Let’s get to know each other better

 As I am approaching my second blogoversary, I am going through heavy bouts of nostalgia. I clearly remember my first post and my first follower and also the first comment. I was gripped by fear at that time. Would anyone want to follow me? What would I blog about?

All that is a thing of the past. I have gathered 304 friends and blog buddies. I have made good writing friends who have encouraged and supported me in my writing journey. I have got to know quite a few of you well. But, I would like to get to know you all better.  There is no writing related post today. This post is about you all and me.

 I am eager to know all about each and every blog buddy of mine. I will start with myself. I graduated with a degree in Psychology, Literature and Journalism. I have been writing for many Indian newspapers for more than a decade. From the past two years I have been teaching creative writing in Mount Carmel College.

I write Middle Grade Fiction ( for ages 8 to 14). My initial lot of books were for the younger readers. Now, I concentrate just on MG fiction. In future I would love to explore the YA territory. I used to have major stage fright. But, teaching college girls has got rid of it.

I love reading, watching movies and going out with friends. I have a mortal fear of snakes, dogs and lizards. I am a complete fitness freak. Though I love junk food, I also relish my health food. I am always ready for ice-creams. I love going for long walks. Jogging and yoga are my stress busters.

 I also suffer from CGS ( Continuous Giggle Syndrome). When I am in the company of my elder sister and nieces I can spend the entire day laughing. I am also a complete chatterbox. I can talk for hours.

 I am extremely attached to my parents and spiritual master. I look for honesty in my equation with people. Hypocrisy is a huge turn off. For me the honest approach works every time. I am a huge believer in clearing misunderstandings. I have a soft heart. I go out of my way to help people in trouble. Many times I have got into trouble because of this habit. I am also a huge worry wart. I tend to get anxious a lot.

You can always bribe me with chocolates. I am absolutely touched by selfless and warm gestures. My singing can drive people nuts. I don’t even sing in the bathroom nowadays.

I am also into meditation. Quite a bit of my inspiration pops up during my meditation sessions. I am very fond of  writing short stories. I have written and published over 60 short stories.

My dream is to have my books published globally, to get an agent and perhaps see a movie adaptation of one of my books. Quite small dreams, right?

Now, I would like to know all about you all? What do you all do? What kind of books do you all write, your hobbies and passions. Everything about you all interests me. So, go ahead. Tell me all about yourselves. Let me get to know you all better.

The Many Fears a Writer Constantly Faces

We writers are constantly facing fear. The ugly monster of fear is a perpetual pressure in a writer’s life.  These fears hound us from the time we chose a topic or decide on a story. Even after we finish writing fears continue to accost us.

I have always felt that these fears are obstacles and road blocks thrown along our paths  by forces unknown to us, to test our mettle, to firm our sometimes weakening determination and to strengthen our resolve to stick to the path chosen by us.

 The monster of fear comes in different forms:

                                             

1. Fear of choosing the wrong subject. A subject that will just not interest the readers, agents and editors. This is one of my biggest fears.

2. Fear of not doing justice to it by way of plot, characters, dialogues, setting and resolution. 

3. Fear of not having sufficient time to devote to the manuscript. 

4. Fear of not being able to complete the book. Many times half way through writing we realize that certain elements are just not gelling. Should I shelve the book, or rewrite? 

5. Fear of not getting an agent. It’s a fear that has gripped me now in a big way. 

6. Fear of the book not finding any home (publishing house) even though the agent is on board. (That is my biggest fear). Once I overcome no.5, I will be caught by this fear. 

7. Fear of the editor chopping parts that we considered crucial or important. That is after the book has been placed with a publishing house. For one of my earlier books the illustrator made a blunder and I had to bear the brunt of it by changing one of my main characters.

  

8. Fear of being trashed by critics on whose words hang our writing careers. (If a critic is having a bad day, the result is a bad review). 

9. Fear of readers disliking the book. I always worry about this one. 

    

     10. Fear of the first print run being unsold. This fear has bypassed me for a change as my

            first lot of books have gone into several reprints. Thank God for that.

    

      11. Fear of not being given another chance to redeem ourselves.

     12. Fear of  failure, of being unable to rise upto our own expectations.

I suffer from quite a few of these fears. It varies at different stages of my writing.  Sometimes I wonder how I am able to even write with so many fears surrounding me. But the urge to get my story out keeps me going. The vision of my books in a reader’s hands propels me forward.         

