Ask the Author: Sumit Ray
Answered Questions (6)
Sumit Ray
My experience with writer’s block has been that it’s about instinct. When I wasn’t a matured writer I struggled often. And when I started writing a lot, the block went away. Now I have to block out ideas from my mind because I have too many to keep up with.
Why did I say it’s about instinct? Because, something in you knows that you aren’t training well, not writing enough, not reading closely. You haven’t practised a thousand punches, and so the nunchakus don’t even twirl smoothly. Or a less violent example, you can’t successfully meditate when you haven’t yet achieved a deeper yearning for stillness.
It resolves itself.
Why did I say it’s about instinct? Because, something in you knows that you aren’t training well, not writing enough, not reading closely. You haven’t practised a thousand punches, and so the nunchakus don’t even twirl smoothly. Or a less violent example, you can’t successfully meditate when you haven’t yet achieved a deeper yearning for stillness.
It resolves itself.
Sumit Ray
The realisation of beautiful, charismatic characters. When you begin to birth outstanding characters you suddenly start valuing the power of imagination.
I typically avoid describing my characters too much, I think each person should imagine their own version. But, where I really enjoy myself is when I put in some small, seemingly insignificant details, which suddenly becomes a way to enter that character’s entire world. For instance, a story I wrote many years ago, I described an artist’s studio, where all the tubes of white and black were squeezed dry, while the other colours were hardly used. Suddenly that character is standing there in front of you like you’ve known him for years.
There’s no better feeling than seeing something you’ve written and impressing your own critical self. Not everyone will experience that, but those who do will realise what a huge deal it is.
I typically avoid describing my characters too much, I think each person should imagine their own version. But, where I really enjoy myself is when I put in some small, seemingly insignificant details, which suddenly becomes a way to enter that character’s entire world. For instance, a story I wrote many years ago, I described an artist’s studio, where all the tubes of white and black were squeezed dry, while the other colours were hardly used. Suddenly that character is standing there in front of you like you’ve known him for years.
There’s no better feeling than seeing something you’ve written and impressing your own critical self. Not everyone will experience that, but those who do will realise what a huge deal it is.
Sumit Ray
Oh boy, I don’t know if I’m qualified to answer this, seeing how new I am to this myself. But, if it helps anyone, I’ll try.
Start taking your writing seriously a little late, but start exploring your individual voice early. Writing takes practice, more than a little of it. So the sooner you start, the better you’ll be when you decide you’re finally ready. But, learn to enjoy the process before piling on a lot of expectations on it.
Don’t hate yourself. That’s something too many gifted people do, and I mean genuinely gifted. Remember YB Yeats’ line, “The best lack all conviction, while the worst are full of passionate intensity.” That’s painfully true. Be good, be humble, but be confident of your abilities.
There’s lots more, but I don’t want to be a blowhard. And I hope I have enough of a career in writing that people will be asking me this question at different stages, and I will have something more to add.
But, if you’d like me to share any more just put in a question here.
Start taking your writing seriously a little late, but start exploring your individual voice early. Writing takes practice, more than a little of it. So the sooner you start, the better you’ll be when you decide you’re finally ready. But, learn to enjoy the process before piling on a lot of expectations on it.
Don’t hate yourself. That’s something too many gifted people do, and I mean genuinely gifted. Remember YB Yeats’ line, “The best lack all conviction, while the worst are full of passionate intensity.” That’s painfully true. Be good, be humble, but be confident of your abilities.
There’s lots more, but I don’t want to be a blowhard. And I hope I have enough of a career in writing that people will be asking me this question at different stages, and I will have something more to add.
But, if you’d like me to share any more just put in a question here.
Sumit Ray
I have two books on Kindle currently – ‘Aethernal Love’, and ‘Thirteen Roses and Other Stories’.
A third manuscript is doing the rounds of publishers. It’s called ‘Cosmic Ballot’, and it’s a sci-fi satire of politics on our planet.
While ‘Aethernal Love’ was gruesome and creepy, ‘Thirteen Roses and Other Stories’ is a literary short fiction collection, and ‘Cosmic Ballot’ is an out-and-out dose of laughing gas. It’s full of facepalm observations about our politics today, and what it takes to rig the system. It’s a very timely story, given the state of world affairs, and I hope it’ll be on bookshelves and Kindle soon.
