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Sriram Tawker

@sriramtawker.bsky.social

43 followers 13 following 155 posts

✍️ Author of "How to Solve a Murder in 10 Days?" I write short fiction and share insights on storytelling, publishing, and the creative journey. #author #crimethriller #self-publishing Amazon: mybook.to/APMaA

Posts Replies Media

Sriram Tawker @sriramtawker.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

I published my first novel on Amazon. Reading it back, I knew it wasn't good enough. So I built a self-editing checklist I now run every chapter through. Made it a free PDF. 12 sections + a 3-pass system 👇 sriramtawker.substack.com/p/self-editi...

sriramtawker.substack.com

The Ultimate Self-Editing Checklist for Fiction Writers

A 3-pass fiction editing checklist to help you catch story, craft, POV, pacing, dialogue, and prose problems in every chapter.

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Sriram Tawker @sriramtawker.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

TWEET John Grisham's first novel flopped. He bought 1,000 copies himself and sold them from his car trunk. I broke down how he keeps readers turning pages in The Client, with 4 tools you can use in your next chapter. sriramtawker.substack.com/p/john-grish...

sriramtawker.substack.com

The Grisham Rule: How to Keep Readers Turning the Page

Four simple lessons on pacing, chapter endings, tension, and cutting anything that gives the reader a reason to stop.

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Sriram Tawker @sriramtawker.bsky.social · 21/09/2026

I published a chapter a week with one hour to write each morning. The hard part wasn't the time. It was knowing which mornings to write and which to skip. Force the words and you pay for it a day later, when the editor in you rejects the whole thing. sriramtawker.substack.com/p/writing-a-...

sriramtawker.substack.com

How to Build a Writing Routine When You Work Full-Time

The five lessons that helped me write a weekly serial novel in one hour a morning without sacrificing the quality of the work.

Sriram Tawker @sriramtawker.bsky.social · 14/09/2026

A British archaeologist breaks into a tunnel beneath a 1,000-year-old temple. It doesn't lead to another place. It leads to another time: the 10th century, when the temple was still being built. 22 chapters. Now complete. Read the whole thing: sriramtawker.substack.com/p/temple-of-...

sriramtawker.substack.com

Temple of the Gods is finished. Now you can read it all.

What if a tunnel beneath a 1,000-year-old temple led to the past?

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Sriram Tawker @sriramtawker.bsky.social · 07/09/2026

The first line is the only line a reader is guaranteed to read. Everything after it is optional. They keep going because the opening earned it, or they put the book down for good. Just published a full breakdown, 5 angles that make a reader unable to stop. substack.com/home/post/p-...

5 Proven Ways To Craft The Most Unforgettable First Sentences

Make readers stop scrolling and start reading.

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Sriram Tawker @sriramtawker.bsky.social · 04/09/2026

I gave my thriller a 2-week ticking clock and the middle STILL dragged. The clock runs in your head, not the reader's. They forget the deadline the second a chapter stops moving. sriramtawker.substack.com/p/fix-slow-m... #writerslife #amwriting #fiction #thriller #bookwriting

sriramtawker.substack.com

How to Fix a Sagging Middle in a Thriller: 5 Pacing Lessons

I gave my detective novel a two-week deadline and the middle still sagged. Here’s what actually keeps readers turning pages.

Sriram Tawker @sriramtawker.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Agatha Christie sold two billion books. Only the Bible and Shakespeare beat her. A wartime nurse who wrote murders with real poisons, vanished for 11 days, and hid every clue in plain sight. I studied what makes her unbeatable. New post substack.com/home/post/p-... #ThrillerBooks #agathachristie

Why Agatha Christie Is the Greatest Thriller Writer Ever

What writers can learn from the Queen of Crime about clues, misdirection, suspense, and the art of the fair-play mystery.

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Sriram Tawker @sriramtawker.bsky.social · 14/08/2026

Why do so many thrillers start brilliantly and then lose momentum halfway through? I found six structural problems that keep showing up in thrillers. I’ve written a new guide to help you find the leak in your own draft. substack.com/home/post/p-... #amwriting #thrillers #authorlife

The 6 Reasons Thriller Middles Sag (and How to Spot Yours)

Is Your Thriller Losing Momentum in the Middle? Find the Leak

Sriram Tawker @sriramtawker.bsky.social · 03/08/2026

I'm about to finish my novel without ever picking a lane. Without a chapter by chapter outline Turns out you were never one type of writer. There are four. Which is your home base sriramtawker.substack.com/p/what-kind-... #indieauthors #WritingCommunity #blogger #writing #amwriting #bloggercommunity

sriramtawker.substack.com

What Kind of Writer Are You? The Four Types Every Novelist Should Know

Discover whether you are intuitive, methodical, or somewhere in between, and learn how to use your natural writing process to your advantage.

