20 Key Writing Tips to Become a Better Writer Today

20 Key Writing Tips to Become a Better Writer Today 20 Writing Tips to Improve Your Craft â€Å"The pen is mightier than the sword.† Writer Edgar Bulwer-Lytton made this keen observation nearly 200 years ago, but it remains just as true today. Writing is one of the most powerful mediums in existence, and a seemingly simple story can change countless lives - which is why so many of us choose to be writers in the first place.But sometimes it can be difficult to find the right words, to tell the story the way you want, or to start writing in the first place. That’s why we’ve compiled these 20 essential writing tips for writers like you: artists who want to hone their craft to perfection, so they can tell their stories as effectively as possible.Some of these tips are directly narrative-related, while others are more about the mentality and setting you need to cultivate in order to write. But all have one crucial thing in common: if you take them to heart, they’ll help you become a much better writer - and maybe even pen the book of your dreams. We’ll start with the story tips, then move into more technique-related advice to help you on your writing journey.If you prefer your tips in watchable form, check out this video on great writing tips that no one else will tell you. 1. Even pantsers need to planLet’s begin with an age-old question: are you a plotter or a pantser?If you’ve never heard these terms before, allow us to explain. Pantsers are writers who â€Å"fly by the seat of their pants,† i.e. start writing without preparing too much and simply trust that everything will work out. At the other end of the spectrum are plotters, who plan and outline their story extensively before they begin to write.Which is the better way forward? Well, it’s different for everyone - what works for you may not necessarily work for another writer you know.That said, experience has taught us that a little bit of planning goes a long way. That’s why we always advise some form of preparation, even if it’s just a few nuggets of your plot, before you dive into writing. Pantsers, we know it’ll be hard, but you can do it!2. Keep your outline in mindOnce you’ve prepared an outline, it’s important to actually use it. This may seem obvious, but it's seemingly one of the hardest-to-remember writing tips out there - which is why we've put it so high on our list!Many writers find themselves led astray by subplots and secondary characters, wandering into lengthy supplementary chapters that don’t really go anywhere. Then when they try to get back to the main plot, they find they’re already too far gone.Keeping your outline in mind at all times will help you avoid these disastrous detours. Even if you stray a little, you should be able to look at your outline and articulate exactly how you’ll get back to what you planned. This is especially crucial late in the writing process, when it can be hard to remember your original vision - so if you have doubts about your ability to remember your outline, definitely write it down.3. Introduce conflict earlyOf all the core elements in your story, conflict is perhaps the most important to emphasize. Conflict lies at the heart of every good narrative, creating tension that prompts people to read until the very end. So make sure readers know what your conflict is within the first few chapters!The best way to do this is through an early inciting incident, wherein the main character has a revelation and/or becomes involved in something big. For example, in The Hunger Games, the inciting incident is Katniss volunteering for the Games. Though our heroine has always held anti-Capitol views, this incident forces her to take direct action against them, launching the conflict (Katniss vs. Capitol) that will drive the next three books.Finally, remember that there are many different types of conflict. So if you have no idea what your conflict is, don’t worry; it’s probably just unconventional. For instance, your main conflict might be one that unfolds within your narrator (character vs. self), or against some large, nebulous force (like character vs. technology). But whatever it is, try to be conscious of when you introduce it and how.4. Control the pacingNothing ruins a good story like poor pacing. Even if you’ve got the most well-rounded characters, interesting plot, and sizzling conflict in literary history, sluggish pacing can still make all of it moot. So make sure you control the pacing in your story, lest readers lose interest and put down your book in frustration!In order to combat slow pacing, you’ll need to increase the tempo by:A) Cutting down lengthy sentences and descriptions, and B) Increasing action and dialogue.The former strategy works for one simple reason: it gets rid of filler and fluff. In extreme cases, you may have to cut a great deal of exposition in order to get to the beating heart of your story. This may be painful, but trust us - your readers will appreciate not having to trudge through 50 pages of buildup before your inciting incident.As for the latter, it might seem like adding more content is counterintuitive to a quicker pace. But because action and dialogue move the story forward in a concrete manner, you can always rely on them to improve slow pacing.5. Fine-tune your dialogueSpeaking of dialogue,  it's pretty critical to most stories, especially in terms of drawing in readers. Indeed, a conversation between characters is usually much more intriguing and impactful than a narrator relaying similar information.But dialogue loses its impact if the conversation goes on for too long - so for better, sharper dialogue, be concise. Say youâ₠¬â„¢re writing a story in which two characters have an argument. You want to be clear what they’re fighting about and connect it to other events and themes in your story, so you write something like this:â€Å"I can’t believe you were late coming home again! This is so typical. Just like when you forgot to pick up the groceries last week. Sometimes I don’t think you listen to me at all. You say you care about my feelings, but you don’t.