23 July, 2015

#Interview with Namrata, #Author of Metro Diaries

About the Author:

Namrata is a prolific blogger known by the name Privy Trifles in the blogosphere who romances life through her writings and aspires to make love the universal language. She dons various hats between that of a contributing author to 7 anthologies a reviewer for leading publishing houses an editor to various books and a columnist. Apart from that she is also the editor for an online magazine called Writer's Ezine. Having mastered the nuances of finance till recently she also held the title of an investment banker closely to let it go to embrace her love for writing fully.



Contact the Author:
Website I Facebook I Twitter


An Interview with Namrata

When did you first realize that you wanted to be a writer/ a storyteller?
I wrote my first poem when I was 11 years old. Coming from a family of writers I always felt I can never write fiction (Yes! Please believe me when I say that. :)) It was the blogging world that encouraged me to try my hand at various styles of writing including fiction. 
So to answer your question I knew at 11 I wanted to write, be a writer but a story teller I have become very recently!

What inspires you to write?
LIFE is my biggest inspiration forever.

How did you come up with the idea for your current story?
My previous job involved a lot of travelling and hence the stories were born by observing people. In those crowded trains, jostling people on the stations, chasing time, running for their life is what inspired me to capture them in these stories. 

Is there some stories tucked away in some drawer that was written before and never saw the light of the day?
Oh yes there are many. Almost 8 of them! And every time I see them there is something wrong that I find with them and they go back there again. I just hope someday they meet my expectations after which I can show them to the world. 

Tell us about your writing process.
I usually like writing the whole synopsis or outline of the story properly before anything else. Then follows a chart of characters connecting the dots, this helps in case I go haywire somewhere in the narration and if I do then starts another battle of which one is better. I mostly never know what will be the ending of a book and if I do it changes by the time I reach there for the characters are guiding me once I start writing. I am not longer in my own control. 

What is your favorite scene in the book? Why?
A very difficult question but the eternal romantic in me loves every damn proposal in there! I so wish them all to come true, to everyone in this world. Everyone deserves to be told they are special and that they are loved, and what better than such amazing proposals to remember for a lifetime.

Did any of your characters inherit some of your own quirks?
There is a particular character in the book which is a lot like me but usually I try not to make them like me for various reasons the biggest one being I want to capture people in my stories, life at large and not just me. 

What is your most interesting writing quirk?
I write any story / blogpost in my notebook before finally drafting them in word. And more often than not they are merely written in one liner, tough for anyone else to understand except me.
Like for example I have written a story in the book titled “The Yellowed Diary” and all that my notebook read about it was:
Unforgettable breakup- 3 years- Diary notes.

What is your usual writing routine?
At the cost of sounding narcissist I will confess the first thing I do when I wake up is see my facebook page and my blogs. I am in love with them madly. Perhaps they remind me that everything is possible. Each and everything around including my Facebook page, twitter and blogs have been started on a date synonymous with some huge incident in my life which had the ability to set me back. But I held that pain and started this, with lot of love. And today all I receive is love through them. So a daily reminder is needed before I brace myself to face the world.
Then follows my morning cuppa along with which I check and respond to emails. Post which I sit down to write, anything that comes to my mind – short story, blogpost, or another chapter to my MS or just random thoughts. Not all see the light of the day, but each one is special for me. I fill one diary every year with my random thoughts and I am glad I can look back at life in such a profound manner. 
I generally write at night a lot as my brain seems the most active them and some of the biggest ideas have come to me at 3 am. 

Do you read? Who are your favourite authors and how have they influenced your writing style?
I am voracious reader; I guess my reviews blog is testimony to that fact. My most favourite author has to be R K Narayan and till date I try to retain that simplicity in my writing. We might not remember how he looks like but we all know how he made us feel with Malgudi Days. That is the kind of impact I want to create. Don’t remember me, my face or for that matter my name. I want to create something that lives beyond me on this earth and brings a smile to many faces centuries after I am gone. 

What is the best piece of advice you have received, as a writer, till date?
Write, not because someone out there will read you but because you are born to do it.

What is the best piece of advice you would give to someone that wants to get into writing?
Listen to your heart. 

What would be the Dream Cast for you book if it was to be turned into a movie?
As Metro Diaries is an anthology so difficult to pick one, but considering the next plot I am working on (a full-fledged novel) I would want Siddharth Malhotra and Chitrangadha to be in it! A very rare combo but after a lot of thought they both fit the bill perfectly given the age of my hero heroine. Keeping the reality of my plot aside for a moment, the dream cast will forever be SRK and Kajol enacting one of my love stories. 

If you were to be stranded on the famous deserted island, what three things would you carry?
Diary, pen and Harry Potter collection! 

How do you spend your free time? Do you have a favorite place to go and unwind?
I spend my free time reading, dancing, listening to music, clicking pictures or painting. Music is such an amazing thing after books that it has the power to transport you to places, So for me there is no favourite place as such but any place with my music player can turn into my favourite place at the click of a button.

Can you share with us something off your bucket list?
A lot in the recent while, I always wanted a DSLR and last year I got it as a gift from one of my uncle. I was surprised because only I knew how badly I wanted it and was saving for it since long. Universe has its own ways to answer your prayers!

Tell us three fun facts about yourself. 
I have a terrific sense of humour. I can be sarcastic, without you realizing it I can crack a joke at your expense and make you laugh at it too!

What do you have in store next for your readers?
As of now a full-fledged romance novel and a lot of other things in pipeline including a sequel to Metro Diaries called LIFE stories, as this will have stories which are not love stories. Somewhere around there is a coffee table book also being worked upon, so yes a lot of action!

Is there anything else you’d like to share with your readers?
Yes. I would like to thank each one of them for all the love they have bestowed on me, in form of various messages, emails and letters. It is overwhelming to read and re-read them as I am glad I could touch their lives with my writing and make them smile, even if it’s for a moment. 

About the Book:



Love is one of the most amazing feelings on this earth, one that makes you the most powerful person or the most helpless person in a split second. These stories capture those feelings of despair, longing, love, lust, desire, want, dejection and admiration to create deja vu. Hold onto your hearts as you flip through these pages and take a walk down the memory lane as "Metro Diaries" will revive your innermost feelings and imbibe in you the magic of love. Touching, amusing and deeply moving, Metro Diaries - Love Classics are tales that will hold you from start till end.





Book Links:
Goodreads I Amazon I Flipkart



2 comments:

  1. Thank you so much for having me over! :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. I've only recently started reading short stories. These synopses sound interesting.

    ReplyDelete