“I wish I had the power to fly”: Belly Kanungo on writing rituals, her journey as an author, and much more!

At what age did you start writing?

My parents have a keen interest in writing. They have inspired me to write. However, for them, it was just a hobby. Eventually, I also started writing from the age of 13-14 years old. I started participating in writing competitions and soon realized that writing is something that I would like to pursue. I started writing for college journals and Magazines. After that, I pursued my internship from The Hindustan Times.

Name a few authors/ books that you personally admire the most (Fiction/Non-Fiction). If you’d ever get to meet these authors, what is the one question that you’d ask them?

I read a lot of Non-Fiction, self-help books. Personally, my favorite author is Doreen Virtue; she has inspired me to help other people in need by inculcating an empathetic behaviour. My favourite book would be ‘Awaken Your Indigo Power’. Whenever I feel low, I read one of the paragraphs from the book. I would definitely like to ask her journey and struggles as a self-published author.

One Superpower you wish you had?

I wish I had the power to fly.

What would be your one advice to aspiring writers?

One advice would be to come prepared, do your research because that is where people lack the most. We are in so much hurry to publish our books that we do not prepare ourselves before publishing. Preparation is something that is very important, have all the insights about what you are writing along with all the knowledge you require for your writing.

Do you have a writing ritual?

I am a night owl, I usually write after midnight. I have a ritual of sitting down and jotting down points for one hour to 2 hours daily. That is my daily routine.

How did Emotivity come to life? What/Who was your muse behind writing this book?

There were a lot of people who gave me the inspiration to come out with this book. Mainly my experiences, everything has motivated me to write. Emotivity came out of the sheer passion that I have for writing for creating anything, be it my mom, best friend, everyone who has given me the motivation to write this book.

If there’s one thing that most of the self-published authors vouch for, it’s the mere fact that self- publishing teaches you all aspects of publishing? Is it true? What are your thoughts about the same?

Definitely, self-publishing teaches you a lot of things. Specifically, Dos and Don’ts. When you compare it with traditional publishing, self-publishing gives you different insights on publishing a book. Experiencing self-publishing is important in today’s life because there is so much competition it gives you a lot of knowledge.

What was your journey of writing your first book like? How did you feel when your book was released?

It was a long journey. I started reading a lot. I gave one year just to get my insights and chose one year to write and edit and in all, 2-3 years for publishing. I have gone to a lot of publishing houses and waited for a very long time. However, I had already given a lot of time and I wanted my book published. So I could not wait more. I went with my best option. The journey was filled with highs and lows. I got to know a lot about publishing a book as I thought of publishing as a very easy task. Emotivity was a very passionate project, so I never thought of the monetary value that I would get. So when the book came out, I was really happy with the book launch.

If you look back now, how has the whole experience of self-publishing been?

It has been a mixed bag. It wasn’t extremely great but it had everything. It had its own highs and lows. I got a lot of good opportunities after publishing my book. If your work is good, you are going to succeed. I am happy my book is out there and a lot of people approaching it. To start-up, self-publishing can be really good.

Your epitaph would read?

A creative person who empowered other creative souls for betterment.