Neutralis began brewing as a concept when I was 17. I never really knew what the book would be about, or which themes would be prominent. All I knew was that it would begin with three friends, who were running away from their problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Unfortunately, this idea kept slipping my mind due to my high school graduation. My heart was telling me I should pursue a career in creative writing, while my brain steered me to what it thought was a much safer career option. My brain ended up winning the war, and so I opted to study Computer Science. In my defence, I really enjoy solving problems, and I thought that this degree was the perfect candidate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fast forward to 2014, and I finally revisited the story about the three friends. I quickly drafted various plot points, but then gave up when my ideas became too much to handle. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
A few months had passed when I started writing the first draft, with no predefined plot. All I\u2019d known was that the three friends would have to show up somewhere in the draft. I wanted my first idea to make an appearance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A few words became a hundred words, which eventually escalated to a couple of thousands. This is where the adrenaline kicked in! I hadn\u2019t written that many words for a fictional piece before. My characters started feeling more real, and I somehow felt like I could relate to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When I reached about 10,000 words, I consulted a friend about my book writing venture. I was just that excited to share my idea with someone I thought would appreciate it. To my surprise, because I am a bit of a pessimist, she thought the premise sounded compelling. This motivated me to keep writing. Spoiler alert! I ended up dedicating Neutralis to her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Much of 2015 was a blur, but at this point, I recall sharing my ideas more frequently with my friend. I\u2019d send her samples of the manuscript, which mostly came back with positive feedback. The positive feedback was mostly about the plot. The prose was something that needed a whole lot of revision though.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sometime in 2015 (I really should have invested in a journal) I completed the manuscript and began editing. My editing skills were awful, and it showed. It probably still does. Alas! I thought the final manuscript was done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
I started sharing samples of my writing on forums and I got mixed reviews from other writers. I took some with a grain of salt, while others I took as gospel. I edited my manuscript for the final time and then started pitching to agents. Now, this is where my heart broke more often than a mom\u2019s favourite china.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
My attempts at pitching came back with generic responses or none at all. I would revisit the manuscript after each rejection, just to make corrections. I\u2019d read forums, blogs, and inspiring messages about how \u201cfailure is good\u201d. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Eventually, after pitching to roughly 13 -15 agents, I looked into self-publishing. I just wanted to share this book!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
When I\u2019d convinced myself that self-publishing was a risk I was willing to take. I began editing the book in the final months of 2015. I basically chopped, sliced, and carved every word in the manuscript to the best of my abilities. During this process, I\u2019d also been working on the cover for the book. Death by stock images! Then I found a handprint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The close of 2015 was near, and so was the deadline I\u2019d set for the book\u2019s release. I\u2019d run a giveaway campaign on Goodreads and stupidly wrote that the books would be autographed. AUTOGRAPHED. Firstly, no one knew me. Secondly, I didn\u2019t even have an autograph. I actually still don\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The 9th of January 2016 came! My heart was pumping louder than an EDM concert. This was it! I officially became a self-published author.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Although my debut novel didn\u2019t become a smash hit, I have very few regrets about sharing it with the world. Neutralis will always be an experience I look back to gleefully. From the very first page to the very last punctuation mark.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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