INTERVIEW

What did you first read? How did you begin to write? Who were the first to read what you wrote?

I think it was books in Telugu medium that I first read in my government school. They were interesting and inspiring. I began writing in Telugu when I was in my seventh standard or so. I do not consider them worthwhile writing today when I recollect it today. It was my classmates that read them casually. They appreciated me a little. I was not much concentrated on writing then, as it is now.

What is your favorite genre? Can you provide a link to a site where we can read some of your work or learn something about it?

Short stories and novels are my favorite genre though I am yet to get into writing novels. I write blogs also on my blog site. Blog helps one reach and influence people in a fearless and liberal manner, not being restrained by the rules and regulations of the mainstream print or electronic media. I think blogging is a powerful medium of communication today. You can read my blogs on my blog site at http://virahini.blogspot.com/

What is your creative process like? What happens before sitting down to write?

It is generally a burning issue in the contemporary society familiar or interesting to me. I am a dreamer and idealist. I expect everybody in this world to live sensibly, not hurting others. Unfortunately it is not happening. Ninety percent of innocent and good people are being disturbed by 10% bad and influential people in this world. Evil attracts many within seconds. It is the role of writers to educate and entertain people in a healthy and constructive way. When something irritates me a lot, and which can be changed by collective human endeavor for the happiness and benefit of all, I feel like writing on it intuitively. I can't write well when somebody asks me to write on a given theme or issue. I should like or dislike a subject and I must be inspired on my own to write something on it. I mostly write on human character, love, beauty, morals and the way of the world which we need to discuss and change to the better. Constant evolution from the bad to the good is important. It happens when the intellectuals, visionaries, social reformers and other great personalities in the world, known or unknown to others, come out and practice their arts of creative expression to change this world. I contribute to this end at my level because the change needs to start from me first.

I sit down to write without any preparation. I write about something good or bad that happened and why and how it should have been avoided or encouraged. It may run from one hour to 10 hours. The intensity of my feelings and suffering for the world outside decide how much and how fast I write on an issue or theme. Situation configures my output.

What type of reading inspires you to write?

Reading newspapers often inspires me to write because they reflect the contemporary society. They comment on the merits and demerits of the society and what happened because of it and what needs to happen. Responding to those issues and discussions makes me a considerable and active participant of the bigger world around me.

What do you think are the basic ingredients of a story?

Characters, events, twists and climax. They may look rational or irrational to others but it is good if they educate and entertain readers to some extent. Social reformation and healthy entertainment must be the primary purpose of stories.

What voice do you find most to your liking: first person or third person?

I like first person narratives. There is much diversity in this world. I don't know when my ideas and beliefs change. I do not have a perfectly and permanently fixed individuality or stand on anything appearing or happening in this world because living means constant evolution in our thoughts and treatment of the familiar world. When we don't know much about ourselves, we can't assess others' thoughts and ideas effectively. Third person narratives means we are dictating their lives and expecting them to think and behave like we want it to happen. It is a kind of colonialism for me. I have more rights on my body and its thoughts and imaginations. First person narratives help me explore and present something from my perspective. I also believe first person narratives make our readers more engaged into the narrative because they directly connect with a single narrator who is the first authority of the narrative at hand.

What well-known writers do you admire most?

I read very little and I do not place much importance on any particular writer. If there are 10% world-famous writers who achieved great sales of their works and got known to the outer world, there are 90% writers who might have written better than these writers but remaining little known to the world. Every famous writer might not be a good writer and all good and extraordinary writers might not have got the recognition they deserve. Publicity is playing a big role these days in promoting creative works. A bad work publicized extensively might reach millions but a good work not marketed well might not reach many. So, admiring a few writers means neglecting or humiliating many other unknown but great writers. I do not admire any well-known writer in particular even if I like their works specially. I mostly keep it personal and do not express.

What is required for a character to be believable? How do you create yours?

It might be either realistic or imaginative. Readers enjoy reading both kinds of works. All they want is engaging writing presenting reality or imagination in a great manner. I don't think readers always expect characters in creative works to be believable and admirable because nothing is permanent and always dependable in this world. Anything might happen at any time. Chance is the guiding force. Nature is the source of influence and beauty. I create my characters based on reality or my imaginations, depending on the kind of information or entertainment I intend to reach to my readers. Healthy entertainment and constant social reformation are my primary goals as a writer. Most of what I write meets these criteria.

Are you equally good at telling stories orally?

I am not good at telling stories orally. Many things distract us from our concentration centered on our character/s, events, twists and reaching climax when we are narrating an original story to others. It does not happen when we are writing a story. It is our world created by ourselves in tune to the kind of work, elevation and intensity required. A writer needs active mood, inspiring environment and moving subject matter at hand to write something effectively. It is not much possible in oral story telling. However, it is a matter of practice. If one is interested in it, one can do it with a little practice in that direction.

Deep down inside, who do you write for?

For sensitive boys and girls, men and women of this world! They must know what is right and wrong for them and others. Great individuals make a better society. Admirable citizens make a great nation. I write for everybody who wants to make this world better with his or her constructive and ideal participation as a sensible and sensitive human being. However, being an admirer of beauty, I write on beauty, girls and women, more than on other issues and themes.

Is writing a form of personal therapy? Are internal conflicts a creative force?

Writing is certainly a form of personal therapy. A writer suffers a lot inside thinking and worrying about many things taking place around him. Expressing his powerful thoughts and imaginations through writing, useful or useless to others, he cures his mental diseases personally. A writer wants to see everything in order and when it is not happening, he wants to achieve that order. Internal conflicts are also a creative force. A writer argues much within himself on a wide range of topics. He is an unkind advocate and merciless doctor. He is stuffed with so many questions and struggles always to find perfect answers to them. He believes he is the honorary observer, commentator, reformer and guide of this human world with all its other elements and phenomena.

