Ep 300 Talking Sustainable, Long-term Writing Habits with Nidhi Kona

Welcome to Pencils and Lipstick. This is a podcast for indie authors. I'm Cat Caldwell, novelist, short story writer, and book coach. Here on Pencils and Lipstick, we're obsessed with bold thing story, and it is my goal to bring you the writing tips that you need to make your novel come to life. Good morning, everyone, or hello, everyone, whatever time it is for you.

This is episode 300 of Pencils and Lipstick, and it is March 1 as I record this. Thank you so much for listening to the podcast. Any of you who, have been here for a while or whether it's your first time, I appreciate you, listening every single week. I really enjoy doing the podcast. I cannot believe that we're at 300 episodes.

That's kind of crazy to me. But I think it's probably the this and writing are the thing that I've stuck to the longest in my lifetime. Okay. I've also stuck to my marriage and my kids, but still, you know, a lot of times there I find it difficult to stick with things like I get bored or I get, you know, I just sort of wanna try something new, but I think the wonderful thing about pencils and lipstick is I get to talk to new people and I get to explore new avenues of writing and so I think that keeps it new for me, and keeps it exciting enough. But I really appreciate anybody who is listening.

I appreciate it when you, tell your writing friends about it or maybe even your reading friends if you're, listening to an author interview. I just appreciate you guys. I know that we're not the biggest kids on the block, but, it is always fun to do the show and I'm glad that somebody out there is listening. Before we get on with the interview, today we do have an author interview with Nidhi Kona. She's an Indian author.

It was really fun to talk to her. She has a lot of tips and advice on how to keep writing because, you know, and I know that sometimes it can get really frustrating. Sometimes life doesn't go how you think it's gonna go and your writing doesn't go how you think it's gonna go, but she has some really, great motivation for us to keep writing, to keep going in our journey. So you're not gonna wanna miss out on that. She is a nonfiction writer and a fiction writer, so I will introduce a little bit more about her.

But if you guys have not been listening and you don't know, on March 24 at 1PM eastern, we are having the first live craft and connect. You can sign up in the links below in the link below. It's a Tidy Cal link. A couple people have signed up already, but there is still room. I have opened up space for basically 50 people to join.

I know that's a lot, and we don't actually expect that many people to come. It'd be great if you did, but I just wanted to make sure that there is enough room. So you can, still sign up. That is still something that you can do. I would encourage you to sign up even if you're not sure if you can make it live, just because you will get then the, the link to the replay and the replay will be available for about sixty days afterwards.

So, I encourage you to do that. It should be really fun. You're you can come with questions about, marketing and social media and newsletters and all those things. The next Craft and Connect marketing episode will be out on March 16, and we are talking about the four, about the pillars of marketing, the core values. I go through my core values list so you can come with your core values questions, and we also go into, newsletters and why you need a newsletter as an author.

So you can come with those questions as well. You can come with any any question that you want and we will try our best to answer it. So we are, I also went to a romance writing retreat, not retreat, conference a couple days ago, and I got a little bit of information there from different people for traditionally from traditionally published authors. I'm always going to these things to see if I can find out what everyone else is doing and how they're doing it and what, what might be beneficial to you guys and to myself as well, obviously. So, yeah, bring your questions.

I will probably be writing down a little like, sifting through my thoughts on the conference for next week and maybe giving you guys a little bit of a rundown there. So definitely sign up for that live. It should be really fun, and then we'll have another one in June. So as far as personal writing goes, I am moving my release of next love to May. A couple of things keep happening, with my cover artist and my editor and, like, my life.

Everyone in my family got sick last week, which pushed everything a week, and then there's a couple personal things going, and I was like, you know what? Let's just move it. I was trying to get it out because I will be participating in author's rock Roanoke, in Roanoke, Virginia on April 18. So if you're in Virginia, come out to Author's Rock Roanoke. It should be really fun.

I think there's, like, I think there's, like, 40 or 50 authors participating, so it should be really fun. So I was trying to get, Next Love done for that, and then I realized, like, pushing and and scrambling and doing all that just just for authors rock Roanoke just isn't worth it, because I really I I want a really clean arc. I want a really clean campaign. I wanna have fun doing this. I have done the thing where I've pushed it and scrambled and felt like I had to do things a certain way.

And it's not that fun, I have to say. And it's less than a month longer. So we also have people coming in April. I was trying to get it out before they come and I just thought, well, let's just do it after they come. So if you're a part of the of the ARC, you're still part of the ARC, you'll be getting an email this week, telling you what's going on.

So like the I don't have the cover to cover reveal yet, which is so sad. Anyway, the arcs will still be going out at the midpoint, I guess, closer to the March because of certain things happening that I just can't control. What you can't control, you can't control and you just don't get, you know, in a tizzy over. Right? So it will still be coming March, sorry, May 8 is the new date of Next Love's publication.

In the meantime, I'll be working on marketing. Yay. And working on the historical romance, which I decided to just, to actually rewrite because I like to torture myself. But I kept rereading scenes and I I mean, pretty much like moving scenes and rewriting scenes. And because this one is like, the timeline lines up a little bit with Across the English Channel, for some reason, I got myself in a corner.

I was like, I have to start it here. Let me just tell you all, you don't have to start it anywhere. You don't want to start it. I had a really what I thought was kind of a a great, beginning, and I had written it a while ago, then I had written the novella, which the novella has done, and I'll think I'll think about bringing that one out just to tease you guys with it in the summertime. And then I was like, why?

