Ranjit Kulkarni's Blog, page 7

Publish

In the old days, most creative outputs had gatekeepers. The people who evaluated what you wrote.

Or the labels that checked if your music would work.

Or the galleries who assessed your paintings.

Much of their work was to work for the audience and curate something they thought would sell well and enable them to make money.

In today’s age of online and digital art, no such gatekeepers are necessary. Anyone can publish.

In the early times, successful creatives were prolific. Mainly because publishers had found a tried and tested formula that worked till it stopped working.

Unsuccessful creatives (commercially) weren’t prolific because their work never saw the light of day. Most of them withered away.

But the advantage of having a blog or an Amazon or their equivalents in other creative areas, is that, there are no gatekeepers as such. The software or the system is always available, whether your work sells or not.

So, if you don’t define success as only bestsellers or something that sells to enable you to make a livelihood, then nothing stops you from pressing publish.

Over time, of course, you learn. What is good, what isn’t. Who is your audience and who isn’t.

But the availability of a place to publish and the absence of gatekeepers gives you that opportunity to press publish as and when you think you have created something to take to the world.

It doesn’t need to be perfect (like most articles on this blog). Nor does it have to sell a lot.

But over time, here is your chance as a creative to create something and take it to the world.

As Annie Dillard wrote: “Spend it all, shoot it, play it, lose it, all, right away, every time. Don���t hoard what seems good for a later place in the book, or for another book; give it, give it all, give it now. The very impulse to save something good for a better place later is the signal to spend it now. Something more will arise for later, something better.”

So, write. Over time, it builds up into a body of work. Nothing other than yourself stops you from pressing publish.

***

 

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Notes from Meditations – 1

My notes and extracts from the book Meditations by Marcus Aurelius. Set 1 reproduced in this blog post for your reading:

I can neither be injured by any of them, for no one can fix on me what is ugly, nor can I be angry with my kinsman, nor hate him.

For we are made for co-operation, like feet, like hands, like eyelids, like the rows of the upper and lower teeth.

See the breath also, what kind of a thing it is; air, and not always the same, but every moment sent out and again sucked in.

Thou art an old man; no longer let this be a slave, no longer be pulled by the strings like a puppet to unsocial movements, no longer be either dissatisfied with thy present lot, or shrink from the future.

Thou must now at last perceive of what universe thou art a part, and of what administrator of the universe thy existence is an efflux, and that a limit of time is fixed for thee, which if thou dost not use for clearing away the clouds from thy mind, it will go and thou wilt go, and it will never return.

Those who do not observe the movements of their own minds must of necessity be unhappy.

The offenses which are committed through desire are more blamable than those which are committed through anger.

Rightly, then, and in a way worthy of philosophy, he said that the offence which is committed with pleasure is more blamable than that which is committed with pain.

How quickly all things disappear,���in the universe the bodies themselves, but in time the remembrance of them.

For a man cannot lose either the past or the future: for what a man has not, how can any one take this from him?

For the present is the only thing of which a man can be deprived, if it is true that this is the only thing which he has, and that a man cannot lose a thing if he has it not.

Do not waste the remainder of thy life in thoughts about others, when thou dost not refer thy thoughts to some object of common utility.

We ought then to check in the series of our thoughts everything that is without a purpose and useless, but most of all the over-curious feeling and the malignant.

Be cheerful also, and seek not external help nor the tranquillity which others give.

In the mind of one who is chastened and purified thou wilt find no corrupt matter, nor impurity, nor any sore skinned over.

Throwing away then all things, hold to these only which are few; and besides, bear in mind that every man lives only this present time, which is an indivisible point, and that all the rest of his life is either past or it is uncertain.

See how soon everything is forgotten, and look at the chaos of infinite time on each side of [the present].

One is that things do not touch the soul, for they are external and remain immovable; but our perturbations come only from the opinion which is within.

The other is that all these things, which thou seest, change immediately and will no longer be; and constantly bear in mind how many of these changes thou hast already witnessed.

The universe is transformation: life is opinion.

But by all means bear this in mind, that within a very short time both thou and he will be dead; and soon not even your names will be left behind.

Do not act as if thou wert going to live ten thousand years. Death hangs over thee. While thou livest, while it is in thy power, be good.