What’s next? I hope to start on my Middle Grade adventure book soon, and after that work on a comics trilogy.
A third manuscript is doing the rounds of publishers. It’s called ‘Cosmic Ballot’, and it’s a sci-fi satire of politics on our planet.
While ‘Aethernal Love’ was gruesome and creepy, ‘Thirteen Roses and Other Stories’ is a literary short fiction collection, and ‘Cosmic Ballot’ is an out-and-out dose of laughing gas. It’s full of facepalm observations about our politics today, and what it takes to rig the system. It’s a very timely story, given the state of world affairs, and I hope it’ll be on bookshelves and Kindle soon.
What’s next? I hope to start on my Middle Grade adventure book soon, and after that work on a comics trilogy.
Sumit Ray
Two things – write a lot, and have someone in your life who tells you to write a lot.
In my case the latter is my wife. Someone who believes in me much more than I do. She encouraged me to pursue writing full-time, shouldering most of the responsibilities in our life, and freed me to learn, write, and get better. I’m not just saying this to win a Good Husband award. It’s the same reason as why having a gym buddy helps you exercise more (or so I’ve heard, ahem).
In that process of writing more because someone thought I’m good at it, I started enjoying it more. Things became fluent, my voice started coming through in my works. And nothing succeeds like success, so the more I wrote the more I wanted to write. And that’s how it goes.
You just have to find a positive frame-of-mind that allows you to do good work.
In my case the latter is my wife. Someone who believes in me much more than I do. She encouraged me to pursue writing full-time, shouldering most of the responsibilities in our life, and freed me to learn, write, and get better. I’m not just saying this to win a Good Husband award. It’s the same reason as why having a gym buddy helps you exercise more (or so I’ve heard, ahem).
In that process of writing more because someone thought I’m good at it, I started enjoying it more. Things became fluent, my voice started coming through in my works. And nothing succeeds like success, so the more I wrote the more I wanted to write. And that’s how it goes.
You just have to find a positive frame-of-mind that allows you to do good work.
Sumit Ray
Oh gosh, I wish I knew. For short stories you usually start with just an image, or maybe a line. Then you keep embroidering it and embroidering it till there’s a modest but elegant tapestry.
In ‘Thirteen Roses and Other Stories’ there’s one called ‘Grey Orchid’ which I wrote after I saw a particularly gnarled twig in a park. ‘Court Date’ was based on a couple I actually saw in a courtroom. ‘As the Waters Gently Cover Us’ was from a newspaper report I read. ‘Home Cooking’ was a simple What-If; “What if there’s a migrant who’s afraid of other migrants threatening the world she has carefully built?”. ‘By Manto’ was an imagining of what a modern version of a deceased writer would be like if he was re-born into our world.
Ideas come from anywhere. You just have to exercise your antennae.
After having written many literary (whatever that means) stories, I wanted to break my mould and write speculative stories. That’s just a decision I made one day.
And it’s as simple as that. I got tired of thinking I couldn’t write certain things, and just decided to try it out. I was in a very productive phase, which encouraged me to take risks, and in one evening I wrote the outline for 4…that’s right, 4…sci-fi-fantasy-horror-comedy stories for a collection. ‘Aethernal Love’ was the first one I wrote, and it shaped up so well that I reconsidered what kind of writer I wanted to be.
In ‘Thirteen Roses and Other Stories’ there’s one called ‘Grey Orchid’ which I wrote after I saw a particularly gnarled twig in a park. ‘Court Date’ was based on a couple I actually saw in a courtroom. ‘As the Waters Gently Cover Us’ was from a newspaper report I read. ‘Home Cooking’ was a simple What-If; “What if there’s a migrant who’s afraid of other migrants threatening the world she has carefully built?”. ‘By Manto’ was an imagining of what a modern version of a deceased writer would be like if he was re-born into our world.
Ideas come from anywhere. You just have to exercise your antennae.
After having written many literary (whatever that means) stories, I wanted to break my mould and write speculative stories. That’s just a decision I made one day.
And it’s as simple as that. I got tired of thinking I couldn’t write certain things, and just decided to try it out. I was in a very productive phase, which encouraged me to take risks, and in one evening I wrote the outline for 4…that’s right, 4…sci-fi-fantasy-horror-comedy stories for a collection. ‘Aethernal Love’ was the first one I wrote, and it shaped up so well that I reconsidered what kind of writer I wanted to be.
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