I don't have to keep this beginning just because it's written. So reminder to everybody, you don't have to keep anything just because it's written. Like, we have to get over this idea that, oh, the words are on the page, therefore I have to keep it. And I know I say it a lot and look at me, I still have to say it to myself. So I have to believe the things that I tell you guys and actually, you know, internalize them and walk through them, myself.

I do know how hard this is. I know it's difficult to, like, set words aside that you've already written. And I mean, we're I'm talking like 10,000 words that I they're not necessarily cut, but the idea is there, but they will be written, rewritten in a different way. So it's kind of her realizing, that Lionel is back in town. And so I'm just going to have to rewrite it a different way because the timeline was just like, it was just too long.

You know? You know when you're just like, oh my gosh, this is too much time is going by and I don't, I don't like that. Like, I don't want it to get boring. And I do know other writers get past this just by like being like in four months later, but that's just not how I wanted to do this book. So anyway, we're still on track for that one because I had, I'd moved that to the fall.

I'm confident that it can get out, that I'm just, I'm not, I'm not worried about it. It's only March, so I will be rewriting it. I do know that I can write quickly. I wrote Next Love in six weeks and then took a break, read it and then sent it that, you know, fixed it and sent it out to the editor. So the other but the thing is you have to get it done in order to get it to the editor and then you just, you know, cross your fingers that life doesn't happen and it will anyway.

So that that's how things go. But that is a little bit of an update. So please, you know, do all the things, like, subscribe to whatever, podcast app you're on, subscribe to Pencils and Lipstick, share this episode with your friends, with your writer friends, share with them the link to, Craft and Connect and, yeah, bring them along. That can be their first introduction to pencils and lipstick. That's fine.

I am really looking forward to seeing you guys, you know, your faces at least on Zoom. It should be really fun. And let me just say too, it is craft and connect. You can, you know, Becky is a marketing, guru, but you can bring other questions as well. Just writing questions or anything that you anything that has to do with your books, your writing, your marketing, all that, you can bring questions to me as well about writing, about craft, whatever you want.

It will just be very fun to get together and to see each other. So let's go into the interview with Nidhi Kona. Nidhi Kona is a molecular biologist. I know I'm super impressed by her and an author, and she is on a mission to help individuals understand how perception shapes reality. Through her works, Unshakeable You and The Mirror That Echo, Needhi provides readers with the tools to reclaim their inner strength and navigate a world filled with uncertainty.

Before I get into the interview, let me remind you that her, links are in the show notes below. You can find her books as well as get on her newsletter, which she talks about in the interview and sounds pretty awesome. So let's get into the interview. Hello, Nidhi. How are you doing today?

Hey, Kat. Thank you so much for having me on your show. I was looking forward to being on pencils and lipsticks, so let's go. Ask me all your questions.

I'm so excited to meet you because you are quite the accomplished woman, and we are gonna talk about how we can sustain a writing life. Right? Like, how how do we keep writing, as we are all super busy and we have all these distractions. But but before we get into that, will you let us in a little bit a sneak peek into your life and who you are?

Yeah. Thank you. Thank you. So I have been someone who's played multiple roles in my life. I've been, a molecular biologist.

I've been a scientific writer. I've been an author. I've been a teacher. So I I just I think I've lost track of

all things I've seen at this point. But

the one thing that has been a constant is my self expression through writing. And it just so I didn't even know I was a writer, to be honest. I thought writers just fell out of the sky and they're popular immediately. Just like that. They're born with the best selling book.

So I just I I never even fathom that I could write a book of my own one day, and I was I just knew that whatever I wanted to do in life, I wanted it to help, people somehow or the other. So that's exactly why I got into science first of all because I'm like, no. I want to do research. I wanna be a doctor, actually.

Okay.

Because I'm South Asian, so we want to say that's, like, the go to thing that we have. So I wanted to be a doctor, but then I realized that I cannot be in that hospital environment for too long. So it's not a great fit for me even though it's such a good noble profession. And then I'm like, you know what? No.

The other side of that is being in research, developing medicines, having people. So that's when I got into research. I went to King's College London. I did my master's there in biomedical and molecular biology, worked on gene editing on zebrafish. I had to, like, mate zebrafish so they would get their babies and then Oh, yes.

Check their genes.

Yes. So it's been it's been

a while. Right? I'm I'm so grateful for all the opportunities that I've had. So can you imagine, like, me changing the genes and the DNA of zebrafish to me then coming back to India and, being a scientific writer, working with pharma companies, realizing that I can write I wanna write stories. I wanna write a message, not just an analysis of something, not just numbers and something like that.

So I then I then quit my job, which I was doing very well in Quebec. They were, like, offering me a promotion, and then, like, you should be this. You should be that. And I was like,

no. No. Oh my gosh. That takes a lot of bravery.

Exactly. When everything is going well, then you're like, no. You know what? I think I already have to do this for myself. And I think a little bit of consideration there was also with AI and everything.

Because I honestly, I felt like AI could do my job at that point even though I was very good at it. I could and then people at that point were telling me, oh, you know what? AI is still not that good. It's not gonna it it can't replace you itself. Yeah.

Sure. But I do feel it evolving at a very rapid pace. Yeah. And I just don't wanna be in a position where it's I'm like, oh, I didn't

see this coming. I I didn't see it. Honest.

Right. Once you see it coming, you can't unsee it. Right? Like

Exactly. Right? For those who can't see it, okay. Fine. That's fine.

