Writing liberates me but it is time-consuming - Riti Prasad

Riti Prasad – A journey through writing\n\nWhen the Birtish quit India, they left behind their legacy- the English language, which unites our�nation across state and language barriers. I am one of those specimens who love the beauty of the�English language, who would recite poetry in loud voice while studying for exams and who almost�had an orgasm reading the romantic archaic language in Shakespeare�s works. Not to forget, English�is my language of love. I am not talking of the romance books with fancy, foreign covers but about�this little detail that prevents the spouse and I from speaking in our respective native languages. His�comprehension of Hindi tends to null and my functional knowledge of Tamil would cause more�misunderstandings between the spouse and me, than communicate our love for each other. Ergo,�English became the default language of our sweet nothings.\n\nIt is not too difficult to imagine that I loved writing English tests. My hands would shake in nervous�anticipation, my eyes would zone towards the topic of story writing, and I would unleash my creative�genius on the unsuspecting teacher. I would spin a yarn that could put them yarn-spinners of fairy�tales to shame and I would have taken several supplementary pages had word limit not stopped me�from doing so. From exams I graduated to emails, which perhaps were applauded more for�impeccable grammar than content and one day like every soul who houses an author within, I began�to blog.\n\nBlogging to writing\n\nThe blog became a space where I could express my views and talk about my twin boys, secure in the�huge community of moms who became our soul sisters and listening ears. We thrived in the�adulation and support and talked freely of issues surrounding parenting especially in the current�context of nuclear families. The blogging moms became our own village and we raised our children�together. We became cognizant of parenting principles; we over-thought every aspect of child-rearing and questioned existing norms. One day, we decided that even books and comics we grew�up with needed that scrutiny. Were they gender-biased? Were they violent or gory? Were they�imparting lessons at all? Were they useful?�Some mothers decided we could write for our children if we wanted the ideal book for them. Several�moms published their books and one day I jumped the bandwagon as well.\nMy books Mathematics, Fun, Facts and Fiction and Folk Tales from Around the World were�published and I officially became an author.\n\nAbout the book\n\nI thought I would publish a few books and get the writing bug out of my system but I realized the�thirst became even stronger. The high of seeing one�s own book in one�s hand is beyond�explanation. I wanted to write more so I made several outlines; a collection of short stories, a few�romance books and a book on raising twins. My anthology Wicked Temptations was published�and around the same time, I was offered a contract to write my experiences of raising my twin�boys. Thus, Double Trouble Double Fun! A Supermom�s Guide to Raising Twins was born.�Both forms of manuscripts were unique and I realized I could switch hats between them easily. I�could weave a yarn while writing a masala potboiler and I could also speak in all honesty about�the challenges of raising twins, not just as a mother but as a working mom. I started the writing�process and I realized that it was not just about the children but about my own journey of raising�them, my learning as I went along, how the spouse and I grew and changed as parents, and how�we created our own style of raising our children. The books became, not only a way to create a�story but also my outlet for expressing my love for the English language. Not many would believe�it, but I loved the editing process. My editor Ruchita made me see things I could not while writing�and when I went back to other manuscripts, I discovered I had evolved as a writer and�sharpened the manuscripts further.\n\nOn writing schedules and rules\n\nI usually work on the bare bones of the plot for several months before I start the actual process of�writing. I plan word-limit, chapter details, characters, their idiosyncrasies and the conflicts they�are going to face in the book. I make a separate section of everything I wish to incorporate in the�plot. These come to me from different people and incidents and continue to walk into the script�as I write. The classic rule of �write a few lines every day� is the most elementary yet the most�important rule. I realize when I begin to write, the words flow, the plot moves and ideas crop up�even if they evaded me at the time of planning the story.\n\nFor the book Double Trouble Double Fun! A Supermom�s Guide to Raising Twins I had to�reluctantly let go of my fiction-writing hat. Sometimes, it is tempting to gloss over the bad parts�but I let everything flow uninhibited because I wanted to connect with the readers in an honest�manner. Often, I would pause and think whether I was letting out too much information but then I�wrote everything I thought essential because it is scary for first time parents to deal with the�change and I wanted to offer support in the form of my words. If the book makes a difference to�even one parent out there I will consider my job done.\n\nWriting liberates me but at the same time it is a time-consuming and mentally exhausting�exercise which needs honest and intense dedication. I am, in most circumstances a writer who�schedules the writing after my day job, home management and orchestrating of children�s�homework are done. However, when deadline looms, I can be found absorbed in the exercise,\nlost in the world of the manuscript, unmindful of everyone around myself. I spend weekends�glued to the screen maniacally making changes. I make time on airports and in flights to continue�the writing, assimilating the happenings around me into the book.\n\nOn being a working mom and writing about it\n\nI wondered while forming my outline on what I could offer to new parents, that is not already�written out there. I noticed, most parenting books focus on the child but I also knew that I wanted�to write the book out from my own lens which essentially is a working mom�s lens. I cannot avoid�that bias in my narrative and I decided to play it by that. I have gone through several Mommy�wars in the last decade, including the most heated one; that of working and Stay at Home Moms.�I may be playing the Working Mom card several times in the book but SAHMs are welcome to�read and burst my bubble. Bring it on.�I would also invite �Working Dads� to challenge my proposition that the woman of the house is the�fulcrum around which the home revolves. She is the chief worrier, the home CEO, the caregiver�and several things more, apart from a career woman. She multi-tasks not just physically but also�mentally. I want to bring this perspective out for the readers through Double Trouble, Double�Fun.\n\nReaders’ takeaway from the book\n\nEssentially, the book is about my experience with raising twins – it is my niche – however readers�will discover that parents of twins deal with the same challenges, issues, uncertainties, fears and�joys that parents irrespective of the number of children deal with so there is no reason why all�parents will not find this book interesting.�I have tried to make the book humorous and fun hoping that readers laugh as they read, find�humour in exasperating situations and finally understand that nothing hard lasts forever.�I have carefully steered clear of preachy tone which causes eyes of the reader to glaze with�boredom or roll upwards in exasperation and skip portions.�The book therefore, is a memoir which has all elements of a masala fiction from a literary�perspective.\n\nConnect with Riti on her blog | Facebook | Twitter\n\nAuthor(s): Riti Prasad\nPublisher: Hay House\nRelease: July 2017\nGenre: Non Fiction/Parenting\nBuy from�Amazon � Please use the affiliate link below & share the love!\n\n\n\nBook lovers can �Contribute articles �& �join our Review program to receive review copies of new release books.� And if you are an author, share about you & your book(s) in Author�s corner & do take a look at our unique community approach to Book Marketing.!