Such a long journey...

The author, who's a software engineer by profession, tells CS he discovered writing by accident:

Drifting through life
Throughout my life I was aimless. I was one of those people who are called drifters. In the nineties there was a boom in IT. Studying engineering was in fashion. I succumbed to herd mentality. So I pursued an engineering degree although my heart was not into it. My first creative work was a short story. And as soon as I had made this discovery that I could write, I decided to write a novel. For the first time in my life I found something that I could do where I could put my heart and soul. Dickens was a huge inspiration when I wrote my first novel. Although I write novels as a hobby, I dream of being a full-time writer.

Taking babysteps
The greatest pressure that I experience is to prove to myself that I can write a great novel. Although such is my intent when I begin a novel, after its completion I realise that I have just taken a baby step. I am an apprentice in the world of novel-writing. I have a long way to go. I believe greatness is something which is achieved as part of a journey.

Admiration club
There are several authors I like. In the world of fiction I admire Dickens. I admire him for his indefatigable energy. Then there is Alexander Dumas, the author of the Musketeer novels and the Count of Monte Cristo. I admire Dostoevsky, Edgar Allan Poe, R.L.Stevenson, Henry Fielding, Jonathan Swift and many more. Of all the books, if there is one favourite, then it is ‘David Copperfield'.