Believe in Yourself and Let Your Dreams Be Your Wings

Inspiration is everywhere. From our surroundings to the television, from our daily life to the news portals, from the people around us to the books, inspiration lies everywhere. All you need is to open your eyes and breathe it in.

1. Tell us more about your background and journey.

My name is Nayana Phukan. I am a writer, a software engineer, an avid traveler and author of the bestselling novel 'Dawn in Florence', which is a tale of unconditional love.

I started my career as an IT professional in TCS after my graduation and I have already completed nine years in the IT industry. Apart from being a software engineer and a writer, I am also a traveler.

I started my writing journey as a travel blogger and I eventually developed an interest in writing fiction. I started writing my novel 'Dawn in Florence' in November 2019 and finally, published it in the last week of July 2020.

2. When did you decide you wanted to be a writer?

Since my childhood days, I have been a bookworm and I always had a dream that one day, I would write books of my own. I still remember writing stories and poems for my school magazines when I was a kid.

Writing has always been my passion but for me, the challenge was to find out an ample amount of time for it. Almost two/ three years back, I started writing travel blogs and drafting fiction stories in my spare time and that was the time when I realized that I should take writing more seriously.

I understood how passion is different from profession and following passion is always the right thing to do.

3. Is it a financially stable career?

I am just one book old and I think, it is too early for me to answer this question. Because everything takes time. A job with a fixed salary is definitely more stable than this profession.

When you work in an organization, your salary will be credited to your account irrespective of the monthly performance of your employer. But, in this profession, you will earn only if readers buy your books.

For a new author, it is always better to have another stable job. But, after you reach a certain level, things become stable and then, you can consider it as a full-time profession.

4. Who is your favorite writer and why?

I don't have one favorite writer but many of them. I am a Harry Potter fan and J.K Rowling is one of my favorite writers. She didn't just write a story, she created an entirely new world, the wizarding world.

I love to read crime fiction and, in this genre, Sidney Sheldon's books are my favorite. His writing style is exceptional and every book of him is a masterpiece. I love all his books but my favorite one is Bloodline.

Apart from them, I enjoy reading the books of Amish Tripathi, Stephenie Meyer and Nora Roberts and all of them are my favourite authors.

5. Where does your inspiration lie?

Turn off your distractions as much as you can, focus in yourself, keep trying and learning new things, always follow your passion, read a book whenever you can, try to meditate, workout daily, travel whenever feasible and get inspired every day.

6. What does your typical day look like?

On a typical day, you will find me either working or traveling. I am not a morning person but whenever I wake up, the first thing I prefer to do is some yoga or workout. I start my work only after that.

I am not that kind of person who can sit continuously for three/four hours. I prefer to take small breaks during my working hours. When I am travelling, I prefer to explore as many places as I can cover instead of chilling on a single place.

7. What piece of advice would you like to give to future aspiring writers?

If you are passionate about writing, then you should follow your passion. Be it writing or anything else it always brings the best out of you. Try to find out some time for writing every day. I know it is not easy all the time, but try to make it a part of your daily routine. Always believe in yourself and let your dreams be your wings

I want to say one more thing to all the aspiring writers who are planning to publish a book that, publishing a book is not only about writing, it is much more than that. If you want to be a successful author, you have to think like an entrepreneur, not only as a writer.

8. Which is your favorite book and why?

I have many favorite books but if you insist me to pick only one, then I will pick 'The Alchemist' by Paulo Coelho. This book tells us how important dreams are and it also advises us to follow our dreams. ‘The Alchemist’ is full of lessons which are very important in life.

This book tells us that no matter what we do, we should make sure that we do it because it is what our heart and soul desire. This book is also full of inspiring quotes and my favorite one is: "When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it."

Interview By - Amatullah