But if I have that in my head that, okay. No. It's happening. Then I can't sit there. And it wasn't just that.

I've so many things, like, so many little hints throughout my life that I knew I had to write a book. I knew I had to be a writer, and I was meant for that. I was meant to tell stories. I was meant to convey messages that people wanna talk about, but then don't know how to talk about. So that's when I took the punch and got into, writing.

Okay.

So you published two books?

You've yes. You've published two books which we will have, linked in the show notes. Are they both fiction or is one nonfiction?

So the first one that I wrote was nonfiction. And that was, because that itself was a very cathartic experience because Yeah. It's a culmination of everything that I've ever learned in life. Okay. And I've met people from all around the world and I collected their stories, the conversations that I had with them, and the lessons that I learned from them.

And these are all ordinary people. It's not like they're extraordinary, but their stories are extraordinary.

Oh, that's

And I was like, okay. I have to share this in my book, and I did. And I'm very, very proud of that book for so many reasons. And I was like, even if I'm the only one who reads it, this needs to be out there in the world.

Yeah. That's Unshakeable You?

That's Unshakable You. And it's all about being your source of certainty in a very, very uncertain world. So yeah.

I think that's a needed book for sure.

Yeah. Relevant. Yeah. I

I love reading stories about people. I don't know. Like, when when I was growing up here, my grandmother had a subscription to Reader's Digest, which was like this little tiny magazine like this. I don't know if you got it. And it's like tons of just stories.

And I just loved just it some of them were fiction, some of them were nonfiction, and they would have like little jokes and little anecdotes and it was like I thought it was the best thing ever. I was always sad when I had finished reading it.

I was like, I have to wait on top of it. In my school. Yeah.

I was I was I was, like, go through it all in just one sitting,

and I'm like, no. Why is it there another one? Bitch myself.

Yeah. It's so funny. But there's something about reading the stories about people, you know, like and what they've done and what they've gone through. And, like, that's what we're trying to write in fiction too, but there's just something so powerful about, right, reading real true stories about people, whether it's something enormous or something small, but, like, they've gotten through it, you know, and they've managed it.

Yeah.

Oh, it's so powerful. I love it. So we will definitely have the links in the show notes to that. But when did you start writing that? What were you working while you were writing it, or did you, like, quit to write?

So I I was I was just working, and then I don't know how one of, that's what I said, that some sign of synchronicity came up where I had to I was just doing these courses that my company had for fun. Like, you can upscale yourself.

Oh, it's fine.

And then it was, like, how to publish a book or something like that. And I was like, hey. Let me just read

it and see what it is,

where it takes me. So I read it, and it was more about, more more technical stuff, but it gave me the idea of, oh, what if what if I did write a book of mine? And then I did then I I knew that even though I was doing well in my job, I was working, like, fourteen hours sometimes because I was a perfectionist. And I would work so hard, And then they

were like, oh, she's good. Take all the work. And I was like, oh, I cannot. Just because I

do a good job, I cannot be penalized for that. Right?

Yeah.

So I was like, no. I need to take a break anyway. So, I might as well work on something while I'm taking that break because writing is therapeutic for me. So then that's why I took a year off, I think, in 2003. Yeah.

And then I wrote the book in 2020. So I waited for a year. The book was there. The idea for Anshik will knew was there in my head. And I'm like, okay.

But what do I write? But what do I write? Oh, but what if I'm not supposed to write? You know, that feeling of being an imposter, And it was kind of silly because I was a

professional writer before. So it's just but it's

a whole another thing. Like, it's writing essays to writing research papers to writing, I don't know, nonfiction book. Somehow seemed like a really big task to me at that point. It's like it's alien to me because I'm

I can understand that because when you're writing for your company, you kinda have the backing of the company. You know? Like, you have and you know you're you're secure. Like, you've done your re like, your your schooling and your masters and you know what you're doing. And then when you say, like, oh, I'm writing a book, all of a sudden people are like,

what are you gonna do with that book?

You know? And all of a sudden you're alone.

You're worried, like Yeah.

Yeah. Why? Why would you do that? Or, like, oh, that's cool, but what else are you gonna do? As though, like,

Exactly. Oh my god. That's a big question. It's like, okay. Yeah.

That's a fun hobby, but what are

you really doing? Funny. That is what I'm doing.

Yes. See, this seems to be a thing around the world because, like, you and I are from very different parts of the world, but, like, it's still that imposter syndrome. It's still the people around you that are, like and I think they do it out of love. They're, like, worried, but, like, but, like, what if you don't get another job? Or, like, what if this doesn't go well?

Because to that to everyone else, like, working in the hospital or working as a teacher work like, that makes sense. Right?

Yeah. That's that's legit. That's like,

you know, that that can that I can see a future

in that because I've because they've seen people do that. Right. And that's the whole point about writers and dreamers in general who we are people who just don't do what's already been done. It's all about exploring new stories. It's all about the stories.

It's all about the connection for us. And I I think as a writer, that's been very, very important to me, that connection. I didn't have that connection in, you know, to the pharma company that I was working with. I was happy to work with them because I really, like, you know, I enhance my knowledge. I enhance a lot of different skills, but I still didn't have that that level of self expression that comes through writing for me.

And that was very important for me.

Yeah.

That's yeah. That's why I had to write a book of mine.

You had to write. I love that. So when you finished your Unshakeable You, so the nonfiction, what what route did you go? Did you go, independently published? Did you get it published by a publisher?

