Katie Sanyal, graduating this spring with a BA in English from the University of Utah, started “Lady of the House” during a year-long novel-writing workshop led by Dr. Michael Gills. The project, born out of a set of strict class guidelines, became something far larger than she originally imagined.

“I’d always wanted to write a novel,” Sanyal said, “but before this class, I’d only written fantasy stories. I took the whole summer before the class just to think about it. The setting, the characters, a vague sense of plot … but honestly, I didn’t figure out the actual story until like, sixty pages in.”

Writing the novel meant letting go of tight control and letting the story evolve.

“A lot of things changed early on,” Sanyal said. “Characters I hadn’t even planned came into the story. I had moments where the story started telling itself, too.”

It helped to have the pressure of the classroom pushing her forward.

“Being part of that class definitely shaped my novel for the better,” she said. “If I hadn’t had the structure of turning in pages every week, I don’t think I would have finished. Having other students around me, all of us learning and writing together, made such a huge difference.”

Still, Sanyal faced creative exhaustion while also dealing with her real-life deadlines.

“By the time I finished the draft, I didn’t want to touch it or look at it at all,” she said. “But the publishing process took almost two years, so I had that distance. When I got early copies, I finally felt really happy with it again.”

“Lady of the House,” set in a fictional Georgia town, also draws from Sanyal’s own identity. The protagonist, like Sanyal, is half Indian and half Japanese, which is a perspective she felt was important to include.

“It’s not autobiographical,” she said, “but it is drawn from some personal experiences.”

In terms of style, Sanyal was inspired by storytelling that bridges audiences. She cites the animated film “Coraline” and a famous C.S. Lewis quote about returning to fairy tales in adulthood.

“I love the idea that a story can mean something different depending on what stage of life you’re in,” she said. “It’s not a fairy tale, but I wanted ‘Lady of the House’ to be something you could revisit as you grow older.”

Writing while being a full-time student also taught her an unexpected lesson.

“I wish someone had told me not to be afraid,” Sanyal said. “Writing is so vulnerable. You might get scared or embarrassed, but in the bigger picture, some things need to be said. You can always revise later.” The first draft is where you have to be brave, let things out on the page, and then you can see what you need to change or add.

Now, with “Lady of the House” set to release on July 15, Sanyal is already working on her next novel, which blends literary fiction with some magical realism. She said that now that she has finished her first book, she feels like she can conquer the next one.

When asked what she would say if she could write a letter to herself at the start of this process, she said, “Trust yourself a little more. Enjoy it. Don’t stress so much about getting it perfect.”

Sanyal’s journey towards publishing her first novel is a reminder to any student writer that it is possible. Starting small, trusting the process and writing even when you think you can’t, can become something incredible.

Sanyal’s “Lady of the House” releases July 15 and is available for presale now through major booksellers.