The thought, “Who will read if I write?”, is the friction between your fingers and the pen.
Meet Yeshwanth – The Young Author of his debut “Why Hens at Years?” and many more to come.
Yeshwanth reflects on his passion and craft as he talks to Chennai Insider about his journey to becoming an engineer turned author.
What is your book about?
My day isn’t complete without ‘Friends’ & ‘The Big Bang Theory’. I made sure my book, Why hens at Years, is ‘Sit-Com’ ambient and written in the perspective of an Engineer. The book is based on love dipped in Pure Science. It is an amalgamation of all my inspiration from Nolan brothers to Dan Brown, Ilaiyaraaja to Gautham Menon, & Madras to Chennai.
Why would you recommend people to read it?
Anybody who is looking for a new flavour of love, then you have your hands on the right book.
Why hens at Years is a new catch which has a crazy quirk of Science written from the stand-point of an Engineering student.
Can you imagine proposing your girl using the truncation concepts of Engineering Graphics?
Well, read it yourself to find out.
When did you first realize that you have the capability to be an author?
I never dreamt of being a writer. It was an accident like I have mentioned in the Author description of my book. However, on a lighter note, thanks to my Engineering semesters that made me realize that even I can write stories.
How long does it take to write a book? How long did it take you?
1,23,456 words.
I’m not counting. This was the word count of my manuscript before editing which took me 6 months to pen. I didn’t realise that it was huge number for a first book until my publisher pointed it out. In the editing phase, we boiled the numbers down to 59,000 (Approx.) Kind of massive data loss. Moreover, it is not possible to define a time period to create an art. It changes from artist to artist.
How challenging was it to start writing? How did you organise your chapters?
The thought, “Who will read if I write?”, is the friction between your fingers and the pen. My college Professor who handled Soft Skills advised me saying, “You worry about writing, and let your readers worry about reading it”. Though it sounds funny, it’s true.
I’m no fan of ‘Linearity’. First A and B, then comes the C. NEVER.
To be precise, I ‘disorganised’ the chapters with non-linear screenplay and frequent change of the characters narrating the story. This one was inspired from the Nolan Brothers. (Remember the movie, The Prestige)
What is your work schedule like when you’re writing?
I work in a 24/7 environment in an MNC. For example, I’m giving this interview sitting in my night shift. 2 days from now, I’ll be in morning shift. So, whenever I feel like writing, I’ll write. However, apart from my work and writing, my squeeze is my Friends.
What would you say is your most interesting writing quirk?
My room must be hot as hell, fans turned off, and I must sweat my pants off. Only then I can write. People usually raise their eyebrows when they get to know this. But, that’s the truth. I can’t write If I feel comfortable, because I’ll just sleep then.
Do you have any suggestions to help someone become a better writer?
Be original.
Even though I’m influenced by my inspirations, I never let them over shadow my originality.
Do you hear from your readers much? What kinds of things do they say?
Common questions are:
1) How many books have you read?
My response: I don’t read much. Mostly, Dan Brown.
It’s a stereotype that you must read a lot to be a writer. *Facepalm* to those who say that.
2) I want to write, but I don’t know how. Suggestions please.
My response: First…write. That’s enough. Give me some content to help you out. Implement ‘Trial & Error’ method. Trust me, this is how we should apply Science.
3) Is this your real-life story?
My response: Nice talking to you.
What do you think makes a good story?
No such thing as good or bad story.
Remember, a story is not ‘Biryani’ to make everyone happy.
What was one of the most surprising things you learnt in creating your book?
Writing a book is simple.
I won’t say it’s easy, but it’s not difficult.
Do you intend to write more?
Of course. Once an author, always an author. To publish a book was the craziest & meaningful experience of my life. It gave me a new dimension which I’m grateful for. I’m into Sci-Fi and comedy. Whatever I write, my words will have the trace of Science.
Any tips to aspiring authors?
The plunge is worth it. Go write. Big things await you.
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