Author: Samarpita Mukherjee Sharma

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A 5-Step Basic Guide To Editing Your Own Manuscript

September 15 , 2020 Samarpita Mukherjee Sharma
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The first draft of your manuscript it ready, and you are wondering what you must do next, am I right? Edit. Rather, self-edit. If you are already a pro, you don’t need me to tell you what to do. But for those you need a little handholding, here is a five-step basic guide to editing your own draft:

First, take a break from your manuscript.

Take a break for at least a day, at the most two days. Take your mind off the story and let the plot settle in your mind. Now get back to it with a fresh mind and read it, not as its writer but as a reader. Do you like it as a reader? Great! Keep the parts you do and mark the ones you don’t. These can be deleted, re-constructed or re-written; we will get to that later.

Snip-snip your manuscript!

Yes, I know you love every word in there with all your soul but darling, readers can be critical. A reader would want the plot to be crisp and precise. If you are still not convinced, think of your draft as someone else’s book. The plot’s got to be lean and mean. Yes, you get my point now? Start snipping. Identify the long sentences and either cut them short or make multiple sentences out of them. Look out for repetitions, in words and in content. The moment you locate them, either chop them off or re-construct.

How good is your grammar?

Let’s understand that whichever language you write in, you cannot take the it lightly. Only when you respect the language will you be able to create something phenomenal out of it. If you are good at it, check for errors in the draft of your manuscript. I’ll be writing posts in the coming months about how you can do basic grammar checks on your drafts. If you think you cannot do this, ask for help. You might have to invest a bit on it, but it will be worth it. Before you release your baby out in the world for readers and critiques to assess it, give it as much perfection as possible.

Use simple language.

Using a group of complicated words does not showcase your expertise over the language. Your skill shows in how you use simple words and put the sentiments across with minimum effort. Running your manuscript through the thesaurus is a good idea here.

Check for spellings.

MS Word comes at help here. Check every single green, red and blue squiggly. Not all need to be corrected – keep the differences in American English and global English in mind. Confirm the spellings of the homonyms; spell check doesn’t always detect them. Avoid too much of passive voice in your manuscript. If you’ve used names of real people and places, double check the spellings.

Once all this is done, take a print of the draft and read. Read out loud, it helps. If you are unable to do the above mentioned steps, or don’t feel confident even after editing, hire professional help. That’s what editors like me are for – to polish your book and make it error free.

 

If you are looking for an excellent manuscript editor, lookno further and connect with me at editor@samarpita.in
You can also hop over to author.to/Samarpita and check out my ebooks on how to write better and make a social media presence before your book hits the market. The books are FREEon Kindle Unlimited.
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These Are Just Two Of My Favourite Books!

September 7 , 2020 Samarpita Mukherjee Sharma
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Growing up, books were a major constant in my life. My mother had grown up as a voracious reader, and the habit got passed on to me genetically and by example. I was introduced to all my favourite authors by my mother, and I had even learnt to read Bengali so that I could read more stories. So, yes, the love affair with stories and the art of story telling goes way back to the time when I couldn’t read and was read to. Most authors still remain in my life though a few have made a mark in my life, and not just because they were great stories.
Two such books are Chief Vasily and Little Women.

Also Read: Favourite Literary Couples – Sherlock & Irene #TBRChallenge

Chief Vasily

Chief Vasily was a limited edition 1986 book translated from Russian by Raduga Publishers. It was about Peter, a Muscovite who went to the village for his vacations where he met Vasily, a local boy. Peter and Vasily started off as rivals, as Peter was being a typical city snob. Soon his edges get rubbed by the village kids and he found great friends in them. I keep this book as a  priced possession and keep going back to it from time to time – for various reasons.

Also Read: A Ready-Reckoner To Write Authentic and Relatable Personalities

 

Little Women

On the other hand, Louisa May Alcott’s Little Women holds a special place in my heart for its timeless themes of family, friendship, and the journey to self-discovery. The story follows the lives of the March sisters – Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy – as they navigate the trials and tribulations of adolescence and young adulthood. What draws me to this book is its richly drawn characters and their relatable struggles and triumphs. Each sister possesses a distinct personality and dreams of her own, yet they are bound together by their unbreakable bond of sisterhood. As I follow their journey from childhood to maturity, I am reminded of the importance of love, loyalty, and the enduring strength of family ties. Little Women is a timeless classic that continues to resonate with readers of all ages, its timeless message of hope and resilience transcending the boundaries of time and space.