†Ã¢â‚¬Å"Well, maybe I don’t listen because you’re always yelling at me. No matter what I do, it always seems to be the wrong thing. I had a very important meeting tonight, for the record. You know I’m trying to get that promotion at work. I’m really trying my hardest here.†But this exchange is full of unnecessary details. After all, the reader should already be familiar with your characters, their relationship, and past events of the story - you don’t have to spoon-feed them the meaning of the conversation. So keep your dialogue short and pithy:â€Å"Nice of you to show up. What were you doing, if not getting groceries?† â€Å"Thanks for the warm reception. I had a meeting. Kind of an important one.†For more dialogue-specific writing tips, check out this post.You'll be back to writing in no time. (Image: Lonely Planet on Unsplash)17. Listen to feedbackNow for another one of those writing tips that we all have trouble with. Throughout the process of writing, and definitely after you’re finished, you should share your work with other people: your friends, family, writers’ groups, and your editor(s).Accepting and actioning critical feedback is, of course, one of the most difficult parts of being a writer. Yet it’s also one of the most important skills to have. Because the feedback you receive from friends and beta readers is the only window you have into other people’s views - until you publish and the reviews start flooding in, but by then it’s too late to change anything. So try not to view criticism as harsh, but as helpful. It might just save you from liter ary infamy later!On that note†¦18. Kill your darlingsSometimes you’ll pen a passage that’s so beautiful, so nuanced, so masterfully constructed that you want to frame it - but it doesn’t really contribute anything to the larger composition. It’s a tangential distraction, and you know in your heart that your work would be better off without it.What to do now? You probably know the answer, even if you don’t want to admit it: you have to kill your darlings. This most often refers to removing an irrelevant or otherwise distracting passage, but it may also be your title, an element of your narration, or even an entire character.In any case, if it doesn’t add to the narrative, consider dropping it. Of all our writing tips, this one is perhaps the most important for writers of short stories and flash fiction, since you really don’t have any room to waste! Painful as it might be, remember you can always save your â€Å"darling† t o rework for another project†¦ just not this one.19. Just keep writingHow do prolific, successful authors manage to turn out so many books? Basically, by keeping calm and carrying on. Stephen King writes 2,000 words every single day, even on holidays. Jane Austen wrote each day just after breakfast without fail. Kafka wrote in the wee hours of the morning, barely sleeping as a result.Now, as we’ve established, you don’t have to write every day, or with the same vigor as these authors. Jane Austen never had a smartphone distracting her, so that was kind of an unfair advantage. But you do need to keep writing with as much consistency and focus as possible!This is the best piece of advice we can give any writer, fiction or non-fiction, short-form or long. Remember that it’s a marathon, not a sprint, and keep your head down until you hit that final blessed page.20. Keep publishing in mindLast but certainly not least on this list of writing tips, we’ll co ver the potential of publishing your book once it’s finally finished. Many writers and writing websites advise not to think about publishing while writing, to simply write what you know/love/would want to read yourself, and worry about publishing later.But thinking about it as you write can really help move the process along! For one thing, if you go the traditional publishing route, you should consider how you might pitch your book to agents. What makes your story unique, and why would they want to represent it? If you start writing with the aim to publish, you can consciously highlight these distinctive elements in the story itself.On the other hand, if you’re thinking about self-publishing, the adventure truly does begin once you’ve finished the manuscript! After a round or two of editing, and possibly investing in a book cover, you should be set to put your book up on Amazon and start raking in readers.There are pros and cons to both these sides. Luckily, if you’ve gotten to this point, the hard part is over; you’ve managed to write the book of your dreams, and now what you do with it is up to you!And if you haven't quite gotten there yet, know that it's never too late. Writing is a lifelong struggle, but it's also one of the most rewarding things you can pursue. So go forth and tell the story you've always wanted to tell - we believe in you. âÅ" Did we miss anything? Tell us your best writing tips in the comments below!

Assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 34

Assignment - Essay Example verage of mean score given by peers to students from private schools is higher than that of students from public schools as far as values are concerned. However, further comments can only be made after application of advanced statistical tools like hypothesis testing which may help to reveal if there is any significant statistical difference between the average score from two populations (public and private schools). According to Jain and Sandhu, skewness is the measure of asymmetry in the distribution of population and tells if the mean, mode and median are equal and quartiles are at equal distance from median (3.2). The distribution pattern of the data as seen from the histogram revealed that scores given by peers to both the public schools and private schools are moderately positively skewed having skewness of 0.934 and 0.754 respectively. This suggests that the data is not evenly distributed on both sides of the mean for both public and private schools. The positive skewness conf irmed that majority of the students both from public and private schools were given mean score by peers less than or on the average score and very few were given scores higher than the average. Looking at the distribution pattern between the two histograms, we see that number of students that scored higher than average score is greater for private schools than the public schools. The box plot for the mean score given by peers revealed that there were four outliers for public schools and three outliers from private schools towards the upper side of box plot. This suggested that nearly equal number of students from public and private were given outstanding score by peers (closer to 5). According to Cook and Upton, median divide the order population data into two groups whereas quartiles divide the population into four groups with first quartile (lowest 25%), second quartile (lowest 50%) and third quartile indicating lowest 75% of the population group (53). In this section, statistical

Gender And Politeness In An ESL Language Academic Context Research Proposal

Gender And Politeness In An ESL Language Academic Context - Research Proposal Example However, politeness in every societal setting has a distinct relationship with gender based on how a person perceives the other ought to behave and respond. This greatly varies across individuals based on their respective cultural norms, which influences on how one ought to respond and react in varied situations when interacting or conversing with a person of a different gender. Hence, bringing in the long acknowledged aspects of superiority and inferiorly that characterize gender in every societal setting whereby females assume the lower â€Å"ranks† compared to their male counterparts. Consequently, this depicts itself also in linguistic politeness whereby the informed parties bear varying utterances that if not addressed well may end up irritating other people (Bell, Arnold, Haddock, 2009). Since, what may be acceptable in a certain societal setting may be wrong in the other. This is especially in a multilingual class setting, which is the main context chosen for this study to focus on interactions among peers and student-teacher relationship based on culture as well as one’s gender (Bacha, Bahous & Diab, 2012).

