Interview with Author Nivedita N

I interviewed Nivedita N, author of Writing By The Window. You can click on the following link to read the Book Review : Writing By The Window - Nivedita N.

--Interview with Author Nivedita N--

Q: What made you write your book “Writing by the window” a collection of prose, poetry, and phroetry?

A: I have been writing poetry since 2007. A few of them were published in journals and a few magazines. I was also inspired by the pictures of my dear friend, Chandrasekhar Singh, to write poems. This mixed media representation is thus an experiment. Also, I was leaving India early this year and I felt the need to publish the poetry that has been edited, critically appreciated and then move on to a new chapter of my life and write more poems. Thus, when “Writing by the Window” was born.

Q: Other than “Writing by the window” what else have you written in the past and what can we expect from you in the future?

A: I have been part of a few poetry anthologies.  My first publishing break was with an online venture called Tempostand. It is now defunct but back in 2007-2008, it was a great platform for artists. They ran a contest and the selected five would have an anthology of their own. That was my first tryst with a book of poetry. Later, I was part of a poetry anthology spear headed by a German writer. I am also dabbling in short story and creative nonfiction, I hope to write more of these. The most recent anthology was on addiction and I wrote on television addiction. An upcoming anthology is through a writing group that I am part of in Milwaukee, Wisconsin (US). My contribution is a story with Indian characters set in a baseball park. As far as published books is concerned, I want to polish my works before venturing into a solo book again.

Q: According to you, what are the difference and similarities between a writer and a poet?
A: We are cousins. Both a writer and a poet ideate on a thought. While the writer’s work is translucent, a poet’s poem is opaque. With short fiction and free verse, the bridge between a writer and a poet is almost null.

Q: Other than writing, what else do you do professionally?
A: I was working with Thomson Reuters in the Editorial Department before moving to Wisconsin. Now, I am into freelancing as an Editor and I write. Also, I am occupied with our new initiative: the Blue Stencil, a cost effective editing, printing and online distribution solution.

Interview with Nivedita N - Author of Writing By The Window

Q: When did you decide that you want to be a writer? What inspired you to take it up?

A: In 2007, in the third year of my engineering. Our city. Hyderabad had received a jolt with the Lumbini Park Bomb Blast. I was seated in an RTC bus and the thoughts of the attacks at the Lumbini Park in my beloved city  kept running in my mind. The first thing I did when I reached home was write a blog post on it. I was a very restless person and the long form did not entice me as a teenager who wanted to show her angst. That’s when I read a few poems and realized where I wanted to take my pen or rather that’s where my pen wanted to take me.

Q: Do you read as much as you write? Which are your favorite books?
A: Yes, I try to. I try to write as much as I read. This is the list that immediately comes to my mind.

• Twentieth Century Telugu Poetry Anthology by Velcheru Narayan Rao
• The Case Of Exploding Mangoes by Mohammed Hanif
• Animal Farm by Eric Blair
• The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid
• The Anthologist by Nicholson Baker
• Book of Hours by Kevin Young (Poetry)
• Delhi is Not Far by Ruskin Bond
• Rusty Comes Home by Ruskin Bond
• My Dateless Diary by RK Narayan
• Swami and His friends by RK Narayan
• These my words – the Penguin book of Indian Poetry
• AK Ramanujan’s collected poems

Q: Writers block, have you ever faced it? How did you come out of it?

A: I have had the writer’s block for the first 18 years of my life when I was not writing. On a serious note, I was a freelance journalist with The Hindu before I began working with Thomson Reuters. Early in my professional life, I learnt to beat the writers’ block by writing little at least something. I do face mini hurdles not to write a particular genre then I shift gears and write to write another genre. When I don’t feel like writing at all, I scribble some words on an empty paper.

Q: Two things that you like and dislike the most about writing?
A: Like the most:

• It sets you free
• You can mould yourself in characters you wanted to be
• One change that I find in people who write are they tend to become better listeners.

Dislike? Actually nothing.

Q: You prefer reading e-books or you love the traditional paper/hard back books?
A: e-books and paper/hard back books have a charm of their own. When I am waiting for someone in a coffee shop or I am toying with my phone, switching to the kindle app is easy and I could read. And storing innumerable books in a kindle or a phone is great for travel too. Paperbacks demand more time and attention. Since I borrow books from the Library, I have to be extra careful with the books. But the joy of flipping through the pages, taking notes of the paragraphs I like is irreplaceable.

Q: Other than writing, what are your other interests?
A: Well, I like walking close to the trees and nature. I like going to places with old world charm, listening to nostalgic audio stories and watching humourous/interesting movies.

Q: Which is your favorite poem written by you?
A: Hyderabadi Pigeons. I wrote it on the Telangana agitation in my state.

Q: Tell us something about your initiative, Nivasini Publishers?
A: Nivasini Publishers was started accidentally. I was part of a poetry community on Orkut called Ah! Poetry. The community was a moral support to all amateur poets like me. People from different countries, different professions and different ideologies met there. There was a strange camaraderie that trickled down our personal lives as well. I wanted to bring an anthology featuring a few poets including myself. But no one was ready to publish poetry. And if they did, they charged a heavy price. I decided to take up the initiative to publish poetry and with a few well wishers, started Nivasini that focuses on poetry, short stories, and anthologies. As we progressed, many people joined us.  Our upcoming books include an anthology is focusing on poetry and short stories with visually challenged central characters, and a poetry collection by the young and talented Trivarna Hariharan.

Q: Some tips that you would like to share with aspiring poets and writers?
A: Frankly, I do not think I have reached that stage yet to share any tips with anybody.

Q: One message that you would want to convey to our readers?
A: This is the most exciting time to write what your heart says without being influenced by the popular genres. Focus on what you love. Bloggers like Kaushal and others are here to support us.

Q: How can our readers connect with you?
A: Twitter is the best. My handle: @DivenitaEr

--End of Interview with Author Nivedita N--