Also Read: Crafting Well-Rounded and Relatable Characters with Depth

Little Women is a much-loved story about four sisters – Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy March. All four March sisters had very strong characters but ever since I’d read the story the first time – I’ve identified with Jo the most. Since then, I’ve read it at least 30 times and every time I find myself relating to her even more. I’ve fancied meeting her, talking to her, accompanying Laurie and her to skate on the ice, reading her scripts and secret notes, travelling with her, falling in love at the same time as her, and being fiercely protective of family, just like her. Everything Jo has done, I have done. Never copied her, but growing up I realised life was moving ahead as if parallel to Jo’s.

 

https://www.amazon.in/gp/product/1949982882/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&tag=samarpitashar-21&creative=24630&linkCode=as2&creativeASIN=1949982882&linkId=ace705df8cfe16b12de3c944f8be6a6d

In conclusion, Chief Vasily and Little Women are two books that hold a special place in my heart for their timeless themes, richly drawn characters, and profound impact on my life. While Chief Vasily reminds me of the power of courage and resilience in the face of adversity, Little Women celebrates the enduring strength of family, friendship, and the journey to self-discovery. Both books have left an indelible mark on me, their stories and characters continuing to inspire and resonate with me long after I turn the final page.

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If you are looking for an excellent manuscript editor, someone to create content for your business, or an expert to help build your personal or professional brand on social media, then look no further and connect with me at editor@samarpita.in I can be followed on instagram at @samarpita and on twitter at @samarpitadotin.

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Read my ebook WRITE. EDIT. PROMOTE. to learn the basics about becoming an author – from writing your own book, to editing your first draft, and to promoting your book yourself! You can also read my ebook How To Write A Story Effectively and learn some valuable lessons about how a story can go from average to extraordinary. This book is part 1 of the series.

In fiction, I have two short stories for children in an ebook called Bedtime Stories.

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Four Things Everyone Who Wants To Be An Author Must Do

September 7 , 2020 Samarpita Mukherjee Sharma
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More than a decade ago, when author Chetan Bhagat had written Five Point Someone, it’d brought about a change in the reading habit of the country. Whether one reads his books or not, one cannot deny that Bhagat has single-handedly driven the youth of the country to read more. And if you ask me, the main reason behind this is that he had brought in to the market, stories which Indian readers identify with.

Another thing that has changed in the Indian literary scene recently is that the number of people who want to write has increased manifold. Between 2011-2013, I had spent a lot of time reading fiction written by Indian authors, most of who are still unknown. What was both fascinating as well as disappointing, is that there are so many good stories out there, but not everyone can tell the story very well.

As a manuscript editor and book publicist, I have interacted with a lot of story tellers who are trying to write a book and/or get published. However, I’ve noticed that they are not doing the basics. A doctor has to first take the required course(s), intern and only then can he practice, right? Every procedure has steps and if you are taking writing seriously, I’d strongly suggest that you include these four steps into the process:

Read a lot

Read what you like, but also try to read authors who are better than whom you already read. A lot can be learnt from reading the masters of the trade.

Write a lot

Before you get down to the main story, practice a lot. I’d suggest that you write every single day, even if it is flash fiction or an entry in your diary.

Know your grammar

I’m not asking you to perfect your grammar, but make sure that you are comfortable with the language you are writing in. You can express freely and your words will have the correct intent only when you know your grammar and its usage.

Write honestly

I agree, we all want our works to be famous. But if your work has heavy influences of another author, would the readers rather not buy books of that author? Learn from your idols, but write in your own style. Write an honest story, and not what is selling in the market. Who knows, you could be that bestselling author who brings a new revolution in how Indians read!

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10 Reasons Why Your Manuscript Might Be Getting Rejected By Publishers

September 7 , 2020 Samarpita Mukherjee Sharma
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It’s been a while that I’ve been editing manuscripts and a lot of debutant authors have come to me with one common woe. Their (unedited) manuscripts are getting rejected. While I am not a literary agent, I do have the experience of handling manuscripts and making them what publishers desire. While talking to some friends who are voracious readers, we came to the topic – how do publishers decide which manuscripts have potential and which ones don’t. To be honest, only a publisher can tell you what will work but I have come up with a list of ten things which just won’t work, after a lot of research. There might be more reasons and the reason your manuscript was rejected might not be one of these, nevertheless, this post is an attempt to throw some light on what might be the reasons.