Sriram Tawker @sriramtawker.bsky.social · 31/07/2026

I've moved readers to tears without a sad backstory. Without killing anyone off. Without one dramatic adjective. Without naming the emotion once. You don't make a reader feel more by feeling louder. You feel more by standing closer. sriramtawker.substack.com/p/why-reader...

sriramtawker.substack.com

How to Make Readers Actually Feel Your Story's Emotions

You do not need bigger emotions. You need to bring readers closer to the experience.

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Sriram Tawker @sriramtawker.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

Readers don't quit books mid-scene. They quit at chapter breaks. Your chapter ending has one job: make stopping feel harder than continuing. After writing 15 chapters in public, here are the 5 endings that actually work (and the 4 that feel cheap) 👇 sriramtawker.substack.com/p/how-to-end...

sriramtawker.substack.com

How to End a Chapter So Readers Can't Stop Reading

Five chapter ending techniques that keep readers turning pages, plus the mistakes that quietly make them stop.

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Sriram Tawker @sriramtawker.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

Readers do not quit novels because the opening is slow. Action openings get abandoned just as often as quiet ones. They quit because chapter one gave them nothing to wait for. The one question your first chapter must answer: sriramtawker.substack.com/p/how-to-sta...

sriramtawker.substack.com

How to Start a Novel: The One Question Your First Chapter Must Answer

Why readers quit books on page one, what every writer gets wrong about openings, and how to fix yours.

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Sriram Tawker @sriramtawker.bsky.social · 11/07/2026

A fevered man. An empty temple after midnight. A forbidden chamber, and a sound from below that should not exist. Temple of the Gods, Chapter 14 is live. This is the one the whole series has been walking toward. open.substack.com/pub/sriramta...

open.substack.com

TEMPLE OF THE GODS

Part II: Immersion | Chapter Fourteen | The Night of the Sanctum

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Sriram Tawker @sriramtawker.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

The character who opposes your hero has to believe he could win. If he exists only to lose an argument, your story is not a story. Today I wrote about the interrogation that finally cracked my hardest character open. sriramtawker.substack.com/p/the-writin...

sriramtawker.substack.com

The Writing Trick That Finally Unlocked My Hardest Character

For three weeks, one character kept defeating me.

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Sriram Tawker @sriramtawker.bsky.social · 03/07/2026

New chapter of Temple of the Gods is live. The storm exposed a flaw that will erase an empire's record within centuries. Now the king must choose between the date fixed by the stars and the truth carved in failing stone. A verdict that costs two men everything. open.substack.com/pub/sriramta...

open.substack.com

TEMPLE OF THE GODS

Part III: The Storm and the Spies | Chapter Thirteen | The Argument for Time

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Sriram Tawker @sriramtawker.bsky.social · 01/07/2026

I wrote a character to be the villain. Then I read the history and found out the real man launched a naval invasion across the Bay of Bengal and reshaped Asia. Turns out the best villains believe they're always right. And sometimes they are. New post 👇 sriramtawker.substack.com/p/the-best-v...

sriramtawker.substack.com

The Best Villains Believe They're Always Right

I thought I was creating an obstacle for my hero. Instead I discovered why the strongest antagonists often become the story's most compelling characters.

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Sriram Tawker @sriramtawker.bsky.social · 24/06/2026

The hardest part of writing fiction is not the blank page. It is the silence. My latest essay is about the loneliness of writing fiction and the unexpected thing that made the journey easier. ✍️ Link below. substack.com/home/post/p-...

The Loneliness of Writing Fiction That Nobody Talks About

Why the hardest part of writing a novel is not the blank page but carrying an entire world alone, and how finding other writers changed everything.

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Sriram Tawker @sriramtawker.bsky.social · 12/06/2026

The monsoon arrived overnight. It revealed something about the temple that only one man saw coming. The building will last a thousand years. What was carved into it will not. Chapter 12 of Temple of the Gods is live. 🔗 sriramtawker.substack.com/p/temple-of-...

sriramtawker.substack.com

TEMPLE OF THE GODS

Part III: The Storm and the Spies | Chapter Twelve | The Storm

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Sriram Tawker @sriramtawker.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

One of the most uncomfortable things I've learned about writing: The posts that scared me most to publish were often the ones readers connected with most. Not because they were perfectly written. Because they were honest. sriramtawker.substack.com/p/why-authen...

sriramtawker.substack.com

Why Authentic Writing Connects More Than Perfect Writing

The hidden reason some posts spark conversations, shares, and loyal readers while others are quickly forgotten.

