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| Geetanjali Mukherjee, Author ANYONE CAN GET AN A+ |
Geetanjali
Mukherjee writes non-fiction books on a variety of topics--from an overview on
Hitler’s “architect,” Albert Speer, to a collection of poems. She produced her
latest book, ANYONE CAN GET AN A+: HOW TO BEAT PROCRASTINATION, REDUCE STRESS AND IMPROVE YOUR GRADES, as a result of her educational experiences in India,
the UK, and the U.S. She intends for the book to help “empower” students to do
well.
Mukherjee,
who has written a total of six books, has
a law degree from the University of Warwick UK and a Masters' in Public Policy
from Cornell University. When she is not
writing, she most enjoys reading (although she confesses that she loves to
binge-watch TV and pretend it’s research.) Currently she is living in
Singapore, working on a book of essays and one of narrative non-fiction.
Q: How did you
come to write your latest book, ANYONE CAN GET AN A+: HOW TO BEAT PROCRASTINATION, REDUCE STRESS AND IMPROVE YOUR GRADES? Why did you decide to write on this
topic?
Geetanjali Mukherjee: Firstly, thanks a lot Joyce for having me on
your blog! I actually had the idea for this book many years ago, when I was in
school and learning and applying a few of the tips myself. I had always been a
good student, but in high school I found myself struggling with the technical
subjects, science, mathematics and computer programming. I was barely passing
in some of my classes, and had to completely overhaul my study habits, and get
some additional help. My efforts paid off, and in the O-level equivalent exams,
I received top marks and became class valedictorian. I went through similar
experiences during my Masters' program, and I became interested in how to turn
around grades and learn to do well in subjects despite struggling initially.
I
wrote this book to share my own tips and success strategies, as well as those I
picked up from reading some of the most recent research into how our brain
works, and how to harness that knowledge to study and learn more effectively. I
could see that so many students, especially in competitive societies where a
single grade can have a huge impact on their future, are stressed out and
overwhelmed by the pressures of schoolwork. I wrote this book in the hope that
it could empower students to believe that they could do well in their studies
without burning out or giving up.
Q: What age
group will most benefit from reading ANYONE CAN GET AN A+? Is it targeted at
adult students only?
Geetanjali Mukherjee: Actually the book was written primarily
aimed at college or high-school senior students, but the advice can be
implemented by younger students in middle school or younger and even those in
continuing education, returning to school after a few years gap, or juggling
the roles of student and parent or employee simultaneously. Being able to
become more effective with the time you spend studying and get more out of it
are topics that can benefit any
student regardless of age.
I
also wrote this book hoping to encourage those students who avoid certain
careers believing that they lack the ability to excel in those subjects. It is
an accepted fact that most countries are struggling to improve their diversity
ratios in the fields of technology, science, and medicine. At the same time,
the range of free and low-cost educational resources that are now available to
students worldwide are incredible. I believe that anyone, with the knowledge of improved study strategies, can learn
to master any subject and follow any career path that they choose.
Q: You have
been educated in India, the UK, and the U.S. Do you believe that students from
all three countries or anywhere else can benefit from ANYONE CAN GET AN A+?
Geetanjali Mukherjee: Obviously as an author I have drawn on my
own student experiences, and therefore the book would resonate more with
students with similar experiences. However, the strategies I describe in the
book are universally applicable, even if my own personal experience might
differ from readers from other countries. In the book, I describe ways to
harness our brain's capabilities based on scientific research, much of which I
learnt after I stopped formal education; these tips would help any student, no
matter what their specific curriculum or school requirements.
Through
this book, I wanted to provide an alternative to the brute force school of
studying, without advising overly complicated 'hacks' which some authors of
study guides prescribe. Anyone can pick up my book and start to apply its
principles, without the need to set up elaborate systems and methods. I have
tried to break down everything that I learnt into simple tips, and I am sure
that every student can find something to apply from this book.
Q: You have
written other books that span a wide range of topics from an overview on Hitler’s
“architect” Albert Speer to a collection of poems. How do you select your
topics? Is there a theme that runs through them?
