Smita Das Jain - I am a spontaneous author

Smita Das Jain is a writer, a certified Digital Content Writing specialist and an executive life coach. A lot on her platter now, Smita took a break from her Corporate job to play all of the above roles and more. Let’s talk to her about writing. 

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‘Pen is mightier than the sword…’

“…and I use my writing pen to create the world of my choice and to express my views.” 

Smita used to write since she was eight. We wondered how did it turn into published works. 

“Writing is something that came naturally to me, and I have been writing since I was eight. Being in the corporate world for so many years, I forgot my passion for fiction. Then I did a creative writing course at Stanford University in 2018 and rekindled my love affair for writing. I write every day; it is a way of life for me. I write to express and to inform.”

“I used to write in bits and pieces till March 2021. Since April of this year, I have paused my corporate career to pursue my passions. Now I am a Personal Empowerment and Executive Life Coach, enabling people to create the careers they love and live the life they choose. Being an entrepreneur with my own coaching practice means that I am in control of my time and hence able to balance both. “

‘I am a very spontaneous writer..’

Every writer has a different process to their craft. Smita is a spontaneous writer and her schedule is pretty interesting. 

“I have no process! I am a very spontaneous writer. I get up very early in the morning when the entire world is asleep and switch on my laptop to open a blank word document. Then I write what first comes to my mind. Then type another word, and then another. I find the idea of having a plot and writing to that very boring; I have written a couple of stories that way but didn’t like the end product. 

I think and plan a lot in real life, so I guess it is the other way around when I am creating fictional worlds. I have actually written a blog on the subject called “5 techniques of daily writing when you don’t know what to write,” which may be referred to here.

I don’t write with a set plot in mind and let my characters lead me in my stories. And I write whenever I find time and wherever I find space. Samples of my writings are visible in the surroundings around me – my home office, my sunny terrace garden, my husband’s car and the kitchen napkins.”

‘A Slice of Life’ – Let’s get to know more about this anthology 

Smita’s latest book ‘A Slice of Life‘ is an interesting anthology of short stories about real people. We asked how did the stories came to her. 

“I take inspiration from real life. Truth is stranger than fiction, and the more you observe people and things around you, the more stories you will get to narrate. The characters in all my tales are real people in a fictional setting, which is why they are relatable. To give you an example, the inspiration for ‘Parched’- one of the stories in my book, came from the dried-up Tulsi plant on my terrace. I have written a blog post, ‘6 Techniques For Building a Fictional Character That Your Readers Won’t Forget,’ on the subject, which readers can read here. 

So, I just did what I knew, and the collection wrote itself; I was just the medium to express my characters.”

From not judging people to selfless love – there’s a lot in the stories 

We had asked about her favourite story in the book. 

“Very difficult to pick one story, as you can understand. Since you have asked, I will say it’s a tie between ‘The Other Side’ and ‘Forever Love.’ The former is a classic example of not judging people by what is apparent on the surface, and the latter exemplifies selfless love; diehard romantics will identify closely with this story.”

Smita shared a glimpse of what to look forward in the book and why would readers love it.

“Simple language with realistic characters. My stories are about realistic characters in fictional settings and going by the reviews, readers are finding them very emotional and relatable. I have focused on people and their emotions rather than using words in descriptive settings. 

Readers are very selective about their time nowadays and have a short attention span. At just about 100 pages, this book is perfect for busy professionals to connect with their inner selves. And, I am confident that they will get the satisfaction of reading a good book.”

From blogging to writing – an interesting journey

Smita has been blogging since long. How is blogging different from writing an entire book? 

“Blogging is one-dimensional; you need to stick to a particular theme in a blog. While a book, especially fiction, is uni-dimensional. You have more space, for one thing, to weave an array of characters with themes, plots and sub-plots. A book will be your first choice if you are looking for leisure, whereas if you want knowledge or self-improvement tips, blogs are what you will go to.”

Jeffrey Archer and Chetan Bhagat – more on Smita’s favourite authors

“I am an unabashed Jeffrey Archer fan and eagerly waiting to read his next book in the William Warwick series. His writing style has inspired me, which I have mentioned in the acknowledgement section of my book. Among the Indian authors, I admire Chetan Bhagat. The fiction corner of my bookshelf is dominated by both these writers, along with Agatha Christie.”

‘Writing is a lonely process..’

Those are not discouraging words from Smita for aspiring writers. You have to read what her writing tips are. 

“Writing entails a lot of hard work and is a lonely process. It is not advisable to take shortcuts to publish. Unless you are a great writer, do not try to publish a book directly. Write some articles, stories etc. in various literary platforms available, take feedback from your friends, relatives and strangers on your style, practice a lot, hone your craft, and only when you have a repertoire of stories or articles under your belt, then think of coming out with a book.

Also, editing takes more time than writing and never really finishes, and marketing entails more effort than writing and editing combined. So don’t think the journey is over when you have completed the first draft.”

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