It’s no surprise to anyone that I am OBSESSED with wildlife.
It is what I think about when I sleep, when I wake up, and when I’m dreaming. My classmates run after girls; I run after girls and animals. When my friends go out drinking, I go out birdwatching. I spend my holidays walking through forests simply because I love it.
Wildlife is my other half.
For the past 6 years, I’ve travelled to several wild destinations in search of wildlife, not as a tourist but as an active volunteer/intern or explorer. I’ve walked through famed Tiger Reserves, trekked up remote montane forests and swam along thriving coral reefs. I’ve been to lush, moist rainforests, and I’ve been to arid scrub jungles—all to be with nature and wildlife.
Two years ago, I began writing about my work and passion online. Until then, all my experiences were just recorded in my photographs and my field journal. I won a full-ride scholarship to Write of Passage, and then things began to snowball.
Over time, I garnered an audience of hundreds of readers from across the globe, all interested in reading my story. They’ve reached out SO MANY times, asking me to pen down my experiences into a book.
Last year, my father walked up to me and asked, “Ishan, why haven’t you considered writing a book?”
His words were the final nail in the coffin. I finally took the plunge.
I sat down and brainstormed some ideas, stories, and structures. I devised a broad vision and how I wanted to execute it. Here’s a short video I made explaining everything:
Then, for the next several months, I put my nose to the grinding stone and pumped out a shitty first draft of around 70,000 words. This was a HUGE step, involving a lot of overhauls, self-development exercises, emotional breakdowns and more.
There were many moments I wanted to give up, to just stop the torture. But in the back of my mind, I knew one thing; I had to crank out the first draft. There was no bypassing that (I’ll write a full, detailed “how I wrote my book/first draft” article later)
That’s where we’re at now. I’m done with the first draft, and I’m slowly editing it. I’ve found an editor, publisher, cover designer and even a name – Wild Wanderlust: An Initiation into the Natural World.
Why I’m writing this book
I’m writing this book because I think it is time I shared my stories with the world. I know I’ve lived through some novel experiences and garnered some insights I must share with others. It stems from this deep-set belief that I deserve to be heard.
I also wanted to write this because most of the literature on nature and wildlife has been written by older folks. That lends most nature-writing to have a certain tone. I hope to shake things up. Young people haven’t written anything of substance. I hope to change that.
I see myself writing many more books in the future, and so I’m glad to have started the journey. I don’t know where it will take me, but I’m excited to get there.
Just to be clear: This is not some Tarzan story detached from the modern world. My life simply hasn’t been like that (for the most part), and painting it so would be an injustice to both you and me. Instead, it accounts for my experiences as I lived them and how they’ve shaped me into who I am. I explore how I’ve learnt the ways of the natural world over these years and how much further I have to go. I recount thrilling tales, and I recount placid ones, all to paint an accurate depiction of the past six years.
I need your help!
As a Write of Passage student, I would like to get YOUR feedback on my writing so that I can fine-tune it BEFORE I send it to my editor.
If you’re interested in being part of the journey, fill out this Google Form, and I’ll guide you from there
I am super stoked to finally share this secret with the world. I’ll need all the help I can get, so feel obliged to fill out that form above and join the journey!
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The Owlet
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