This one is for Mom

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This one is for you Mom…

Mummy, I can’t even count the number of times I call you. Your name may be Mrs. Savita Manoj Brijpuria to the world but to me you are my mother. The one who brought me to this world and the one who taught me to deal with this world.

You are the best teacher to me and I have learnt so much from you.

You taught me to be good to the ones who are good to you and be ten times as good to the world who are bad to you as it ensures that they are left with no option but to agree with you.

You taught me to walk the world learning their customs but to never forget my personal values.

I loved the way you fought for me. I appreciate how you attended my school functions to make me smile whether I participated or not. I adored you for loving me even when I failed. I appreciate your belief that I would learn the information I needed to know when the time was right, through school, college or life, and if I never learnt then probably there was no need for me to learn and I could survive without knowing it.

Mom you actually made me achieve so much, with your strength and belief.

I hated Math and still do but your challenge to my Math teacher helped me to actually become a Math Honours so that with pride you could flaunt about it.

I probably am the most fickle minded child of yours but to every rejection or new decision you had a logical reason to give to papa, as he fumed.

I have live my life the way I want because you believed I could so I believed that I could.

You may have not been like other moms. You may have cried when I fell down but you also taught me to be thankful that I could stand back up.

You never wore make up but you never stopped me from trying it on me. You believe in being yourself and that is what I love about you. You have always been the strength of our family and would always be.

I love you for being who you are. You are different and I love you for that. You hated to cook still I never remember a day or a meal you skipped because you did not feel like cooking. The way you supported Papa through all the highs and lows makes me respect you more as a person. From taking charge of his work to us at home, every responsibility that you handle is so perfect with all your lovely imperfections. You learnt driving after your heart attack and everyone looked at your courage with amazement.

I still remember when I was asked who is my role model I could only say ‘My Mother’ not just because you are my mum but because you are a strongest person I know. I want to be like you. I want to have the strength you have.

Mom may you live your dream…I would love to see you doing all you want to in life.

Thank you mom for teaching us to be individuals. Thank you for your little gestures that make me feel so special, so connected to you. I sometimes doubt if I could be such a complete mother to my own kids.

Love you always

 

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Writing the climax of your book

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aspiring authors, author, authors, blog, blog post, Bloggers, blogs, book, books, climax of life, climax of your book, happiness, life, new book, novel, publishing, reader, readers, reading, write, writer, writers, writing

We are characters and life is our stage. We live life every day, every hour and every second. If we claim that the situations we are surrounded with are pretty surprising then we are not being true to ourselves.

We know exactly ‘why’ we do the things we do and the probable outcomes of these actions. We are only reluctant about being proactive because we like having control over situations and deciding the outcome of the story.

‘The Story of Life’

A few days ago I read that everything can be slated by a person’s willpower including his birth and death. I wasn’t surprised by this interpretation of life. My lack of disbelief comes from the stories I heard as a child – stories about Indian mythology, supernatural powers, and about God and how he would grant us wishes. My belief or disbelief in the creator aside, there are many examples of human greatness. People with strong willpower have created history and become Gods of the Era.

I live my life with the belief that while I carve the climax of my life, I should occasionally stop to remember the fun times that occurred as I walked the path. So, it is important that I live life to the fullest; for if the journey is not fun would I visit those times again and again.

As I near the climax of my next Novel, I felt the desire to revisit my journey from a single idea to the climax. The power of thinking, the power of believing can help you create anything, work miracles.

When I write, I have the power to create not just the climax but also the complete story. With life the power rests with me and the Almighty. He gives me the wisdom to make the right decision but he probably does not retain the power to edit my life story or the climax of it. There is a tussle between the creator and the created. This tussle exists only because he gave us the power to think and act. All he has given himself the charge of is the incentives and fines. We receive incentives for all the right that we do and are fined for all the wrong we do. He could just grant us our desires but he controls or tempers our actions by tying us to the karma of time. I ask him to give me the wisdom to make the right decision while I live my life story and write a story, so that the climax is worthwhile.

As a writer, I have decided the climax of my novel. Whether it is correct or not, I do not know. I will share my story with you soon and then you will be able to decide if my story and climax lives up to expectations.

Happiness is infectious and in my happy mood pleased with the fruit of my labor, I wish you a happy life.

God bless!

 

How to market your book

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In the past few weeks, we have been discussing the process of becoming an author. We have touched upon the steps involved in writing a book from concept to editing. We have talked about the process of publication from sending excerpts to a publishing house to the fine lines of signing a contract. This week will discuss the final step of becoming a successful author ‘How to market your book’.

The marketing aspect is typically handled by the Publishing House but you should have some knowledge to ensure your book is marketed successfully. There are 3 basic principles of marketing a book:

1. Target readers: Who is the books’ audience? Each genre, each book has a different audience. Know to whom your book will appeal. Knowing your target reader profile – gender, age group, profession and interest level. This will make marketing the book easier.

2. Target market: Ask where is the target market? It is important to know where your book will be marketed and distributed – metro, a particular geographical location or online. This will give you an idea of where you can self promote your book to build a brand and increase book sales.

3. How marketable is the book in terms of content and interactive level. This knowledge will give you an idea of which mediums you can use to self promote your book.

On the basis of the above points devise a marketing strategy for your Book. This strategy covers all the following platforms:

1. Your presence online
2. Your presence in the market
3. Your presence using other print mediums
4. At ground level events
5. Strategy on the next book

This work begins the day you sign the contract with your publisher. While they edit take the opportunity to start your work as an Author-Marketer.