Do any of you have any such fears? Am I alone? Which fear or shall I say fears do you face or have faced in your writing journey. How do you capture these fears to write day in and day out.  It will be of great help to each of us if you share your experiences.

A Writer’s Many Fears

Like characters, plots, scenes, story lines, different fears too reside inside a writer’s mind overflowing with ideas. Though these fears exist right from the time we put pen to paper (write that first word or type it), they raise their ugly heads when we start querying.

 Everytime there is a deathly silence from agent/agents we have queried these vicious monsters of fears raise their ugly heads. I feel these fears are obstacles created and thrown along our paths by forces unknown to us, to test our mettle, to firm our  weakening determination and belief and to strengthen our resolve to stick to the path chosen by us and make us have a firm faith in our stories.

These fears come in different forms:

                                             

1. Fear of choosing the wrong subject. A subject that is hot now may not even receive a lukewarm response by the time we are thorough with the various drafts and rewrites and ultimately find a publishers/agent and the book finally gets published.

  

2. Fear of not doing justice to the main character. A weak character is such a let down. 

3. Fear of not doing a good job where plot, characters, story arcs, dialogues and settings are concerned. There will always be somebody left dissatisfied with our story/books. 

4. Fear of not getting an agent. What if no agent likes our stories? 

5. Fear of the book not finding any home (publishing house) even though the agent is on board. 

6. Fear of the editor wanting major rewrites that we may not be happy about, or chopping  parts that we considered crucial or important. That is after the book has been placed with a publishing house. 

7. Fear of being trashed by critics on whose words hang our writing careers. (If a critic is having a bad day, the result is a bad review) 

8. Fear of readers disliking the book. ( That is  a major fear) 

9. Fear of the first print run being unsold. (Another  fear that haunts) 

10. Fear of not being given another chance to redeem ourselves. What if publishers and editors are scared to give us another chance? 

11. Fear of  failure, of  being unable to rise up to our own expectations? 

 With so many fears surrounding us, it’s a wonder we are able to put pen to paper. Indeed it’s a brave soul that battles these fears to emerge with words that not only make sense, entertain, but also bring joy into someone’s life.

Which fear or shall I say fears do you face or have faced in your writing journey? At this point in time I am facing quite a few of these fears. How do you capture these fears to write day in and day out?  It will be of great help to each of us if you share your experiences and how you handle these fears and stop it from messing with your creativity.

     

The Many Fears a Writer Faces

Fear like self- doubt and insecurity is a constant pressure and presence in a writer’s life. Many fears surround us ( writers) from the word go. That is from the moment we decide on the theme/topic of our work, to the time we start writing, to when we start querying, to the time the book is published. Even after that we are gripped by fears regarding the reception the book will recieve.

Every kind of fear accosts us when we undertake our writing journey. Sometimes I feel these fears are obstacles created and thrown along our paths by forces unknown to us, to test our mettle, to firm our sometimes weakening determination and to strengthen our resolve to stick to the path chosen by us.

The monster of fear comes in different forms:

1.  Fear of choosing the wrong subject. A subject that will just not interest the readers, agents and editors.

2.  Fear of not doing justice to it by way of plot, characters, dialogues and style.

3.  Fear of not having sufficient time to devote to the manuscript.

4.  Fear of not being able to complete the book. Many times half way through writing we realize that certain elements are just not gelling. Should I shelve the book, or, rewrite?

5.  Fear of not getting an agent.

6.  Fear of the book not finding any home (publishing house) even though the agent is on board. (That is my biggest fear)

7.  Fear of the editor chopping parts that we considered crucial or important. That is after the book has been placed with a publishing house.

8.  Fear of being trashed by critics on whose words hang our writing careers. (If a critic is having a bad day, the result is a bad review)

9.  Fear of readers disliking the book. ( That is a major fear)

10.  Fear of the first print run being unsold. ( Another fear that haunts)

11.  Fear of not being given another chance to redeem ourselves.

12.  Fear of failure, of being unable to rise upto our own expectations.

With so many fears surrounding us, it’s a wonder we are able to put pen to paper.

Indeed it’s a brave soul that battles these fears to emerge with words that not only make sense, entertain, but also bring joy into someone’s life.

Which fear or shall I say fears do you face or have faced in your writing journey. How do you capture these fears to write day in and day out. It will be of great help to each of us if you share your experiences.