Geetanjali Mukherjee: Well Joyce, that's actually a question I
asked myself recently. I mostly write about topics that interest me. Most of my
current books started as research for school or college projects or papers,
even the poems were mostly written during my time at university. One theme that
runs across all my work (barring the book of poetry) is that they can all be
helpful to students, albeit across literature, history and political science / law.
Additionally,
although I didn’t notice this at the time of choosing my topics, most of my
work has the theme of social justice and human rights running through it, in
some form or other. My first book was a critical analysis of some of the late
Nobel Laureate Seamus Heaney's poems, many of which were influenced by the
Northern Ireland conflict and referenced those themes. My books on Albert Speer
and the Convention on Cluster Munitions have obvious connections to war and
conflict. Finally, in my latest book on study skills, I realized the main
driving force behind my writing this book was to encourage students who may not
have the environment that allows them to believe in themselves, or are
struggling in school and don’t have the support to get the help they need; I
want to show these students that everyone has the ability to do well in every
subject, and they should never give up on themselves. This is a topic I feel
really strongly about.
In
terms of how I decide what to write about – it is whatever I am obsessed about
at that moment. Writing a book is hard - they take a long time, and I never
really feel that I am getting it right, and sometimes I can be very difficult
to live with while I am writing one, but I write because something propels me
to. I write all the ideas that occur to me down in an ideas file, and when
something just refuses to leave me alone, I decide to pursue it further.
Q: Do you
prefer writing poetry or non-fiction? Do you find that you can say something
with poetry that you can’t in prose? Have you considered writing fiction?
Geetanjali Mukherjee: I haven’t really written much poetry since I
wrote the poems that are part of Illusions.
I believe that poetry is the most pure form of writing, and you can convey
emotions and thoughts in a completely different way through poetry. I would
like to write more poetry, but unlike with non-fiction writing, I have to admit
I wait for inspiration to strike to write poetry. And of course that isn’t the
most prolific approach towards creating anything.
I
am currently writing my first novel actually as part of Nanowrimo. I have tried
to write fiction before, but other than a play I wrote that was performed
locally, I have never been able to complete any work of fiction that I started.
I am hoping that changes with this one, which I am privately calling my
"drawer novel" in that I will probably relegate it to a drawer when I
am done. I do have a few more ideas, so I hope to write novels for publication
at some point in the near future.
Q: Do you try
to deliver key messages or to educate your readers? What is your primary goal
when you write?
Geetanjali Mukherjee: I remember reading somewhere that even if
you have a message to deliver as an author, you should hide it very subtly
within the story, and above all, seek to entertain. I am not sure I have
achieved that yet, but I definitely keep that advice in mind when I write.
Since I write non-fiction I guess it is acceptable to try to educate my
readers, but my goal is really for the reader to gain a new perspective on the
subject, or to ask more questions and think about the topic even after they
have finished reading the book.
I
guess my ideal goal would be that my books are read by those who have only a
passing interest or even none at all in the subject, and my book kindles a
deeper interest in them, or they feel that they have learned something
unexpected from it. Personally, I have always had absolutely no interest in
astronomy, I don’t even know where most of the major constellations are, but I
happened to read this one book on the demotion of Pluto, and it kindled this
passion in me for astronomy. Now I am hungry to read more books on the subject,
and learn more about it. That’s the power of non-fiction, and that's really
what I am aiming for, although probably not quite getting there, yet.
Q: What tips
can you offer about “being creative and productive every day?”
Geetanjali Mukherjee: Well this is a pretty vast subject, one that
I feel I am only scratching the surface of. I write about being more productive
and creative on my blog, to share what works for me and good advice that I come
across elsewhere.
The
most important advice I guess I could give would be a derivation of a quote
from Ira Glass, the radio personality. As creative people, our ability is far
less developed than our taste, and so what we create may well be far worse than
we would hope for, at least initially. I used to personally get discouraged by
this, and give up. What Ira Glass suggests, and I concur, is to keep doing the
creative thing, whatever it is, no matter how bad it is. At some point, it
stops being bad, and moves to tolerable, and sometimes, it is even good. And
then, when you keep at it long enough, suddenly you are really good, and on
some lucky days, even great. Believe that that moment will come for you. And my
unique take on this advice – find whatever productivity hacks that help you to
keep at it, even when it is hard, or when the work feels hard, or when you're sure it is intended for the stink pile.
