Vishal Sharma
I have always had an urge to write, but I did not have an idea how to go about it. Several ideas always seemed to float in my mind; one moment, I would veer towards one idea, and the next moment, towards another. I always found myself adrift, not finding a way to anchor.
I was not even sure if I had it in me to be a writer; or could express my thoughts in words to satisfy me and the reader. As the state of indetermination lingered, it made me wonder whether it was my misplaced belief in my ability. I don’t know! But the epiphany took a long time coming!
And then I did what writers who face similar struggles do. I let my thoughts play out on paper. Once my mind was made up, the next important thing was to determine the genre in which I should write. First, I thought I should try and write a novel. But given that I am a bureaucrat and, therefore, quite busy, I felt that writing a novel may not be an easy proposition as it would require sustained commitment from me. And I could not give undivided attention to the project that it inevitably demanded, my love for writing notwithstanding. So the next logical thing was to see if I could try my hand at short stories.
Writing short stories is quite tricky. It may not be as exacting as writing a novel. In about 3000-4000 words, the short story has to be sharply set out and must be seen to move at a fair clip and culminate in an end that is underpinned with a message that can hold the attention of the readers till the very end. And it’s no mean job.
After deciding that I would write a collection of short stories, the next difficult step was to find a publisher that could add value and impart greater meaning to my creation. It is here the role of Zorba Books came in and it was immense. Zorba stepped in as only it could to give wings to my imagination. The expert hands at Zorba understood my requirements as a writer and proceeded to iron out the wrinkles in my manuscript and made it an easy and delectable read. They were aligned with my thoughts around the whole process surrounding the publishing of the book. It was as though I and the Zorba Team had communicated telepathically. Everything about the book, from design to layout to the all-important editing, was top-notch. In Zorba’s hands, my manuscript came to life, and the book ‘Every Sky is not Blue’ shone. May I say I am immensely thankful to the Zorba for helping me realize my dreams?
I hope my association with Zorba will continue into the future as well.
To young writers, I would say this: if you have an inner voice telling you to write, and you have a story to tell, well give it a try. Don’t hold yourself back. They say writers are born, but that is half the truth. “Writing is a craft that needs constant revising and polishing much like any other craft.” I don’t know who said it; but whoever it was. He was damn right. First draft of everything is sub-par. Put your pen to the paper or finger to the keys, if you have a story to tell.
Vishal Sharma, the author, was born and brought up in Jammu. He has worked with the Asian Age as a reporter and has written
extensively on political and strategic affairs for various newspapers including two leading local dailies. The author is presently a civil servant