Wednesday 22 July 2020

Author Focus - Vartika Upadhyay


1.What motivates you to write?
I feel like writing helps me heal and understand myself much much better. It gives me a different and better perspective on the people and things around me. It's the only time that I feel more like myself.

2. How did you feel after publishing your books?
Initially I was really nervous. One day, I randomly got up &  I decided I wanted to get a book of poetry published. I had doubts about what I was really doing but once I got the book, I knew I did the right thing. Plus the support from my friends and people I know made me really happy.

3. What are some of your favorite novels and authors?
Being someone who writes, I actually don't read a lot of novels. 

4. Is there a specific reason for naming your novel?
Autumn is a beautiful season. I initially wanted to name the book Récit, which means stories in French but I felt it didn't really tell what I wanted to from the poems. I wanted something that would say that even after fall, you should let things go and wait because something beautiful for you is waiting. And I feel the season tells us the same.

 5. Where do you write from? Do you go to some specific place, like beach side or the hills? 
All these poems are written at the exact setting what the poems talk about. Some on the terrace at the time of sunset, some in a café waiting and some while travelling. So there's nothing specific but terrace is definitely my favorite place to write out of all of them.

6. What inspired you to write the books(in general)? Any tales to tell…
I guess it's because of people that were there in my life but aren't anymore? I started writing because of them. So I'd say important life lessons.

7. What was your biggest learning experience throughout the writing process?
I actually developed a greater sense of understanding of my own self: what I am actually capable of and how I feel about certain things. I feel like it helps me know myself better.

8. Looking back, what did you do right that helped you break in as a writer?
I would say I let myself feel things instead of letting other stuff distract me. that helped me I guess. also, letting myself tell my own story without the fear of others judging me for it helped me too.

9. Any best piece of writing advice that you would like to share with new or struggling writers? 
Just go for it. You won't know what you're really capable of until you are out of your comfort zone. write so that others can feel what you've written instead of just reading. and all the best!

10. Something personal about you people may be surprised to know?
I actually can't think of anything. 

11. Any future books that you would like to discuss now?
I haven't really thought about it. But I'm pretty sure I'll start working on another one very soon.

12.What other profession excites you the most?
I'm currently a Radiography student and I'm glad to be a part of the healthcare industry.

13.Do you write the story at a stretch or you take your time to complete it? If you take a longer time, wouldn’t you be forgetting the story? How do you tackle it?
These poems were selected out of the many poems written in the span of around 1½ years. I always carry my phone around and my notepad is filled with poems because sometimes I get really amazing lines and I'm always scared of forgetting them. 

14.Traditional or Self-Publishing? Why?
Self publishing because I was very impatient to get the book published. And I personally felt self publishing would be a better idea.

15.How is the response so far for the book?
The response in amazing. I actually did not expect such positive feedback. Thankful for such supportive readers.

Vartika Upadhyay has published her first book - autumn:book of poems which is available on Amazon,

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