Today I welcome the author of #LeanIntoRelationships Rishabh Jhol to share his love for writing or whether he is writing for love. I find both are creative and challenging pursuits 🙂 and cannot be accomplished without dedication, poise, and faith. He is a man of many actions and is already working on his next book.
Rishabh chose to study a subject that society values more – Finance rather than writing. Later, he got into one of the top colleges for finance in the country. At 24 years old, he had everything that makes one happy – loving parents, a great partner, close-knit group of friends, and career path that exceeded every goal. Yet, he wasn’t happy. He wasn’t sad either, but it never felt like his life.
Following year though, he had to deal with the loss of his 7¬year old relationship and 5¬year old job. His identity was crushed. Next year, he got his ‘ideal’ job but walked away from it. Failure had taught him to be more ambitious and audacious. He had reached a point in his life where he wanted his work to have more meaning, and to stand for something more important than himself.
He started a political consulting company to maneuver social ascendance of marginalized communities by equalizing access to political capital. He also started writing his books, going back to his first passion for travel and writing.
Do you think your travel fueled your writing or love prompted you to travel and write?
I wish I knew. The book has indeed been written in multiple places around the world. However, the bulk of the writing has happened in various coffee shops and hotel lobbies in Delhi.
I like journaling my observations, especially when I travel. Sometimes a museum painting or a city mural or a mountain would evoke a few thoughts, and I would quickly write them in my travel notepad. After a few weeks, as the volition happens in my head unconsciously, I go back to the journal and weave those thoughts in the book manuscript to extend the story.Let me share an example here. When I was writing the female protagonist Madeeha, I wanted to talk about the ephemeral beauty of her face and that every version is as pretty as the other. I was sitting in Wadi Rum in Jordan on a full moon night and taking in the whole desert experience. I looked at the sand dunes and how beautiful they looked. But they were also so transient. A whiff of air and they would change the pattern. Yet every pattern as beautiful as the other. That thought helped me ode Madeeha that her face was like sand dunes, constantly changing; and if you kept looking you could catch a transition. And it didn’t matter what face she bore at what time. It was all wonderful.
Traveling is an extension of the experience of the characters. The story flows through the places, characters visit. Both male and female protagonists are from different countries, meet and study in a third country. The way their relationships are naturally shaped by the places they visit is what I have tried to capture. I don’t think there was a specific attempt to share any travel experience. Only those travel observations have been highlighted that fit directly into the story, and as it applies to the self-inquiry of the lead character Zehen.
To me, love is a verb. Not just romantic love, but love in all relationships. It requires effort. It starts with self-compassion and then encourages you to expand your circle of compassion.
[bctt tweet=”Love makes you reflective and travel makes you expressive. So both are complementary to write. @rjhol7″ username=”indywrites”]
Thank you for sharing your thoughts, Rishabh. All the best for your next book.
He is currently running a Kindle Scout campaign for it. Here is the campaign URL for the book – Want What You Have: https://kindlescout.amazon.com/p/347YCYY93ZV98
May I request you to kindly go and take a look and use the link for nominating the book if it moves you?
Thank you for reading.
Comments
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Loved reading this. A feel good feeling.
Sounds like a good book. Will check it out!
Author
Yes, I am also reading it and traveling with the author. Thanks, Parul.
This is a beautiful bit of writing – that part on the shifting sand dunes and Madeeha’s face. Travel certainly makes for a better writer by enriching him/her with varied experiences.
Author
Yes, some sentences are so evocative, they stay with us. Thanks, Tulika.
The author biography itself is tremendously intriguing. Travel is an aspect that rounds abd shapes one’s thoughts and perceptions while lending wings to the imagination. So I guess, Lean into Relationships is goung to be a very interesting and thought-provoking read. On my tbr.
Author
Yes, this books has many layers indeed. Thanks, Kala.