“Males can keep the bastions to themselves, I want to keep my independent thinking and I am a writer first first” that is precisely how Kiran, Koral and Mona broke past the gender divide, identifying themselves as writers over and above anything else. Anupama Jain from IWI met these fabulous women for The IWI Debate on Friday for a sparkling discussion.

One thing is certain, these women are not keen on binding themselves to writers of one genre. Exploring genres and stepping outside the limits of their mind are challenges that they enjoy! Kiran says writing comedy is the most difficult of all. Fun books, thought, don’t demand much research compared to the nonfiction ones. As a writer, Kiran feels it  is  her duty to write believable characters, in any gender and from any point of view. Research done for the book should therefore contribute to the flow of the plot and should be non-intrusive. Online research and books are the major sources they seek out for researching their works.

The connection between writers and feminism

Koral feels Feminism as an activity is being led by educated people, with their own perspective, experiences and agenda. No two people may have the same view of feminism. But the common theme is that all are trying to progress. People are responding to dialogue and conversation, which is a good sign!

Advise to writers

Live life to the fullest and your writing will happen, says Kiran.  Exercise patience, don’t be in a hurry to publish, take your time and do your best. The lack of patience is something Koral agrees she observes in young authors. “We have to feed our mind in order to get output.  The key is to read a lot, observe, watch a lot of content. Enjoy what you are doing ! Have reasonable expectations and a sense of your accomplishment” Mona suggests. Even a passion turns into a mundane job over a period of time and you need to accept this!

So KDP or Traditional Publishing?

Even the big names are trying out KDP now, but it is essential to weigh the pros and cons. Traditional publishing houses help build an audience for the first time author better. Your guideline for the future is those readers who are strangers, who pick your book and read through it. So marketing the book is key to its success.

Are writers egoistic?

A good writer cannot hold conceit and belligerence, because that shuts the door to understanding people, so there is really no place for ego there. Besides writers are fragile and sensitive, the empathy helps them to write better. So ego doesn’t really work!

And on that note, we leave you with this beautiful thought from Koral… Good behaviour is the only thing that we can gift each other!

Author

Nithya Rajagopal is Manager, Content and Community at IWI.