Writing fiction was sort of self-discovery - Madhumita Mandal

Dr. Madhumita Mandal is a fitness enthusiast, healthcare coach and consultant. Writing fiction is her other self though; she has published several short stories and novels.

My childhood was less boring because I read

Books remained my best friends throughout growing years. The summer days were loaded with fun reading and made my childhood days less boring. The reading included diverse topics like mythology, science fiction, detective series, anthologies, and comics and the list kept on increasing. I feel fortunate that the 90’s was a gadget-free era and we as children could explore the world of books.

The impact of reading happened subtly and assuredly in my life and subconsciously I started using characters and situations from books to find solutions to real-world problems. The stories provided the situation and the characters offered solutions and the coping mechanism developed subconsciously.

“Writing fiction has been a way to let out what’s hidden in me..”

Fast forward to adulthood, my inclination towards writing increased. For me, writing fiction was sort of self-discovery. It soon transformed into a journey to spill my hopes and fears onto the blank page before me. After convincing myself, I’ve found my voice. Writing since then has been a way to let out what’s hidden in me, showcase my heartbreaks, rewrite my mistakes, manifest disappointment or confusion, imbibe fantasy and rejoice in love. The racing thoughts in my mind soon found a place to park, the act of putting pen to paper really helped me decompress.

On writing fiction, non fiction, short stories and memoirs..

I love writing fiction (especially for children), literary, coming of age stories, memoirs etc, though Sci-Fi remains my forte. 

My debut novel ‘The Invisible Me’ published by Notion Press was a unique trial to showcase the latent trait in us that evolved across boundaries and time zones. It was a medley that stood between fiction and non-fiction. Next in line was a war story based in Syria, called ‘A tale from Syria’s heart.’ I have contributed to a children’s anthology titled “When Mommy was a Little Girl” published by Ponytale Books. My latest short story “Raghu’s Two Extra Eyes” was published in iNTELLYJELLY Magazine’s Nov ’22 issue. “NUKE MOON” & “Chandrashila Mystery Man” are two of my SCI-FI short stories available on Kindle. 

The motto that I believe in – ‘Don’t censor the ideas, they are for the world to discover.’

Publishing a book is a test of patience

I soon gauged that writing is way different than publishing a book. Writing may be a talent, publishing a book is a test of patience. For a debutant or fresher, the publishing task is more difficult than climbing Everest. It is extremely tough to find a literary agent and a traditional publisher. It takes time, say 1-3 years before your books reach bookshelves, from the time the publisher approved a script. Then comes the distribution, marketing and promotion challenge. Sales figures matter to publishers, they are doing their job.

Also read: ‘Ponniyin Selvan is our Tamil Game of Thrones’ : Preetha Rajah Kannan

Tips for aspiring writers

Writers need to be social media savvy nowadays. It is truly a challenge for writers, who are now required to spend quite a lot time on social media to promote their books. Author branding is also crucial in today’s social media-driven world.

Although I remain busy with my healthcare consulting & health-coaching work, for me, genres can change but writing is a journey which never ends, and you never know what will have an impact on someone’s life.

Contact Dr Madhumita Mandal via her website