Ask the Author: Vijay Fafat
Answered Questions (6)
Vijay Fafat
By not forcing yourself to write. The best thing to do is to get out of the way and let the mind find its flowing equilibrium. If you don't obstruct it, the mind can conjure up wonderful thoughts. But if you try to force the issue, you get mostly chaff. So if you're stuck, go do something happy and your subconscious will do the rest.
Vijay Fafat
The immeasurable flights of fancy, and the constant learning it involves! You have to first teach yourself to write well, then have to do research on the particular topics being addressed, and then express it all in a tightly-woven, interesting format. That is hard work, and that is what makes it very fulfilling...
Vijay Fafat
Decide on your purpose for writing. If it is from a commercial angle - to have a widespread readership and financial success - then you will have to tailor your writing accordingly. If it is for personal joy, then you have a different kind of freedom. Without making a value judgment, I myself don't fall in the commercial space. I write first and foremost to express thoughts which I myself would have liked to read if they had been written by others, to express "Aha!" moments. That is the litmus test. I would not want to write something which some of my esteemed friends would find pedestrian. The downside of that is that it can lead one down to a very niche audience, and that's fine if therein resides your inner joy.
Vijay Fafat
I'm currently working on a book of Hindi shayari (with English translations) and a metaphysical novel based on a particular episode in the Indian epic, Mahabharat. On the side, I am developing stories (science fiction, mythology, fantasy and "mathfiction" for a collection).
Vijay Fafat
Reading beautiful pieces of writing (like Borges), or observing people's thoughts in action are two easiest ways to find inspiration to put your own thoughts down.
Vijay Fafat
The 400 or so verses in my two books are philosophical observations on life, our pervasive self-contradictions and human personalities. They were mostly composed over a couple of years of quiet contemplation afforded by train rides and bicycle outings. Finding the right images to go with the verses to capture their essence, of course, was a more difficult task, but very fulfilling.
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