We are back with one more creative mom and her story. Anupriya is a blogger turned author and she recently launched her debut paperback novel called – Because I promised. She is an engineer by education and worked in the corporate world for 8 years. A mom by day and a writer and reader by night. Let’s get to know more about Anupriya through this interview –
Creative moms – Featuring Anupriya-
What’s your background?
I am an idiot. No seriously, I grew up in an era where if you were a bright student, you were expected to take science as subjects and either become a doctor or an engineer. I chose the latter and secured myself financially with a job offer in an IT company. And it was then that I figured that I wanted to be something else. So I did my MBA and became a Human resources professional working in different companies in a span of 6 years. In the meanwhile, I also did some freelancing as a GD & PI coach for MBA aspirants and helping other candidates writing their SOPs and essays for applications to MBA institutes across the globe. So that’s pretty much about me.
You have recently launched your first book as an author. Tell us more about how the idea came up? What were the key factors for starting writing as a profession?
Technically this is my second book. I launched my first book with Blogchatter Ebook carnival. It was called ‘Parenting & A slice of Everything’ and was a collection of semi-fiction short stories that dealt with various issues that encompass parenting and motherhood in specific.
But yes, ‘Because I Promised’ was written first during the NaNoWriMo last year. A blogger friend told me about this writing challenge where one writes 50k words in a month and tries to complete a book.
When I started on my NaNoWriMo journey, there was no story or concept but I decided to go with the flow. I let the story take charge and the words floated from my mind through the keyboard. Once I had completed the first draft, I gave it to my sister, who ran it through Mr Capri Jalota who is a published author himself (Then The Door Bell Rang). He gave me encouraging feedback along with some pointers to work upon.
What is your inspiration or where do you get inspiration for all the work you do ? and What do you like writing the most?
I tend to draw confidence from what I do. When I was a student, I drew confidence from the quality of the assignments I did and the feedback from them. As a professional, my confidence came from my commitment to my tasks and the appreciation I gained for the same. So when I started blogging, I had to write about something, I could be confident about and at that point in time, it was parenting that I was doing. No! I am not claiming that I was doing it all right and killing it. But yes, I could relate myself most with my role as a mother. So I started writing my musings about my experiences as a mother.
Slowly, I found myself drawn towards spirituality. In my quest to improve my relationships and mental wellness, I became a part of the Pranic Healing family. I started writing about how spirituality can help improve mental and emotional quotient and help us be happier individuals.
So yes, I draw inspiration from everything and anything that I see or experience or have seen or experienced around me. Even my book has a couple of plot points derived from real life instances of course in a more dramatized form.
What is your writing routine and how much time it took you to write this book?
Writing is the kind of task that it could easily consume you, making you aloof from the world around you. To keep myself from drowning in the task, I try and plan my content and write at least 500 words a day. There are some days when owing to continuity and more time at hand, I write much more. These ways I can work on my social media presence on other days. But yes writing regularly is very important. It only due to my writing discipline, I have been able to write 100 blog posts, an ebook (26k words) and a full novel all in but one year. I would really like to pat my back for this.
The first draft of “Because I Promised” was ready in 30 days straight during NaNoWriMo 2017. Then I hibernated for almost 4 months, before getting back to editing it. It took me three months to get the manuscript to a level where it was fit enough for printing. Editing took a lot more time than the initial draft. But I have learnt quite a few lessons about writing and editing in the process. Hope they help me when I get to working on my next book.
What do you like doing besides writing?
Ever since I have drowned myself into the world of words, I hardly find any time for anything else. And then I have my two boys who are quite a handful. So right now, reading and writing it is for me. And not to forget, that as a blogger, social media promotion takes a lot of time. But once in a while, I do like to indulge in cooking a delicacy or two, or bake a cake for my kids, or get back to my love for DIY crafts. I like to try my hands on everything crafty. One of my latest indulgences has been quilling.
Why do you choose to work in this genre? Do you consider yourself a genre writer, or do you want to try other modes?
I chose to write because I have always had a pally relationship with words. For long, I have helped MBA aspirants work on their resumes and write their SoPs and Essays for application to institutes. It always gave me an adrenaline rush to dig into the conscious and sub-conscious mind of my clients to come up with worthy pointers to make for an impressive yet honest profile.
But no, I am still not an expert enough to limit myself to a particular genre. My previous book was an issues specific set of short stories, while this one is an out and out contemporary drama fiction. I am already working on my next book, which is self-improvement non-fiction. So, I am going to take another couple of more projects, try my hands on different genres. And then maybe if at all pushed by circumstances, pin down on the one that works most for me.
Most important tip for other bloggers who are planning to be authors or for other mompreneurs.
The discipline I guess is the most important thing. Because churning out relevant content regularly is a challenge. Only if I am passionate enough about something, I will automatically find the time to do it. So be passionate about your endeavour.
The second learning that I have had is that there are many people out there, who might be much more talented than I am. But what makes me different is that I have the courage to jump in with my feet first and learn alongside as I take the journey. So being a perfectionist does not always work. Get yourself going with some basic pre-requisites (make sure the lists does not run too long) and learn as you tread.
The third learning is – Do not undermine the significance of online communities. I have been what my blogger friends call a ‘Social Recluse’ for a long time. But being an author or a home-based mompreneur can be a very lonely journey. So get yourself active in online communities and find some like-minded people, who will make your journey a little more easy and worthwhile.
What is your vision? Share any future plans you have.
Right now, I am taking baby steps in the world of writing and the age of digital marketing. I wish to write fiction stories that will touch people’s heart. I also want to write non-fiction that will help people improve the quality of their life and improve their Mental Wellness quotient.
Thanks, Anupriya for taking out time to answer these questions. I am sure you inspired many moms who aspire to be authors. We wish you all the best for your future endeavours.
You can order her book here
Read about previously featured creative moms here- Monika, Shiva, Soma, Ritika, Sudha, Rina, Shipra, Anuja, Preethi, Surbhi, Debjani , Megha Sushma and Shilpi to get inspired.
December 31, 2018 at 2:41 pm
What a wonderful introduction to Anypriya! I have been reading Anupriya and interacting with her for a while now and I have to say her growth as a writer has been truly inspiring. Her hard work had borne fruit in the for of her book, ‘Because I Promised’ and I am in the midst of reading it now.
My takeaway from this post is this advice by her;
The second learning that I have had is that there are many people out there, who might be much more talented than I am. But what makes me different is that I have the courage to jump in with my feet first and learn alongside as I take the journey. So being a perfectionist does not always work.
January 4, 2019 at 4:21 pm
This is great initiative Deepa to.share some creative mommies world with us and help us motivate to do better. Now I am going to check her book too
January 4, 2019 at 5:28 pm
That was a really great introduction to the writer! I loved her story and would love to read her book… ❤
January 4, 2019 at 6:08 pm
Earlier I use to write thoughts & my daily experience in the way of story in my college days then I stopped writing it after my marriage. Now I am thinking to start again with gracefully. Thank you for sharing the article it has inspired me a lot.
January 4, 2019 at 6:16 pm
It’s always a pleasure reading about the writing journey of authors .What’s even more important is this ability to persist at creating something.Inspiring interview.