How how did that work for you?

So I was contemplating my options, because and and I was like very new to all of this. I didn't really know anyone who was already published. Again, it was like I just threw myself

out of there. And then,

people just assume that I'll figure it out because I usually am that person who just figures things out. Yeah. So I was like, you know what? I'll do it. I can I've done it before.

And I heard a lot of people say, oh, there's a lot of projections in the traditional publishing industry. And, also, you know, you put in all this hard work, but you don't get much of the royalties. And so it created a sort of negative picture of that route for me. And so I never even tried it. And now looking back, I think I should have tried it because until and unless you try something on your own, you are not able to be certain about whether that's the right thing for you or not.

Yeah. You know? Maybe it was not read the right option to someone else, but it could have been for me.

But at

it at that time, it made more sense for me somehow to just publish my own book because I wanted it out there. I didn't want to wait for that book to come out some two years ago after someone's sitting on it. You know? So I was like, I took one year just to get myself to write. And you won't be able to write that.

I finished it in three months, actually. The book, the entire, 66,000 words that I wrote in that book was actually from within the start of three months.

Wow. So once you started writing

Yeah. I was supposed to ask you, but it's the right thing that I don't envy.

Good for you, though. So so that's interesting, though. So you got the idea, and then you spent a year battling imposter syndrome, but also thinking about it. Were you gathering stories at that point or, like, are you doing any writing, like, your your personal writing?

I was talking to people. I was talking to people. I was, attending, you know, personal development courses and stuff. So because because I had such a bout of, you know, burnout from my previous work, I was determined to be like, okay. I need to change, make some changes in my life.

Mhmm.

And, it was it was very important because how am who am I to write a, you know, nonfiction self help book without me helping myself through the nonsense first. You know? I had to see the light first in my so that's that's what I spend, like, one year doing. And I did have that you should be writing. What are you doing?

You should be writing now. You know? But, actually, I realized in those three months, it was perfect. The way it played out, it was all perfect because it's that buffering that was happening in my head. I was just collecting data.

It was all there at the back of my mind, but I just couldn't put it into words in that moment. And it was completely fine. Because when that buffering was done, when that processing of information and that my life experience that I had, it all just poured out in those few months.

That that's really interesting. Yeah. We do get that pressure. Like, even even it's so weird how our brains work. Like, you get the imposter syndrome, but at the other side of your brain, it's like, well, you quit to write, so why aren't you writing

even though you don't know what you're you know, like, it's so

hard because and I'm

sure, like, other people all know that I'm

Hi, dear. So so what

was the moment that you were like, I'm ready to start writing the actual book? Like, do you do you remember what that moment was?

I think I went to some kind of, seminar or something and, you know, they were talking about personal development and values and stuff like that. And I just sat there listening to everything, and I'm like, I've just been listening. Yeah. I'm just my whole life, I've been listening. But I never had the courage to voice my own opinion, and I always valued someone else's opinion over mine.

And it's high time that I put those opinions on paper because the minute I put it on paper, it becomes very real for me. Right? Yeah. I can't hide away or back away from it from that opinion. And I think a lot of people are afraid to put themselves out there because they're like, oh, I people are gonna see this.

And then Yeah. What if someone thinks I'm wrong? What if someone thinks I'm not good enough? And all of those things were coming up, and I'm like, nope. No.

Yeah. This is I I am perfect. What I have is meant to be shared, and it's okay to be wrong. If I'm wrong, I'm wrong. But I know what I need what I need to say is going to help people.

Right.

And in in that one year that I was like I didn't write the book, but I counseled a lot of different people. So people who are going through very hard times, mental health issues, on the brink of suicide even. Like, it was really bad, but I I knew that I have a gift to connect with people.

Right.

And if just having a conversation with me, feeling like someone is there, someone who cares for them can help them, then it's worth it. And that's exactly what it is. Yeah. And yeah.

That's so wonderful.

These experiences came to me. I I didn't, like, curate them.

Yeah.

But they came to me, and they aided me in that process of writing a book.

Yeah. I think you're hitting on something so important of when you have, like, an idea for a book, more than anything, you should keep moving. Like, you shouldn't shut yourself up into your house. Right? Like, you should go out.

You should be part of the world. And that moment that is going to encourage you to sit down or just sort of, like, bring you that courage or or break that, whatever that wall that's keeping you or just the sometimes the words not coming, it's gonna come. Right? Like, but I think it will come easier when you're out in the world and you're doing something and experiencing. Like, as writers, we have to experience the world in order to Absolutely.

To write about it. Right? And I think sometimes the modern world, like, we we put that pressure on ourselves to, like, stay in the in at the table and write. It's like,

well, maybe

And you're just, like, looking at the screen.

Yeah. And then nothing nothing is pouring out because you don't have experience.

And that that's exactly why it took me one year worth of experiences to pour it all out. It's not the words. The words come. The words came to me in, like, what, three months. It was never about the words.

It was about that strong feeling and that knowing of what I'm saying and how I want how I wanna say it, really.

Right.

And I think I have to mention that, like, I I I wanted all of my books, especially my nonfiction book. You know, it's very easy to sound preachy. And, like, you heard holier than thou, and you're just telling people how to live, and this is how the way it should be done. None of that. I knew I didn't want any of that in my book because everyone is out here trying to do their best, trying to learn what we know what just how to deal with all the things that are coming at them.

There is no one size fits all for anybody.

Right.

It just you cannot tell someone this is the only way to do it. There's so many there were billions of people, billions of ways to do things. But the one thing that matters the most is knowing yourself, is believing in yourself. That is the one thing that breaks or makes people. And that's exactly what I didn't know.

That's exactly what I didn't have before even though I had the skill set for it. You know? That's

so important. Yeah. Yeah. And that's what that's what came to you in that year. Right?

Like, it's so it's so interesting too how your your brain can come up with the idea, right, but not have the full answer to the book yet. Like and it just takes and I tell people all the time, like, the book will take the time it takes. Like, you really can't get you might get frustrated with that. You know, like, sometimes you start writing and then it doesn't come and I've had all the experiences. But but once it's finished, you look back and you're like, yeah.

It couldn't have happened before now.

Exactly. It's authentic. It's actually both.

Yeah. It's how it is. So when you were starting to write, did you was there any sort of routine or something that helped you or were you just, like, so eager to start writing that it was just a a joy to write every day or every other day? Or how how did that work for those three months? Because that's a lot of words in three months.

I know. That's a lot of words. Exactly. So when in that one year, I did try to write, you know. Actually, the outline was done the minute I

left my job. It's like, because I'm

like, I have an idea for the book, but the idea was always there, as you mentioned. Yeah. So the idea was always there, but then I'm like, okay, but now how do I put some meat on this? Where's the flesh burning the bones? What do I say?

Like, what do I do? And all the how comes in and the logic comes in, and I'm like, no. Now I don't have all the answers. Now I Yeah.

That's the danger of an outline sometimes because your the outline Yeah. There are times that your brain thinks, well, now it's done. And you're like, but it's not done.

Oh. It was a

hard work experience. Exactly. This is the bare minimum. No. No.

I had to I had to be like, okay. Fine. It's okay. I I don't wanna look at this for a bit. Again, let me just go out into the world.

And every time I would come back and write, 100 words. Sit and write 200 words. Come on. It's just 200 words. Even if I set that limit for myself, it still wouldn't happen.

Like, that perfectionist in me would still be like, yeah. But this is not what we're going for. But this is not the outline of my channel.

That is the problem. Well, I'm going nowhere.

I think of yeah. I think I'm writing three different books now. I don't know what I'm writing three

at this point. So I I I it

could it what number of words did help? What was the other thing? Sit down for two hours and write. That didn't help. I would just sit there and look at the screen for two hours.

No worries what to do. Yeah.

And it

just built up that frustration and it just built up that feeling of being an imposter and being like, see? You're not a writer. You can't get writing. So what do you do? And I think so many people, life life happens.

You have it's not just writing. Right? You have a family. You have a job. You have your health.

You have your finances. And everything just catches up, and then you're like, I love this, but I don't have the time for this.

I I

just don't see myself giving to this at the moment. And the one thing that shifted it all was, like, I don't care. I want to express what is bubbling inside my brain, and it might be the simplest sentence. It might sound ridiculous. It might sound plain, but it needs to be said, and it needs to be put on paper.

I think I broke all kinds of limitations and these terms and conditions that I was continuously setting for myself. And, like, then I know what else and conditions to this. What needs to be expressed, what needs to be expressed. And especially, I think the the amazing people so I think I have, like, a collection of eight stories in the book. Each one of them have been through so much, and I'm like, look at them and look and look at what they've been through.

Don't you think their story needs to be told?

Yeah.

I you are sitting out here. I mean, like, who are it's a I don't know how to be a writer. I don't know this. I don't know that. I'm having, like, a identity crisis where people have dealt with so many different things, and I'm like, it's not about me.

Mhmm. I mean, that's the crucial thing that we as writers need to understand that it's not about you. It's about the story. It's about the world that that's, like, bubbling inside of you. It's about these characters who are saying all these things, who are going on this journey, and you are just a reporter.

You I I think I had to shift that, you know, mindset from being a writer to a reporter where I'm just like, I'm just experiencing something, and I'm recounting that experience. And Yeah. By threading through, you know, weaving all of these separate reporting of these incidents and these events, I call it a piece of work. That becomes my role as a writer. Yeah.

Being but it starts with being a report of us. So then once it's that bad, it was perfect. It came it flowed.

Yeah. I I mean, I think you hit so many that I work with I've worked with quite a few writers who are continuing to look at, like, the outside world and how they might judge their work. It's it's that sort of imposter syndrome, right, of like, I want my work to be as well received as the authors who I admire, which is that's such a high place to put, you know, like you and most of the authors we admire published books years ago. So, you know, and they spent time writing them and, like, you know, they had mentors and there's so many things that go into that. But when you It's so different.

It's so different. And, like, I love what you said of, like, it doesn't even matter if it's a simple sentence. And when you when you open up a book that really touched you, a lot of times, it's not very flowery or complicated. It's the story. Yeah.

Like, if they're writing

it down raw and real. Right?

Yes. So getting yourself as the author willing to to be there, willing to be vulnerable in the sense of, like, even I might not write as well as whatever author you you you hold up.

Right? Admire. Yeah. Yes. But still, it is important.

Like, I have to see the value in just expressing myself. I think that was the crux of it. It was not about how well I could write, how eloquent I am. I don't care. It's about getting something that I feel very strongly about out there so that someone who also feels like that feels a little lot less lonely.

Right?

Right.

And that's what the books are for. Books are that that that idea that resonates with us, that feeling that resonates with us, that character that resonates with us. That's what we're looking for constantly. And I was like, I cannot I cannot do disservice by holding all of that in.

