How Niraj Pancholi Overcomes Creative Blocks

We were lucky to catch up with Niraj Pancholi recently and have shared our conversation below.

Niraj, so happy to have you with us today. You are such a creative person, but have you ever head any sort of creativity block along the way? If so, can you talk to us about how you overcame or beat it?
I have overcome writer’s block in two ways:

First, I accept that writing is hard. I’m creating something that never existed and something that will never exist. An Olympic sprinter doesn’t expect a sprint to be easy. Sprinting is hard, and it gets harder as the sprinter ages. Writing is hard, and it gets harder as the writer matures. If it was easy, anyone could do it. And then no one would be needed to do it. So I’m happy that it’s hard.

Second, for me, writing is not the same as typing. Just because I’m not typing doesn’t mean I’m not writing. And just because I’m typing doesn’t mean I’m writing. Sometimes, for days and days, I come up with new ideas, dismiss them as subpar, and don’t have anything typed. But that’s okay. Because that’s writing. Once all the ideas have been sieved through my talent, what remains is what gets typed. Thinking leads to writing. Writing leads to typing.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I am a writer/director/author/poet.

I’ve written and directed a sci-fi short film called Cosmic Light, for which I was awarded the Gold Remi at the WorldFest-Houston International Film Festival (Canadian Screen Award Qualifying) and Semi-Finalist at the Columbia International Film and Animation Film, among other awards.

I’ve written a feature sci-fi-action-romance screenplay, for which I became a Finalist at the Toronto International Nollywood Film Festival (Canadian Screen Award and Telefilm Canada qualifying) and a Semi-Finalist at the Flickers’ Rhode Island International Film Festival (Academy Award Qualifying, BAFTA Qualifying, and Canadian Screen Award Qualifying).

Currently, I am working on several projects:

I am pitching my sci-fi feature project to studios.

I am writing a middle-grade fantasy adventure novel, currently on my third draft.

I have completed a collection of love poems. So, I am working to get it published.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Three qualities that were most impactful in my journey would be:

First, I’m very interested in learning about new things. Be it about physics, biology, history, geography, geology, sociology, psychology, etc. My thirst for knowledge is unquenchable. I’m innately drawn to many different disciplines and spend a lot of time reading.

Second, I give a lot of importance to little steps. Even if the steps are small, I am constantly moving forward. If I can take a big step, great. If I can’t, I take small steps. It ultimately amounts to the same.

Third, I’m always looking for things I can do myself without having to depend on someone else. For example, I wrote the screenplay myself because I wanted to direct a short film. I have recently finished writing a love poems collection. And I’m currently writing a middle-grade fantasy adventure novel.

How can folks who want to work with you connect?
I’m looking to collaborate with three types of collaborators.

First would be a producer who can help me pitch my sci-fi-romance-action feature project to studios. Someone who has connections and relationships with the studios. I bring the creative skill set, and I am looking for a producer who can bring in networking and relationship skill sets. Because those are also skill sets. It takes a lot of years and hard work to build relationships with studios to be able to pitch the project to them. Similar to how it takes years to build skill sets to be a writer and a director. So, I have a lot of respect for talented producers who have a strong drive to produce new and unique projects.

Second, I’m looking for an agent/manager who has the skill set to guide me in my career.

Third would be anyone who thinks they have a specific skill set with which they can collaborate with me. I am always open to listening to new ideas for collaborations.

The best way to reach out to me is to fill out the contact form on my website, nirajpancholi.com, or reach out to me through any of my social media.

Contact Info:

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