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Sriram Tawker @sriramtawker.bsky.social · 05/06/2026

Chapter 11 of Temple of the Gods is live. Part III begins today. Andrew meets Prince Rajendran in a palace courtyard before sunrise. The conversation that follows is the most honest exchange between two men in the entire series. open.substack.com/pub/sriramta...

open.substack.com

TEMPLE OF THE GODS

Part III: The Storm and the Spies | Chapter Eleven | The Morning Ledger

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Sriram Tawker @sriramtawker.bsky.social · 29/05/2026

The prince made his case. The king listened. Then the chief architect walked in wearing his working clothes and said seven words that cannot be unsaid. Part II of Temple of the Gods ends today. 🔗 substack.com/home/post/p-...

TEMPLE OF THE GODS

Part II: Immersion | Chapter Ten | What Remains

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Sriram Tawker @sriramtawker.bsky.social · 25/05/2026

Consistency without intention does not produce good writing. It produces output. And output is not the same thing as writing that matters. Wrote honestly about this today. open.substack.com/pub/sriramta...

open.substack.com

Why Consistency Is the Wrong Goal for Writers

What the show up every day advice gets completely wrong about the creative writing life.

Sriram Tawker @sriramtawker.bsky.social · 22/05/2026

Four people in a room. A king. A prince. A queen. A minister who thought he knew which side to stand on. They are arguing about one foreigner. What they are actually arguing about is the soul of an empire. Chapter 9 of Temple of the Gods is live. sriramtawker.substack.com/p/temple-of-...

sriramtawker.substack.com

TEMPLE OF THE GODS

Part II: Immersion | Chapter Nine | The Prince in the City

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Sriram Tawker @sriramtawker.bsky.social · 18/05/2026

I wanted to be traditionally published by now. I am not. For a long time that gap felt like a verdict. Today I wrote honestly about what it actually is. And what the real version of this writing life has given me that the imagined one never could. sriramtawker.substack.com/p/im-not-the...

sriramtawker.substack.com

I’m Not the Writer I Thought I’d Be By Now

A brutally honest reflection on slow growth, unfinished dreams, and continuing to write anyway.

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Sriram Tawker @sriramtawker.bsky.social · 15/05/2026

Three weeks of watching. Three weeks of staying in his lane. Today Andrew Garrick crossed a line. And the most powerful woman in the court just reminded the king's minister of something he knew twenty years ago and chose to forget. Chapter 8 of Temple of the Gods is now live

TEMPLE OF THE GODS

Part II: Immersion | Chapter Eight | The Argument in Stone

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Sriram Tawker @sriramtawker.bsky.social · 11/05/2026

I did not start writing in public to become a better writer. I started because I wanted readers. A year later I realised the process had quietly done something else entirely. Wrote about what that shift actually looks like today. sriramtawker.substack.com/p/writing-in...

sriramtawker.substack.com

Writing in Public Made Me a Better Writer

How publishing consistently on Substack forced me to stop performing and start writing honestly

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Sriram Tawker @sriramtawker.bsky.social · 05/05/2026

An idea arrived one ordinary evening and would not let me sleep. That small seed is now a serialized novel running for months. Today I wrote about the spark, the fear, and the scene I almost did not write. sriramtawker.substack.com/p/the-scene-...

sriramtawker.substack.com

The Scene Every Writer Is Afraid to Write (And Why It Matters Most)

How I Turned a Short Story Into a Serialized Historical Novel

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Sriram Tawker @sriramtawker.bsky.social · 27/04/2026

Writers feel guilty for not writing. Then guilty for writing instead of being present. Then guilty for resting. Then guilty for writing badly when they finally showed up. The guilt loop is real. And nobody talks about it honestly. sriramtawker.substack.com/p/why-writer...

sriramtawker.substack.com

Why Writers Feel Guilty for Resting (And How to Stop It)

The Quiet Guilt Most Writers Carry in Silence

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Sriram Tawker @sriramtawker.bsky.social · 20/04/2026

Writing fiction while working full time is not about discipline alone It is about surviving doubt, inconsistency, and starting again I put together everything I learned into one place If you are trying to do both, start here: sriramtawker.substack.com/p/how-i-lear...

sriramtawker.substack.com

How I Learned to Write Fiction While Working Full-Time (The Complete Archive)

From killer first sentences and hero building to book outlines and launch plans, everything I wish I knew starting out, organized for you.

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Sriram Tawker @sriramtawker.bsky.social · 17/04/2026

New here? Start with one story. I’ve put together a single page with all my fiction short stories, series, and novels Pick one and begin: open.substack.com/pub/sriramta...

open.substack.com

New Here? Start With These Stories

A complete guide to my novels, short stories, and ongoing series. Updated April 2026.

