Writing lets my mind wander to a world that I have created : Nishant Prakash

Nishant Prakash is a strategic advisor by profession and a dreamer by choice. ‘Falling In and Out’ is his first book. Let’s take a peek into the author’s life.

Writing is one selfish act that I practice

A strategic advisor by profession, a dreamer by choice, my life’s story is all about humble beginnings and daring to dream big. I come from a small town in the Eastern part of the country, born in a typical middle-class family of the 90s, that had aspirations born out of necessities. Consequently, a large part of my teenage and adult life has been spent ensuring a better livelihood for my family and excelling in whatever I was aspiring to do professionally. Whether it be the coveted IIM degree or a preferred choice of career in Customer & Marketing Strategy, a lot of my life’s choices have thus been determined by the zeal to follow-through on the path towards the aforementioned aspirations.

However, while those aspirations were born out of necessities, the one selfish act that I’ve held onto throughout those years of madding rat-races, was to do something that truly liberated me as an individual – penning down my thoughts, regardless of how outlandish or logical they might seem to others. I see writing as a means to relax my brain cells, focusing them on something that truly takes my mind off material things, and my thoughts away from the world and happenings around me.

Why do I write?

I write because it truly lets my mind wander into a world that is mine to create. I like studying people and observing situations around me, and then pondering over the ‘Why’s behind them. I believe this knack of keenly observing things, before I open my mouth or interject, is something that has helped me as a writer as well. I honestly believe that you need a certain level of research for penning down any relevant piece of literature – in my case, a large portion of this research comes from observing people and situations around me. 

‘Falling In and Out’ – by Nishant Prakash : Let’s get to know more about the book

It’s a coming-of-age story of 3 friends from a small town, and how one of them sets up on a path to correct the wrongs of their collective past, fighting ‘Time’, their destinies and everything else in between. Based on initial reviews, the book should appeal to fans of both drama/romance as well as Sci-fi genres. 

While I have written numerous short stories and articles across School, College and Professional magazines, I’ve always had this dream of telling a story that was more nuanced, akin to the early works of Mark Twain and Rudyard Kipling, that had inspired me as a kid. The only thing holding me back till now were my own apprehensions on if the story I had in my mind would resonate with its readers, or will it be gripping enough for them to not stop mid-way. With ‘Falling In & Out’, I finally had a body of work in mind, which ticked all the boxes, in these regards. Much like my inspirations mentioned above, I finally had a story in mind that paid as much attention to details, as it would to gradually building up characters, before knocking the readers’ socks off, with elements of surprise that they would (hopefully) not see coming. This for me, is the USP of ‘Falling In & Out’.

Also read : Writing has always been my true calling : Tanima Das

A writing schedule was necessary for me through last year

Over the last year, I’ve moved places, changed jobs and even welcomed a new member to our family; so, when my book was formally published last month, the first question most people around me had was about how I got the time to write the book. But while they saw the events around me as restricting towards me from finding enough time to write, for me, writing was a necessity during this time; it helped me relax and sail through all the changes happening around me. More so, with so many rich personal interactions, emotions and scenes unfolding in front of my own eyes, it in fact gave me more ammunition to pen those down as pieces of the universe I was carving out for ‘Falling In & Out’. The only thing that I ensured religiously, was to dedicate the last 2 hours of my day to either writing (for continuation) or reading (for inspiration). There were nights when I got so engrossed that I ended up spending 4 hours instead of 2, but at the same time there were days where I could barely scrape through 30 minutes. And I guess, both of these aberrations are fine, as long as you have those hours earmarked in your daily schedule. 

Few tips and tricks for aspiring writers from Nishant Prakash

My advice to aspiring writers – don’t try to ‘actively’ find excuses that stop you from completing your piece. Remember that, if you have conviction in what you are writing, the mere publishing of that body of work would provide you with enough serotonin to inspire you for your next book or article. So, get that first piece out ASAP. Secondly, don’t second guess yourself – leave that critical lens for your reviewers (and yourself) after you’ve completed your first edition. And finally, it is ok to get bogged down when you are struggling with writer’s block – try to find an inspiration that pushes you back on track; go back to the drawing board to figure out why did you start on this journey in the first place – more often than not, you will find your inspiration in those hidden corners itself. 

As for the more practical aspects of publishing – self/co/vanity/traditional – there is no right or wrong path here. I chose to self-publish because I was seeking reviews and early feedback on my writing style, while I continued discussions with traditional publishers on the side. Both serve the same purpose, just the nuances of marketing, launch and distribution strategies would be different. For example, if you are self-publishing, be ready to dedicate enough time to marketing the book yourself and getting the right sets of eyeballs on it. If you are opting for traditional publishing, have a longer purview (6-12 months) for launch after completion, and have your Plan B and C ready, in case the Tier 1 and 2 publishers don’t come rushing to get your signature.