Develop a presence online
Use platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest to help you connect with the world, your audience. Also, create a website to promote yourself and your future books. You can also blog posts to develop an online audience. This will give you a large and ready audience to share your creativity.

Develop a market presence
Once the book is in the market, arrange for meets-greets with store managers to understand how to reach your readers.

Develop a presence using print mediums
Use the print medium to build a presence for yourself and your book. By building a print presence you can connect to people, your target audience in your target market.

Develop a presence using ground level events
Be ready to shed your shy personality as readers want to know you and understand your thoughts. Interactive sessions about the book, about topics other than books are extremely important as they help connect author to audience.

Strategy for the next book
Once an Author, always an Author. Once the first book is complete you should be thinking about the next book. For example, Dark White my first book has been published and marketed for a year now. Soon you will see my next creative efforts.

How to publish a book

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aspiring authors, authors, book, book love, book writing, books, bookworms, novel, publishers, publishing, publishing houses, read, readers, reading, story telling, writers, writing

Becoming a published author is a dream many strive for but not everyone achieves.
In the past month, I have written about the different steps involved in crafting a spellbinding book.
Today, I will introduce you to the next step to becoming a published author ‘Publishing’.

Once the last word is written and edited, you cannot just sit at home and wait for a publisher to approach you. You need to start approaching publishing houses to get your book published.
The first step to publishing your book is research. You need to gain a good understanding of these three areas – good publication houses, the genre they focus on and how to approach them will increase your chances of getting published.
Good Publishing Houses
Go online and find the names of Publishing Houses. List them out, I created an excel sheet to make comparing them easier. This will help you decide to which Publishing Houses to send your book.
Also, find out the strength of their distribution network. A Publishing House with a strong network will ensure a wider audience which can bring more sales. This research will also help you understand how book stores work from where your book will be displayed to how it will be promoted.
Genre’s and Publishing Houses
Find out which authors reside under the Publishing House brand.You can learn author names from the company’s website or by spending time at book stores. This will give you a fair idea of which genres the house usually publishes.
Approaching a Publishing House
A good time to approach Publishing Houses is after you complete the First Draft. Send your list of shortlisted publishers –
1. Synopsis of the Book
2. First two chapters
3. A short Author introduction
Once you have sent the email, you have to have patience. Publishers take time to revert on your work. This period varies from publication house to publication house. Typically, they take one to six month. Check their website to verify the duration.
If a Publishing House shortlists your book, they contact you to view the entire book. Do not worry, good publishers respect your work as much as you do, the information is kept extremely confidential.
If they like the entire story, they will revert with a positive response and a soft copy of contract with terms and conditions.You can choose to contact or negotiate with other publishers. Or you can get the work started by signing the contract. The ball is now in your court.
So, if the draft of your first book is complete, then what are you waiting for?
Wish you all the Best!

Winds of Change

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#BrijDiaries, author, change, Dark White, family, home, life, writer

They never inform you before coming, but arrive when you need them the most,
They keep you waiting till you wish for them with all your heart,
They come when all your tricks are played and have no capacity left for mischief,
They make sure that you are in pure state of body and mind.

Many fear change but change can be good, it makes you feel alive.

I came to this realization when I was in college. Throughout my childhood, we had shifted from home to home every two years. This change brought excitement, new surroundings to explore and new experiences to enjoy. When I was in college, we had lived in the same home for four years without shifting and it was puzzling, I was, we were craving the excitement of our next move.

I went to mother to find out ‘when’ we would shift again. She laughed and told me, ‘When you finally find a place you love, you settle in forever. No one has had any complaints about our home and instead of moving, we will be buying the house.’

I was stunned and disappointed. No more shifting meant no more adventures. The winds of change would be gone forever.

My mum could see the disappointed and she said to me, ‘Just because we have stopped shifting the adventure is not over. Now that you kids have grown up, it is time that instead of making you a part of our adventures we give you a chance to have your own adventures. You will have peace till complete your education. Once you are done, the world will be waiting for you with open arms. The winds of change take you on an adventure and the values that we have imbibed in you will help you change directions, challenge and guide you to do what’s right.’

She was inspiring and even today, when I stand at the rift that the winds of change has brought I remember what she said to me. It helps me decide right and more right.

Source of motivation and how it changed my life

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We are born with a purpose, a purpose beyond our duties as children to our parents, siblings to siblings and friends to friends. We need to use the talents God has given us to fulfil our purpose as human beings, towards human kind. To fulfil our purpose, we need to look for our source of motivation. I found mine within my own family.
As a child, I drew my motivation and inspiration from my father, who generously spent thousands of rupees educating the children of his site workers. I initially thought he was wasting his money but my mother explained that he wanted to bring joy to their lives like we had in ours. And it did! It brought smiles to the faces of both the children and parents.
They taught me that we as human being must be generous to those less fortunate.
As an adult, when I bought my first house, I threw a party for my closest family and friends. My father did not come, he told me to enjoy myself. I was a bit disappointed until my mother explained that he was very happy for me, but he wanted to give thanks for these gifts to him and his daughter.
They taught me that we as human being should be grateful.
As an adult, when I struggled my siblings would prop me up with motivational quotes and long conversations until I felt better. I remember one quote vividly, ‘There is always a dark night before the beautiful dawn, don’t forget even the negatives are black before they churn out a beautiful photograph.’ They through their words of motivation and continuous support have made me who I am today!
They taught me that we as human should be supportive.