CHENNAI: Ernest Hemingway, the legendary American author, encapsulated the essence of writing through his quote, “There is nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and bleed.” The act of writing offers a pathway to self-discovery, personal growth, and the development of one’s unique voice. When Pegasus, the book club of MOP Vaishnav College for Women, started the Author Speak as a part of their activities, it was with the intention of motivating young readers and writers to develop their talents.
The second edition of Author Speak in association with The New Indian Express, held on Monday, witnessed a literary workshop and a question-and-answer session with writer Shreekumar Varma. He shared excerpts from almost three decades of his literary career with a group of enthusiastic students and teachers of the college, gathered at Meghdoot, the college auditorium.
The writer’s early experiences instilled in him a fondness for history and mythology, which serve as recurring themes in his writings. He started with writing short stories and poetries and further expanded to novels, children’s books, plays and translations. “After working in The Indian Express in Bombay, I started writing my novel. Lament of Mohini was published in 2000 by Penguin. When I started out I didn’t know the procedures of publishing a book. I think that it was a good thing. You shouldn’t think about publishing until you complete your work,” he said.
The writer emphasised on the value of imagination, encouraging students to tap into their unique perspectives and explore the limitless possibilities of narrative creation. Speaking about overcoming writer’s block, he said, “If I had a writer’s block, I would do something else. Getting over writer’s block is one important aspect of being a writer. You have to keep writing and shouldn’t put any restrictions while writing. You have to keep writing and editing and be a critique of yourself. The most dissatisfied reader is the author himself and it should continue to remain like that.”
Agatha Christie, RK Narayan, KR Meera, and Perumal Murugan are a few of the writers whose works Shreekumar admires. When asked about how he values success, the writer shared, “Initially, a writer hopes for commercial gains but, it is the feedback from the readers which is what keeps the writer going. I haven’t restricted myself to one form of writing. It can inspire a writer to experiment more.” He added that young writers should also write plays as the feedback for the plays is immediate while the characters embody the source text on stage.
The author also gave the participants writing exercises to help weave poetry on the spot. The event inspired the participants to pick up their pens and embark on their own journeys of storytelling.