From
best-sellers to short stories, writers are the one who keeps us engage with
fictional characters. They keep us highly entertained & enlightened and
through their eyes we see the world of imagination.
However, it
is more exciting to know the person behind that story, that book. Today I am
bringing you an exclusive interview to enlighten with valuable insights when
writing is in process and how the author brings us his/her share of short stories. After all, everyone has a story to tell.
I am
presenting Tejaswini Apte-Rahm, the author of These circuses that sweep through
the landscape. Here’s the candid talk that we had:
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| Tejaswini Apte-Rahm |
Q 1: Tell our readers about your
background & how did you get into writing?
For as long
as I can remember I’ve been scribbling for pleasure – a fragment of a poem, the
beginning of a story, perhaps just a few lines of observation or character
description. But I seriously started writing fiction just a few years ago.
My career
has always involved writing – I interned as a copywriter in an ad agency,
worked as a journalist at The Asian Age and Screen magazine, wrote freelance
articles for various newspapers, and then for ten years I worked as an
environmental researcher and writer. So I have been writing in one form or
another for all of my career. Even though most of this had nothing to do with writing
fiction, it kept the wheels oiled – I learned to produce quality writing to a
deadline, as well as to write in different styles for diverse audiences.
As far as
my background is concerned, I was lucky enough to go to schools where
creativity was part of the curriculum – I was at the JB Petit High School for
Girls in Mumbai till the age of 13, and then at the United World College of South-East
Asia in Singapore till the age of 18. At both schools, music, drama and
creative writing were a natural part of school life, and this was a great foundation
for writing fiction.
Q 2: Which writers inspire you for
writing?
I’m a great
admirer of the short fiction of Roald Dahl (his short stories for adults) and
Doris Lessing. Both are masters of the genre and show you the heights a short
story can attain. They use language with the precision of a knife edge, to cut
to the dark heart of a character. Doris Lessing combines that with a beautiful
compassion for her characters. Both these authors have been an inspiration for
me.
Q 3: As a child, which books or
fictional characters fascinated you the most?
I was a great
fan of Enid Blyton’s boarding school and adventure stories. I read Wuthering
Heights by Emily Bronte when I was 13 years old, and the character of
Heathcliff made a huge impression on me. I’ve read it many times since. It
showed me that evil does not need a reason to exist, that it can exist for its
own sake. And that the writer does not necessarily need to spell out the reason
for its existence. I like to write stories with characters that are made up of
shades of darkness, where everybody is a bit of a villain. I’m pretty sure
that’s a direct influence of Wuthering Heights.
Q 4: Where do you get ideas or
inspiration for your writing?
I keep my
eyes and ears open. Often seemingly ordinary situations are actually quite
extraordinary. It depends on how you view them. Often the idea for a story
comes to me as an image or a fragment of conversation. For example several
years ago I came across a well-dressed man standing on the road, screaming into
his phone. It was obvious that he was screaming at his wife or girl-friend, and
I felt an intense dislike of him. I then started thinking about the
circumstances in which his wife would have tolerated such behavior, and what
social contexts they might find themselves in as a couple. That grew into my
story Drinks at Seven, which features a man similar to the one I saw on the
road that day.
Q 5: What genre do you enjoy the
most while writing short stories?
I enjoy
writing stories which are slightly dark and twisty. I like to explore the
shadowy boundary between dark and light – it is such a small step from one side
to the other side. This has endless dramatic possibilities.
Q 6: What does your family think of your
writing?
My husband
is an enthusiastic supporter of my writing. I like him to be the first person to
read a story when it’s done. He often reads multiple drafts of the same story,
giving me his comments and suggestions. Since he reads widely himself, he is a
valuable ‘first reader’. My daughter who is only six years old is already
showing a lot of interest in reading and writing herself, which is great.
Q 7: Can we expect your next writing
stint & if yes, what & when?
I’m now
working on a novel. I’m enjoying the process of writing in a completely
different genre, particularly since it involves a good amount of historical
research.
Q 8: Lastly, what writing tips would
you like to give to upcoming writers?
It’s
important to have a disciplined writing schedule. Inspiration is not enough for
producing good writing. You need to harness inspiration to writing techniques
and experience, you need to experiment, you need to be
prepared to throw away a lot of what you’ve written and start again. This can
happen only if you write regularly, whether or not you feel inspired to do so. It’s
also essential to read widely and across genres.
You can
visit our author at www.tejaswiniapterahm.com or stay in touch with her on Facebook
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