Smitha Vishwanath Interview Published on: 22, Sep 2023

I grew up in Iran, Dubai, and India. I spent most of my life in Dubai. Not many people know of this but as a kid I wanted to be a classical dancer. I dreamed of it all the time- the lights, the applause, the crowds, and me dancing, but, all dreams aren’t meant to be. I never did get a chance to learn classical dance. However, in retrospect I think it all turned out for the best. I’m happy working on my own without the pressure of having to perform on stage.

Yes, I do. I was around seven when I wrote my first piece. At the time we had a lot of Goan neighbours who enjoyed partying and we invariably got invited to those parties. Although Dad was not too happy about it, he didn't stop me from going. I think it was because all of us in the building were like one, big, happy family.

On one such occasion when I returned home after attending a birthday party, he asked me to write about it. I suppose it was his way to get something productive out of what he considered was a mindless sort of entertainment. My dad was a man of few words. He didn’t praise easily. But I still remember the expression on his face on reading my essay, ‘Nicole’s birthday party’. It was essentially my first piece of ungraded writing.

I have been writing since I was nine, either in the form of letters to my mom (from boarding school) or in a journal. The journey to becoming an author wasn’t planned. I had written a poem titled, ‘Serendipity’ in 2018 which was published in a poetry book I co-authored, called, ‘Roads- A Journey with Verses’. The poem answers your question as to how I got into writing. I let the universe take its course.

But if I have to list the transition down in a chronological order, then it first happened in 2008 when I began sharing my experiences and thoughts on Facebook. Those who were connected with me on Facebook said they enjoyed reading my writing. That spurred me to continue writing. But my writing was largely restricted to friends until 2016 when my father-in-law, who is an avid reader, suggested I take up writing more seriously. I guess all I needed was for someone who I respected to nudge me into taking the plunge. I began blogging and sharing my poetry on my blog.

So, by the time I quit my job in 2018, I already had two years of blogging behind me, and zero qualms about what I would do without a full-time job. And two years after, in 2020, when we were locked in our homes, ‘Coming Home’ was conceived.

I have been interested in this genre since school when I began reading books by Jane Austen, the Bronte sisters, and Georgette Heyer. I like books with an undertone of romance, but it cannot be the only thing. It makes me happy to see readers describe ‘Coming Home’ as a story with layers. Someone even said, ‘It’s more than a love story. There are so many different aspects of love handled in the book.’

While ‘Coming Home’ is the story of twenty-six-year-old girl, Shanaya, who, finds her whole world shattered when she loses her mom to cancer, it is also the story of a family struggling to bond after the death of the mother- a significant member of the family. The story sees Shanaya leave her job in Dubai to be with her family in India. The book takes the reader on a journey through Mumbai and Kerala with Shanaya. And while it does that, it talks about the importance of following your gut, loving yourself and not settling for anything that does not make you completely happy.

Thank you. Writing poetry teaches you to express yourself in fewer words and describe even the most mundane event, object or emotion using evocative imagery. Readers who reviewed ‘Coming Home’ explicitly said that the book satisfied all their senses- taste, smell, touch, sight. I credit it to writing poetry.

I had sent my book proposal to three traditional publishers before taking the self-publishing route. One replied that the current flavour was for mythological novels and so, they couldn’t publish my book. The second asked me to send it back again the following year to them as their calendar was full for the year. And the third replied only after I had signed the contract with a Delhi-based publisher to help me self-publish my book in India. More recently, I have changed my publisher to Notion Press. They will handle the printing of books in India. Publishing my book in the international market was easier as Amazon handles both printing and distribution of the paperback. Working with Amazon has been great. They customer service team is prompt and courteous in their responses and all dues are settled to the author promptly.

It could be as simple a thing as a crack in the wall unnoticed by others or a trail of ants or the sunrise which I wake up to every day. I’m fascinated by people and nature. And anything that moves me does not let me rest until I’ve spilled it in paper. Readers have said that they felt nostalgic of places mentioned in Coming Home or that it made them want to visit those places. That bit of writing came from my love for travel.

I have tried my hand at watercolours, acrylic and oil. I enjoy watercolours for their natural transparency. But watercolour can be tough until you master the form. Acrylics and oil on the other hand are easier and forgiving. Between the two, being impatient by nature, I prefer the former because it takes less time to dry.

Painting has made me a better observer. I have become far more patient with myself because of it. These qualities have helped me immensely with my writing especially during the editing process and waiting for a reply from the publishers.

I have always been disciplined when it comes to managing time. It might sound crazy, but my conscience is a taskmaster and a loud one. It’s impossible for me to ignore it. If you want to achieve anything in life you must value time and you must work hard. Writing is no exception.

You have to make time to write if you enjoy writing. We are taught to multi-task at a young age-we attend school, do homework, study for exams, participate in sports, extra-curricular activities and spend time with friends and family. You need to manage writing like an additional subject just like you did in school. It’s no different.

If you’re struggling with motivation to write, then read. Read as much as you can, and you will get your motivation back.

Yes, it focuses on themes of loss, family and self-discovery. The protagonist loses her mother and that’s what gets the story flowing. I lost my mother when I was in my early thirties. So, the details of the funeral and the turmoil that the protagonist goes through is based on my experience of loss. Also, the protagonist is a banker like I was. My experience in the field found its way into the book. But the story itself is pure fiction.

Blogging helps me to connect with likeminded people- people who enjoy reading and writing, too. The blogging community is friendly and supportive. Also, the blogging world is an institution. In the sense, it gives you the opportunity to read different writing styles. It’s also a great place to polish your writing skills by participating in the various challenges that bloggers host or writing to prompts etc.

I’ve already explained how painting helps me.

Family is my support system, my rock. Having their support helps me focus on my writing and art. My husband and daughters are usually my first beta readers, the ones I run the idea through first.

Well, I just want to say, ‘If you want to write for the love of writing, and have a story to tell, then, go ahead, and write it. Don’t worry about what others will say or think. It doesn’t matter. There is someone out there who needs to hear your story. Write it for them. Write it for yourself.’ Thanks to self-publishing, it’s never been easier to get your writing published. Take advantage of it.

Irrespective of traditional or self-publishing, authors these days need to do a lot of work to ensure their book reaches the reader. With people’s attention span reducing and so many alternate avenues for entertainment, it’s hard work to get the word out there no matter what route you take. But, if you enjoy writing, focus on your writing and ways to improving it. Readers will find their way to your writing.

I don’t want to rush into writing the next fiction book. However, I hope to publish a poetry book next. Currently, I'm happy painting, blogging and reading.

I joined AllAuthor in June 2023. It was my sister who suggested that I join AllAuthor. The experience has been great. I like the mock-up banners and tweets All Authors shares regularly about the book Also, the book got a lot of visibility because of the voting for the Cover of the Month contest. I shared it on all my social media profiles and managed to garner a lot of support from friends who hadn’t until then known about the book. The result was that the book cover secured the second position.