Mail News Service
Jamshedpur, July 21: Ananya Banerjee, Std XII student of Little Flower School has finally achieved what she had always wanted to do, tell stories in an interesting manner. And that is exactly what she has done with her first novel, �Sixth Avenue.� Published by Educreation Publishing of New Delhi, the paperback edition is priced at Rs 350.
Her talent is ensconced within a soft demeanour but her mentors swear by her outstanding penchant for creative writing. She was awarded the Gerald Durrell prize for the knack in an essay writing competition during the school�s Std X Graduation Ceremony. Her school faculty was unanimous in the contention that they woulkd love to see Ananya mature as an author of many more novels and short stories as she ascends the unending rungs of the creativity ladder.
On being asked how she managed to create time between school assignments, she said pensively, �When I look back, it seems like yesterday. Just two months ago, I was searching frantically for a ray of hope. The journey, I wouldn�t lie, was not a cake-walk. It took me two years to give the tale that had been playing in my mind since my Std IX days when I started writing initially. A word of gratitude to my proof-readers for their guidance and improvement tips. The first draft was over by the beginning of the next academic year, but the real challenges followed immediately thereafter.�
This budding author agreed that typing and self editing proved energy sapping for her. She said theat her critique partners helped her as much as they could during that phase. �I didn�t go through an agent so my work was rejected on numerous occasions. At times, there was no response from publishers. However, one day, two months earlier to be exact, I chanced upon Educreation Publishing House. Having been rejected four times before, I still resolved to give it another go. When they called back, I was more surprised than happy. After some exchange of information I agreed to the self-publishing package.� This is Ananya Banerjee�s tale of the exciting journey from an amateur story teller to an author.
This young bundle of creative writing feels that age plays an important role in the writing industry where experience counts in measuring quality. She observed, �I was lucky to be guided by adults who knew how this field works. This story ideated mentally but was afraid that it may have been written already. Listening to motivational speakers infused the confidence and determination to go ahead and spin my tale. I followed Toni Morrison who had said, �If there is a book that you want to read, but it hasn�t been written yet, then you must write it.� Whenever I would lose focus or suffer from writer�s block or even doubt myself, I would look up the vlogs of Jenna Moreci who is my favourite writer YouTuber.�
She is overboard with praise for her family who gave her enough time and space to showcase her work. �If it hadn�t been for my parents and their active participation, this book would not seen the light of day and instead, remained a manuscript of failed expectations,� stated the new star on the writers� horizon.
She lauded her alma mater for the allround encouragement she received. And not surprisingly, she added, �My journey was given the much needed boost by music for it set the mood and tone of my desire to communicate with all segments of people through the stories I want to share.�
