Author Interview with Gayatri Athreyan.

 

♡ Let's start off with your book's blurb how did you managed to write all those life incidents which perfectly relates to our lives?? Are those incidents all related to your life or you have heard it from someone and wrote it?

All the stories in this book are extremely personal, true and all of them are incidents and experiences from my own life. No borrowed stories and no imagination there. The reason they are relatable and resonate so much with the reader is because they are written with honesty and authenticity, and relate real life incidents. 

♡ Can you tell us a bit about your background and what inspired you to become a writer?

I come from a simple, South Indian, middle class family. I lived in various cities across the country, given my father’s tenure in the armed forces. And that gave me an opportunity to experience various cultures and environments. While I was always good at academics, I had a deep fondness for the English language even as a kid. I have devoured poetry and prose, classics and storybooks all through my life. And that led me to develop a passion for writing early on. I started writing poetry in my sixth standard, and by the time I reached high school I was writing articles and short stories for my own pleasure. And that led me to the dream of becoming a writer one day and publishing my own book.

♡ How do you approach the process of developing characters and bringing them to life within your stories?

Since my stories are all from real life, the characters too are real. I have tried to recall and recollect as much of their personalities as possible, and tried to bring them alive in the stories. Also, the characters have been etched with the intent of bringing out the value and teachings they imparted - so I have been mindful of that aspect while writing about these colourful characters.

♡ What themes do you often explore in your writing, and why do they resonate with you?

This, my debut book, has been a collection of real life stories. My second book, which is in initial stages, is also a personal one, drawing from personal experience. I guess I find myself most comfortable writing about real life incidents and real characters rather than fictional and imaginary ones. But in the past, when I was writing story stories, I did write a bit about some imaginary characters and stories, but they too had some elements of realism in them. I like to write about real emotions, real stories that leave us with something to take away.

♡ Could you describe your typical writing routine and any specific habits or rituals that help you stay productive?

I am a very planned and organized person. So even with my writing, I plan it in my head before I start writing. I deliberate on and arrive at my theme, my outline, the development of the chapters, etc. Once my outline is clear in my head, I try to plan my timelines as well. That does not always work as it is supposed to, since life takes over. But I try to have a plan and stick to it. And once my draft is done, I always go back to edit, edit and then edit it. 

♡ What challenges do you face during the writing process, and how do you overcome them?

Like I mentioned, although I have a plan and timeline, daily life takes over and leaves me with very little time to focus on writing. At such times, some amount of self discipline and deadlines set for oneself help. I try to push myself to do that from time to time. Also, writing needs to happen in a flow - you cannot force the words out.The stories and the words that articulate them need to come naturally and flow out on the paper. So sometimes you face a writer’s block and that does not happen. In such cases you have no choice but to wait for the block to lift and for the words to flow out again. 

♡ How important is research in your writing, and what steps do you take to ensure accuracy and authenticity?

Since my stories are personal experiences, there is not much research here. All I do is dig into my memory and write. And they turn out authentic anyway. But if I were to write about a fictional event or character, then definitely I would need to do the necessary research to ensure that what I am writing is accurate and factual. 

♡ Do you have a favorite genre to write in, or do you prefer to experiment with different styles and themes?

Right now my writing seems to be focused on real life stories that teach us something - lessons to be learnt from life. Personally for my reading pleasure I love thrillers and crime fiction - but not sure I have it in me to write one. However, the dark side of human nature does hold some appeal to me, and in the past I have written a couple of short stories that explored the darker side of people. That could be one genre that I may return to and write about. It does fascinate me. 

♡ Can you share some insights into your editing and revision process? 

Editing is the most important part of writing. Like I said earlier, I write my draft, and then return to edit it again and again. Often when you go back and read what you have written, you will notice inconsistencies, inaccuracies, mistakes. So it is very important to review and edit the content as many times as possible. And oftentimes another pair of eyes helps - that is why most writers have a dedicated editor for their work. 

♡ Okay so now last but not the least do you have a place in your mind where you wanted to go but haven't yet if yes then where is it?

Oh there are tons of places - I could ramble off a list to you. But most places I want to visit are those that have some history, some culture or some stories to them. For instance, I want to go to Austria and do the Sound of Music tour. I would love to go to Greece, Egypt, Turkey. Within India, I have been wanting to go to Leh for a while. The Himalayas hold a deep fascination for me and I would love to revisit any place in the Himalayas where I can gaze at those wonderful peaks. Also, the golden temple at Amritsar. I would also love to explore little-known, less crowded, but beautiful places that give us a slice of nature. Any place that meets that criteria is somewhere I want to be.