Yeah. I'm so glad that you got you got through and, like, really continuing to look for that moment of of being able to sit and write is part of the writer's job. And I've tried to start saying that more on the podcast of, like, half of our job is thinking. It's just thinking and and getting through it and then being brave enough to sit down on it. So I'm so glad that you did that.

But when you when you got it finished, how did it feel? Was it just amazing?

You know, I was on top of the world. I was like, I'm on all the clouds. Cloud nine, ten, 11. I'm on all of them. I feel so happy because, again, it was it was such a moment for me because I didn't even fit I didn't I was almost a ghostwriter for someone many years ago.

So I started writing a book for someone, and, my name wouldn't even have been in on that booking. I would I would have just been like, oh, she helped with as an assistant or something. And from that to taking complete ownership of a piece of work and putting it out there for people to see, I was so proud of myself.

Yeah.

I was like, where did this shy girl go, and who is this person that has the

merch now? So I was, yeah, very, very proud of myself. And I

think, all the people that I shared it with also so far, whoever I've shared it with I mean, this is not a blow man with trumpet, but genuinely, whoever has read the book has had a very, like, a revelatory moment in their own lives. They've gone on to do Wonderful. So many they've they've left their toxic jobs and gone on to find the strength to do their own thing and actually not be put off by any sort of, circumstance or any sort of challenge. And I've seen that resilience, like, pipe up in people.

And That's amazing.

I couldn't be happier. I don't

care if

it's not, like, you know, millions already. Millions of people haven't read it. All those who have have loved it. And

Yeah.

That is an amazing thing.

It is. Like, that is so cool that to have to have your book do exactly what you wanted it to do is to inspire the people that it needs to inspire. Like, whether it's five or 5,000,000, like, it's it makes it worth it. Like, it real it truly does so exciting.

It's a life. It's like one one person is one whole life and one whole life lit up by an idea that you've shared. How wonderful is that? Right?

Right. So Oh, that's so wonderful.

So and all of that came from me, removing that pressure on myself. I think that was very important. But I was like, it's not about the time, or it's not about the word limit. It's about me thinking as you rightly mentioned. We are thinkers.

We think. We explore. If you the only question you need to ask yourself is, are you thinking about your characters? Are you thinking about the world that you're building in through your story? And that's all you have to do.

And that's such less pressure. Right? Yes. No pressure at all.

Yes. Yes. We put too much pressure on it. So how did you go from nonfiction to fiction? How how has that journey been?

Did you get an idea for fiction or how how was it how did that transition?

I mean, I actually

don't remember how I even got the idea from it. I think I was just, I was just, like, you know, trying to use my imagination more. I felt like I I've always used it to to my, you know, to not to my benefit. So they would be like, let me try and be more imaginative. Let me come up with a short story.

Let me just, like, just create just for the joy of creating

the story. Joy of it.

I hear. Just the joy of it.

And then I I had this and then I didn't. I couldn't get the idea. When I sat down, like, okay. I wanna create another game. So I was like, okay.

Fine. Whatever. And then, randomly, I got pitched by this image of a girl, and she's, you know, she's just waking up, and she's kind of confused about what is reality and what is a dream. And I was like, okay. Who what is this image?

What is happening? And then over the days, I just got an entire, like, story out

of it. I I, like, I

was, like, talking I could see this character. I could see her family. I could see the guy she was falling in love with. And I'm like, again, that's where the reporter in me came up. I don't know who are these people, but they're there in this world that has been, you know, awakened in me.

So I was like, okay. Gotta report. Gotta report this story.

Perfect. And

that's how I wrote my fiction book, and it's called The Mirror That Echoed. And, it's a mystery, a thriller, and, yeah, romantic suspense. Like yeah.

That's wonderful. So did you did you spend, like, from from the writing the nonfiction to writing, like, a thriller mystery with romance, like that's quite different. So did you did you spend as much time thinking about it or did it come a little like the writing and thinking a little bit more mixed or or what was the difference there on on how you, like, when did you sit down versus when you were thinking about it?

It was actually Unfocable You Happened in three months. Right? So the fiction book happened in the book, like like just a second. I think we've glitched. Can you hear me?

I can hear you now. So the you were saying the the Unshakable, you have like, you wrote it in three months. But the fiction book, we didn't hear that part.

Yes. So I wrote Uncheckable You. One and a half. Yeah. One and a half.

Right. Two seconds. Thank you. My Internet gave out. Oh, cool.

It's okay.

Don't worry about it. We're we're not live or anything.

We can always cut it. So

yeah. So Unshakeable You was written in three months. And once I had this idea, there was no stopping me. And, I I wrote the entire thing in one and a half months. What?

Yeah. Really? Yes. It was crazy. I was like, how am I doing this?

I don't know what is happening to me. But I just that's the thing. I had fun with it. I let myself have fun with it. There, there was no, there was nothing that I had to prove myself as a fiction writer or this or that.

Again Yeah. No pressure.

Yeah.

No pressure at all, and it just flew in.

That's amazing.

Yeah.

So did you write every day at that point? Like, I mean, I guess when you say fun, like, was it something you looked forward to taking the time to write then? Like, you're

like was just so so what I had, like, I always have my phone with me. So I I have this Google Doc in which I've had the name of the book. And whatever thought comes up, I can hear these cop like, these, characters having that conversation. And I just put it in there. So I had this whole doc of all the conversations and all the moments and all these, like just the little snippets of visions that I've seen in my head.

I noticed it all down, and I was reading through it. And that web started spilling, and I'm like, no. This scene, this scene here, this

this this. And then I'm like, no.

Let's write it down, and then I wrote it down.

Yeah.

So I just first, I I whatever came, I documented it. That was one thing. And then the second one was just reading and finding the coherence in it.

Yeah.

It came quite much.

That that's such a good point, though. Like, we have so much technology these days that we are really able to find whatever method works for us, really. You know? Like, whether it's writing it down, recording it with your voice, like, putting it on a Google Docs. Like, we have a whole computer in our hands.

It's just a matter of doing it.

We're out of excuses at this point, really. Like, you can't say that I'm not your I'm not I don't have my laptop. I don't have this. You have you. You have you know what?

There have been times where I didn't even have my phone in my hand, so I I wrote it on my hand. Conversation on my hand, and then I've written it on napkins. I've written it on anything I could find because it was coming in. That's flow, that data inspiration was just coming in, and it had to be documented. Yes.

Then I just put it together. That's it.

I think you were also, you got to the point where you were your brain knew that you were open to receiving the story. And I think when you take away that pressure of, like, what it will be or how I have to write or everyone else says there's so many books on, like, how to write, you know, and you have to sit down and, like, do it that way. And when you take that away, it's just like, well, I'm willing to write however it comes and then figure it out, and it's a little more fun.

And then there's there's an abundance of that actually. When you when you remove all of these blinds and remove these restrictions, you eat what you what you thought was impossible, like, 50,000 words. Actually, I was kind of struggling with it because I was I was thinking probably not gonna be that long. Like, it's not a full fledged idea at this point. Right?

So maybe it'll just be, like, 20,000 words. And by the time I was done with it, I'm like, wow. It's 55,000 words. Okay. So we never.

Right. I didn't even realize.

Yeah. Like, taking that that pressure away. I think especially when you were when we're start like, writing our first few books, the whole idea I I kinda go back and forth, like, with social media or, like, the ideas of writing. A lot of times, we're we're try we're looking up to other writers and how they do it. And, you know, they're telling us that they sit down for eight hours a day or they do this or they do that.

So many times they're in their, like, twentieth book, so they have figured out their method. Right? Like and it's not necessarily ours.

Their method, not your method. It's one of the methods, not

your method.

And I think that's where we get tripped on, and then we think that, oh, their method should be my method. That is the method. There is no the method. There is only your method, and you have to find it.

And you you have to be willing to find it. And it might so, like, the fact that you were willing to write things as they came, maybe not even knowing where they will fall in the book, that's a willingness of, like, okay. And then I'll go back and I'll figure it out. It'll it's okay.

Exactly. And the it's it's just that sense of, oh, I don't need to have all the puzzle pieces to start building the picture. That's not how the puzzle works. Right? You get a piece, you put it somewhere, and then you see how they fit in.

And that's exactly the writing process with me. I just keep the pieces. I document the pieces, and then I weave them together. And then that's how I view writing as well. It's weaving those tiny pieces of inspiration together.

Yeah. I think that that's that's a great analogy, actually. You get tired of that section of the puzzle, you go on to something else because you see red.

Yeah. Oh, okay. We'll do the red part. Yeah. That's what makes sense.

Alright. That's fine. Yeah. Work around that. Come

back to this.

I mean, I would I think some people would be surprised how many, like, paragraphs of writing I have on one side of my document where I'll, like, I'll write right and take things out and move it there. I'm like, well, maybe I'll use that somewhere else, you know, and, like, here of course, what they see is a finished book and not all the other things. You know?

But the law and mood that you have because of what's behind all of the stories. Yeah. But that's so important. Like, all those words that didn't make it into the book are just as important because they led to the words that did.

Oh, I That is such a yes. That is so true. And that's a great way to look at it. Like, the words that didn't make it, they led to the words that did. And a lot of times, it's like a rework of the words or it's or maybe it will lead to another story.

Maybe it just it's something that you needed as the author. That's, you know, and then it it just but that is so important and I think a lot of writers are not don't either don't understand that or don't want that to be true. Like, they want every word to, like, count

towards Perfect.

Yes. And that's why it's That's why I couldn't write.

Yeah. That's why I

couldn't write for a year. Right? Because I all I always thought I'm a writer. Every word that comes out should be written, should be the final product, but it's not.

It's not.

It's really not. Like, the you're just writing, like imagine, like, writing an entire book of your life. Right? You're not gonna write every scene that ever happened. You're gonna take the highlight.

You're gonna take the ones that matter to that great message that you have. So but but for that message to come, you had to live through those ordinary mundane moments, And you have to do the same for your characters. You have to have them just write whatever you think about. Just think about your characters. Whatever is coming, write it down.

And so you have this, data bank of how this create I mean, character is on a day to day basis. How do they interact? What they like? What you know more the more you know about your characters, the more you can build their world, the more you can tell their story. How can you tell the story of someone you don't even know?

Oh, yeah. Right. Think about you guys as everyday.

Yes. I I mean, the you you are say like, hitting the truth in such a concise and perfect way. Like, so many things that I'm trying to tell people. Like, you do like, but it's so true. You need to know them.

You need to understand them. And it doesn't it doesn't just come, like, from working on a worksheet or whatever. And this is where I, like, go back and forth on all the writing advice people get. Like, I do believe in writing as much as you like, every day or if you can, but maybe not your book. Maybe just writing whatever is stressing you out into your journal because that needs to come out.

Right? Or just writing about something else. Sometimes I just stop and I write a different short story because I just need a break, you know, or something. Exactly. And there are days that I can't write, like, because life life happens.

It's fine. Sometimes you should just read or watch a movie

or go watch Dux.

Yeah. Yeah.

I signed me up for that. Yeah.

You gotta experience life. I mean, I did try at one point to be like, no. I have to go home. I have to write. I'm a writer.

I have to write the story. But the truth is, like, you need to go out. You need to be a friend. You need to be a sister, a mother, or whatever. You need to be part of life.

You need to because then you will be like, that's what's gonna happen or that's my character. Yes. You have to you have to allow your brain to think of it. Right? And

Exactly. And experience really experience is the best teacher. It will show you everything that you need to see to understand that message and to tell that story properly. Yes.

Yes. Oh my goodness. Experience. So inspiring. I love it.

Oh, thank you. Now now we're all gonna

sit down and write.

Yes. That's a lot of experience life. Yeah. Both. And both are happening at the same time.

It's wonderful. So just do it. Just do it.

So what is next for you? What what do you plan on doing?

Do you have So I'm writing the third one. So I'm writing my third book, which is the sequel to the fiction book.

Okay.

And, and and yeah. So this is where all the perfectionism came back. So I've I've spoken to you on length about all of these do nots. Right? And I

did the same thing for my third because the first two ones, I'm like, okay.

You know what? Let's just do it. But now I'm like, oh, I have

Now you're a writer.

I'm a writer now. I should know better. I should be doing this, and all the shit came back and all of that. And I'm like, no. You know what?

Let's forget about all this. Let's go back to what was me, what was working for me. I know myself. I am this jigsaw piece person, so let's just put the pieces together and let's see what happened. And that's exactly what I started doing in the last month, and it's there.

It's happening. I'm in the flow again. We're writing. It's gonna be done by the end of this month. Let's

That's amazing. I mean, it it is funny how if you really and, I mean, I've talked to dozens and probably at this point over a 100 writers, and it comes back. Like, that imposter syndrome comes back. It'll come back when you hit, like, the best seller and then you try to write the next one and you think, well, what if it's not the same? Like, this so this is going to be a constant that we have to constantly remind ourselves.

I know what I'm doing. Let's have fun. And I like what you said, like, let's be the reporter of this character's life. Pressure off. I'm just gonna tell their story.

They better tell it to me properly so

that I can write it.

Exactly. So it's not about you anymore. So you don't have to beat yourself about anything. Yeah. You're just observing your witnessing and your reporting.

Yeah.

And there's

no one and if it and if you're the one witnessing it, you're the one meant to report it. That's that's the it's your story. That's why. If you if that story has come to you, it's for a reason. It's for you to write it, not for anyone else to write.

So you better write it.

Exactly. Exactly. That's amazing. I love I love this. I think this is gonna help a lot of people just get some clarity on, yeah.

Let's get back to the fun and being a being a reporter of this character's life. Like, that's if anything, I'm gonna take that into the rest of my week for for writing. That's amazing. Well, where where can people find you, if they want to continue? We'll have the links to your books in the show notes for sure.

But, are you on you were saying that you don't have TikTok in India.

I don't. I

know. It's so much better for your life. Yeah. That's why I'm mental health wise, it's saving me a lot of

brain rot, so that's good. But, actually, I do have Instagram and I have other things, but I don't use them. I'm just not a social media person. So yeah, you can find me on Instagram. It's at nitty kona.

But I think the best place to find me is in your email, news

in your email inbox through my Yeah. Your newsletter. Which is called Okay.

Yeah. Which is called Vantage. And it's called Vantage because it's that POV. It's my POV. Right?

And if you would like to have someone, like, just just talk about the things that you wish you could talk to with someone, but don't really have them around you. I'm able. So you'll find me Yeah. You'll find me giving out my little snippets of life, whatever I think about things that really matter, things that really need to be said, how my, writing process is going on. Or and sometimes I share a lot of interesting books for free as well for the people who really wanna read and cultivate that habit of reading again because let's start reading people.

It's important. Let's stop scrolling, start reading.

So there's

so many things that I do through that newsletter, and I love it. I've always been the email person. I've told my friends to email me. I'm like, can you stop WhatsApping me? Just email me, please.

I want I

wanna be emailed. It's special to me.

Email is special, so email me. So yeah. So I'll definitely I think share the link to my newsletter

as well.

That'd be wonderful.

That. Yes. We will definitely have that link in the show notes. And honestly, getting somebody an author's email is so much more personal than just scrolling past their Instagram. Instagram but there's something special about the emails.

You just get a little bit more insight and and if you guys want Nidhi's encouragement and her point of view of life, I I think it would be like this podcast plus more. Definitely go get on your newsletter

because it's gonna be great.

Thank you so much, Niti, for coming on. I I think that you have definitely inspired people for the rest of 2026. We'll just have to have you on again so that you can do it again.

Thank you. I would love to. I think this I think the best part of pencils and lipsticks is that it's it's just like a conversation between two friends. Like, we're literally meeting for the first time on this

short time now, but

we are such a good like, it's it's such a natural conversation. Conversation that we wanna have with our stories in our books as well. And thank you for creating that.

Absolutely. It was so fun to meet you.

Pleasure meeting you too. Thank you.