Hello, Lighters!
Welcome to our second-ever highlights post! Today we'll welcome to the stage Sanjana Sunilkumar--a fifteen-year-old girl from India! Sanjana is one of our earliest Light members/supporters. She's so encouraging and is a wonderful writer! We will be sharing Sanjana's favorite piece, our Q&A with her, and then finish off with her prompt! Let's get started!
Featured Piece:
The Devil of the Damned is Sanjana's choice for her featured piece. It is a short story filled with emotion and tragedy. Once you start reading it, you won't be able to stop! Here's an excerpt:
Amber’s knees buckled and sank to the ground as she tried to take a step forward. She leaned ahead, in an attempt to get up, but her body felt heavy and she fell back on her knees.
“How long, Mama?” she asked, her voice weak, barely audible. Carrie pulled her arm, picking her up and steadying her back onto her legs without an answer. The world is never on a pause for the poor. A world devoid of love. But how could she explain it to the four-year-old? Little Betty lay on her shoulder, her tiny arms wrapped around her neck. Her baby eyes had a shade of beige, matching her little dress smeared with grime, made from a burlap sack. Amber wore the same, just a bit bigger. Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes drained. Hungry and homeless. Starvation, the cruelest curse to be bestowed on mortal souls. The devil of the damned.
“Mama, where are we going?” Amber asked, her hands cupped on her calves as if it could help lessen the pain. The ruffling winds waved the tree branches as if welcoming the nocturnal ghosts that roamed......
You can read the full story here! (Sanjana's piece is on Prose)
Q&A
When did you get into writing or find your passion for it?
A: Back when I was eight, we had this little writing contest for which I was picked at random. So I was made to read and write quite a lot of essays and children’s articles, which I seemed to enjoy. Of course, I didn’t win, but my love for books grew along in the years that passed. From Roald Dahl and R. L. Stevenson to Jane Austen and William Shakespeare, I experimented with almost every genre I could find in our library, but writing was never something I could say I was good at. I did minor poems that rhyme and would show my English teacher, but only after discovering Write the World, did I realize that I was just a frog in a well. I joined other communities and websites like Prose, Reedsy, Story-mirror, and Write-Light (among which I am only active in Prose) which seem to have totally metamorphosed me into something I would have never imagined I could be. I still don’t think I could call myself a writer, but thank you internet for at least teaching me who a writer is.
What is your favorite genre {fantasy, sci-fi, etc.} & why?
A: I have a problem. I can never call something my favourite. But if you ask me at gun-point then I might probably go for thrillers, satire, and political drama. Classical and contemporary are themes I adore, but well, I tend to avoid fantasy. I love reading almost everything which has an adept plot or adroit language. So that’s that.
Who is your favorite author (or book) & why?
A: Like I have said before, I can never pick my favourite writer. So let’s go for favourites! Sidney Sheldon’s works have always entranced me. His novels mostly center around simple young women who somehow find themselves trapped in nefarious worldly hands. He often portrays women stealing the show and men merely playing the second fiddle. Being someone who was never really into feminism, his books gave me an idea to look at the flip side. His work, “Windmills Of The Gods” has always been on the top of my list. But let me warn you, his works have a lot of mature content, so beware! I love Dickens’ subtle finesse of commixing nimble humour, suave language, and gothic settings. Ahem, that’s not something facile, is it? And oh, should I even talk about Shakespeare? Some of my favourite authors are Jane Austen, Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie, and Thomas Hardy and a few of my favourite books are The God of Small Things, Jane Eyre, Fight Club, and Ulysses. It’s hard to just pick a few, but, ah let me stop there.
You sent us the link to your favorite piece. Why did you choose this piece? What makes it stand out to you, and what was your inspiration? A: Honestly speaking, every time I come past this piece of mine, I really doubt if it was I who wrote this. This story isn’t the type of thing I usually work on. I just logged into Prose, clicked the “write” button, and started typing out almost everything that crossed my mind, and behold, this is how it turned out. o_O
(This is a fun one.) What unique word do you use most in your writing {ominously, glorious, etc.} & why?
A: Actually, I try my best to avoid the words I had used in my previous pieces, so yeah XD
Do you think you want to pursue a career in writing? If not, what career do you have in mind & why?
A: Yes, I have always wanted to be a part of print and mass media. You know, it’s always better to do a nerve-racking job you love rather than taking an easy career and eating the money you earned with loathing.
Which POV (point of view) do you use in your stories most {third-person close, first-person, etc.}? A: Third person. It’s the only POV I am good at. I have tried doing first-person POVs but the papers always went into the trash bin rolled up in a ball. Perhaps I should try doing a lot of them. Not on paper, of course. XD
What is your writing process {what gives you inspiration, etc.}? How do you brainstorm ideas? A: Talk. Watch. Read. Write. Also, I write down my shower thoughts. Man, I know I can never remember them again. So I make sure to keep a note of them (ahem, but I still lose the notes).
What is your favorite part about writing on Light? {If there’s something you don’t like, you can put that here as well.} A: IT’S A COMMUNITY MY FRIENDS CREATED! HOW CAN I NOT LOVE IT? Ugh, calm down, Sanjana, calm down. Alright. I noticed on Light that many of the fellow writers were around the age groups of 11 and 13. If a platform can be laid out for children at such a young age, it’s really something to be appreciated. I also love the fact that they give out little prompts periodically. They had also organized a camp for young writers by the end of June (if I remember it right) and gave out advice and ideas on writing. I couldn’t join them due to the difference in time zones, but yes, I watched the recordings! A little snag I find on Light is that it's a community predominantly occupied by children below 14. So you can’t expect your works to be read and reviewed by a more grown person. Otherwise, Light is amazing. It’s not just a community of young writers but also photographers, artists, humorists, and most importantly indulgent peeps. Honestly, Savanna, Kathy, and Tom, you all are really doing a stupendous job. Keep the light glowing! :)
If you could give one piece of advice to a younger writer {about writing} what would it be? A: If you think you’ve fallen in love with writer’s block and can’t pen down a single sentence, don’t worry. Just keep writing. Whatever you write, it matters not. How horrible it looks, it matters not. What matters is that you’re writing. So why cry when you can write? Because trust me, writer’s block does not exist. :)
Prompt
Sanjana has designed this really fun prompt which I highly recommend that you look over and try! It challenges you to write a story from an animal's perspective, but keep that fact hidden till the end. Click here to find it. :)
Thank you!
Thank you so much to Sanjana for agreeing to this fabulous interview and for being such a positive influence here on Light! We can't say enough how much we value all that you and other Lighters do here! Remember to be a "light in the darkness"!
Happy Lighting!
Your friends,
-The Light Torch-lighters
Would you like to be featured for Writer Highlights? Contact one of our torch-lighters for more info.
Great job!