WriterStory Interviews of Writers
Ankit Jaiswal, age 25, hails from the city of joy, Kolkata. He has worked as a software professional with different MNC’s. He is currently doing his management degree from IIM, Udaipur. He is a core member of Potpourri-The Literary and Quizzing of IIM Udaipur where he takes care of the Balicha Bugle magazine. His debut novel, ‘The Fragile Heart’ published by Penpoint Publications was released in the year 2014. It’s a romantic fiction themed on the significance of first love in one’s life.
What inspired you to start writing?
Well I think it was more of an aspiration than an inspiration. I’ve been writing poetry since my school days and always had that inherent desire in me to get published somewhere, someday. But with time I understood how difficult it was to get published with poetry and I was way too impatient to write a novel. In 2012-13, I was going through lot of changes in my life (as you can say, emotional vacuum) and thought to leverage the opportunity to actually transition from writing poetries to write a novel.
What did you like to read when you were a boy?
I must confess that I’m not much of a reader. I always had been more passionate of watching movies than to read.
What is the greatest challenge in writing a book?
I think the challenges vary from person to person. To me the biggest challenge was overcoming my reluctance to write a novel of 150-200 pages. Another challenging aspect had been to keep myself passionate and focused to complete the novel. It wasn’t easy for someone used to shorter version of writing to transition to longer version. It demanded lot of dedication to live with the story and put it down on papers.
How much research did you do before writing the book?
Though the story is a work of fiction, few sub-plots are derivatives of my experiences from life. Also, the easy-go nature of the plot didn’t require much of a research and I didn’t have much trouble to narrate the story of Jai through my lenses.
Can you tell us more about your latest book “The Fragile Heart”?
The Fragile Heart is about Jai, the protagonist, his journey right from his high school days till he starts working after graduation. The theme of the novel is how Jai deals with the conflict of his past and present. Jai when in high school pours his heart out in a letter which he wrote for Geeta whom he was in love with. But fate had its own plans and she disappears abruptly, leaving him distressed and broken. Years later, when Jai moves to Bangalore for pursuing engineering he meets Riya, his junior who tries to fill the void in his life. The two soon get into a relationship. Everything goes on smooth in their lives until Jai comes to Mumbai for his job. The past revisits him and he is tangled between his haunting past and complicated present.
How did you come up with the idea of writing romantic fiction genre book?
I had become competent in articulating emotions through poetry and I thought it would be a good start with romantic genre. I feel comfortable in this genre and the acceptance of the mass readers towards such novels made me feel confident.
Who are your favourite authors?
Ruskin Bond and R.K.Narayanan
How much time do you dedicate to writing on a daily basis?
When I was writing the book, I took out around an hour every day from my regular work-life. I remember there was hardly a day in those span of six months when I didn’t write.
What words of wisdom would you like to give to aspiring writers?
Getting published has become quite easier in India but drawing quality attention for your work by reaching out to the masses is not. If writing is your passion, then you must not deter from any rejections you face. Just keep writing!
You can buy his book now:
