Hi Shilpi Chaklanobis,
Hope this finds you in good spirits!
It’s a pleasure to take your interview today. So let’s start:
Shilpi Chaklanobis hails from the beautiful city of Kanpur and has spent the majority of her adult life in Delhi. By profession she is a Digital Marketer. The amalgamation of her years spent amongst the quiet, calm streets of a small city and the hustle and bustle of a metropolitan like Delhi has lent her a unique perspective towards life. She aims to translate her experiences and understanding of human relationships into stories that not only move people but also resonate with them. She believes that the beauty of a story lies within its ability to be interpreted by the reader in the way they desire as is evident from her writing. Apart from writing, she spends her time devouring books by the dozen. This is her second endeavour as a writer and her writing not only shows promise, but also has a sense of sensitivity that compels you to think about the lives you touch every day.
Here, she lets her readers know a little more about herself and her journey so far. Ladies and Gentlemen, I bring to you Ms. Shilpi Chaklanobis:
1. How does it feel to be a published writer? Has it changed you in anyway? How do you handle fame?
Shilpi: It feels really ecstatic to be a published author. When you hold your creations in your hand, the feeling is unexplainable. As a person, there is no change in me but as an author I want to keep evolving with every passing day. Regarding fame, I don’t know what defines it; readership, awards or simply readers enjoying your book and messaging you that they loved it. However, when readers approach me to tell how much they loved my book, I feel really happy and strive to write even better.
2. Have you always wanted to be a writer?
Shilpi: Not really. It’s true that I am a bibliophile since my childhood but becoming an author was never in my wishlist. Of course, I used to create plots and picture them in my mind and eventually my love for books inspired me to write my own stories.
3. Tell us something about your book, That’s How It’s Meant To Be. How did the idea take shape up in your mind?
Shilpi: “That’s How It’s Meant To Be” is a story of a girl Nilanjana who is independent, has a mind of her own and aspires to make it big. The book is journey of a woman's life, her aspirations, expectations, love and heartbreak. It is a tale of bonding and relationships.
4. How do you envision your book will impact your readers?
Shilpi: Those who love reading sensitive and mature love stories will definitely find some relation with the characters. They will be able to feel love and realise its depth.
5. Briefly tell us about your earlier writings and the subjects that interest you.
Shilpi: This is my second book. My debut book is titled “PANORAMA”. PANORAMA is a collection of 15 short stories that are an amalgamation of human emotions and relationships. You will find stories about everyday life that are very relatable and down to earth. Sometime they talk about the unconditional love bestowed by a pet dog on his master and sometimes about truths that shatter your life. Overall the book takes you through a roller coaster journey through life where you get to experience every kind of emotion like selfless and unconditional love, horrifying truths about life, tales about brighter tomorrow and also those that dwell into the pits of the darkest hell.
6. What or who was your biggest inspiration behind this book?
Shilpi: Life; to create the plot and my family’s support and encouragement to pen down my first novel which was actually a challenging job.
7. How did you make sure the information used in the book is accurate and up-to-date?
Shilpi: The story is about a Bengali girl who eventually lands in Delhi for higher education. I am a Bengali and live in Delhi so have a fair knowledge of the locales, culture etc. This helped me a lot in creating the environment for the book.
8. What’s the biggest mistake new writers make according to you?Shilpi: Many debutant authors do not hire a professional editor. This is a huge mistake. The role of a professional editor is very important in polishing the manuscript. Every penny spent in hiring a professional editor is worth it.
9. How do you feel when someone disagrees with something you say or have written?
Shilpi: Everyone has their own opinions, likes and dislikes. It is perfectly fine and justified to have a different view. In fact, it provides you another point of view and this definitely helps you as an author.
10. What is your least favourite part of the writing process? What is your biggest strength when it comes to writing?
Shilpi: Editing is the least favourite part. Everytime I read my manuscript, I find the need to polish it once again and this process does on. But as it is said, there is no perfect writing, there is only finished. So after a few rounds of editing, you have to write “The End”. Regarding my strength in writing, I feel it is the simplicity of the stories and relatable characters. I try to write sensitive stories about life.
11. How did you decide the characters and the settings for this book?
Shilpi: I try to create realistic characters and settings. Whatever I write about, be it location or character, can be found in real life. This is very important for the readers to connect with your book. The lead female protagonist Nilanjana from my latest novel “That’s How It’s Meant To Be” can be found in your household or in the neighbourhood. In fact my first book PANORAMA contains several true stories that I have written with a dash of fiction. For instance the story “The Wait” is about one of our maids. As far as choosing settings is concerned, I always choose the setting and locations that I am well versed with and have personally visited.
12. What are some things you like to do when you’re not writing?
Shilpi: Travelling and listening to music. I also love spending time with my family.
13. Tell us something about your future projects. Are you writing anything at the moment?
Shilpi: Yes, I have started two books simultaneously. First one is a novel about family bonding and relationships. The second one is a collection of short stories.
14. Any tips for budding writers?
Shilpi: Though I have two published books but still I am a new author and am not sure if I have enough experience to impart wisdom to aspiring authors. However, one thing that I have learnt through the entire process of writing these two books is that like any other work, practise and consistency are the mantras to write a book. You need to read a lot to hone your writing skills and at the same time need a whole lot of patience to complete the work without getting distracted or losing hope.
15. What are the roles of an editor and a reviewer in the success of book according to you?
Shilpi: I believe I have answered about the role of editor in the previous question. As far as the role of reviewers is concerned, I feel it is one of the most important deciding factors when buying a book. I myself check the reviews published on Goodreads and Amazon before ordering any book. Getting reviews from book bloggers also help the authors to increase their reach and spread word about their books.
16. How does it feel to be interviewed by me? *basically the interviewer wishes to hear praises* *haha*
Shilpi: It feels great to be interviewed and share your views with the readers. And if the interviewer is Ila Garg, of course the excitement is doubled.
17. Anything that you would like to tell us? Your favourite writers? Your hobbies? Or just some sneaky peaky details?
Shilpi: I don't have a favourite author, I have a list of favourite authors so it’s very difficult to just pick one. However, to name a few, I love the works of Jane Austen, O. Henry, Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, Julie Klassen and Alice Munro. In Hindi I love to read Gulzar Sahab, Mannu Bhandari, Premchand and Shivani and in Bengali I like Sharat Chandra Chattopadhyay, Rabindranath Tagore, Bimal Mitra, Ashapurna Devi and Satyajit Ray.
Wow! So we have come to an end of this awesome session.
Description
Buying Link: Amazon
Happy Reading!
Nice post, things explained in details. Thank You.
ReplyDelete