Interview With Manali Desai
Manali Desai is the founder of A Rustic Mind (Manali Desai). A Rustic mind means a mind that is simple.
A Rustic Mind (Manali Desai) is the author of four books. She is a full-time freelance writer, editor cum blogger. She has her own blog A Rustic Mind where she shares book reviews, her travel experiences, life anecdotes, inspiring human stories, and poetry.
She is the author of four books- Love (Try) Angle, The Art of Being Grateful & Other Stories, The Untold Stories, A Rustic Mind.
She is a great writer and a very down-to-earth person. I follow Manali on social media for her writing tips. She is also one of my favorite writers on Medium.
A Rustic Mind (Manali Desai) also helps new writers with publishing opportunities. Manali pledged to help new writers on her birthday this June. I got to know Manali when I submitted my story in an Anthology. She edited my story and gave it a beautiful touch. The book's name is Petrichor, it's about monsoon, rain and umbrella.
I am glad that I got to know more about Manali during this Interview. Wishing Manali all the best for her future.
Here are few interview questions that will be useful for new writers-
1-When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
Well, honestly, I realized it after dabbling in a few jobs like being a Marketing Executive, a Teacher, and a Content Writer. All of these jobs involved writing as a part of the job profile. But it wasn’t the main job. However, doing the writing bit was what I enjoyed the most. That’s what made me realize that I wanted to do just writing.
2-How did you start A Rustic Mind? Who was the inspiration behind it?
I started blogging in 2011 but I lacked the motivation to maintain the blog consistently. And it was kind of difficult to maintain the routine along with the full-time jobs I was doing. In 2016, with my full-time job as a content writer, I started taking up freelance blog writing assignments. That’s when the idea to start my independent blog came in. The inspiration was my love for reading and writing and my fascination with the written word.
3-When did you write your first book?
My debut book A Rustic Mind came out in January 2018. It is a compilation of poems that I had been writing since I was a teenager. So, you can say I wrote it for about a decade and kept putting it together till it was a compilation big enough to be put together in the form of a book.
4-How many books you have written and which one is your favorite book?
I have written 4 solo books and been a part of two anthologies (co-authored books). I really cannot pick a favorite one in terms of content, but if I had to pick one I’d say my latest book Love (Try) Angle because it is my debut novel.
5-Do you have any suggestions for the new writers or bloggers?
My only suggestion would be to keep writing consistently and regularly in order to learn and improve your writing skills.
6-How long does it take to write a book?
My first book took me almost a decade, the second one took me about 2 and a half years and the latest one took me 3 months to complete. So, really there is no fixed timeline for writing, compiling, and publishing a book. It depends and varies from writer to writer, as well as from book to book.
7-What else do you like to do when you are not writing?
If not writing, I’m either:
- Reading
- Traveling, or
- Binge-watching on any series I’m currently hooked to
8-How long you have been writing?
As a hobby, I have been pursuing writing for over a decade now. As a profession, it’s been about 6 years.
9- In your opinion what are the most important elements of good writing?
For me, the most important element of any form of writing is
- Relatability
- Simplicity
If your content is relatable and simple, you’ve got a greater chance to connect to readers.
10- How’s your work schedule? And how do you manage it?
My work schedule consists of 4–6 hours, that is divided into
- An hour of editing
- An hour of creative writing (Working on any book/story from my W.I.P)
- An hour of social media creatives designing (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn)
- An hour of blogging (arusticmind.com and Medium)
- An hour of social media sharing and interaction
I manage it by scheduling my workday and having a to-do list for each day. I’ll admit that sometimes I’m not able to get all the things from the above-mentioned activities done, but I don’t stress much over it because at the end of the day what matters for me is my satisfaction and healthy mental space that doesn’t stress me out.
Manali shares her travel stories, reviews, recommendations, open letters, and a lot more information. I hope you enjoyed her interview. If you want to know more about Manali connect with her on social media.
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn
Thanks for Reading!!