How much trouble he avoids who does not look to see what his neighbor says or does or thinks, but only to what he does himself.

He who has a vehement desire for posthumous fame does not consider that every one of those who remember him will himself also die very soon.

Everything which is in any way beautiful is beautiful in itself, and terminates in itself, not having praise as part of itself. Neither worse then nor better is a thing made by being praised.

Is this one of the unnecessary things? Now a man should take away not only unnecessary acts, but also unnecessary thoughts, for thus superfluous acts will not follow after.

Everything is only for a day, both that which remembers and that which is remembered.

Constantly regard the universe as one living being, having one substance and one soul; and observe how all things have reference to one perception, the perception of this one living being.

Time is like a river made up of the events which happen, and a violent stream; for as soon as a thing has been seen, it is carried away, and another comes in its place, and this will be carried away too.

To conclude, always observe how ephemeral and worthless human things are, and what was yesterday a little mucus, to-morrow will be a mummy or ashes. Pass then through this little space of time conformably to nature, and end thy journey in content, as an olive falls off when it is ripe, blessing nature who produced it, and thanking the tree on which it grew.

***

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Love in the time of AI: Jigneshbhai and Swami

“The other day I was watching Kal Ho Na Ho with my family again,” Jigneshbhai said when we met for coffee last weekend. That was an old movie. But Swami and I looked up as we had watched that many times over.

“Do you remember that charged up scene where SRK reads out a letter to Preity saying it’s written by Saif but there’s nothing there in reality?” Jigneshbhai asked.

“Yes, of course, how can I forget that scene?” Swami said, with almost a blush. “My wife and I have seen it so many times.”

“Ahhh.. I didn’t know that,” I winked at Swami. But Jigneshbhai continued.

“My son remarked that if SRK had to make up a letter on the spot, he could have used an AI-generated love letter,” Jigneshbhai said. The entry of an unexpected character like an AI-generated love letter brought the romance in Swami’s eyes to earth. Jigneshbhai realised the change in mood.

“I told him that emotions cannot be communicated like that,” Jigneshbhai continued. “But he actually went online and gave me this printout.” Jigneshbhai handed over a paper to us. Swami and I eagerly read it.

“From the moment our paths crossed, my world has been brighter, and my heart fuller. Your presence has infused my life with a joy I never knew was possible. Every time we hang out, I feel like the luckiest guy in the world. Your smile brightens my day, and your kindness and warmth make everything better. I can’t help but think about you all the time, and I love every moment we share together.”

We looked up at Jigneshbhai awestruck. “Not bad, isn’t it?” he asked with a smirk.

After a brief pause, Swami replied, “Better than what I could write.” And then looked at me and said, “Maybe better than him too.”

I had a faint smile on my lips and asked, “But will the girl say yes with this?”

Jigneshbhai said, “I have no idea. Maybe she will generate another AI love letter in reply.”

I and Jigneshbhai laughed out aloud, but Swami wasn’t particularly impressed with all this AI love letter business.

“I wonder where the world is going with all this. How can two human beings fall in love and commit themselves to a life together based on all these AI generated letters?” he protested. Swami did not like the idea and turned morose.

Things were getting unnecessarily serious after what started in jest, so I focused on the coffee. An awkward silence followed, waiting for Swami to cool off.

The wealthy old man in the sprawling bungalow who had been listening to our conversation walked towards our table. Neither Swami nor I could restrain our smile when he remarked, “Maybe the AI’s will fall in love, and the couple will breakup.”

***

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Creatives Create: Jigneshbhai and Swami

“Do you think AI will wipe out creativity?” Swami asked me the other day over coffee.

As a writer, that was something on my mind. I had seen some of the recent AI tools and what they could do.

It did feel like some of the AI might help. But it also did feel like some of the AI might replace. So I was non-committal. So I looked towards Jigneshbhai for answers. And Swami followed suit. “Will a writer be out of business? And a musician or a painter too?”

Jigneshbhai sat in silence as usual. He looked up from his coffee and asked me.

“What is a writer supposed to create?” I was taken aback by this sudden question.

