I am an intuitive author: Tarang

I am super happy today to welcome on my blog Tarang Sinha, a bilingual author and translator as also a self-taught painter. One of her stories recently appeared in The Blogchatter Book of Thrillers, published by Readomania. There’s an old-world warmth, a gentleness in her writing that I have come to enjoy. Do drop by her blog to read her work. You can also find her stories on the radio programme Yadon Ka Idiot Box.

It’s my absolute pleasure and honour to have her here. Hope you enjoy our chat.

Q. I’ve read a lot of your stories, Tarang, and I have loved them. I know you enjoy reading and writing romance. So what drew you to a thriller anthology?

A. Thank you so much, Tulika! Apart from romance, I find the horror genre very intriguing, so I experiment sometimes. When I found out about the Blogchatter Anthology contest, I thought of giving it a try ― a thriller with a touch of spooky elements. 

Q. Despite the spookiness of your story, the poignancy I associate with your other work was very much there. Do you think a writer should have a distinct voice? A style that marks the work as his/hers?

A. I think every writer or artist eventually finds their own voice/style. It develops slowly. Interestingly, other people notice it before the writers realise it themselves. For instance, I didn’t realise that my writing had a sense of poignancy (it makes me feel good).

Q. Follow up to that question: Do you think authors should stick to their niche or should they experiment with multiple genres?

A. I think it depends on the author. I mean it’s okay if a writer decides to stick to their comfort zone. Sometimes, it’s good to write what you know; it translates into more authentic writing, in my opinion. Having said that, one should never hesitate to experiment because one will never know what one is capable of until one tries. It may work out wonderfully. Besides, it’s fun to experiment with new genres/formats.

Q. Was this particular story in The Blogchatter Book of Thrillers inspired by something/someone?

A. Not really. There was a dialogue I used as a prompt to write this story. Apart from that the writing was totally intuitive. The conversation, the characters and the ending…everything. I finished it in one sitting. I wrote it in Hindi several months before the announcement of the contest. I translated my own (unpublished) story into English for the anthology.

Q. Do you think ghosts exist? Have you ever experienced a presence of any kind?

A. Er…I don’t know because I haven’t experienced anything like that. I believe there has to be some logic behind such incidents. But I have heard some first hand stories (and find them very interesting) so I won’t argue. However, I’m not easily scared of that thought.

Q. What are your favourite thriller recommendations?

A. To name a few: Rebecca was probably the first Mystery/thriller that I read and liked even though classics are not my thing. But it was ‘The Girl on the Train’ by Paula Hawkins that actually ignited a keen interest in this genre. I love Keigo Higashino books, particularly ‘Salvation of a Saint’ is brilliant. I loved ‘Missing Presumed Dead’ by Kiran Manral. ‘The Woman in the Library’ by Sulari Gentill was wonderful too.

I read a very intriguing and mysterious book titled ‘The Boy from the Sea’ by HL MacFarlane last month.

Q. Share your writing process. Do you have the entire story in your head before you start writing?

A. I’m basically an intuitive writer. I don’t follow any rules of writing (except the ‘Show, don’t tell’ rule). It may sound odd but there’s no specific process. It could be a conversation, or scene that flashes in my mind or an image from a dream, I take it and just start writing without giving it too much thought. When I was writing a novel, I wrote the climax before I finished the draft. It was so messy. My short stories are a little organised; at least I don’t jump to the ending before writing the beginning and middle. 

Q. Do you have a writing schedule?

A. I am unbelievably indisciplined when it comes to writing (and I am not proud of it). My biggest motivator are deadlines. Otherwise, I write in an erratic manner.

Q. What’s the biggest misconception about writing?

A. That, writing is easy.
And that you need a creative writing course to be a good storyteller. 

Q. Since you’ve also written for radio, is there a difference in writing for print and writing for an audio medium?

A. Yes, the format is different, so we need to keep certain things in mind. For example, we write the ‘Yaadon Ka Idiot Box’ stories in segments because there’s a break in the show, and that segment must end with a cliffhanger. Also, timing is important.

Since it’s an audio format, listeners may get easily distracted. So, we avoid long or complicated sentences and dialogues. They should ‘sound’ natural and easily fathomable. Also, certain styles, for example: second person pov (which I often write in), multiple person pov, epistolary form etc, don’t work. Even the dual point of view needs to be written very carefully because of the switch.