DOCTOR SHALINI MULLICK SUCCESSFULLY DELVES IN THE FIELD OF WRITING
DOCTOR SHALINI MULLICK
BRIEF PROFILE OF THE AUTHOR:
Shalini Mullick is a Doctor
specializing in respiratory pathology. She is also a writer of fiction,
nonfiction and poetry. She has won the prestigious Orange Flower Award 2021 for
her writing on LGBTQ+ issues. She has
published an e-single “Happily Divorced” and is co-author in two anthologies, “Sharing
Lipstick” and “Women.mutiny”. She has
won the monthly short story contest “Muse of the month “by Women’s Web on
numerous occasions. She has been selected as a Juggernauts selects author. She
won the #tellastoryinsixwords challenge by Crossword book stores and was one of
the winners of the “eShe short story contest” in 2020. Her work is regularly
featured on many platforms like Women’s Web, Penmancy, Artoonsinn, Mompreneur
circle etc. Her poems have found homes in prominent Journals related to Medical
humanities; an area she is keenly interested in.
Shalini is relieved to find
that she doesn’t have to give up any one of the several hats she wears. She has
decided to let the hats figure out, how to share space, as she lets the parts
sum up the whole. A late entrant to the parallel universe of writing, Shalini
has discovered that writing helps to take her towards silence, away from the
noise. A permanent excuse to avoid hitting the gym is a bonus. Shalini has
lived in Delhi and Bangalore before rooting herself in Gurgaon. She can be
found at www.shalinimullick.com; and reached
at authorshalinimullick@gmail.com
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Q Are you a professional
writer? How many of your books have been published so far?
I am a practicing Doctor and
out of interest, I devote my spare time to writing. I have published one
e-single “Happily Divorced” on Juggernaut publications. My two short stories have
been published in the anthology “Sharing Lipstick” and another two short
stories have been published in the anthology “Women.mutiny”.
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Q What has been the general assessment of the
reviewers and readers for your work?
It has been encouraging for
me to receive good feedback for my work. My e-single, “Happily Divorced”, is a
laugh out loud, humorous read and is an entirely different genre. It has been
received very well on the Juggernauts platform. The short stories published in
my anthologies and other platforms have found resonance for their strong female
protagonists.
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Q Do you recommend writing
of books jointly? In your opinion what are the areas of benefits &
problems, in such joint ventures?
Each author is different and
has a different voice. I think it is difficult to write books, especially
fiction, jointly. This is because writing is an introspective journey; deep
into ourselves. No two people can have the same journey. Research or fact-based
manuscripts like nonfiction can be more easily handled jointly.
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Q When & how do you get the
ideas & do you record them immediately somewhere?
Ideas can come from anywhere
and at any time. I write the ideas in a small notebook or use the keep app on
my phone.
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Q In your opinion, besides the
quality of writing, what is the other important factor for the success of a
book?
I think it is important that
a book and its readers find each other. These days, with a large number of books
being published and the reading habit decreasing, this is the biggest
challenge. Hence marketing of the book is the most important factor.
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Q What is it that draws the writers towards the
field of "Writing"?
Writing is a wonderful means
of self-expression and self-discovery. In addition, the community of writers
and readers is very welcoming and encouraging.
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Q Which aspects motivate you to write books?
Earning money/publicity/helping readers/self-satisfaction/others? In your
opinion, is there adequate scope for name/fame/wealth in the field of writing?
All fields come with
challenges and struggles. My motivating factor is self-expression and the
journey within. That is accompanied by the pleasure that comes when our
emotions and thoughts find resonance. Yes, there is enough space for all of us
to carve our own individual niche and get visibility.
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Q Has Facebook helped you in any
way, in your writing career or even otherwise? If yes, please elucidate.
Facebook has played a very
important role in bringing me closer to the readers and the other writers.
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Q How have you been able to
divide the available time between professional life, management of home and
your writing career?
That is the biggest
challenge, for any writer. I have had to be very strict with myself about the
time that I spend on writing because my work as a Doctor takes up a major part
of the day. I wake up early, so that I can write for about 2 hours before I get
busy with my morning routine. I try and write again for an hour or so in the
evening. Often evening time is interrupted by other demands on my time, and
focusing becomes difficult. In that case, I re read or edit the morning’s work,
so I feel that I have achieved a good output for the day.
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Q What are the reasons for the
general success of the concept of “Agents of writers” in some countries?
Writing a book is a lot more
than just completing the manuscript. To take a book to its final form, many
more things from editing to finding the right publisher and marketing are needed.
Agents fill up many of these gaps.
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Q What is your opinion about e-books? Due to
this concept of e-books, is the survival of printed books in future in
jeopardy?
I think e-books have made
their place in the world of publishing. They definitely have some advantages
for the readers like portability and easy availability. For writers and
publishers, they have opened up the option of shorter pieces, which is
difficult in print. E-singles and novellas have been possible due to electronic
formats and are being enjoyed by many. I don’t think they can ever pose a
threat to the printed books, which are the most enduring form ever.
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Q What is your advice to the
budding authors?
The most important thing is
developing the writing habit. Therefore they should be consistent in writing
and they should write every day, even if it is a small portion only. They
should read a lot and above all, connect with the other writers. If possible, they
should devote some time in learning the craft of writing. There are many training
courses, workshops and books available for this purpose.
-------------vijaiksharma
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