WriterStory Interviews of Writers
Ishita Katyal, a 9 year old with full confidence speaks to us in an interview. Ishita considers herself blessed to be living in a world with so many opportunities around her to do things.
Ishita Katyal, all of 9 years in February 2015, she organized a TEDx event at her school aimed at making things easier for people through use of technology. She is the youngest license holder of a TEDxYouth event in the Asia Pacific Region. Ishita conducts workshops for community children on the subject of – learning through everyday objects.
At the tender age of 8, she has leveraged her learning’s to take care of her less privileged friends. Encouraged by her mother, Ishita participates in weekly sessions at Balewadi Community to conduct mini workshops with everyday material.
As a student, her belief in spreading the word got her to apply for a TEDx independently organised event in her school. Her February 2015 TEDx Youth@Balewadi event featured 3 very nice speaker talks around making things easier for people through use of technology.
Ishita is very fond of reading in her spare time and likes to write around the sweet life of being a girl. At age 8, she wrote a book titled – ‘Simran’s Diary‘.
Ishita has demonstrated that given a chance and freedom to do things, kids learn best when they see and believe in the things. It’s not her passion but her will to find extraordinary happiness that has made her achieve success at such a young age.
Ishita is also being facilitated with REX Karmaveer Chakra Award and REX Global Fellowship 2014-15.
Let us know more about this young determined girl about her writing and her book in her own words.
What inspired you to start writing?
My parents always tell me to develop an area of interest and do something great with it. My parents do a lot of hard work and I always wanted to do something special for them. I had a lot of spare time in my summer holidays and instead of just playing around and reading, I applied my love for reading to write a book of my own. I am thankful to my parents for being a source of inspiration.
How important was the support from your parents while writing the book?
The support from my parents was quite important. The moment I shared my idea of writing a book, they were very excited. They kept me motivated through out my summer holidays. In between whenever I used to get stuck, they always supported me by spending time and discussing options to move my story forward. They also proof read my book to identify minor mistakes which were corrected before the book got published.
What is the greatest challenge in writing a book?
Editing the book was the biggest challenge for me. I had to look for even those minor mistakes which if not corrected could confuse the reader. I had to read my book 3 – 4 times. Every time the publisher would share the formatted menu script, I could identify mistakes that I did not see the previous time. I spent about 2 weeks in just editing the book and getting the final copy ready for publish. This was a very time consuming and a patient exercise.
How much research do you do before writing the book?
I did not do any research. I just went with the flow. I was focused on having a story which was simple and funny. In fact chapter by chapter the story evolved on its own.
What motivated you to write the book “Simran`s Diary”?
I write a page or two everyday to jot down my thoughts from what happens through out the day. I thought why not actually write a book about children`s thoughts and the day to day funny and sad experiences. ‘Simran’s Diary‘ is a book that a lot of children can relate to.
Can you tell us more about your latest book “Simran`s Diary”?
‘Simran’s Diary‘ is about the adventurous journey of an 8 year old. It is about the daily twists and turns. Simran at a point in the book fulfills her dream which is a great feeling for her.
How did you came up with the idea of writing childhood fiction genre book?
Children of my age love reading fiction stories. I am also very fond of reading such stories. These stories open up a whole new world of imaginative thinking. It was my love for reading fiction stories that made me chose this genre.
Who are your favourite authors?
My favourite authors are :
Judy Balan, Scharada Bail, Dick King Smith, Thea Stilton, Ruskin Bond and Enid Blyton
How much time do you dedicate for writing on a daily basis?
I continue to write short stories, short opens, songs and triplets. If there is too much of home work, then I am able to dedicate only about 20 to 30 minutes on a day. On days when I get very little home work , I write for more than 30 minutes. I don’t restrict myself to a time limit.
What words of wisdom would you like to give to aspiring writers?
I believe if it is your passion to write, then only go for it. If you are not sure, take some time to think and try if it makes you really happy. You also need to have someone around you who can inspire you. In my case it was my parents inspirational speak of doing some thing great in my life.
You can buy her book now:
