I'm sure I'll return to these creative outlets in other contexts, just not on a regular format of stand-alone production and release in the foreseeable future.
Writing the Tales For Dreamers stories has been quite a journey, spanning more than a decade, entailing several start-stops, and covering the vast expanse of several continents.
If there's one thing this project has taught me, it's that ...
... the creative process is not necessarily linear or predictable, no matter how much we'd like to shoehorn it into systems or patterns.
We have to show up and do the work everyday, and each day is going to look different in terms of productivity, confidence, and motivation.
The best thing we can do for ourselves is to make peace with the uncertainty, with the not-knowingness of it all, and do the best we can anyway.
I have 202 tales in all now, most of them archived on the website, and a total of 18 audio-stories over on YouTube.
So, if you think I did well in bringing all these stories to you, ring the metaphorical bell! Write to me and let me know!
(And if you didn't get the joke, you simply have to read the relevant tale in this month's collection, don't you now?)
Life, Unadulterated
Me being a November child, I've been celebrating this entire month with my favourite activities — writing, reading, hanging out with KrA and D — and some more.
November is the month of the annual literary festival organized by the local library, the Burlington Public Library.
We've had Robert J. Sawyer, known as the Dean of Canadian Science Fiction, come in to give a scintillating talk about science fiction. The interview with Patty Krawec, an Indigenous-Ukrainian author and social activist, was extremely enlightening and empathetic.
I also attended a panel discussion and later a workshop on How To Write A Children's Novel. Not that I'm planning to, but I wanted to expose myself to ideas I haven't come across before.
The workshop was led by prominent local author, Sylvia McNicoll. Sylvia is a tour de force in writing for children. I've corresponded with her over email several times over the past few years.
Our first interaction came through the anthology, Writing the Rollercoaster: Stories of Riding Out The Pandemic in Burlington, which Sylvia and another local author put together.
An essay of mine - Finding Self-Love in the Time of Coronavirus - and a poem - Solo Performance - appeared in the anthology way back in 2021.
Ever since, Sylvia has been quick to notice and write in to congratulate me every time I snag an award or achievement in the local literary circle. But it was only this year that I got to hear her talk at the two events, and speak with her properly at the workshop.
The generous being that she is, she handed out free copies of her very first children's novel that was published and is no longer in print. She autographed every copy, including a special message for each of us.
And look how she autographed it for me!
This is the reason I keep coming back to writing: the power of words and stories. Words have an immensely profound ability to encourage and empower, to inform and inspire, and to question and motivate us.
Especially the written word, not spoken aloud in someone else's voice but merely black squiggles on paper, free to be interpreted by our soul the way it perceives the message.
I explore the power of stories at length in a post I wrote after attending Sawyer's and Krawec's events.
Anitha Krishnan
The answer is in the post above. 👆🏽
This is also the time of the year when I look back and assess how my writing career evolved throughout the year. I've been writing these annual 'lessons learnt' posts for the past five years now.
This year's post goes into detail about what has been working and what hasn't, and what I'm changing going forward.
Anitha Krishnan
I hope these two lengthy posts give you some insights and inspiration for you to use in your own writing and reading adventures.
Books You May Love
I had a lot more time to devote to reading this month and enjoyed more books than usual. So much so that I went and wrote an entire post about these books, including some excerpts that really stood out to me.
Anitha Krishnan
Girl Dinner by Olivie Blake was a stunning read as was The Ministry Of Time by Kaliane Bradley. The writing styles and themes of these books are completely dissimilar, but they both made for incisive, compelling reads.
Two books by Charles Todd as well made it to the list. Plus a horror book, which I don't wish to think about any more than is necessary. I've mentioned it briefly in the post, so all I'll say here is that the mere mention of that book brings back nightmares! 🫣
That brings us to the end of yet another edition of Monthly Missives, dear Dreamer! This is my 44th missive, as it turns out, so it feels rather symbolic to know that I'll be sending out my 45th missive in the year in which I turned 45.
Of course, the human brain can apparently conjure up a pattern from something entirely random, as a statistics professor once said, so that 45-in-45 pattern might very well mean nothing at all.
Sort of like that quote often attributed to Einstein — “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.”
Speaking of which, for my birthday, KrA and D got me my very first Kobo e-reader! I've finally made the switch from Kindle to Kobo, and I feel even more Canadian now than before! 🍁
I also got myself copies of Charlie Mackesy's gorgeous illustrated books - The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and The Horse, and its sequel Always Remember: The Boy, The Mole, The Fox, The Horse and The Storm.
These are such tender books to savour, especially in moments of raw vulnerability when the mind is loud with its false accusations and I need something quiet, comforting and true to turn to.
I hope you too have had a memorable month, dear Dreamer! Was it one of joy and optimism? Or did it brim with hope and quiet courage?
Write to me and share how November has passed for you. What joys are you looking forward to in December?
Until next month then!
~ Anitha
The only Zen you find on the tops of mountains is the Zen you bring up there. ~ Robert M. Pirsig