What

1. © S I D D H A R T H T R I P A T H I

2. © S I D D H A R T H T R I P A T H I

3. 1. IT’S NOT GOING TO MAKE YOU MONEY
So write but don’t write with this outcome in mind….KARMA my friend without
expectations – BECAUSE IT’S THERE (as this strip so aptly puts it)
© S I D D H A R T H T R I P A T H I

4. 2. ONLY YOU CAN TELL THE STORY IN
YOUR HEAD
But the story in your head shouldn’t be based on a formulae….
Terrorists
Cricket
Love Story
College
Sex
# 1 on the
bestseller list
© S I D D H A R T H T R I P A T H I

5. 3. READ A LOT…SEEK INSPIRATION
But don’t be too inspired by one author– it shows in your style…(and you’ll always be
a me-too)
© S I D D H A R T H T R I P A T H I

6. 4. MAKE NOTES, CHARACTER SKETCHES, PLOT
OUTLINE, CHAPTER SUMMARIES, DOODLE…DOODLE
And yes…get a good notebook and colored pencils 
© S I D D H A R T H T R I P A T H I

7. 5. SEEK LOTS OF FEEDBACK
After writing the first chapter, first part, first draft, second draft, 18th draft…But do
consider where it’s coming from…
Who? What to take? Think about…
Friends What they feel about the
story
What they liked or didn’t like
If you can get them to proof
read – that’s an add-on!
Suggestions to improve or change –
most probably won’t help as they
are not writers
They like you
Writers Technical aspects – story
construction, characters,
chapter length, redundant
text, grammar and tense
Consider what they write – their
suggestions will stem from there
Publisher Everything – if you want to
get published
Nothing to think about here…they
decide.
Spouse THE most important person
who would give you impartial
feedback
Again…if he/she is not a writer,
hence suggestions to improve may
or may not help, just take the
drawbacks (they are real!) and work
on them
© S I D D H A R T H T R I P A T H I

8. 6. DISCIPLINE AND ROUTINE
This is the key….I worked everyday for at least 3-4 hours (2-3 hours writing, 1-2 hours
reading/correcting and rewriting what I had written earlier)
If you
wanted to
be lonely,
this is the
time for
it….
© S I D D H A R T H T R I P A T H I

9. 7. SET GOALS AND MEET THEM
Its like any other job….the difference here is that this one demands you to be
creative…isn’t that FANTASTIC?
© S I D D H A R T H T R I P A T H I

10. 8.
EDIT/REWRITE/EDIT/REWRITE/EDIT/REWRITE
Make it ready for publishers and agents – dramatically increases your chances of
being published…and makes the book MUCH, MUCH BETTER!
The novelist must be his own most harsh critic and also
his own most loving admirer and about both he must say
nothing.
~ Angus Wilson
© S I D D H A R T H T R I P A T H I

11. 9. DON’T FORCE IT
You can’t make it deliberately funny or violent or romantic or sexy – it doesn’t work
that way and if it does then I would like to know how to do that!
“I will put a joke in every
page”
~ An author whose trilogy hasn’t
worked
“Put a long love story in
the next one”
~ A publisher I’m not going
back to
© S I D D H A R T H T R I P A T H I

12. 10. IT WILL COME TO YOU
That’s a promise – just give it enough time. The climax, the title, the character’s
dilemma and its solution, the perfect murder – PATIENCE and PERSISTENCE
makes all the difference….
© S I D D H A R T H T R I P A T H I

13. © S I D D H A R T H T R I P A T H I
Siddharth Tripathi’s debut novel – The Virgins
is now available on Flipkart and other online
retailers. For more info, please visit
http://www.facebook.com/theVirginsNovel