Does reader feedback help you?

Reader feedback is like oxygen for me. I write something for them. I want to know what they think about what I wrote. A writer does not know much about everything he is writing on. Others can blame or appreciate him after reading his works. It helps him change himself and better serve the society through his creative force of writing.

Do you participate in competitions? Have you received any awards?

I participated in very few competitions. I received one or two considerable awards. I do not place much importance on competitions and awards. They are of an artificial world. Artists can produce the best in a free world when they are allowed to write when they get inspired to write on something. Others should not dictate them on what to write and how to write. Writers are next to God. They are dictators and dreamers. Let them showcase their thoughts and imaginations according to their choices and interests. Do not force them or hurt them imposing your expectations or demands. Art does not flourish in a restricted environment. One can become a great writer even if he never participates in competitions and wins awards. The mystery of this world is that anybody can become anybody in course of time. We don't know why and how one becomes a writer. It is the work of nature. It creates writers and dreamers to live in it singing about its beauty and influence on others silently.

Do you share rough drafts of your writings with someone whose opinion you trust?

For me, I am the absolute dictator of what I write and how I should write it. I do not share it with others. Others should read my opinions in what I write, not others'. A writer dies when others interfere in his works. Let him write a bad or good work. There is time for others to comment on it when it comes out. Until then, I must be the absolute controller and presenter of my work. I do not allow others to scan my work before it is finalized. A beautified baby looks better. A writer decorates his child considerably before sending her into others' houses for their look and comments.

Do you believe you have already found "your voice" or is that something one is always searching for?

I did not really understand this question. I should not give a bad answer to a good question. I have still to grow a lot in understanding questions and answers related to the world of writing and creativity as it is practiced by others around me. I am still a child in writing field. There is a long journey ahead.

What discipline do you impose on yourself regarding schedules, goals, etc.?

I allow time and demands of the contemporary society to dictate the nature of my writings and the speed at which they must be created and sent out. I meet my goals when others read what I think they should read. A writer can't reach his goals when others are against his opinions, imaginations and ideals. A good writer can't be influenced by bad readers and a bad writer that changes his course of work in tune to the demands of bad readers, desiring to earn more money and fame on the way, can rarely live for long even after his death as a writer. Writers must be uncompromising dictators in the choice of their writings to remain considerable in the long run, as good writers or bad writers.

What do you surround yourself with in your work area in order to help your concentrate?

Absolute silence, classic music, thick night, inspiring weather and the presence of beloved ones or inspiring nature...I can't predict what best suits me though I am presently happy and comfortable with the above settings. The film music of Ilayaraja, a South Indian music director, inspires me much to write well.

Do you write on a computer? Do you print frequently? Do you correct on paper? What is your process?

I write on a computer only because I learnt typing and I can type fast meeting the speed of my thoughts and imaginations to some extent. It is not possible on paper. I do not print frequently. I correct on my computer itself. It is easy and can be done faster compared to the work on a paper. It saves a lot of time and energy for me. I use computer in the best way possible to write something fast, process it fast and email or post it where required or demanded. Computer and Internet eased the work of writers.

What sites do you frequent on-line to share experiences or information?

I visit Wikipedia frequently if I want to know something. It is a reliable source of information for me. It is an extraordinary online source of ideal social work. I visit other websites and blogs also now and then. What I need to know decides which site I visit. My blog site is the only place where I share my views and experiences on many issues today, apart from my pesonal diaries, which I publish when time demands.

What has been your experience with publishers?

Famous publishers run after famous writers. It is an ugly and undesirable world for me. Penguin publishers in India need six months' time even to write back something to us about our manuscript, after its submission through post. They do not entertain phone or email communication in between at all. I hate such policies of any publisher in this world. You need to change along with the time. You can't sit in a royal chair and announce that others have to wait for years for your kind glance at them. Great writers never go to famous publishers because they do not allow others to dictate how to do things. From this perspective, I consider Penguin a nasty setup in India. Those that run after the word 'fame' can hardly contribute to the betterment of this world. They can earn money and be known to many. Many know about Hitler and it does not mean he helped better this world. Idiots admire idiots only. Only fake writers can wait at the gates of buildings of famous publishers. Great writers want their works to be published by any publisher, not only by famous publishers. They depend on the worth of their works, not on the fame and marketing efficiency of their publishers. I am getting my first book published by a publishing house in Mumbai. It is also being run by a humanitarian and idealist like me, not a hard-core businessman in the publishing industry.

What are you working on now?

I am working on my second book now. I sent about 64 emails to a girl in 1995. I wrote great stories to send her and make her believe that I really loved her. It is in fact a set of love stories. She never responded to me. I did not stop sending emails to her. It is a love story involving the stories I narrated to her linking our previous births with the present one.

What do you recommend I do with all those things I wrote years ago but have never been able to bring myself to show anyone?

Create work. Show it to a 1000 people. Great things happen only when you share what you wrote with others. There is somebody in this world to appreciate what you did if you really wrote something worthy. It is your duty to reach them and promote your work today. There are above six billion people in this world. All of them do not search for you and your unknown work if you sit silently in your home expecting others to explore you on their own. Keep your works accessible to those that love creative pieces. Be in touch with people, bad or good. Learn lessons. Gather insights. Move forward with intelligence, discretion and vision.

Posted at http://www.whohub.com/chiranjeevi

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These are my fragments of response to a given set of questions. Comprehensive answers can be traced in future by those that read me and my works.