“Well… umm.. A writer is supposed to create stories, characters, plots,” I said

“Hmm.. Or for AI, it is simply a stream of words where there were none earlier,” Jigneshbhai said. “And a musician?”

“Umm.. A musician is supposed to create songs, music, symphonies,” I said.

“Hmm.. Or for AI, it is simply a stream of notes where there were none earlier,” Jigneshbhai said. “And a painter?”

“Well.. A painter is supposed to create paintings, landscapes, colours.”

“Hmm.. Or for AI, it is simply a stream of colours where there were none earlier.”

Ok, we were getting the drift. Swami and I still didn’t get an answer. We stared at each other and back at Jigneshbhai. “And a graphics artist?” he looked at Swami this time and asked.

Swami had heard my answers and replied in the same tone. “Well.. A graphics artist is supposed to create images, icons, logos.”

“Hmm.. Or for AI, it is simply a stream of pixels where there were none earlier,” Jigneshbhai concluded. “And a singer?” he asked neither of us in particular. He was not done yet.

And both Swami and I said in unison.. “Well.. A singer is supposed to create songs, melodies, albums.”

And Jigneshbhai said, “Hmm.. Or for AI, it is simply a stream of rhythms where there were none earlier.”

Swami lost patience by now. “Ok – are you going to keep asking us what every creative is supposed to create? There is a lot of creative professions that are left. If you don’t know the answer, at least don’t keep asking questions needlessly,” he asserted.

Jigneshbhai now broke into a smile as he sipped his coffee.

“All of these creatives are important. All of it is going to change,” he finally said. “But that doesn’t mean AI is going to replace the creatives,” he started coming close to an answer. “There is no point in fighting it or resisting it. It is better to embrace it.”

I heaved a sigh of relief on hearing that. I saw the wealthy old man from the sprawling bungalow who had walked to our table. He left us with the parting gift of clarity when he said, “Creatives will continue to create. How they do it will change.”

***

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The Late Feedbackers: Jigneshbhai and Swami

“Have you ever been in a meeting towards the end of a project when a person who has not been to any of the preceding ones comes up with a ‘small feedback’ that impacts everything?” Swami asked us the other day over coffee.

Jigneshbhai flashed a smile and I knew what was coming. “Did someone like that come to your meeting last week?” he teased.

“Yes. And it turned out that no one else said anything to him, not even Raichand,” Swami reported.

“Who was he, must have been one of the bosses?” Jigneshbhai remarked.

“Everyone including Raichand was wondering who this person is.”

“And it turns out that he was someone senior?”

“Yes!”

“And someone problematic?”

“Yes!”

“And someone who can be a spanner in the works?”

“Yes – someone from IT – not from Raichand’s direct hierarchy – but senior enough for him to not say anything.”

“Like a distantly related uncle?”

“Yes!” Swami said, and both Jigneshbhai and I broke into a loud guffaw.

I knew very well that it was late feedback that requires a lot of what has been done to be changed. I had once come across a senior editor who told me that the plot needed an extra character after the second draft was ready and approved for print by the junior editor.

“This IT person had a ‘small feedback’- he said,” Swami continued. “That the system we had built can’t move to production till we gave it to him in a particular format. We had no idea what that format meant.”

“And as if that was not enough, in that call – which was supposed to be the last call – another senior manager, who had been absent so far, turned up. He tried to appear familiar with the project and asked a stupid question after this IT guy – about this format.”

Swami seemed fairly disturbed with the turn of events on a project we knew was dear to his heart. He had told us about it. We knew he and his team had spent serious time and effort on it.

Jigneshbhai, as usual, found this hilarious. He never understood how Swami and his corporate settings always found themselves in these kind of situations. So he laughed at it and cracked some joke. Sometimes his jokes help, sometimes they don’t.

“This is like the grand-uncle who turns up one day before the wedding, and then asks for changes in the menu,” he said. Neither me nor Swami laughed – me mostly due to Swami’s mood. But the mood did lighten a bit. So Jigneshbhai continued.

“Or this lady we had on the group tour we went on a few years back – do you remember?” he asked us, while we stretched our memories.

“Do you remember she insisted on going to a new place because she saw something on Instagram while the itinerary had been fixed few weeks back. And she had no qualms about it!”

