Wading through 100 pages of Research

Writing a book on Ganesha and Kartikeya has made me do such an extensive research that my mind boggles when I see the 100 pages of Hindu Mythology staring at me. As this is one of my most ambitious projects I don’t want to goof up by getting the facts wrong and incurring the anger of people. 

 As I write fantasy, I don’t do much research except to check for some facts and that takes barely a few minutes. For my last book on dogs I did quite a bit of research but definitely not 100 pages. And that was because I am scared of dogs so I needed to get their body language and behavior right. I also watched a few videos on You Tube to see how dogs walk and their expressions etc.

But writing a book on Hindu Mythology is not for the faint-hearted. The internet is brimming with information and it took me several days to download all the information I would need. Now I have a huge pile of printed pages to wade through.

One good thing is happening, as I am reading the pages, lots of character details and subplots are popping up in my mind. I’m just on page 17 and already I feel I can make this a series or atleast a trilogy. And ofcouse with all this reading there is the added bonus of getting better acquainted with our Gods and mythology.

How much research do you all do? Do you think such an extension research is required?

Is it Necessary for Writers to be on so many Social Sites?

Everyday I see that more and more writers and other people have joined so many social media sites: Blog, Facebook, Pinterest, G+, Instagram, Twitter, Tumblr, Goodreads, Snapchat. I am astounded at the number of applications people download on their cellphones and the id’s they create on so many sites.

 It’s mindboggling to have so many accounts on different networking sites, to update them, follow people, see their updates, comment, like and share. Where does one get the time to focus on their work?

I’m a lazy social networker. If I am tweeting regularly, you can rest assured that I have ignored my blog and FB page. And If I’m blogging regularly, it goes without saying that my Twitter and FB accounts have been sent on a short holiday. I’m personally unable to handle so much social media all at once. My MO is a little at a time.

As it is I feel I am losing my writing focus from the past few weeks. And as I review books for the newspapers, I have a steady list of books on my desk at any given time. And on top of that if I had to handle an avalanche of networking sites I would go bonkers.

Whenever I see other writers managing so many different accounts and quite well at that, I feel a little envious and I wonder how do they do it? Do they have a secret ability that I haven’t got? Are they better multi-taskers than me? How are they able to juggle so many things, and work on their books, unlike me?

I barely manage to meet my writing deadlines, almost always missing my personal writing goals for the day. I sometimes feel I should just deactivate my 3 accounts for a few months and get some serious writing done.

How do you all cope with so many social media sites? What is your routine like? Any tips for a hopeless creature like me who is unable to manage her Facebook, Twitter and Blog and work on her books at the same time?

IWSG Post-Have you ever pulled out a really old story and reworked it?

Two months of 2017 have waved goodbye to us. Looks like this year is in a tearing hurry to be a blip in our lifetime. It's time for another IWSG (Insecure Writers Support Group) an online group of writers posting on the first Wednesday of every month. IWSG posts give us a chance to discuss all aspects of writing which we are unable to discuss with non-writers. It’s a relief to discuss the worries, anxieties, fears and insecurities which haunt our writing space. Other writers who have undergone these feelings and overcome them help out with their advice and tips. Check out the IWSG website for amazing writing tips. To read the other IWSG posts, click here.

If we mention IWSG, can Ninja Captain Alex J Cavanaugh (author of the Amazon Bestsellers: CassaStar, CassaStorm, CassaFire and Dragon of the Stars) be far behind. This wonderful group is his brainchild. A4 (Amazing, Adorable and Awesome Alex) has ensured that we writers retain our sanity by giving us a chance to let off all our writing steam (stress, doubts and worries) in a healthy way through these posts.

March 1 IWSG Question: Have you ever pulled out a really old story and reworked it? Did it work out?

Yes, I have pulled out a couple of old stories and reworked them. But to be honest, I lost interest midway while revising one old story and had absolutely no interest while tackling the revisions for the second story. I thought I was wasting my time, I felt it would be better if I spend that time working on a new story. I also felt that both the stories sucked and they were full of cliches and the writing was so crappy that I wanted to hide myself in that dusty drawer out of embarrassment.

I am eager to read all your posts to see how you all tackled your older stories which were gathering dust in drawers.