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Sriram Tawker @sriramtawker.bsky.social · 14/04/2026

I spent weeks researching the Chola empire before writing a single episode of my serial. Three things the history gave me that I could not have invented: The last one became the ending of my entire story. Full post: sriramtawker.substack.com/p/i-spent-we...

sriramtawker.substack.com

I Spent Weeks Researching the Medeival Empire. Here Is What Actually Surprised Me.

Three things my research taught me about writing historical fiction that I could not have invented.

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Sriram Tawker @sriramtawker.bsky.social · 10/04/2026

Five chapters in. One British archaeologist lost in 1010 AD. One prince who just found out he exists. Part I of Temple of the Gods ends today. It does not end quietly. open.substack.com/pub/sriramta...

open.substack.com

TEMPLE OF THE GODS

Part I: Arrival | Chapter Five | The Prince

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Sriram Tawker @sriramtawker.bsky.social · 03/04/2026

He says he is from the future. Now he stands before Raja Raja Chola. No proof. No allies. No way to explain himself. Today, the king decides what he is. Chapter 4 of Temple of the Gods is live: sriramtawker.substack.com/p/temple-of-...

sriramtawker.substack.com

TEMPLE OF THE GODS

Part I: Arrival | Chapter Four | The Hearing

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Sriram Tawker @sriramtawker.bsky.social · 27/03/2026

A British archaeologist falls through a tunnel into 1010 AD. Two chapters later, he's in a Chola prison with no language, no allies, and no way home. Today he meets the man who built the temple he came through. Chapter 3 of Temple of the Gods is live. sriramtawker.substack.com/p/temple-of-...

sriramtawker.substack.com

TEMPLE OF THE GODS

Part I: Arrival | Chapter Three | The King

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Sriram Tawker @sriramtawker.bsky.social · 23/03/2026

The problem with writing after a full-time job is not time. It is depletion. You arrive at the page already emptied. Wrote honestly about this today and what has actually helped. sriramtawker.substack.com/p/nobody-tal... #writingcommunity #amwriting

sriramtawker.substack.com

Nobody Talks About This: Writing While Working a Full-Time Job

The hidden cost of a day job on your creative life, and what actually helps

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Sriram Tawker @sriramtawker.bsky.social · 20/03/2026

He broke into a thousand year old temple to prove a theory. He found the tunnel. He broke through the wall at the end. And stepped into 1010 AD. Chapter 2 of Temple of the Gods is live. sriramtawker.substack.com/p/temple-of-... #writingcommunity #booksky #authorlife #amwriting #fiction #fantasy

sriramtawker.substack.com

TEMPLE OF THE GODS

Part I: Arrival | Chapter Two | The Medieval City

Sriram Tawker @sriramtawker.bsky.social · 13/03/2026

A British archaeologist breaks into a 1000 year old temple in India. He finds a tunnel. He steps through a sealed wall. He is no longer in 2024. Temple of the Gods is now a serialized epic and Chapter 1 is live. sriramtawker.substack.com/p/the-temple...

sriramtawker.substack.com

Temple of The Gods

A serialized historical epic set in the Chola Empire, 1010 AD

Sriram Tawker @sriramtawker.bsky.social · 09/03/2026

New story coming soon. A British archaeologist enters an ancient temple searching for a hidden tunnel. He finds it. But when he emerges, the temple is still there. The year is not. Teaser below: sriramtawker.substack.com/p/the-untold... #HistoricalFiction #WritingCommunity #AmWriting

sriramtawker.substack.com

The Untold Secret of the World's Most Powerful Ancient Temple

A new serialized fiction exploring the mysteries history left behind

Reposted by Sriram Tawker

Sriram Tawker @sriramtawker.bsky.social · 03/03/2026

🚨 New weekly serial drops FRIDAY, March 13 - only on Substack! Unravel history's darkest secrets that grips, and a past that haunts the present. Episode 1 hits your inbox if you subscribe NOW: sriramtawker.substack.com Who’s ready to obsess? 👀 #Substack #WritingCommunity

Sriram Tawker @sriramtawker.bsky.social · 03/03/2026

🚨 New weekly serial drops FRIDAY, March 13 - only on Substack! Unravel history's darkest secrets that grips, and a past that haunts the present. Episode 1 hits your inbox if you subscribe NOW: sriramtawker.substack.com Who’s ready to obsess? 👀 #Substack #WritingCommunity