Jigneshbhai smiled as Swami and I remembered the nut case.

Everyone meets these late feedbackers in life. The ones who don’t want to do the hard work of working on something but want to feel like they have something to say, just when everything is done.

And then blame everyone for not being flexible, or agile or open to feedback or adaptable.

Jigneshbhai fell silent for a while after that. It did help lighten up Swami’s mood a bit. So then I asked, “So what did you do about what the IT guy and that senior guy said?”

Swami looked up from his coffee morosely. “What can we do? We set a new deadline and agreed to do some part of what they wanted. The rest of it they will have to do themselves after the project ends,” he replied.

“Fair enough. Can’t do much beyond that I guess,” Jigneshbhai mused. “With this kind of late feedback.”

“But why don’t they ever turn up early on?” Swami asked. I could feel his pain. This time even Jigneshbhai seemed to empathize with Swami.

While we were lost in thought, finishing our coffee, we saw the wealthy old man from the sprawling bungalow inch up towards our table. “We need feedback, we can change, but we don’t need it too late,” he said. “Even if the late feedbacker is someone important.”

***

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A New Democracy: Jigneshbhai and Swami

“Wasn’t it Abraham Lincoln who said Democracy is a government of the people, by the people and for the people?” Jigneshbhai asked me and Swami the other day when we met over coffee.

Swami replied, “Yes, that is correct,” after quickly checking it on Google on his phone. “Why do you ask?” he added.

Jigneshbhai had a wry smile on his face. He started, “Yesterday, I met a young friend who runs a digital marketing company.”

“So, what about that?” Swami asked. And I added “And why did you meet the youngster?”

Jigneshbhai took a sip from his coffee mug while I and Swami waited for his answer.

He looked at me and pointed his finger towards a book he was carrying. “Well, I met him for your book. Don’t you remember you told me to get a website done for your new book?”

“Oh, yes, I totally forgot. Have you got the website done?” I said. It had escaped my mind.

“Yes, I have. The website is ready. He had some idea on how to promote it, and I was flabbergasted by what he said.”

“What did he say?” Swami intervened this time.

Jigneshbhai took a pause again. “Well, he said because the book is about money – 21 Steps to Money Nirvana, our dear writer should have a blog around that topic. That is what will attract interested people, he said.”

Swami noticed that my face was suddenly down. He seemed to sympathize with me. “As if writing a book isn’t enough, you want the author to write blog posts? And that too, he has to make it up?”

“Yes, it is called content marketing, and that’s how traffic increases, he said,” Jigneshbhai enlightened us on his new-found knowledge.

“I am a writer. I am not going to write these meaningless marketing blogs. I don’t understand SEO, search and keywords and all that stuff,” I protested.

Jigneshbhai had another all-knowing smile on his face. Swami and I waited for him to say something with bated breath.

“Don’t worry, I know that. He gave us a solution for that,” Jigneshbhai said.

“And what is that?” both me and Swami said in unison.

“He said he had an AI program for generating blog posts. You just give it some topics and post length and tone, and it will generate a post every week or even every day if you want.” Jigneshbhai informed us.

“What? But who reads such blog posts which have no human element?” Swami asked.

“Yes, no one reads them,” I agreed.

Jigneshbhai had another smile on his face. “Well, he had another solution for that. He said he has some AI bot to generate traffic that will read the blog posts. That way, he claims it will make the site popular on search engines,” he said.

Swami and I didn’t know what to say. But Jigneshbhai was excited.

He sipped the coffee and said, “He called it the new democracy – content written by the AI, of the AI and for the AI.”

***

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Interview with International Book Promotion

Here is my written interview that International Book Promotion published recently. You may also read it here: IBP Interview

Where are you from?

I am from Bangalore India

Why do you write? 

I write to entertain and to provoke thought

What do you write about? 

I write short stories and am the creator of the characters Jigneshbhai and Swami. My short stories are about urban characters and the hidden stories behind their apparently mundane lives. My Jigneshbhai and Swami stories and articles are topical, slice-of-life conversations between two friends that pack humor and wisdom

Do you have a specific writing style?

My writing is set in the real world of work and life, and my style is largely contemporary with a tinge of humor, satire and wisdom that leave you with something to think.

