Glad that I took up writing, says Sujata Rajpal, who quit a cushy corporate job to write a book

Giving up a cushy job to pursue her dream of writing was something that did not come easy for Sujata Rajpal. Today, she is glad she did so even as it took her five years to complete her debut novel ‘The Other End of the Corridor’.

The author was in Bhubaneswar recently to release her debut book at the Bakul Foundation. Excerpts from an interview:

Q. Was it difficult for a PR professional like you to turn into a full-time author?

SR: I worked as a Corporate Communication & PR professional for an IT MNC in Mysore for 12 years before I decided to become a full-time author. After I started writing my debut novel, I knew that this is something I would want to do for the rest of my life. It was not an instant decision to quit a satisfactory job and become a full-time author. I mulled over it for almost two years; I was sure that I would want to take writing full-time but when would I do that was the question. My friends and fellow authors discouraged me from quitting my cushy job and take something uncertain like writing but I am glad I took this decision.

Q. What is your book ‘The Other End of the Corridor’ all about?

SR: It is the story about finding one’s strengths in adversities and following one’s passions and staying steadfast about one’s dreams despite all odds. It’s the story of a young girl named Leela from Patiala who has nothing remarkable about her except her dream to become famous and do something worthwhile in life. She is a manglik and is considered inauspicious by her family. She decides to get married when a marriage proposal comes from a well –to-do and educated family from Delhi, believing her fiancé to be a messiah who will uplift her from a life of non-entity to a meaningful life in the country’s capital but her dreams are tainted with lies and deceit. She is all the time comparing her life with that of others and realises she is lagging in every aspect. This puts her on the path of self-discovery. Immaterial of shackles in her path, she believes in her dreams and continues to chase them. My protagonist Leela is a simple, innocent and a plain Jane who loves to daydream but she has a self-belief and a forging steel like determination.

Q. Your book focuses on marital violence. What is your take on the rejection of marital rape as a criminal offence by the Supreme Court?

SR: It is unfortunate that marital rape as a criminal offence is rejected by the Supreme Court. Marital violence is infringement of woman’s fundamental right to life with dignity under Article 21. Marital rape should be a criminal offence. SC might have rejected this now but sooner or later, the Indian society will become liberal enough to think progressively. But just making marital rape a criminal offence does not improve the situation of a woman in any way. There are so many other factors involved which both sides are missing. Will a wife be willing to divorce her husband because of marital rape? What about financial independence, support from family and society? And if divorce is not an option for her then life is going to be even worse for her if she chooses to drag her husband to court because of marital rape.

Q. What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your book?

SR: The most surprising thing was writing this book itself. This is my first piece of fiction. I have written columns and articles for newspapers and magazines but never fiction. I always thought I am not cut out for writing out of my imagination. Fiction is all about writing what is not there. But when I started writing fiction, I was hooked to it. It was a huge compliment when a reader told me that she liked the unpredictable twists and turns in the book.

Q. How long does it take for you to complete writing a book?

SR: For my first book took me five years to finish from the inception of idea to releasing. This includes 1.5 years of publishing time. I would have taken lesser time if I would have worked on the complete characterization and plot outline of the book before I got down to writing, which meant I had to rework on my plot midway which involved a lot of rewriting. Of course I also had to balance between me as an author, a full time corporate job and my responsibility towards my family.

Q. How did readers react to your book?

SR: The book has been received well and I am fortunate to get good reviews. Readers have been generous in their feedback. I am quite humbled by the response. The first edition was released in January 2015. And the second edition in May, 2015 which is very encouraging for a debut author. The readers feel connected to the characters; the characters seem real to them though they are fictional characters. There cannot be a bigger compliment than this for a debut author.

Q. What should we expect from your next book?

SR: I have just started writing my next novel. Though a big publishing house has approached me to work on a non-fiction work, I am hooked to fiction writing now. The entire storyline is not yet finalised so I am not in a position to talk about it in detail but it will again be a women oriented book but for sure it will have no similarities with the first one as I want to work on a different theme. It is general fiction with lots of emotions thrown in. I like to write about human relationships. My first book took me five years to complete, I want to finish the second one in half the time; that’s the reason I quit my job.

Q. Any word of advice for all the aspiring authors out there?​

SR: For sure, there are gifted writers but writing is like any other skill which can be acquired, honed and perfected with practice and more practice. I had always believed that I cannot write fiction but when I started writing, it just happened. All you wannabe authors out there, just start putting your thoughts on paper, edit, rewrite, edit, rewrite … until you feel satisfied. The more you do, the better you become. Reading is an essential part of writing. Observe how other authors express emotions, describe scenes and inject life into characters. Also read a few unpopular books to understand the don’ts of writing. I also believe that it is alright to be unclear at times as long as you stay focused; the writing will evolve as one progresses.

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