Your manuscript was unedited

Imagine this. The first draft of your manuscript is complete and you shoot mails to publishers with a cover letter and the first three chapters. And then, you wait. Chances are, you either don’t hear back from anyone, or if you do, it is a rejection. Does this mean you are a bad writer? While there is a tiny probablity of that being true, I’ll take a random guess and say – no. What went wrong was that you sent a rough draft, without waiting to first polish it. How can you avoid this? Firstly, by being patient. Walk away from the first draft. After a couple of days, come back to it. Read it and make changes as you progress. Do the first round of edit yourself. Hiring an editor is a good idea.

Your manuscript doesn’t seem honest.

Go back to your manuscript and ask yourself honestly – was this a sincere effort to pen down a story you had, or did you write something because it is in trend? Did you ape someone – in style of writing or in the plot of the story? Remember, publishers will invest in you only if they are convinced your book will bring them revenue. Is your manuscript original and honest enough to deliver that?

Your cover letter spoke more about you than about your story.

Well! Unless who you are and what you do can send the book on re-print just during pre-orders, your credentials are not important. Of course, you have to write about yourself, like about your previous books (if any) and other accomplishments solely related to previously published books. Apart from that, let your story do the talking. Talk about the product you want the publisher to sell, let that be the only focus in your cover letter.

Your cover letter had errors.

Like your manuscript, your cover letter should be error free too! Take help if needed, but do ensure that the language in your query or cover letter is impeccable.

Your manuscript had unprofessional typesetting.

Do not send your proposal/query letter/manuscript in fancy fonts. These are professional documents and need to look like it. To stay safe use one of these permissible fonts – Times New Roman, Tahoma, Verdana, Georgia, Palatino, Franklin Gothic, Book Antiqua, Bookman Old Style, keep the size to 12, double space the lines and use black letters on white background.

You’ve praised your manuscript too much.

While you do need to present your manuscript as a sellable proposition, it is not a good idea to boast about it. Do not include in your query letter how everyone who has read it so far has loved it and how you are sure the book will be the biggest hit of the decade. Don’t sound over-confident and/or cocky.

Your manuscript reads like documentary.

Fiction or non-fiction, your manuscript has to have a structure. If the actual story/point of focus comes after hundred pages, the book becomes automatically unsellable. Your reader will not keep patience till the tenth chapter or till after a hundred pages. Make sure you have spun the plot well and carefully.

Your manuscript is not suitable for the publisher’s reader base.

If you have sent a chiclit to a publisher who deals mainly with mystery/thriller genre, the manuscript is bound to be rejected. Do know that this need not be counted as a rejection, your manuscript and the context of the story was sent to the wrong address! Do your research well and shortlist publishers who publish books similar to the kind of story you have written. It is advisable to send the manuscript to those who would be at least remotely interested in the topic of the manuscript.

Your manuscript has too many characters.

In short, one glance at the manuscript and the publisher is confused about the story and how it will progress. And that means, the reader would be confused too. At times, authors, specially debutant authors are so absorbed in the ambition to write a best-seller, that they stretch the plot too much. Avoid doing this.

The language in your manuscript is pretentious.

I have said this to almost all my clients – the key to writing a good story is to write in the words most people would understand. Whichever the language you are writing in, use simple and clear language. Do not sit with the dictionary if your aim is to find the toughest synonym. Remember, that even if there are ten synonyms to a word, all their usage would not be the same.

For assitance with manuscript editing or promoting your book online, get in touch at editor@samarpita.in

You might want to read my ebook for writing newbies where I have helped with the basics of writing, editing, and promoting on Write. Edit. Promote. by clicking on the links below:

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Reach Out To Your Readers Through Ebooks. It’s Easy!

August 26 , 2020 Samarpita Mukherjee Sharma
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This time last year, I was preparing to create my first ebook with the help of Blogchatter. I have dreamt of publishing my work since forever, but find the entire process of sending samples of publishers, waiting for a revert, and dealing with rejections too much to handle. I honestly don’t have the bandwidth to take so much on my mind. So does that mean I will never be a published author? I’d thought so.

Until I became a part of Blogchatter Ebook Carnival. Hesitatingly. Because, the entire idea seemed too good to be true! And like many of you who have joined the carnival the first time, I was very excited to see this take shape. I was apprehensive, yet calm because I knew the people behind this and knew that they will see me through till the end with this.

I published by first ebook Write. Edit. Promote. with Blogchatter and it got a delightful treatment over the next two months. After two months, I published the ebook on Amazon and have published another ebook since then, with the third one due next month. In this post, I wanted to share with you all my learnings from the entire process. I will be one of the mentors this year, so do not hesitate getting in touch if you get stuck anywhere with the process!

  • Decide the topic of your ebook very careful. You will need enough number of chapters to create a book, and they will all need to be related. This is specially important if your ebook is going to be a non-fiction.
  • Designing a cover is easy and there are many apps to help you with that, the most common one being Canva. A word of caution here, a book’s cover is the first impression a reader will have of your book, so design it well. When I say design it well, I don’t want you to learn designing. Just make a simple, attractive cover. Canva has a host of other tools and templates, or like me, you can not use any of them and just create your cover from scratch. Use colours that are pleasing to the eye, fonts that are professional and not fancy or kiddish, and keep the font size readable yet not too big.
  • Edit well. Use apps if you wish, or take help from knowledgeable friends. A book must be edited, for readers to appreciate and enjoy reading it.
  • Make sure you number the pages in your manuscript and create a table of contents which has the page numbers mentioned too.
  • Many authors don’t get into a acknowledgements but gratitude is a wonderful thing. Nothing is possible without a little direct or indirect help from the universe and its people, so thanking them is never too much.
  • Don’t forget to include the about the author section. Don’t brag too much here, yet talk about yourself in the best way possible. Don’t make the author bio too long, as well.

 

Be a part of Blogchatter’s eBook Carnival and your journey to becoming an author would be full of fun and pride. I wish you all the best with your journey of becoming an author from a blogger.

 

If you are a new author, download my e-books meant specifically for you:

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Have Allergies? Check What Goes In Your Mouth! #AllergyFree

August 26 , 2020 Samarpita Mukherjee Sharma
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Whenever I want to eat prawns, I remember an ex-roommate of mind. She was allergic to prawns and her skin would break out the very instance she ate one, if ever, by mistake. So there were a lot of times I’d see her ask if the food being served had prawns, even if the hosts never thought of including prawns in the menu! It was embarrassing for her, but it was also a matter of life and death. Yes, I’d heard of a few instances where people with prawn allergies had even lost their lives due to it.

Scary, isn’t it?

Food Intolerance vs Food Allergies

Living with her, I also learnt the difference between food intolerance and food allergies. Food intolerance symptoms are often limited to digestive problems, such as cramps, constipation or diarrhea. A food allergy has much more serious reactions in the body. A severe allergic reaction may involve swelling, hives, itching, dizziness and even life threatening anaphylaxis. A food intolerance is a digestive system response whereas a food allergy is an immune system response.

I personally don’t have any food allergies that I know of, but my husband is allergic to some foods so we need to be very careful about what comes in our kitchen and what we order when we eat outside.

Know what to look for in a food label

Eating out is a once-in-a-while occasion but food gets cooked at home everyday. Since we both love to experiment in the kitchen, we often buy new sauces, etc.
One thing we are both very careful about is checking the labels on packaged food. It is very important to know what to look for in labels and how to read labels for food allergies in India.
Not very long ago, I learnt that I need to pay special attention to anything that is under ‘may contain’ in the food labels. Also, if the label says something is free (eg) sugar-free, peanut-free, it could mean that there are extracts or substitutes which could be equally harmful to the person allergic. It is important to us that we know which allergens are lurking in the food.

Stay prepared if you have a food allergy

Food allergies can be triggered by even a small amount of the offending food so it is advised to avoid that food completely. The first step is to be sure of what you are eating. You can’t afford to be adventurous and try out new dishes without knowing the ingredients. That is why my husband and I make it a point to check labels while using exotic sauces. We also talk to the restaurant staff about the food we order.

In addition to this, carry an epinephrine auto-injector if your allergist feels you have a need. This is to save the person in case a severe allergic reaction like anaphylaxis occurs.
Staying aware about allergens and avoiding them completely also makes eating out/eating packed food hassle free!
Know more about allergies and their management here.

Disclaimer:
The views expressed in the blog content are independent and unbiased views of solely the blogger. This is a part of the public awareness initiative supported by Sanofi India. Sanofi India bears no responsibility for the content of the blog. One should consult their healthcare provider for any health-related information.

References:
1. https://acaai.org/allergies/types/food-allergy

2. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/food-allergy/expert-answers/food-
allergy/

 

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How To Become A Pro At Content Creation Right From The Beginning

August 26 , 2020 Samarpita Mukherjee Sharma
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The world is changing. More now, than ever before.