What’s the most memorable thing asked/said by a reader about your work?

When a reader told me that he could identify with the characters and relate to the situations faced by them in one of my works, it was a memorable experience.

How long have you been writing?

For five years, since it became one of my primary pre-occupations, and for over fifteen years off and on, part-time.

What is your work schedule like when you are writing?

I write for a couple of hours in the mornings most workdays in a week, have a break around lunch, and then after a nap and coffee, start writing again for an hour or two in the evening

How long does it take to write a book?

I used to try to finish a collection every 4-5 months earlier. I wrote my first four books in less than two years. But now, for the past three years, I have learnt to take my time and try to write one book every year

Do you have suggestions on how to become a better writer?

Practice, practice and practice. You become a writer by writing. Spend your early time writing to discover your style and voice, and then get better at the craft and sharpen it using words

What do you think makes a good story?

A good story must have strong, well-defined characters that the audience can identify with, and at least major conflict – with a person or a situation or anything – that he or she is trying to grapple with.

What does your family think of your writing? 

My family is a big supporter of my writing. My wife is my first reader and critic, and my son perhaps my permanent audience. They have been big pillars of strength that a writer inevitably needs in the writing journey.

Do   you see writing as a career?

I see writing as a hobby and a vocation that can become a second career. I spent over two decades as a corporate executive, which was my first career, and helped me make a living for myself and my family. Writing makes that living worth it now in my fifties and beyond.

What books did you love growing up?

I loved reading books by PG Wodehouse, especially the Jeeves and Bertie ones, and I read a lot of Chekhov, Roald Dahl and Indian writers like Ruskin Bond and PL Deshpande

Location and life experiences can really influence writing, tell us where you grew up and where you now live?

I was born and brought up in Mumbai, spending my childhood in urban, middle-class India. As an adult, I spent over two decades as a corporate executive in technology and consulting, due to which I travelled a lot enjoying the cityscapes in America, blend of nature and urbanity in Europe and the sights and sounds of Asian capitals. I now live in Bangalore, which is often called the Silicon Valley of India. My writing is inspired from my experiences in the urban real world of work and life.

What is hardest – getting published, writing or marketing?

Writing and getting published are relatively manageable for me. But I find marketing my work the hardest, partly due to the nature of the vocation, partly due to my introvert nature.

What marketing works for you?

I think engaging with readers who like my voice or style and those who identify with the characters and situations I write about, and providing them with snippets of my writing (from my blog, online or other channels) works for me

What else do you do, other than write?

I am an avid investor in capital markets and am passionate about financial independence. I like to travel to and explore new places as well as trek in the Himalayas. I am a student of spirituality and a reader of scriptures.

What other jobs have you had in your life?

I have worked as a corporate executive in the field of consulting and technology in the field of data analytics in different roles for over two decades. I also take up part-time consulting assignments in data analytics.

Tell us about your family?

My family consists of my wife of 27 years, my adult son and my elderly father. My wife is a doctor, and my son is a finance professional working in consulting. My father, now 84, is a retired government servant.

How do you write – lap top, pen, paper, in bed, at a desk?

I write on my laptop and have a writing desk where I write. I used to write on my mobile when I started many years back but not anymore. I have a diary and a pen that I carry to jot down story ideas but expand on them on my laptop.

Every writer has their own idea of what a successful career in writing is, what does success in writing look like to you? 

Success in writing to me is to create a meaningful body of work that I feel satisfied leaving behind – as something timeless that entertains and provokes thought, even if it is for a small audience of readers who resonate with it.

It is vital to get exposure and target the right readers for your writing, tell us about your marketing campaign?

Yes, it is vital – not as much for fame or money – but for the satisfaction of my writing impacting someone, and for the readers to resonate with it. I don’t have any marketing campaigns planned and would love any help on it

If you could have a dinner party and invite anyone dead or alive, who would you ask?  

PG Wodehouse with Bertie and Jeeves, Chekhov, Ruskin Bond, Arjuna and Sri Krishna from the Mahabharata!

What do you hope people will take away from your writing? How will your words make them feel?

