- When did you discover your love for writing?
In high school, I used to enjoy the “writing section” the most in the entire syllabus of the languages we were being taught at school. I had always liked the English language more than the others. My love for writing, however, had not been realised or brought to the upper, more evident layers of the mind till class XI when I got my first flow of thoughts and ideas for a creative piece of writing.
Since then, I have taken up part in writing challenges, wrote to indirectly express my anger or frustration, I have used writing as a means to taunt people I dislike, I have used writing when I lacked the guts to say out loud.
Eventually I started submitting my compositions for literary anthologies, got fortunate enough to get hands-on experience on writing screenplays at college, and participated in open mic events in my city. I won’t lie if I say that I still lack confidence when it comes to speaking on stage. - What drives you to write or who inspires you?
Writing makes me feel complete. It makes me feel acknowledged, it fills me up with joy. I don’t know the scientific process behind it, happy hormones or whatever, writing brings bliss to me.
Apart from that, sometimes I am my own muse for poems. Some poems stem from the movies that I watch, the dialogues, or even a third-person narrative in a movie can bear ideas for a poem.
Many of my poems, in fact, have stemmed from creative visuals in English music videos. - Do you like reading? If yes, please tell us about your favourite books and authors?
I love reading poetry. Frankly, I enjoy cinema more than reading but whenever I read, I only pick up poetry books.
To name a few, Charles Bukowski, Jane Austen, Rabindranath Tagore and Rupi Kaur are a few authors that are among my favourites.
I would mention Gulzar as well for his poetic genius in all fields and dynamism, and Taylor Swift too, for the way she incorporates lovely metaphors into something which is as commercial as a music album. - What do you prefer writing – Novels/poetry/short stories/prose and why ?
I started with writing with one-line quotes, then eventually wrote dialogues and screenplays at college. During my post-graduation, my mind drove me to write poetry and I have been improving at that. I would love to keep writing poetry for the rest of my life.
I’ve also been writing memes for a few months and have been teaching online methods to harness cinema to be a better poet & writer. - What’s your thoughts on storytelling platforms or open mic? Have you every participated in them.
I haven’t been to an open mic away from my city, but I believe we need to have more workshops or classes on ‘slam-poetry’ as the open-mic houses call it; so that more-and-more talented poets get to brush their acumen in poetry.
Storytelling platforms are doing good, especially after the advent of podcast apps. I would really love to record a voice over for an audio-book some day.
- Do you have any near plans for writing your next novel or poetry book ?
Yes, for sure. I am confident about the theme and composition of my long-impending ‘solo poetry book’ but publishing, marketing and sales seem overwhelming at the moment.
I am not formally ‘writing’ as such, not even forcing myself to write every day. I have just been writing poems every now and then, when I have an urge to write or there is a chain of verses flowing in my mind. - Apart from writing, what other things you prefer doing?
I am a full-time freelance visual graphic designer. I design visual identities, and mostly visual publicity, social media posts, print media for brands, companies and individuals apart from making e-cards.
Mostly, I am a deep-deep indulger into visual art and storytelling of all sorts, cinema and music videos being at the top of the list. I love cinema so much that I hate it when someone tries to talk to me while I’m watching a movie.
Also, I like gardening. I’ve been learning to plant, been adding to my collection of plants and I even want to have a lotus pond someday. - Do you have any message for your readers?
Hi dear reader. I’m grateful if you’ve ever stopped by to read what I have to say, even once. I’m also thankful if you’ve acknowledged any of my poems, even if a single read.
I really hope that most of you will read my solo books in future. - What’s your message to budding/ aspiring writers?
Please do not compromise the quality or theme of your compositions for increasing ‘readership’ or the number of so-called social media followers. Write what ‘you’ want to write, write what naturally flows.
Social media has put us all into the rat race of writing what the masses ‘double tap.’ Do not fall trap to it, be truthful with your writing, and with whatever and whoever your muse is.
Acknowledge the ‘kind’ of writer or poet that you are and grow with that. The readers who like ‘your’ style and theme will end up reading, you will find your tribe eventually.
Do not underestimate the power of cinema, theatre, visual art, music and even memes as a means of inspiration for you. Indulging in movies, for example, can help you write better as much as reading each day.
Don’t forget to be a good observer, in general. - Lastly, how was your experience working with us?
I really appreciate how InkQuills gave me full freedom on the selection process of written compositions and co-authors of my book. I was even given freedom on how I plan to promote the book. The founder of the publishing house was always there for guidance any time I needed.😊
So that was Samridhi. Thank you for taking out time and interacting with us.
Wishing her good luck for future.
— Interviewed by Varsha Agrawal.
