WriterStory Interviews of Writers
We interviewed a woman entrepreneur and an author, Hitesha Deshpande for her book “Horseshoe Garage“. She is the Founder and CEO of Niraksh Event Strategists. She is also the Creative Head of Silber Strategic Communications.
Her hobbies include biking, traveling and likes to enjoy her life to the fullest. So let us get to know more about the author about her writing and her latest book.
What inspired you to start writing?
This, to me, is the most dreaded question. I simply don’t know how to answer it. It is like trying to answer – what inspired you to start eating? There was food and my stomach rumbled and my instincts told me to put that food in my mouth.
There were words and my mind was filled with stories and finding the right words for the right story, seemed like the most natural thing to do. I did not start writing because of a particular person or incident. It just happened.
What did you like to read when you were a girl?
I am still a little girl. At heart. Even today, I love to bury my nose in Heidi or Anne of Green Gables. I grew up on the regular stash of books every Indian child my age seemed to have access to – Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, Famous Five, Secret Seven and I loved reading them all! They gave me access to a world which was so different from mine. I remember falling in love with lemonade and scones even before I tasted them!
But it is Little Women by Louis May Alcott that I truly cherish. I was in the 5th grade when I first read this book. I stayed up with it through the night and carried it with me into another sleepless day. It was the first time I cried while reading a book. And I cry every single time I read it even now. It is not just the story, it is the way in which it is told. It’s beautiful!
What is the greatest challenge in writing a book?
Completing it. If you are anything like I am, you will know I speak the truth. You have this fantastic story all plotted out and you sit on your laptop to add words which will make the story truly memorable. You start with real enthusiasm and gusto. But the story is running ahead in your head and your typing speed just does not match the pace.
Annoyingly, you must also take breaks. So the story keeps twisting and turning in your head but writing it must wait. Before you know it, a week has become a month and a month has stretched into two. But the end of the book is far from near. Being patient with the book and your story is not easy at all. You have to persevere. Because nobody likes a half-baked story.
How much research do you do before writing the book?
Honestly, I spend endless hours reading pages and pages of information on whatever it is I seek. The internet is a wonderful thing and for somebody who likes to read, it will keep you hooked to the screen. But the truth is, a lot of if it is unnecessary, especially for the book. I end up crowding my head with more information than is necessary and it takes a brutal process of editing to delete all that information out of the book. Because if readers want statistics and numbers, they can Google it up! They read the book for the story.
What motivated you to write the book “Horseshoe Garage”?
Sometime in the July of 2011, I crashed ‘Hobbes’; my first car. I was heartbroken, because the car was not just a mechanical transport device to me, he was the one person who helped me make my escapes and who knew how to save a corner for me when I wanted some alone time. So naturally I dialed up friends and researched the best garage to take Hobbes to.
And that is when Horseshoe Garage started taking shape. I had taken Hobbes to a well recommended garage in Noida. While the mechanics pried him open and worked on fixing everything that was wrong, they were extremely conscious of me standing there and watching their every move. I was the only woman in that garage with about fifteen other men. I was constantly badgered with attention – a chair to sit on, something to drink, why didn’t I sit in the restaurant across till the car was done?
I made them uncomfortable by merely being there. What would they do if they had to work with me day in and day out? There was a space for a female mechanic in a garage and Horseshoe Garage was going to talk about that.
Can you tell us more about your latest book “Horseshoe Garage”?
Horseshoe Garage is all about being brave enough to dream and having the courage to do what it takes to achieve that dream. It is about Sav and Rags, two mechanical engineers who have landed cushioned jobs post their MBA. It is about their decision to quit everything comfortable and ordinary to chase their extraordinary dream to build their own car for Neo-racing.
It is about Naaz, the female mechanic who is brilliant, unconventional and tough. It is about all of them getting together and putting the larger dream ahead of themselves. Does it have unbelievable moments? Of course it does! It is a fictional tale about a fictional race. But that is what makes the struggle to achieve this dream all the more worthwhile.
Horseshoe Garage has a little drama, some love, technical information about cars and a lot of action.
How did you came up with the idea of writing collection of inspirational fiction genre book?
Writing fiction is a shortcoming and a gift. A shortcoming because I don’t know how to write something that does not weave in a little bit of imagination. It is a gift because I feel like I live many lives and experience so much more through the characters I create.
I first started believing in the strength of my words when my blog on myopera.com was well appreciated. Of course it no longer exists. But I continued to write on wildindigestion.blogspot.com. When the short stories I put up there were loved and received well, I thought it was time to try writing a book.
Who are your favourite authors?
David Bladacci and Patrick Rothfuss. Both of them are different as chalk and cheese in both; their genre of books and their style of writing. But what they most definitely do – is leave you with an unforgettable story.
How much time do you dedicate for writing on a daily basis?
I am not a disciplined writer. I am not proud of it. But that is how it is. I can write for days on an end when I feel like or write nothing at all for months. And I realized that it is alright to do so. I cannot force myself to write when I don’t feel like. The kinds of stuff I write when forced is not worthy of a read.
What words of wisdom would you like to give to aspiring writers?
Don’t judge your own book. We tend to favor the extremes – either we become the worst critics of our work or the best fans. Either situation puts the book in an unfavorable situation. Finished writing a book? Let the publishing houses and editors decide what they have to.
Don’t let a rejection dishearten or discourage you. Sometimes it is not the story or the writing that gets rejected, it is the timing of the kind of book you have written. But remember, publishers are at the end of the day people too. They could be wrong. Believe in your story. Your work. But do not be blind to suggestions. Especially from readers. And do not count family and friends are readers. It is not their fault but it is difficult for them to not love your book simply because it is written by you!
And whatever happens, do not stop writing.
You can buy her book now:
