#StayAtHomeDiaries: What I’m currently working on

A list of all my WIPs, including PiKu & ViRu 2

A few days ago, my inputs on my pandemic-related anxiety made their way to an article for Boom Live.

(Do read it here. Three cheers for my friend and the article author, Deepika Gumaste, who made it happen in a matter of hours!)

In one of the lines, I describe how staying busy (as per various physicians’ and therapists’ advice to me over the years) has become a way for me to cope with these tense times.

Apparently, work has proven to be the best medicine for me (apart from music). That’s why I have carved out a sufficient chunk of workload for myself and filled my plate with it.

Here’s a lowdown of all the projects I’m working on. Do read because there’s an update on PiKu & ViRu 2 (buy/download the first book here) somewhere down below!

A detective web series

I never thought I’d say this to anyone—let alone write about it in a blog post. But I’m happy to tell you that I’ve taken the leap to mystery writing and will explore more genres in the upcoming months!

I can’t say much about this project until I register it with the Screenwriters’ Association (SWA). Except that it’s a spec one. And that the idea came to me from a news item in a local paper last year. My imagination got going from that point on, and I now have a full-fledged web-series proposal in the works. Besides this series, I’m also writing a bunch of other shows, short films, and comedy sketches.

As of today, I have finished the concept note for the whodunnit and I’m working on developing the screenplay for the pilot episode. Another month more, and I should have my bible ready. If you’re a producer reading this, you know what to do :)

Pitching to publications

I haven’t written for a publication in a while. Yes, I have been pitching, but the efforts petered out over the last year, owing to the string of rejections, mainly due to the pandemic-induced global slowdown.

Now, with many publications back on their feet and inviting pitches, I intend to make the most of these opportunities. The idea is to create a bank of pitches so that, whenever I see a themed call, I can pull something out of the bank, tailor it to the publication, and mail it right away.

Here’s a list of all the publications I want to write for.

Weekly blogging (of course)

While book and screenplay writing take their own sweet time to materialise, blogging is the best way for me to connect with you, my dear reader, every week. Yes, there’s social media, too, but blogging is the perfect medium for me to elaborate my thoughts in a manner that also makes for a cathartic read.

The goal now is to create a bank of posts so I can be prepared for days it’d be difficult for me to write. Besides, I may not be in the best frame of mind at all times, so a bank would come in handy for those moments. I’m working on this in full steam.

In case there’s a specific subject or topic you’d like me to explore in my blogs, do let me know in the comments. I’ll definitely try to see how I can do my best to honour your request.

Client projects

I don’t know whether it’s due to my regular weekly blogging, but I bagged a part-time project for a major Indian digital agency last April.

I do intend to pick up some more assignments if time permits. But right now, I feel, with so many of my personal projects alone, I have heaped too much on my plate, so I’ll have to be smarter with my time and their execution. I’ll also need to be prepared to drop the unimportant ones along the way.

PiKu & ViRu 2

If there’s one question I’ve been asked most in life, I have to say it would be, “When is P&V2 coming out?”

(Wait, you haven’t read P&V yet? Buy/download here now! And do remember to leave a review on Amazon + Goodreads.)

To clarify, I did pen down a few chapters of the second part in 2019 as a first draft. Because the story was supposed to have a travel angle, I was to fly overseas on a recce. But then the pandemic happened in 2020, and so, I had to can that plot.

I’ve now got a new logline, and I’ll be developing it in the plotting stage, which should start anytime in May. This isn’t travel-dependent, so it should work out. There’s still the fear the one-liner may not translate into a proper story. But I promise to give it my best shot because I also have the logline for P&V3 sorted.

Yes, you read that right. I’m exploring a trilogy here. And if my imagination treats me well, I may have a fourth one going, too.

It’s great to see your baby receive so much love and grow into something bigger. I thank you, dear reader, from the bottom of my heart for helping me make all of this possible. Do write to me any time with your thoughts and feedback!