We are living through a pandemic and life as we knew it, doesn’t exist any more. Everything has changed, yet nothing has stopped. So, taking all the change in account, we all must move ahead and do things which will become the new normal.

Make it simple. Make it memorable. Make it inviting to look at. Make it fun to read.” ~ Leo Burnett

One thing which remains normal, and is on the upward slide to become more than what it is, happens to be content creations. It is not bound by industries, time zones, currencies, region, or gender. Content creation is the fastest growing occupation at present, and it will keep on increasing. There is no doubt that this is going to be humongous. So, while the entire world is focused on cashing in on this, what about you? Don’t you want to become a pro at content creation and earn big bucks too? I am sure you do, why else would you even be reading this post, haha!

Content creation comes in many types. I am a word content creator, while there are so many successful content creators whose content exists on other platforms and mediums. There is no dearth of information to be retrieved from the internet, but when it comes to your career, the information has to be reliable, and explained how you need it to be. 

Let’s take written content, for example. Blogging happens to be one of the lucrative forms of written content. Look around, there are numerous bloggers out there. But are they all pros at it, making the big bucks, while working for the biggest brands? No, they are not. Only the best reach that stage, and they become the best only because they have studied the field and entered prepared.

For instance, if you want to set up a blog, what are the things you need to be aware of from before?

“Inspiration exists, but it has to find you working.” ~ Pablo Picasso

  • How To Find Your Niche
  • How To Identify Potential Clients
  • How To Create Your Own Portfolio
  • 6 Habits of Successful Content Creators
  • Tips To Become A Name To Reckon In The Industry
  • Using Social Media as a Tool
  • Difference Between Content Creation and Content Curation
  • Tips & Tricks To Become An Efficient Content Creator
  • Importance of Networking For A Content Creator
  • Dos and Don’ts of Being A Content Creator

When it comes to other mediums of content creations, there are similar yet different things which one needs to be aware of before stepping into the world. 

Wouldn’t it be great if those who are pros at their field, tell you how they did it? The graph is only going upwards and onwards, and there is no time like now to become a pro at content creation while building your business. Sign up to this online event where the best in the industry will tell you the secrets of their success through carefully crafted videos addressing every concern viewers might have.

If you are a new author, download my e-books meant specifically for you:

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Five Lifestyle Changes I Made To Maintain My Mental & Physical Strength

March 31 , 2020 Samarpita Mukherjee Sharma
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When was the last time you ran for a couple of kms and didn’t pant for the next 5 minutes, trying to catch your breath?
The buzzword all around the world currently revolves around health and each and every person is taking more care than ever to stay healthy & fit. Working out for an hour is highly recommended but no amount of workout will make us strong and fit, if we don’t pay attention to what we are eating. Building one’s
immunity is not rocket science, and can be done easily by making some lifestyle changes.
Over the last few months I made five lifestyle changes to improve my immunity and I’d love to share them with you.

Lifestyle Changes
* My health conditions make me stay away from a lot of foods like rice, maida, sugar, high GI foods, fried foods, packet foods, and more. So, at a glance, one would imagine that there is hardly anything that remains that I can eat now. I felt so too. But after a lot of research I have found food and nutrition substitutes which give me the exact nourishment that my body needs, while keeping me away from what is harmful for me.

I plan my meals beforehand and get the ingredients ready a day before. As a result, I am eating more home-cooked food, and I cook my own food so that I can control what goes in
the cooking process too.

* I have started devoting an hour of my day to exercising. My workouts vary from yoga to home exercises to walks, and also include breathing exercises for my lungs.

* Our generation has conveniently ignored how important it is to sleep. At night. I have consciously made changes in my lifestyle so that I get a solid 7-8 hours of sleep, and in one go. I don’t nap during the day.

* Keeping the mind refreshed and healthy is yet another underrated fact. We forget to, most of the times. The fourth lifestyle change I made is that depending on what I feel like that day, I take time out for my hobbies – I read, I paint, I knit. I sometimes garden, and now I cook regularly.

Times I spend doing these things are when my mind unravels and nourishes itself.
* As you grow older, it is important to ensure that your body is getting the right nourishment. I have added medically prescribed nutritious supplements in my diet. You can try Ensure that has 11 immunity supporting nutrients and helps in your body getting complete and balanced diet.

What about you? What lifestyle changes have you made to maintain your physical and mental strength? I’d love to know and see if I can implement them in my life too!

Check your muscle age here https://bit.ly/MuscleAgeTest

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