With some rare exceptions, most of the greats in your chosen field got there
because they learned how to get through the really bad output, the really bad
art, and keep going till they got better.
Q: What do you
find to be the most challenging topics to write about? Why?
Geetanjali Mukherjee: I find every book I write challenging. I
used to think that meant that I wasn’t really cut out to be a writer, but
thankfully I have since come across advice from successful, famous writers who
have similar concerns. I suppose each writer has one area or maybe more that
they find easy to write about – in my
case I found writing Anyone Can Get An A+ somewhat easier
than my previous books. This could be because I was writing partly from my own
experience. Now that I am trying my hand at fiction, I find that this is the
hardest thing I have ever tried to write.
Come
to think of it, I could have answered this question with one sentence: I find
that the book I am writing currently is the hardest one to write, and the book
I have just written and all the ones before were far easier. And I feel the
same way for each new one.
Q: What’s next?
Geetanjali Mukherjee: Well, right now I am focused on completing
Nanowrimo. I have also started work on a book of essays and a work of narrative
non-fiction. I have plans for a few other books in the pipeline as well, but
nothing definite yet.
Q: Tell us about Geetanjali Mukherjee. What
do you like to do for fun when you’re not writing?
Geetanjali Mukherjee: Read. I
read even when I am supposed to be writing, and like all writers, I have a
longer list of books to read than time to get through them all. I also hold a
leadership position in a community Buddhist organization, and we have events
and monthly meetings to discuss topics related to peace in society and personal
happiness. Through this organization, last December I performed in a choir at a
concert to promote friendship and cultural exchange. I've lately taken up yoga
and Zumba as well, because although butt-in-chair time is great for my word
count, apparently it's terrible for my arteries. My guilty pleasure though, is
binge-watching TV shows, pretending it is research!
About Geetanjali Mukherjee:
Geetanjali
Mukherjee is the author of 6 books, and her latest book ANYONE CAN GET AN A+: HOW TO BEAT PROCRASTINATION, REDUCE STRESS AND IMPROVE YOUR GRADES was
written to help students of all ages improve their study habits and get better
grades with techniques based on the latest scientific research. She has a law
degree from the University of Warwick UK and a Masters' in Public Policy from
Cornell University. Geetanjali currently lives in Singapore. You can connect
with her at her blog Creativity@Work, and on Twitter or Facebook.
About ANYONE CAN GET AN A+
Do you wish you
could get better grades? Do you struggle with certain subjects and believe that
maybe you're not cut out for them? Do you want to spend less time studying and
still get good grades? Maybe you think that some subjects are just not for you.
Maybe you don't like to study, because you secretly believe that you just don't
have what it takes, so why bother? Maybe you are a parent, worrying about your
child's grades, worrying whether they will be able to qualify for the
opportunities you want for them.
Studying for
tests and exams can be stressful, not just for students, but also for teachers
and parents. Grades in school exams and standardized tests can seem to
determine your entire future, and yet many students are not able to get the
grades they think they need to succeed.
This book draws
on research from the fields of psychology and neuroscience, and gives you
practical advice that you can implement right away, to overcome
procrastination, make the most of your study time and improve your grades
significantly. ANYONE CAN GET AN A+ contains 39 tips on various aspects
of studying and preparing for exams. In this book, you will learn:
·
How
best to prepare for exams
·
What
is the top mistake most students make when doing exam preparation and how to
avoid it
·
How
to overcome procrastination and use your study time wisely
·
How
to break down larger assignments into smaller chunks
·
How
to use small segments of time effectively
·
How
to get help for understanding difficult material
ANYONE
CAN GET AN A+ is available for free on Amazon from Nov 16th – Nov 19th
http://hyperurl.co/j4kdc9
Links
Purchase Links
Author Links
Twitter: http://twitter.com/geetumuk
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