I hope people get entertained on reading my writing, and identify with the character and situations I write about. I hope my writing provokes thought in them, and brings a smile on their face, makes them laugh at themselves, and sometimes gets a tear.

***

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What will you do with it?: Jigneshbhai and Swami

“If you don’t find an insight, slice it and dice it, and then drill it, till you kill it,” Swami declared last time we met for coffee.

“Nice line, who said it?” Jigneshbhai asked, his curiosity piqued, albeit un characteristically, by Swami.

“Raichand said that last week, just before a client presentation,” Swami reported. “He wanted us to give some insights, but I had no idea what to say.”

Jigneshbhai sipped his coffee in silence and with a smile. Swami and I knew something was coming. We waited.

“Can’t you say nothing when you have nothing to say?” he asked. It was a question that Swami didn’t like.

“Well… Raichand will say something to me then.. Don’t you understand that we are paid to give something? How can we say nothing?” Swami protested.

“Hmm.. that’s why, drill it till you kill it then,” Jigneshbhai replied and focused back on his coffee. A few awkward moments of silence followed. Swami and I also sat in silence focusing on our coffee. It was Swami, as usual, who spoke first.

“See.. what has happened is.. that over time, the old problem of not having data doesn’t exist anymore,” he said. “A new problem has replaced it.”

“And that is, let me guess.. ,” Jigneshbhai interjected. “The problem of too much data, too little information, and negligible insight.”

Swami was surprised with our wise friend being so much on point. “Perfect. Data is everywhere,” he said. “But how long will you keep slicing and dicing it even if Raichand likes it?” he asked.

“And what will you do with it?” Jigneshbhai agreed. That seemed to have triggered Swami into an outpouring of words and emotion.

“Don’t ask me. Nobody does anything with it in most cases. But they still track metrics,” he started. “Stupid slicing and dicing reports are generated. How many customers who had tenure of five years or more had done 15 or less transactions over the past 18 months, or some such complicated metrics. And that’s just the start. Everyone has to feel they were doing something useful. Actually it is useless.”

Jigneshbhai had a wry smile as he bit into his chocolate muffin with the coffee. In his small setup, he wasn’t used to such inefficiency. But Swami had not finished yet.

“In the scores and reams of information, we have developed an insensitivity to dashboards and data. It just seems nice to have colorful charts, hi-tech models and key takeaways with no one doing anything about it.”

“It creates work. The old problem of adding good quality data has now given way to the new problem of deleting useless data. There is hoards and hoards of data and reports that we generate, and it is just lying there.”

Swami took a breath from his relentless monologue of frustration over piles of data. Jigneshbhai, for once, sympathized with him.

It was then that we noticed that the wealthy old man from the sprawling bungalow who had been listening to our conversation from the adjacent table walked towards us. He put a hand on Swami’s shoulder. It was much needed solace for our worked up friend.

“It is like the old junk we keep in our homes for years,” the old man who spoke cryptically said. “And every time we do a cleanup, we keep some things aside thinking that, maybe some time, it could be useful,” he said, bringing a smile on our faces.

“It isn’t,” he continued. “The question that should be asked of that junk, much like it needs to be asked of the data, is the same: When was the last time you used it, and What will you do with it?”

***

 

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Change: Short Story

They tell me that I am highly risk averse. That I don’t take even the slightest of chances.

That my life is so predictable. Everything is run by a schedule. Everything falls into a routine.

That I am so disciplined that I am boring.

I get up at the same time every day. I sleep at the same time every night.

I have my breakfast at the same time every morning. I come to office at the same time every day. I have my lunch at the same time every afternoon. My meals are fixed most days. I use the same fixed plate and sit in the same fixed chair at the table in the same fixed way every day.

They tell me my exceptions to the schedule are also scheduled. Cheat meal on Wednesdays. Sleep late on Saturdays. No staff meetings on the last Monday of the month.

Well, I tell everyone that it is not because I am risk averse. It is because I don’t like to change what is already working for me. Well, I guess it means one and the same thing.

I get it. They tell me that due to my risk aversion, I miss out on adventure. That I don’t smell the roses. Or is it smell the coffee? Whatever.

That I don’t consider new paths. That some ideas just don’t get any consideration.

I understand what they say. But I have been successful this way.