Dramatic techniques Essay Example for Free

Dramatic techniques Essay In act four Proctor has to make the decision whether he should or should not confess. Arthur Miller uses dramatic techniques such as the use of descriptive stage directions. These tell you of the feelings emotions and actions of the characters such as in the opening of the act were Miller sets the scene by saying The place is in darkness but for the moonlight seeping through the bars. Arthur miller also describes sounds such as the sound of footsteps the shouting and the drums used to add drama and tension to the act. Hale has considerably changed from when we first saw him, as now he is no longer self-assured or confident like when he was first introduced. The audience sees a change in which Hale is presented as a different character to the beginning of the play, Hale is now described as being guilty and he is noticed to be different by the other characters They look at him for an instant in silence. He is steeped in sorrow, exhausted, and more direct then he ever was as opposed to his first description of a Tight skinned intellectual. Hale decides to try to convince Elizabeth to help them as they think that she is the only one who can convince proctor to confess, and as Proctor is a respected man within the village they hope that the other accused will also confess. Hale knows that neither he nor Parris could convince Proctor to confess so Elizabeth is there only hope of persuading Proctor before dawn.  When hale pleads with Elizabeth to talk to Proctor to persuade him to confess she is silent and will not speak to hale, but Hale then tells her Proctor will die at dawn, which makes Elizabeth ask if she can speak with proctor. Elizabeth dose not promise to convince proctor to confess however she pleads with Danforth to allow her to speak with Proctor as she knows that he will die at dawn and she wants to see him one last time before he is hung. Proctors appearance is now a visual shock as he is a contrast to when he was first introduced, as he is now a shadow of his former self. When we were first introduced to Proctor he is described as powerful of body and not easily led which is the opposite of how he is described now. Proctor is now described as being another man, bearded, filthy, his eyes misty as though webs had overgrown them. This shows the audience he is no longer the once proud Proctor who was gained the respect of people as he entered the room. Proctor is pressured to confess as he loves Elizabeth and dose not want to leave her as now she has a child on the way and when Proctor questioned her on what he should do she told him I wan you living John, thats sure. Elizabeth also tells him that a hundred or more have confessed. However Proctor is also pressured not to confess as people which he knows have not confessed such as Giles. Elizabeth tell Proctor that Giles stood mute and did not answer his indictment so that he would be pressed and die a Christian death, she also tell him that Giles said only two words More weight. This adds conflict to proctors decision as Giles was an old man and yet he died for his beliefs so that his sons would get his farm. Proctor is also told that Rebecca nurse has still not confessed. Proctors body language towards Elizabeth is different to how he used to address her. Proctor now shows himself to be guilty and dose not know what to do with great force of will but not quite looking at her this show the audience that Proctor dose want to talk to her but his guilt is holding him back. In this section of act four Proctor is shown to be in turmoil as he is not sure whether or not Elizabeth dose want him back or not and whether or not she loves him still pauses- then with a flailing of hope. Emotive language is used in the stage directions to suggest that Proctors decision to confess or not is emotional words such as pain and agony show how Proctor feels although he is not physically in pain he is emotionally torn between his the decision he must now make. Proctor realises that Elizabeth still cares for him when she tells him that there is still some good in him. This adds to Proctors confidence allowing some of his guilt to be lifted and gives him the strength to look into her eyes and ask for her forgiveness. Elizabeth realises that Proctor is about to makes his decision and knows what it will be this adds to the emotion. Proctors decision to confess is dramatic as it builds up wen he rises slowly until he cant hold in what he wants to say anymore and shouts out in great pain Enough, enough-. Proctors decision to confess leads the audience to believe that because he has decided to confess then maybe this will influence Elizabeth and Rebecca nurse to confess. It also makes the audience think that Proctor will live.  The speed of Danforth and the others adds tension as it shows the audience the urgency of getting Proctor to sign as it will soon be to late as its not only Proctor they want to confess. Danforth also wants Rebecca as they feel that hanging these people will cause the villagers to rebel as Proctor and Rebecca, are respected people. Danforth is and the others are so rushed as time is running out and dawn is nearing this means that it will soon be to late for them to save Rebecca and also Proctor may change his mind to confess.

Literary Modes in War Literature, Such as The Things They Carried Essay

Literary Modes in War Literature The immediate impact of The Things They Carried is based on O'Brien's fidelity to detail. The things they carried were largely determined by necessity. Among the necessities or near necessities were P-38 can openers, pocket knives, heat tabs, wristwatches, dog tags, mosquito repellent, chewing gum, candy, cigarettes, salt tablets, packets of Kool-Aid, lighters, matches, sewing kits, Military Payment Certificates, C rations, and two or three canteens of water. Together these items weighed between 15 and 20 pounds. These facts are combined with the intangible and the psychological. They all carried ghosts, they shared the weight of memory and they carried all the emotional baggage of men who might die or already have passed away. O'Brien uses his detail and sense of war to bring meaning to his war story. I felt that the use of Tragedy, Myth and Gothic were well constructed literary modes in the novel "The Things They Carried". These men in the story carry heavy physical loads, they als o all carry heavy emotional loads, composed of grief, terror, love, and longing. Each man's physical burden underscores his emotional burden. After the war, the psychological burdens the men carry during the war continue to define them. Those who survive carry guilt, grief, and confusion, and many of the stories in the collection are about these survivors' attempts to come to terms with their experience. Repeatedly in The Things They Carried O'Brien forces this image before us to convey the tragedy of war. It also serves as a metaphor for combat to American soldiers in Vietnam "the shit" referred to "the day-to-day combat operations endured by GIs in the field" (Clark 463). O'Brien relays this conventional metap... ...trasting external mythologies to internal mythologies and comparing them both to real truths. O'Brien begins to make these comparisons right from start, as he presents the external mythology of courage in opposition to the experience of his soldiers. O'Brien says, "The war is entirely a matter of posture and carriage" (15). This is not merely a reference to how the soldiers must stand or how they carry their packs. It is also about the things the soldiers carry in their minds, and the posture they must maintain is the challenge to show bravery in the face of immense fear. Myth, such as O'Brien at the helm of modern war novels, the term courage takes on new dimensions. It becomes more personal. It requires an honest quest by the individual to discover his or her own internal truths. Once found, we need to have the courage to defend it against the enemy that is myth.

