The document discusses the author's journey as a writer from ages 17 to the present. It describes how he started writing at a young age, publishing books and traveling across India and Europe in his early 20s. However, he realized he was not reading enough from other writers and did not have enough writing practice and skills. He stopped writing for a time to focus on reading widely from both great and mediocre writers to improve his craft. Now in his mid-20s, the author plans to read extensively for many years before writing another novel, so that he can become a stronger, more skilled writer by learning from other authors.

1. Five Point Anyone
The Learning and Unlearning in a Published Writer’s
Journey

2. Who
• 17
• 18
• 19
• 20
• 21
• 22
• 23
• 24

3. Why
• Why did I start?
• What it entailed?
• Why did I stop?

4. Why did I start?

5. What it entailed?

6. What it entailed?

7. What it entailed?

8. And cheap thrills such as this…

9. Or this…

10. Why did I stop?

11. What
• 21-22
– Entrepreneurship
• 23
– Pan-India Travel
• 24
– Studying Young India Fellowship.
• 25
– Travel
– Reading
• 26
– Entrepreneurship

12. Broke away from the cult

13. Published a book with a ‘decent’ title

14. Wrote for children …a book with quite
an explicit title!

15. Travelled across India, not on the truck
always…

16. Even Wasseypur …

17. And the world too, meeting extremely
kind strangers, listening to their stories

18. And studied more…with brilliant
writers, only to realize that…

19. I was not quite the superman I thought I
was.

20. None of this tamasha could make a
Rushdie out of the ordinary me.

21. Not even clicking great selfies in Europe

22. I didn’t do the homework that
writers are supposed to do.
Because ….

23. Like every engineer, I didn’t read
enough.

24. I didn’t read enough to
• Differentiate between what’s good, and what
not.
• What story is worth telling, and what not.
• Know that what I was writing was already
written before.
• Understand that language is more important
than the plot
• Know that I was terrible.

25. Writing is a craft
• Practice enough before the first concert
• There’s no under 16, under 21 in writing.

26. When
• I don’t know.
• That is the best thing.
• Publishers have given up. So have readers.
• I can write for myself. Finally. Phew.

27. Until I write my next novel,
Live the novel that is my life.
Write the course and chapters of this novel.
And read.

28. Read. Read. Read.
Read great writers, read mediocre fluff, read
classics, read chick-lit.
Read the writers I wish to write like.
Read the writers I don’t like.
Even if it takes me 20 years before I am ready.

29. This is how I feel right now.

30. – Steve Jobs
“The heaviness of being successful was replaced
by the lightness of being a beginner again, less
sure about everything. It freed me to enter into
one of the most creative periods of my life.”