When I do the same thing again and again, I realise that I can beat any targets.

That’s the problem, they tell me. That there is no need to be so obsessed with targets on everything.

Well, I ask that if a CEO doesn’t get obsessed with targets, who does? Didn’t I become CEO that way?

But still, I consider everything they say on its own merit. I am open to inputs. I take my risk aversion and focus on discipline as an area of improvement.

Everyone tells me that I should chill out a bit. That I should let creative ideas come to myself. That as a CEO, I need to strategize, to think things through before setting them into action.

I get it. I finally get it after all these years.

So, I have decided to make some changes this year.

I am going to set some time aside for chilling out. I am going to consciously let creative ideas come to me. I am going to deliberately strategize before getting into action.

Starting this Friday, 3-4 pm is set aside for strategizing and creative ideas. 4-5 pm is chilling out time.

I have marked it in my calendar.

***

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Five Years of Writing

It was exactly five years back that I started writing my first novel – on this day.

Since then, I have stuck to writing as one of my primary preoccupations, resulting in publishing many more books. That doesn’t necessarily qualify me for advising anyone on writing. But at the very least, it qualifies me on having something to write on writing and what I have learnt in the process.

So, with the rider that beware of free advice, here are my tips for anyone who wants to seriously take up writing based on my own experiences after five years of writing.

1. Keep Expectations Low: from your writing firstly, because you won’t be as good as you think, especially when you start. And from what writing will give you. From how many readers you will get, and how many books you will sell, or how famous you will become, and so on and so forth. Reduce expectations from external measures that often get talked about when it comes to writing.

2. Do It for the Joy: because that is the only thing that no one can take away. If writing gives you joy, then you will do it even if there is no reader. If you are in it for the name, fame and money, or even to make a serious living, you will stop after your second book.

3. Publishing is like Venture Capital: in the same way that they take a risk on the writer and his writing. So they spread their bets, and have a few sure shot ones that pay for the other bets. And much like VCs, they want a big return on the few that succeed, because otherwise, it is not worth their time and money. Keep this in mind if you think you need to wait for a publisher. You should be willing to write and take your work to market irrespective of the publisher. It is ridiculously easy to do it now.

4. Your Writing is Not for Everyone: so everyone is not going to like it. You should focus on finding your voice and getting better at putting it in words, and then uncovering who finds it interesting. It may be a small slice of the reader market. It may take time. But once you discover them, write only for them and for yourself. Others will soon realise that your writing is not for them.

5. Don’t Pay Anyone to Promote your Writing: It is not worth it. It won’t lead you anywhere except get validation from some sources who may not even be your readers. Better to save it and invest it in getting better at your craft. Or do your own selective marketing and promotion to the reader set you have discovered is interested in your writing. There is no point in promoting your book to someone not interested, and that is what someone you pay to promote will end up doing.

6. Book Stores won’t stock your book: because at best, running a bookstore is a lifestyle, hobbyist business with low return on investment. Readers are few, those visiting stores are fewer, and those buying anything other than bestsellers are fewest, and space costs money. Is it surprising that a bookstore owner won’t stock your book, even if you give it free?

7. Pay to Get Better at your craft: as that will ensure that your third or fourth book will be better than your first. This is one expense, either in the form of books, courses or coaches, that if spent well, will give returns throughout your writing life.

8. Editing and Book Covers matter: A good editor will add as much value to your book as yourself. And a good book designer will be worth every rupee spent. Cultivate a team of editors and book designers that work well with you. They are valuable if you want to provide a finished, professional piece of work to your readers.

9. Don’t quit your job: especially if you are under 40 and you need the money from writing. Writing will not cover your expenses in the initial years, and there is no guarantee it ever will. Unless you are financially independent, in the sense that your investments and any other sources of income cover your lifestyle, not making adequate money from writing will affect your writing itself.

10. Writing is still worth it: There is tremendous satisfaction in pursuing writing, especially if you keep in mind point 1 and 2 above. It is a source of joy and fulfilment to finish writing a book, and if you get readers, it is the icing on the cake. There are many reasons that make writing worth it. I have listed them in an earlier article.

If you are still here, and you still want to take up writing, no one can stop you. You are, probably, cut out to be a writer.

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