Birth Control Controversy

Contraception is a critical issue for women of all ages and social class because the decision to have a baby impacts a woman’s physical, mental, and emotional health. Contraception is also very costly and is an expense that a woman primarily shoulders. Not every employer’s health insurance plan provides benefits for prescription contraceptives and devices. A personal survey of 50 adults with varying types of insurance plans, asked if their health insurance plans provided coverage for birth control, Viagra, or abortion.Everyone surveyed maintain that his plan provides coverage for Viagra, a sexual enhancement drug, and abortion. The same survey showed that 26% of the insurance plans do not provide benefits for Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved prescription contraceptives or devices for the solitary purpose of preventing pregnancy (personal communication, 2010). Not providing coverage for birth control, yet providing coverage for other types of prescription drug s, services, and devices, is discriminatory against women and has a negative impact on an employer’s and the government’s economics.The federal government should mandate that all health care plans provide coverage for FDA approved contraceptives because not providing them is discriminatory against women. Preventive Health Care and Finance Women that plan their pregnancies usually obtain pre-natal care and take better care of themselves and unborn child. Moreover, women who have planned their families put enough distance between each pregnancy so not to put a strain on their physical, mental, and emotional welfare. This is better for both mother and child.Furthermore, to obtain FDA approved prescription birth control, women must first be seen be a licensed physician and have an examination. That examination includes a Pap smear, breast exam, and screening for sexually transmitted diseases. Without the motivation of obtaining contraception, women may not schedule an exam that could detect, and treat, potentially life-threatening diseases. Early detection of disease, such as cervical and breast cancer, is vital to making a full recovery.Family planning devices and prescriptions should be a benefit that all health insurance plans provide because more than half of the pregnancies that occur within this country are not planned. The United States has the highest rate of accidental pregnancies of the entire industrialized world. Of those pregnancies, only half come to term. The other pregnancies end because of spontaneous abortion, also known as miscarriage, or the woman elects to have an abortion (Roan, 2009).With insurance provided birth control these statistics can decrease considerably. Lack of coverage, and the out-of –pocket expense for birth control, is a factor in the high rate of unintended pregnancies because women are going without birth control, or opt for less effective methods for family planning. Women spend approximately two-thirds of their lives in an attempt to avoid pregnancy, but still a majority of women experience an unplanned pregnancy by the time they reach age 45 (Vargas, 2002).Women are primarily responsible for preventing pregnancy and rely on prescribed contraceptives and devices because there is no effective form of over-the-counter birth control available for women’s use. The most effective form of birth control, other than abstinence, is oral contraceptives, which is better known as â€Å"the pill. † With insurance, co-payments for the pill range from $10 to $50 per month (Andrews, 2010). Without insurance coverage, the expense of the pill can range from $20 to $75 per month. Over a 25-year period this could amass from $6,000 to well over $20,000 (Guttmacher, 2010).Therefore, women are paying upwards of 68% higher health care expenditures than their male counterparts (Zolman, 2002). In comparison, the only form of birth control used by men is a condom, and they are available witho ut prescription and not costly. Pictured above are different types of birth control available. All, except condoms, require a prescription and are used by women. Photo courtesy of Dawn Stacey Sexual Discrimination Some health insurance plans exclude contraceptives because it views them as quality of life drug and not medically necessary.If a doctor deems a woman to have a clinical need for contraception, such as recurring headaches, endometriosis, acne, or irregular menstruation, an insurance company may choose to authorize benefits. However, Viagra is one quality of life drug that insurance plans cover without question (Vargas, 2002). Viagra is an oral treatment that a doctor prescribes exclusively to men who suffer from erectile dysfunction. Covering expenses for one quality of life drug, aimed for the improvement of men’s sex lives, and denying benefit of another quality of life drug, intended to prevent pregnancy for women, is undoubtedly discriminatory.The Equal Employme nt Opportunity Commission (EEOC) sustain employers are legally bound to provide a full range of family planning options if other forms of preventive health prescriptions and devices are part of their benefits package. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 says it is unlawful when employers â€Å"fail or refuse to hire or discharge any individual, or otherwise discriminate against any individual with respect to his compensation, terms, conditions, or privileges of employment because of such individual’s race, color, religion, sex, or national origin† (Zolman, 2002, p. 8). Health and prescription coverage is part of the compensation and terms of employment as mentioned in Title VII. To provide further clarification, the United States government added an amendment in 1978 called the Pregnancy Discrimination Act (PDA), and it reads â€Å"†¦women affected by pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions shall be treated the same for all employment related p urposes, including of receipt of benefits under fringe benefit programs† (Vargas, 2002, p. 9).The current regulations for health insurance governance vary and are subject to different protocol. The Employment Retirement Security Act (ERISA) is a federal law that oversees self-funded insurance plans. A self-funded insurance plan, also known as self-insured, is a plan that an employer provides and pays for from a self-established fund. ERISA oversees the compliance of procedure, such as providing insurance information and instructions on how to file grievances, however; it does not require employers to provide specific benefits (Zolman, 2002).Within ERISA is a loophole that self-funded insurance plans have used to avoid following mandates that may be in effect through state legislation. Fully insured health plans contract through insurance brokers, are subject to state insurance mandates, and are not governed by ERISA (Zolman, 2002). The Equity in Prescription Insurance and Cont raceptive Coverage Act (EPICC) is a federal contraceptive prescription and device mandate that has gone before Congress on several occasions but has not been successful in passing into law.Nevertheless, there have been 27 states that have passed there on version of EPICC since 1998 (Andrews, 2010). However, requirements for coverage vary from state to state and self-funded insurance plans are exempt from complying. Throughout the last decade there have been several lawsuits filed against employers unwilling to include prescription contraception benefits. The first such case was Erickson versus Bartell. In 2001, Jennifer Erickson brought a lawsuit of sexual discrimination against Bartell Drug Company for failing to provide birth control in a prescription drug benefit package.Federal Judge Lasnik determined that Bartell Drug Company was in violation of Title VII and the PDA (HRMagazine, 2005). Sadly, the majority of employers who exclude prescription contraceptives choose to wait for legal action before changing policy. In those cases, society loses as precious taxpayer dollars are spent. Employer Expenses Many people have the misconception that it is expensive for an employer to provided prescription contraceptive benefits and that the employer should be able to limit available benefits to help keep health insurance premiums to a minimum.A study conducted by the Washington Business Group on Health concluded that employers experience greater direct and indirect financial losses when an employee becomes pregnant. The indirect expenses include the employee’s absence for doctor’s appointments, fatigue, or illness. Indirect costs can also include reduced productivity, and the need to train another person to fulfill the pregnant employee’s position when absent. Direct costs can reach well above $10,000 for expenses related to pre-natal care, delivery, and one-year of infant pediatrics (HRMagazine, 2005).

