Meet author Nishtha Shrivastava from India!!!
1. What does writing mean to you? Why do you write?
Feelings that are unsung, stories that are felt but never shared encourage me to take the charge. I feel that we all live a life of ignorance and often bypass things that should really be taken care of. Writing gives me that tremendous energy to come out of my comfy zones and talk about off beat topics, roar about pains and shout the hidden storms and it keeps me moving. I write to please my heart and ensure that I keep nothing with me hidden that was supposed to be shared. I write to justify humanity; I write to speak for people and I write to be their voice.
2. When did you start writing? Do you remember what was the first thing you wrote?
I started writing pretty early when I didn’t even know the power of words. I was little when I wanted to convey my feelings to my mother and I found the best way to write them on a piece of paper and it was then when I realized that my expression was far better in writing. That was the first time I wrote a lengthy letter of emotions and soon after that my writing space became my favourite place to express myself.
3. What was the source of your inspiration earlier? Did it change with the time?
Since ever, till today and forever my mother has been the biggest source of inspiration for everything I do. I come from a middle-class family where collective decisions are taken for everybody at home. My passion for Music, Dance, Writing and public speaking was all built by my mother but to stage them was not an easy journey. We had struggles and clashes but my mother kept her decision firm and she was ready to take the charge. Even today when big opportunities knock, I look at her and ask her if I can walk and she pats my back to take off. She is just the wonder women of my life.
4. Would you like to share few of your favourite lines of your story?
“Though time flies over us, but it leaves its shadow behind of all its events.” I truly love this line from my book Rakshabandhan, and I believe that this plays a vital role in all our lives. I believe that there is a loop between the past, present and future and it all comes together.
5. What is the most difficult part of your writing process?
I get deep into the stories and weave them in detail and when I have to cut them short I really feel that difficulty to express my ocean of feelings in just few words.
6. What comes first for you — the plot or the characters — and why?
I always keep the plot first for myself. I belief that the characters get their place justified only once the plot is clear enough and portrayed well.
7. What’s your favorite and least favorite part of publishing?
The favorite part of publishing is to pick the right cover as the traditional saying still works and the cover plays a vital role. Whereas the least part is to pen down the acknowledgement as I really feel that 2 pages to thank my near and dear ones are pretty less.
8. How did you come up with the title for your book?
While writing this book the only bond that made my heart bleed everyday was the bond of siblings narrated in the story. I will not say that this is truly the work of fiction but the story is inspired by true incidents and so the only relevant title was “Rakshabandhan” and the subtitle speaks more for it.
9. What inspired the idea for your book?
Taboo topics are always what hit my mind aloud. I had heard of this storm in my life once and was way too difficult for me to accept this but when I actually understood the pain, I decided to write it down and share it with people. My idea is not to generate any negative feeling among the readers but to tell the molesters that we feel, we realize and at once we will even fight.
10. What part of the book did you have the hardest time writing?
When little Nisha was bleeding with pain and her grief was just with her body, I literally wept to write this out. My hands were shivering and my soul was shattered and I really was with her all throughout the chapter.
11. What do you need in your writing space to help you stay focused?
I always need a lamp at my writing space as the focused light of the lamp on my writing pad enlightens me to keep my heart confined. Being a writer by heart I get a lot of energy from the focused lamp.
12. If your book were made into a movie, which actors would play your characters?
I would really talk of Nisha as she is the protagonist and with no doubts I would love if Alia Bhatt would play the role as she fits the best to the innocent soul Nisha.
13. What is the future for the characters? Will there be a sequel?
I would say, now I am asked about this quite often. Rakshabandhan is meant to have a sequel but that has to be Longley awaited. I have decided this waiting lobby as I want to see the build ups of the world even closer before I write the sequel and probably then I would come up with the heavy storm again.
14. What do you like to do when you are not writing?
I like speaking and recording my art of storytelling. I am a singer too which provokes me to weave feelings in music and I make the most of it.
15. Which writers have inspired you? Do you feel yourself ever influenced by the writing style of a writer?
Ruskin bond is one name which needs no further justification to inspire me. He inspires me every time I pick my pen to write. The lucid way of expression he holds touches me deeply.
16. How often do you write? People say writing needs time; best words come out in leisure. How do you manage your time to write and work?
I would say I write every day, yes, every single day. I think that for writers every day is a new story and we cannot keep them mum, they roar aloud. Off course writing needs time but it needs consistency too. I find best words when I have thoughts flooding as they heal me and writing gives best of the expression. With a fulltime job its quite tough to write on a regular pace but it always keeps moving in bits and pieces and I never leave that and I keep striving.
17. What are your future projects?
One of my anthologies, “Silence” is getting published on 26th Jan 2021 and my next novel will be up somewhere by March- April. It is again on a Taboo topic and I would suggest readers to stay tuned to know what’s popping next. I usually don’t repeat content as every time I write the next thing, I get more ideas to lay so I usually avoid repetition. I aim at writing many such unsung stories of women, society and humanity.
18. What is your message to the young & aspiring authors?
I would suggest them to create their own style of writing, work on their expertise, write what their heart feels and not what the market demands. As what you nail will automatically become the demand so work hard and you will win for sure.
