Author of the Week | Meera Jenkal
Author of the Week | Meera Jenkal
I hope you’re enjoying your current read, The Emperor of all Maladies. We came to this theme as it was World Cancer Day yesterday, a day dedicated to spreading awareness and breaking the myths about Cancer.
The next theme is anything but obvious. Like the previous week, this week‘s theme is also based on a day in this Week and the only hint is that this ‘Day’ isn’t related to Valentine’s Week.
All that said, let’s talk about the Author of the Week. She is creative, beautiful and specializes in the art of weaving syllables into a universe. Confused? Working on her second book currently, she is the author of The Soul Voyager, a fictional modern masterpiece that beautifully combines philosophy and fiction. A Communications consultant by profession, she loves writing poetry, she is Meera Jenkal.
You can connect with this talented author on
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/meera.jenkal/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meera.jenkal
So, what was the first book you ever read? How old were you then?
While my mother always read to my sister and me since we were very young, my first book would be a comic book version of the Mahabharata when I was about 8 years old.
How many Books/Short Stories/Poems have you written? Which is your favorite? Are there any that ended up getting shelved for the time being?
I have written over 800 poems which I am now compiling for the future. That said, my currently published philosophy fiction book – The Soul Voyager – is the result of much thought and hard work.
Do you hear from your readers much? What kinds of things do they say?
People often call my words emotive and inspiring. They feel it provokes thought about matters on earth and beyond.
When did you write your first Book/Short Story/Poem and how old were you?
A mischievous child, creativity was my outlet for energy. I have been writing since the age of 10 – poetry passages, short stories, and more.
When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?
I have written ever since I have known how to put words together. Professionally also I am a communications consultant. The desire to publish a book, however, came in the last 5 years as before that I was pretty private about what I wrote.
What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
When I write, I walk a very thin line between reality and imagination.
Where do you get your information or ideas for your Books/Short Stories/Poems?
A lot of my ideas come from sitting in silence and contemplating life, emotions, and the world. Sometimes though, it can be something I have seen or heard.
What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your Books/Short Stories/Poems?
Ideas can come from anywhere when you give in to new experiences.
What does your process of writing look like? What is the hardest part?
My process is to write down everything to later sort it or delete it as per what works. I do not dismiss any idea as good or bad because often one thought leads to another. The hardest part would be the amount of severe self-critique that goes into what I write as the final pages.
What do your family and friends feel about your work?
As someone who is known to have her head in the clouds, the people close to me leave me be to live in parallel planes. They read my work and appreciate or critique it, but most often they just keep encouraging me to write no matter what the outcome.
What is your advice for aspiring writers?
Just begin to write. Do not try to get every word perfect from the get-go, just note down your thoughts or ideas when inspiration strikes in whatever form they come. There is always a later to streamline it.
Who is your inspiration in the field of writing?
In terms of authors, it began with Enid Blyton and Sidney Sheldon. These days I like books by Paulo Cohelo, Nora Roberts, Stephen King to name a few. While I like a range of poetry, perhaps Khalil Gibran and Rumi stuck with me the most.
Has your writing style changed since you first started writing? If yes, in what ways has it changed?
While I always wrote about slightly philosophical and emotive subject matters, I would say there are a newfound precision and maturity in my work. It is not just about rhythm and rhyme, but more so the flow of thought and play of words.
What attracted you to the genre(s) you write in?
A whole lot of difficult life experiences which while testing me to the core also strengthened me and my belief in spirituality, philosophy, and similar such matters.
Would you consider yourself a planner or a pantser? Or both? Is your current system working for you?
I am a bit of both – a combination of a dreamer and a doer. The dreamer in me helps me ideate while the doer ensures that the results are there.
What do you love the most about your writing process?
I think I love how powerfully I feel about things and how often I get to live in what feels like a whole other world.
Does music help or halt your writing process?
Music is my constant source of inspiration and I am often plugged into it no matter what I do or where I am. Surprisingly though, when I get down to writing, I prefer silence.
Are your characters often inspired by real people?
Not always. Most of the emotions are based on real situations but the characters or plots are from make-believe.
Are there any specific ways that help you out of your reader’s/writer’s block?
3 things help 1. Looking at aesthetic pictures 2. Taking a short comfortable nap 3. Talking to my sister
If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?
I would tell this not only to my younger self but also to many youngsters - have a whole lot of self-confidence! Listen to everybody’s opinion if you must but in the end, recognize the voice of your soul and heed it.