Write from your heart: Amish Tripathi

Rapid fire
Manisha Pande speaks to Amish Tripathi, author of the Shiva Trilogy, the fastest-selling book series in the history of Indian publishing.

Which other mythical or historical character would you like to explore in your next book?
I have a lot of ideas on Lord Rudra, Manu, Ram and Krishna. I am also thinking of a book around Akbar.

What’s the silliest thing a reviewer has ever said about you?
One guy said that I should have written the book in British Raj English to make it more authentic. There was no English 4,000 years ago, there wasn’t even Sanskrit as we know it today.

What advice would you give to aspiring writers?
Write from your heart, not for commercial success or critical acclaim. Money forces you to compromise on your writing so have a job that brings in a steady income.

A book you read recently and loved?
Sandeep Sanyal’s Land of Seven Rivers

A book you wish you had written?|
I don’t think like that...the books I really admire I think I am incapable of writing.

Do you write in the night or in day time?
I write in the morning. My brain shuts after 10pm, I cannot write in the night at all.

Are you a spontaneous writer or do you keep editing along the way?
I write in one go. All the editing happens on the editor’s table.