Dipika Singh- Story of a Banker turned Blogger

Dipika Singh is Ex Banker, Blogger, Author, and a Life-time learner. You can read her blogs at Gleeful Blogger and follow her on Twitter @gleefulblogger.

Ronak: How did your blogging journey start amidst a busy corporate career, and how has it been so far?

Dipika: Blogging wasn’t as planned as my corporate career was; I pursued MBA from one of the top Business Schools in the country to be in the corporate world and dedicated the early few years to the leading banking corporations. I was fortunate enough to learn the latest developments and technology in payment gateways, back-end operations, and anti-money laundering. I loved my banker profile as much as I am a dedicated blogger today.

Blogging happened by chance; I started writing to vent my emotions with a baby in tow. Slowly readers started connecting with my write-ups and thus began — gleefulblogger.

Ronak: Can you tell us something about the driving idea behind ‘gleefulblogger’?

Dipika: Gleefulblogger is a direct reflection of my personality. Simple living, educative information, basic healthy tips, entertainment, and a little bit of everything. I wanted my blog to be an informational source instead of an advertorial or a digital personal — diary. With due diligence and deliberation, the name was decided — Gleefulblogger — It’s Your Glee.

However, over the years, the tagline was removed (as later I felt it was a little kiddish) the name remained. Though I still find it tough to spell in one shot to some people.

Ronak: How has been your experience as an author, and what was your inspiration behind it?

Dipika: I am an ardent fiction fan; writing for the blog has improved not only the language part but also taught me how to keep readers glued to an article. The right enthusiasm and creative edges here and there birthed the idea to write a book someday.

Blogchatter is a blogging community with which I have been associated from the very beginning of my blogger journey. They started the blog-to-book campaign, and I hopped on the bandwagon.

The initial idea was to publish a book on ‘thoughtful parenting,’ but as Covid-19 hit us in March 2021, I started writing light romantic love stories. When everyone was sulking inside their homes, who would read another ‘self-help’ book, so I changed the idea from parenting to love stories for the book.

Ronak: What challenges did you face in your journey from blogger to author? How did you overcome those challenges?

Dipika: From my experience, the real struggle is to get the momentum going. Once you are out of steam, nothing in the world can get you back into the writing zone. So, I dedicated two-three hours every single day to writing without fail. Blogging is a different ballgame altogether; if you have an idea, an 800–1000 words article won’t take any effort.

However, writer’s block is a real-life challenge. I spend time reading my old Sydney Sheldon’s and Dan Brown’s to come out of slumber.

Ronak: Can you tell us a bit more about your book- ‘It’s all called Love’? Does your real life inspire these stories?

Dipika: ‘It’s all called love’ is a compilation of 11 short, crisp love stories weaved into one book. All the stories are like different shades of love, unapologetically different from each other. In this book, you will find college to corporate romance, martial love stories, infatuations, love at the first call, and more. I believe we all fall in love sometimes; it is only that some people show and others keep it hidden deep under the layers. This book shares different scenarios and circumstances around love.

Fiction is real-life inspiration weaved into beautiful words to make it appealing. So, yes, as a writer, real-life love stories in and around my circle of people have inspired me to give them a shape in the form of a book.

Ronak: What are the things you love and enjoy the most about your work as blogger and content creator?

Dipika: Having worked in corporates for 7 to 8 years and later in academia for another four years, I realized working for others has its challenges. Those who are into creative writing and thinking often feel bound in an ‘employed’ set-up.

As a blogger and author, I am my boss. That also means I am twice more mindful and responsible for the work I undertake. I enjoy my writing spree, freelancing style of working, and being independent to accept or deny a project.

Ronak: What advice would you give to aspiring authors and bloggers?

Dipika: My only advice to budding bloggers would be — Identify your calling! If you genuinely wish to be a writer/blogger, go with full conviction. Don’t get inspired by the glamour you see from the outside. There are many sleepless nights, stressful days, unimaginable hours of labor, and a disconnect from the real world to create a blog website or write a book.

In the end, only your satisfaction and contentment matter.

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Ronak Pansari is an intern at Bloggers Alliance and is pursuing MBA 2nd year at IIM Shillong.