Meet Shilpa Raju

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Shilpa Raju a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Shilpa , so many exciting things to discuss, we can’t wait. Thanks for joining us and we appreciate you sharing your wisdom with our readers. So, maybe we can start by discussing optimism and where your optimism comes from?
Imagine you are playing cards. If all the cards you’ve been dealt with are unfavourable, then you have no choice but to flip one and hope for a miracle.

If all you’ve ever received is rejections, then you can do nothing but send more submissions.

That is not to say that hopelessness fosters optimism.

What I mean to say is it’s important to be optimistic DESPITE the despair.

Only hope can drive you forward.

Had I lost confidence owing to the fifteen rejections, I wouldn’t have sent the sixteenth email and I wouldn’t have received an acceptance.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I am a published author of the novel titled, “Best Friends Forever” which is available on Amazon India.

It’s a psychological thriller that narrates the story of two best friends dealing with a traumatic event. Each of them is hiding a secret that would shape their whole future.

Every chapter ends with a cliffhanger making the book hard to put down.

My next is a romance novel and I’m still working on it. Hopefully, it’ll be ready by the end of next year.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Resilience, hard work and passion are the three main qualities that propelled me in my journey.

I refused to give up, I did everything I could to build the required skill set, and I nurtured my passion through reading.

The one advice I can give to anyone pursuing a career in writing is don’t let the no’s decide your future. Keep working towards your goal till you get a “yes.”

I have written and been rejected for two novels before getting the coveted acceptance for the third one.

So, it’s never an end. It’s just practice before you create something much more beautiful for the whole world to see.

Is there a particular challenge you are currently facing?
At present, I’m going through a dull phase where all I do is laze around.

When days go by and we do nothing productive, it’s very easy to doubt our competence.

“Am I even cut out for this?”
“If I’m so passionate about this, then why am I procrastinating?”
“What am I doing with my life?”

Trust me, even if your job means the world to you, sometimes the mind needs clearing up. You don’t get it by stuffing it with more knowledge or information. You need to sit back and relax.

For me meditation is working wonders. It’s been months since I read anything meaningful. It’s been weeks since I wrote. But now I can feel the fog lifting up.

Write down a game plan, figure out what works, and then pick up where you left off.

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