Ask the Author: Aruna Nambiar
Answered Questions (6)
Aruna Nambiar
It’s hard to say where ideas come from – they just seem to pop up in your mind – perhaps you need to be observant. The actual sifting through of those ideas, the development and the weighing of them to see what interests you enough to turn into a short story or a novel – that is the real work of the writer. Mango Cheeks, Metal Teeth started as the seed of an idea about exploring the nature of relationships between householders and the domestic help – how interdependent and intimate these relationships are, and yet how aloof and hierarchical. And then it struck me that as children we experience these relationships closely without ever thinking about them deeply – until a point in our lives when we awaken to the social inequities being played out around us. This was the central theme of the story. Everything else – the eccentric characters, the small-town 1980s Kerala setting, the frivolous tone, the gags – this was the framework in which I explored the theme.
Aruna Nambiar
I think good books and good films inspire me the most – they make me want to create stories and characters that are equally memorable. Things around me inspire me as well – conversations I overhear, relationships I observe, people I come across and so on – wanting to hold forth about these things makes me want to write!
Aruna Nambiar
My second novel, a tragicomic family saga that starts in 1991, on the cusp of liberalisation in India, and follows the lives of a family over the next quarter century, as they grow up and grow old. The central themes are of ageing, evolving family relationships, love and loss, set against the backdrop of a rapidly changing society. Hopefully, it’s funny and moving and thought-provoking as well.
Aruna Nambiar
Firstly, get started. It’s very easy to talk about it, but you have to put in the hours. Second, take pride in your work – don’t just churn out something for the sake of it – aim to have a layered plot, well-etched characters, beautifully written lines. Be critical about your own work and rewrite and edit as long as it takes to produce something you are satisfied with. I shared a few more of my writing tips here, on author Kiran Manral's blog: https://kiranmanral.wordpress.com/201...
Aruna Nambiar
No Monday-morning blues! Seriously, most of us who write do so for sheer pleasure, and turning your hobby into a living is perhaps all one can ask for.
Aruna Nambiar
If I’m between writing projects and stuck for an idea, I don’t sweat it too much. Time away from writing can refresh your mind. I usually use this time to catch up on my reading, or take up editing projects, or do some other kind of writing like a non-fiction article – or I might just write out a character or a setting which I may or may not use in a future story or novel. The ideas do come eventually.
It’s more frustrating when writer’s block hits when you are a few thousand words into writing your novel. This usually indicates that there is something wrong with your manuscript – maybe the plot or characters are not developed enough, or there are some issues with structure. At this time, it’s best to toil through it – perhaps rewrite a few chapters from a different point of view or with a different tense and see if it works better, or spend a few days in research. Free writing helps too – you could write a page about a particular setting, say, or a character, or a particular episode in the novel – you might not actually use this piece of writing in your novel, but the process of free writing seems to jog the brain into solving problems and coming up with creative solutions for your novel.
It’s more frustrating when writer’s block hits when you are a few thousand words into writing your novel. This usually indicates that there is something wrong with your manuscript – maybe the plot or characters are not developed enough, or there are some issues with structure. At this time, it’s best to toil through it – perhaps rewrite a few chapters from a different point of view or with a different tense and see if it works better, or spend a few days in research. Free writing helps too – you could write a page about a particular setting, say, or a character, or a particular episode in the novel – you might not actually use this piece of writing in your novel, but the process of free writing seems to jog the brain into solving problems and coming up with creative solutions for your novel.
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