A career in writing – what does that mean?
As part of UGC’s STRIDE (Scheme for for Trans-Disciplinary Research for India’s Developing Economy), the English department of Fergusson College invited me to talk about making a career in creative writing. What I loved was that I didn’t speak just to students of the English department; it really was trans-disciplinary!
What would a talk on a career in creative writing involve? For me, first, it would involve demystifying the publishing process. Secondly, to use a word that the organiser used, it would need to deglamorize the life of a writer. If you’re talking about a career and not a hobby, writing is not about penning down your thoughts and expressing your feelings. No. It’s not the random poem here, or the the snippet of deep, philosophical thought there.
Okay, so you write poetry. When did you last buy a book of poems? Does your answer help you understand whether writing poetry is sustainable as a career?
How do you go about the querying process? What kind of timelines are you looking at? If a publisher pays me an advance of ₹15,000 for a book that is three years in the making, you can do the math and see whether it adds up to a career.
It’s lovely when you can feel new ideas dawning on listeners as you speak. To a great extent, that’s how I felt.
“I read barely any contemporary Indian writers, and I think that should change,” said one.
“I understand that beginning a letter with Respected Sir/Madam is not inclusive, so I won’t do it.”
Do you see what I mean?
Leave a Reply