Ask the Author: Vijay Balan
Answered Questions (5)
Vijay Balan
Reading leads to writing. All those letters and words jumped off the many pages I read and lodged themselves in my brain. They tumbled, churned and morphed over the years into sentences that flowed from my pen, and later, keyboard. I also had two great teachers in school that got me interested in history and the English language.
Vijay Balan
Keep at it. There are myriad distractions that can pull you away, including the seemingly insurmountable barriers confronting a new writer. Don't give up and enjoy the journey- even if your hoped for destination appears distant.
Vijay Balan
Especially as a writer of historical fiction, I enjoy traveling in time and space while sitting at my desk. Once there, at a point somewhere in history, I enjoy the challenge of bringing you, the reader, along with me to see, smell and hear what I am experiencing.
Vijay Balan
Walk away from writing for a while. I find brisk walks- particularly in places of natural beauty- helpful. I am a visual writer, and thus cues from my walks can help break the logjam- was this character or that in a place like this? Why? That sometimes help me break out of the rut in which I am stuck.
Vijay Balan
The seed for this story was planted by my father who told me stories about my grand-uncle (the protagonist of The Swaraj Spy) during my child hood. I decided to write this book about 13 years ago, and thus began my journey of research, visits to different parts of the world and pitching the book to agents and publishers.
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