How to Accept Rejection

Rejection is a nine letter word that makes us (writers) break into a sweat. It’s the stuff of our worst nightmares. Its something we all dread and fear. It’s a word I personally detest. I would prefer to say that such and such publisher declined my book, or turned it down, or refused it. I would hate to say someone rejected my book. Unlike rejection, decline, refuse and turned down are less harsh and hurt less.

Actually even if we use the word rejection, the sting can be removed from it because there are several reasons a manuscript has been rejected or turned down.

An editor friend of mine from one of India’s biggest publishing houses explained to me that when they refuse a book there are several reasons.

1. Sometimes even good books are refused, books which the editorial committee may have approved in stage one of the selection process  may be disapproved in stage two, because of financial constraints. The publishing house just does not have the money to pump into this book at the current time.

2. Several times books are turned down because publishers are unable to think of a marketing strategy for that particular book. Books that cannot be marketed do not sell well.

3. Very often the publishers have brought out a book similar to the one submitted some time back and do not want to repeat themes. They prefer to tackle different books.

4. Books that do not follow certain trends: read as books on unusual, bold themes, or archaic themes are refused for fear of them not selling well.

5. Books that need a lot of editing, both structural as well as grammatical translates into a refusal. Editors just do not have the time or energy to devote to such manuscripts. Everyone prefers a polished piece that requires minimum editing. Editors don’t mind corroborating with writers when a manuscript is outstanding and editorial changes can further enhance it, turning it into literary magic.

6. Many times even good books are turned down as there is a lacunae, in the style of writing and the theme. The theme may be for older children while the writing style for younger ones, or vice versa.

7. Even good books are turned down as the publishing house’s publishing programme is full for the next couple of years and there is no room for new manuscripts.

8. Books that the publishers feel may be a hardsell. At the end of the day they too a have a business to run.

9. Several times good book by first time authors are turned down in favour of not so good books by authors who publishers consider well known or brand names.

There are several reasons for the rejection of a manuscript. There is no need for us (writers ) to feel insulted or hurt. It’s nothing personal. Do you feel there are any other reasons for rejecting a manuscript? Please share with us.

Moments of Madness

There are Moments of Madness in every one’s life. It’s at these moments that we do things that we may end up regretting, or, applauding ourselves for the rest of our lives. Things that can make or mar us. Strange forces silently and subtly  push us towards these Moments of Madness. Perhaps guided by higher forces unknown to us.

These mysterious forces are largely responsible for bursts of literary genius. Or for books that are hastily pulped. It’s during these moments that we are tempted to chose themes for our WIP. Themes that can range from the completely bizarre to the weird, from the wild and wacky to the strange and quirky. What starts off with an initial burst of promise sometimes takes just moments to fizzle out, and, sometimes after several pages have been filled.

Few chapters down the line, doubts creep in, about the commercial and literary potential of what we considered our future masterpiece. Is it worth seeing it till the end? Will what started of as Awesome, remain so till the last line. Has Awesome somewhere along the line turned into a Big Bore?

What if the Manuscript finds no takers? Will the editor approve of it, or, will it be relegated to the slush pile? A writer’s life is filled with insecurities. From the word go. Its easier to believe the criticism than the praise. I have as many unpublished manuscripts as published ones! The unpublished ones were undertaken during those mad moments, but, after a couple of drafts, they remained at the bottom of my drawer, as my amateurish attempts at writing. Will I ever go back to them? I am not sure. Maybe, at some point in my life when I feel I am more than ready to tackle them, even do them justice.

I have realized that there are ways I can tackle my Moments of Madness, so that I don’t have piles after piles of Manuscripts that may not see the light at the end of the publishing tunnel. So that I have not wasted time on commercially unviable projects that are a definite hardsell. Nowadays only after I am certain that the theme/topic is worth pursuing, do I invest my time and effort in the manuscript. It’s pretty heartbreaking to be stuck with manuscripts that just won’t make the shift to the book form. Not every super idea can translate into a great book.

For every mad moment I have, I try to balance it with plenty of reasoning: practical, sensible and sound thinking.

1. Is the theme suitable for that age group?

2. Will the topic appeal to the target readers?

3. Will my treatment and writing style match the theme?

4. Will the reader follow the Main Character page after page?

5. Does it have a conflict worth getting involved in for the readers? And for me too, as the writer?

If the answers to all the questions turns out to be in the affirmative, only then do I plunge into the process of writing.

How do you tackle your mad moments? Do you rush to put everything down on paper, invest weeks maybe months in a project only to shelve it halfway through, or, do you weigh the merit of the theme, stack up the odds against the evens, before undertaking a project ?