Today we’d like to introduce you to Vansh Sharma.
Vansh, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My journey during elementary days was an introverted child that dreamed of only one thing, “How to socialize and blend with the crowd?” Moving from one state to another made it tough in terms of making new friends. I did not want to hurt anyone or receive blame by any person. My introverted nature followed me all the way to high school, where I watched with admiration and envy as other students approached one another and entered into casual conversation. The social skills they had practiced since kindergarten gave them shared interests for; my tendency towards solitary behavior revealed no such common wavelength. The next morning, I passed by a school assembly to hear: “Vigilant people will always be rich with opportunities and challenges.” I pondered that statement for days and nights: “How do I find an opportunity or challenge? What challenges do I need to face? What opportunities can I take advantage of?” I browsed the internet to explore opportunities or ideas, but to no avail. Fortunately, I discovered that what I was exploring was present in my daily life within my soul. I was curious about the impact of high school because my high school counselors informed me that this is what shapes our personalities. But even throughout high school, I was chronically shy. A lack of shared interests with other students meant I was never confident in approaching people and starting casual conversations. Reflecting again on the “vigilance” philosophy from a while ago, I realized that if opportunities did not occur naturally, perhaps one had to create them.
While reading a story called Oedipus Rex, featuring a doomed hero, I thought, why not show the importance of life in the form of a novel, since books often show the journey of how characters develop. The project turned out to be larger than I expected. Before beginning, I researched other books to make sure that I was not standing in the shadow of someone else, but establishing my own voice in the world. I decided to center the novel on a character with brain cancer to bring attention to people struggling with life-threatening diseases everyday. The research took several hours every day and I had to balance novel-writing time with school work. With hard work, passion, motivation and determination, the book, “One More Day”… was the start of my authoring journey when it was published. The knowledge, experience, and satisfaction gained from writing the novel was unparalleled. Additionally, writing gave me the chance to express my creativity and to bring out the best ideas within me. As a result, I came across a revelation that a person can apply a new perspective on other aspects of life, from hitting a tennis ball to writing a book. Overall, writing a book helped me grow into a better person with new desired qualities. I am grateful for the ability to stand out among my peers with beaming pride, because of my published book and have been searching for ways to make me unique and impactful to give back to society.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The journey to achieving what one truly desires often has a bumpy road with ups and downs. For success, it must come by learning from failures. In writing, there is no perfection. That is a fact, plain and simple! An author must continue to write, revise, and edit till he or she feels satisfied or the editor feels like it can be presented to the market. Struggling the feeling of satisfaction when it can never reach the pinnacle of a writer’s ability was hard but conquerable. Writing is a form of art where the mind undertakes an essential role in creativity.
Creativity requires a slightly chaotic mind over an organized mind, which is terribly difficult since organization and structure influences daily life. Learning to cast aside the rigid structure over several days and weeks, new ideas eventually flooded the page for the formation of a well-written, creative novel. However, one issue still remained. The project turned out to be larger than the original expectations. Before beginning, researching other books was essential to make sure that the novel was not standing in the shadow of the novel of someone else. The readers are exposed to the patterns of the stories with the plotline to the point that there is no originality. Breaking away from the average norm is a constant struggle in the journey of an author.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
My book, “One More Day”… is a narrative of Elijah Martins, son of Martha and Aaren, finds out he has a brain tumor, which is a scientific novel of his life. My second book “The Adventures of Life”, by Vansh Sharma and co-poet Harini Gopala Krishnan, shows the daily aspects of life through different, descriptive, and poetic stanzas. The knowledge, experience, and satisfaction gained from writing the novel was unparalleled. As an author, writing gives me an opportunity to express my creativity and to bring out the best ideas inside me. As a result, I came across a revelation that a person can apply a new perspective on other aspects of life. Overall, writing a book helped me grow into a better person with new desired qualities compared to others: lessons on internal courage, dealing with the fear of failure, and disciplining myself to stay on track.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
A simple saying covers a main lesson that I learned along my journey: “Without hope, there is no drive for a goal.” I uncovered my hope through my best and worst times in order to complete the book. Hope is found in loved ones, especially my family, friends, and mentors. With them by my side, I gained the courage to write the “One More Day…” and to publish online for the audience to read.
Pricing:
- One More Day – $5
- The Adventures of Life – $5