Reposted by Sriram Tawker

Sriram Tawker @sriramtawker.bsky.social · 02/03/2026

I thought I needed a bigger idea for my next novel. What I actually needed was five small stories. If you are writing and feeling stuck, this might help: sriramtawker.substack.com/p/how-i-rega... #WritingCommunity #amwriting #writerslift #writersofbluesky #booksky #authorlife #creativewriting

sriramtawker.substack.com

How I Regained My Creative Momentum by Writing Short Stories

A simple reset before committing to a long serialized story

Sriram Tawker @sriramtawker.bsky.social · 02/03/2026

I thought I needed a bigger idea for my next novel. What I actually needed was five small stories. If you are writing and feeling stuck, this might help: sriramtawker.substack.com/p/how-i-rega... #WritingCommunity #amwriting #writerslift #writersofbluesky #booksky #authorlife #creativewriting

sriramtawker.substack.com

How I Regained My Creative Momentum by Writing Short Stories

A simple reset before committing to a long serialized story

Sriram Tawker @sriramtawker.bsky.social · 28/02/2026

We do not change at the finish line, we change in a quieter second. Moments of Power is a five short story series about the exact second when authority ends and choice begins. Start reading here: sriramtawker.substack.com/p/moments-of... #ShortStory #Fiction #Writers #Reading #WritingCommmunity

sriramtawker.substack.com

Moments of Power | The Taj Mahal Visit

One decision. Nine seconds. And a sky full of drones.

Sriram Tawker @sriramtawker.bsky.social · 27/02/2026

A red LIVE light. A prepared lie. And one choice that costs everything. My new short story “The Statement”, a tense corporate whistle-blower fiction piece. Read: sriramtawker.substack.com/p/moments-of... #ShortStory #Fiction #AI #Ethics #Whistleblower #writerscommunity #writerslift

sriramtawker.substack.com

Moments of Power | The Statement

One microphone. One folded statement. And a truth that costs everything.

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Sriram Tawker @sriramtawker.bsky.social · 20/02/2026

Eight lanes. Ten seconds. A legend beside him. The world wanted mercy. He chose truth. The Olympic Final — a new story in my Moments of Power series — is now live. Read here: sriramtawker.substack.com/p/moments-of... #ShortStory #Fiction #Olympics #amwriting #WritingCommunity #writerslift

sriramtawker.substack.com

Moments of Power | The Olympic Final

One gunshot. One first step. And a choice that defines a lifetime.

Sriram Tawker @sriramtawker.bsky.social · 13/02/2026

He was eleven. The money was not enough. And the instrument felt heavier than it should. Story 3 in Moments of Power is live: The Harmonium. A quiet decision that ends childhood. open.substack.com/pub/sriramta... #ShortFiction #AmWriting #WritingCommunity #Substack #ComingOfAge

open.substack.com

Moments of Power | The Harmonium

One sound. One silence. And a life that shifts forever.

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Sriram Tawker @sriramtawker.bsky.social · 09/02/2026

Is Substack the right place for fiction writers? After a year 70 plus posts 100 plus Notes and 400 subscribers I finally have a clear answer. This post is about what worked, what didn’t, and why fiction grows differently here. #writingcommmunity #Fiction #substack

sriramtawker.substack.com

Is Substack the Right Place for Fiction Writers?

What I Learned After a Year Here

Sriram Tawker @sriramtawker.bsky.social · 08/02/2026

I am writing a short story series called Moments of Power. Each story is under 1200 words and captures one turning point where control quietly shifts. Start reading here → sriramtawker.substack.com/p/moments-of... #ShortStory #Fiction #ThrillerFiction #Substack #Reading

sriramtawker.substack.com

Moments of Power | The Taj Mahal Visit

One decision. Nine seconds. And a sky full of drones.

Sriram Tawker @sriramtawker.bsky.social · 07/02/2026

Just published a new short story in my Moments of Power series. One meeting. One exit. And a price that forgives everything. Read here 👇 open.substack.com/pub/sriramta... #ShortStory #ThrillerFiction #MomentsOfPower #CorporateDrama #Power #amwriting #writerslift #AuthorsOfX

open.substack.com

Moments of Power | The Last Share

One exit. One entrance. And a price that forgives everything.

Sriram Tawker @sriramtawker.bsky.social · 30/01/2026

A surprise visit. A ticking clock. A sky full of drones. Published a new short thriller, The Taj Mahal Visit. Read and let me know what would you do next? sriramtawker.substack.com/p/moments-of... . . #ShortFiction #Thriller #PoliticalThriller #WritingCommunity #Substack #amwriting

sriramtawker.substack.com

Moments of Power | The Taj Mahal Visit

One decision. Nine seconds. And a sky full of drones.

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