Have you heard the Myth of Maya Joy?

Well… now you have! Unlike all my other books, it took me seven years to write this novel. And this is not because of procrastination or a writer’s block. Rather, this is because unlike all my other writing, which I had meticulously planned, I let this story grow out of a traumatic experience and transform me in the process. Once I felt that the novel was complete, I desperately wanted to share it with the world in the hope that it would be of help to others (more context later).

To find a publisher, I attended a writers’ conference and booked meetings with book agents.

“How many thousands of words make up your novel?” One of the agents asked.

I am not good with numbers, so I said 500 000.

“Oh, that’s a long book — you’ll need to shorten it significantly.”

“So sorry, I’m not good with numbers,” I said, “It’s actually 50 thousand, the length of a novel.”

“Ah, but you’ve mentioned some philosophical themes running through your novel — given their complexity, the book should have about 100 000 words!”

This exchange made me think of templates: social, cultural, and those related to business and marketing. The book agent made his pronouncement without even glancing at the preface. I understand we live in a fast-paced world where quick decisions have to be…