Madhura Banerjee is a published writer that has 2 books of poetry to her name and has contributed to Scholastic India’s books. She has also written freelance articles and children’s fiction for The Telegraph and has had her thoughts preserved in a few other portals as well.
She is 25 years old and is also a TEDx speaker and has conducted numerous events across India. She was born in Kolkata and currently works in Bangalore while pursuing her passion for music. Apart from being trained in Hindustani classical vocals, she plays the piano as well.
Madura Banerjee is also a Captain for our very own Creative Writing course.
A glimpse into the session.
After a brief introduction and a lot of love from the attendees, Captain Madhura took over to talk about her life.
From writing her first poem at 7 years old to becoming a published author, we heard about how she wanted people to know about places like Kashung and Kalipur and how she could enlighten people about these places through her poems.
By the age of 21, she knew she wanted to be published so she compiled a bunch of her poems and met with various publishers. As she was a first-timer, she faced rejection but turned it into a positive by self-publishing her first book.
How to get published?
There is a lot that goes into becoming a professional writer, from coming up with ideas for your book to building a writing habit to finding agents and getting published by a publishing company.
Trying to figure out all of this at once could overwhelm anybody, even the best aspiring writers. But if you properly plan out your steps, it could make getting published a lot easier. Whatever your aspiration, the key is to come up with a plan and stick to it.
A few things to keep in mind while trying to get published.
While getting published can be a hard task, here are a few things all writers should do before trying to get published;
- Talk to other authors:
Getting to know your fellow writers and making connections can help you understand the industry better. It can also help you meet the right publisher for you.
- Put your work up on social media:
Getting your work out there before getting published could give you the much-needed headstart that you require. It can also help you make a name for yourself and you might even end up having some fans out there.
- Prepare yourself for rejection:
While no one likes to be rejected, it can be inevitable in the world of writing. All you can do is brace yourself and handle it well. One rejection isn’t the end of the world, you just have to make sure to not give up on your dream.
- Don’t give up:
There are always going to be people that tell you that you’re not going to make it, but what do they know? The only person in charge of your life is you, so keep the hope alive and never give up.
How to get published?
The best way to get published is to network. You can make connections with people that are already in the industry and can help you take your first few steps.
- Expand your network:
Meeting and connecting with people in the field can help you understand what the right steps to take are.
- Identify your target audience:
Find out what group of readers that you want to read your work, they are the people you are designing your work to intrigue. A target audience should understand everything you write.
- Look for potential agents:
Find the right literary agent, take note of some books that are similar to your own and shortlist the ones you think would be the best fit for you.
4. Submit a book proposal:
A proposal helps you summarise your book, its aims, goals, main features and an explanation of the market that it’s meant to intrigue.
How to make time for writing while working a full-time job?
Making time for writing comes from a place of being meticulous and compartmentalising different parts of your life. Balancing your time also heavily influences your ability for finding time to write
There are multiple ways to make sure you don’t miss out on ideas or forget them, one way is to jot down an idea or a plot or even a prompt the moment it comes to you.
Tips for balancing writing and a full-time job.
- Set a schedule for your writing:
Find a time in your daily routine where you have the freedom to spend time on your
writing, make it a habit and do your best to stick to it.
- Prioritise your writing:
It might seem as though there’s always something more important that you should be
doing, setting time aside to work on your book or on your poems should be prioritised
over things that can be saved for later.
- Keep yourself motivated:
Motivation is a huge factor in whether or not you really stick to a new way of doing things. So keeping yourself motivated to write and to find time for it, can help you go a long way in finishing whatever goals you’ve set for yourself.
- Set reasonable targets:
Don’t set your expectations too high, start by setting small reasonable goals that are feasible. Writing one page or one mini poem a day can be a good way to start small and then expand your expectations.
- Create the perfect environment:
Find a spot where you can focus and be left alone, make sure you have all your necessities around and easily accessible for you when you need them, this can help make sure that your mind doesn’t wander while you are focusing on your writing.
Once we heard about ways to get published and how to make time for writing while working a full-time job, it was time for the Q&A session.
All the questions were answered. The audience seemed to love that they could ask questions about their own experience and were given answers that could help them with the struggles they faced while trying to get into the industry.
Overall, it was an amazing session that taught all of us in attendance that no matter what the obstacles in front of you are, if you have a plan and if you stick to it you can achieve anything you set your mind to.
