CHENNAI: How passionate is the city about reading? You would know if you had attended the Broke Bibliophiles meet on Sunday. The 3-hour meet takes place once a month for book lovers to discuss the books, authors, poems and poets they like.
Close to 30 people had come for the meet, which left this reporter wondering why this was called a small meeting? Kavipriya, a 26-year-old budding author, said, “We thought only a hand full of us would be here, but the count kept increasing; so we changed our venue to Besant Nagar beach this time.”
Kavipriya, who has struggled her way out to follow her passion, speaks to City Express about her life, her books and future plans. An MBA graduate with a degree in engineering, she went to Dubai for work. But soon, she realised her passion lay elsewhere. So the young lady quit her well-paying job and flew back to India in 2013.
“It took nearly eight months for me to figure out that my heart beats for writing. So I took a couple of online courses on creative writing to improve my skill and worked on it further,” recalls Kavipriya.
She started by writing short poems, after which she began blogging and writing book reviews. “I used social media as an aid to network with newbies and experienced authors. I started a new group for writers on Facebook, initiated discussions and learnt a lot about writing this way,” she explains.
In 2015, Kavipriya got her first book published. “Though I Don’t Wear Sunscreen was self-published by the Notionpress, I got great reviews and also four stars,” she beams. Her upcoming novel called Dirty Martini will be published by Star Mirrors soon.
Kavipriya has organised three workshops for writers and students, and says the transition from a writer to author is tough. “It’s a learning process that never ends. I’m still learning. The network that one builds in this phase is completely based on mutual interest and respect,” she observes, and adds, “The trial-and-error method is the only thing that will work initially in writing. You may pick any genre to write now, but you should accept the fact that it may or may not work.”
And the best advice Kavipriya can give to aspiring writers is: “Start with a mentor who will guide and help you build your network and also give career tips.”