To Fight in a Righteous War Varna and Moral Duty in India Free Essay Example, 1750 words

How did the Bhagavad-Gita reinforce the system of varnas, or castes? Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad-Gita (4.13) says â€Å"According to the three modes of material nature and the work ascribed to them, the four divisions of human society were created by Me. † He furthers says that â€Å"Brahmanas, Kshatriyas, Vaishyas and Shudras are distinguished by their qualities of work in accordance with the modes of nature† (Bhagavad-Gita, 18.41). Thus we can find that the varnas or classification of one is not determined by birth. The quality of work done by one ascertains his/her varnas. The divisions are created by the Lord himself so that every one is placed in the work that most suits him/her or in which they are most comfortable. â€Å"By following his qualities of work, every man can become perfect. By worship of the Lord, who is the source of all beings and who is all-pervading, man can, in the performance of his own duty [or occupation], attain perfection† (Bhagavad-Gita, 18.45-6). Whatever professional inclination a person may have is decided by the styles of material nature one has gained, or in which he or she connects. We will write a custom essay sample on To Fight in a Righteous War: Varna and Moral Duty in India or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/page It survived in the Mahabharata story, and to Alexanders time (perhaps in the modern Punjabi surnames Puri). † Dharmanand (1966) also states that: â€Å"The cause of the Ten-Kings battle was that the Ten tried to divert the river Parushni. This is a stretch of the modern Ravi which, however, changed its course several times. Diversion of the waters of the Indus system is still a cause for angry recriminations between India and Pakistan.