Presstone Agency had a pep talk with , Madhurima Guruju, the author of Musings on life & A soul of candy heart. Let’s take a look on what we came to know after we had an interview session with her
- What inspired you to write this book?
Sometimes the best lessons we learn can be from the amount of experiences we deal with. A lot happened in my life for that matter. Betrayal in relationships, huge financial loss, disheartening friendships, career loss and the tumultuous family pressure. All of these moments have helped me to become strong as I believe. And all of these moments definitely made me to approach towards writing. Since I have less social circle and I am a person who doesn’t open much or don’t need an advice, just a listener that needed to comfort my agony. Poetry is one such art I fell in love with and eventually became a therapy. Right after, I started writing poetry I have realized how much the words, metaphors and smilies are soothing my pain. That’s where I drew inspiration to write poems by compiling all the moments of my life together in a form of beautiful narration where it connects several hearts. In addition, when people actually felt related and some of them told me how legit the feel was, the inspiration mounted up high that didn’t stop me to write more.
- Can you tell us about the book?
I have written couple of poetry books titled “The musings on life” and “A soul of Candy Heart” which describes the moments of life, the hard ones, the ones which gave absolute bliss, the ones which made us vulnerable and strong at the time same time. I have taken the bits of information from myself and from people whom I know around to blend them together into prose and poetry in a notion to heal a plethora of souls, letting them know they are not alone and they are fighting to overcome the hardships. These are the collection of poems I dedicate to all those for handling themselves in turbulence.
- How well has been the journey fetched you?
Well, it fetched me pretty good to my surprise. Honestly, I never thought I would be a writer one day. As an educator, I have always had this dream to write. Writing was like a hobby which helped me to vent my agonizing thoughts but now seeing myself into the journey of publishing, I was thrilled and the experience of learning skills and learning to structure poems, interacting with authors, knowing and obtaining knowledge from contemporary poets has been a profound learning experience to empower my skills.
- What were the obstacles you faced from dreaming about your book and holding it in your hands?
I wouldn’t say obstacles but there were challenges. The moment I decided to write and earned a platform, I have realized that I needed to utilize it properly with no further distraction. I even didn’t have guidance to write poetry but thanks to these amazing contemporary poets that I get to see on instagram who empowers everyone to unleash the poet from within. And I was truly inspired by that. Forget about the results, it doesn’t matter. It doesn’t matter how many are reading, how many are into sales. I don’t really consider that. All I needed is a platform. Obstacles will be there in every line of field where we try to pursue our passion. Embracing them and taking it as an opportunity to grow is what I believe and I wish everyone to perceive this way. The challenges that I faced like managing my time between teaching and writing were crucial. Most of them even failed to support me but very few believed in me more than myself. Having such people in my life was like a massive encouragement to boost my confidence. In addition to that, self doubts have definitely bothered but with strong conviction I kept moving further. One thing I absolutely know that, nobody will encourage us. It’s how we believe in ourselves and how we motivate ourselves matters. I know it’s difficult, but the igniting passion doesn’t let anyone relapse. Isn’t it?
- Who were the major backbone in writing and publishing this book?
I never thought that one day I will be in a zone to publish my book. I pay my sincere gratitudes to BookLeaf Publishing services for giving me this opportunity. Their prompts and continuous guidance pushed me to this level. There are also some amazing friends like my backbone. At some point, I thought I couldn’t write and decided to give up. Because I was being compared with other writers and I nearly lost my confidence. My friends didn’t let me give up. They were inducing continuous inspiration inside my veins that let me write relentlessly. Thanks to these amazing people I cherish for lifetime.
- How you crossed roads into writing, publishing and getting known as a writer? How far has been that way?
I always loved writing and I always had this serious intention of publishing my work. I cannot say that I am a profound writer I am still learning to weave magical words and deliver the best work but have always enjoyed the process of writing the journey has been a tremendous blessing. Initially, I had been publishing my work to several blogs. However, I have to be honest with this that the year 2018 to 2020 had been the worst phase for me. Like, suffering from chronic anxiety it was difficult to stand up for myself. So many heart breaks and lows in career made me depressed. At that time, writing came like a rescue. Especially poetry. It felt like all the words were consoling me, so much empowering. It felt like I was singing out my agony, lending them to the sky and I was in dancing in pain with the rhythm of metaphors that helped me to cope up from all the hardships. That experience inspired me to write. I understood if writing heals me then how it heals everyone. So I have decided to learn poetry, of course I couldn’t get proper mentors but I still didn’t give up. I used to participate at several open mic events. Where I had come across amazing poets which left me astonished. See, poetry is for everyone that’s what I had realized. And in India, a lot of people admire poems. Their level of Intimacy towards literary art inspired me to write and of course after getting a lot of accolades from my peers at open mic events I got confidence that I can publish my work and after receiving approval from several publication services which surprisingly even acknowledged me as a good writer and motivated me to not give up made me believe that yes I can surely exhibit my work across the world. And now after seeing readers loving my work, I am honestly blessed than ever.
- What did you learn when writing the book?
It was tough indeed challenging. There is a lot to be taken care in book. Length matters, formatting and accuracy in sentence matters. Even selecting the appropriate book cover and of course assigning adequate title. Above all writing in a way where audience will feel sensible and taking care of every line in poetry is crucial. Though I am still learning and accepting the flaws where my readers sometimes highlight them to me for which I feel obliged. So, everything is still a learning process for me. I do feel exclusively challenging but I am definitely exploring the skills with every book that I am working on.
- What surprised you the most?
Definitely me writing the stories and poems surprised me so much (laughs). I had no clue that my writings have received amazing reviews by readers. I used to post on Instagram and it’s such a great platform to represent your art isn’t it? But all my friends and readers have always faithfully appreciated my work and of course pointed out if there was any error. But landing to this path and seeing myself being a published author has really surprised me. It wouldn’t have been possible with the support I am getting from all of you. I promise to stay focused and continue working hard.
- What does the title mean?
” Musings on life” and “A soul of Candy Heart” are the series of poems.that had been collected from.the experiences of my life and everyone around me. An inspiration I drew from people overcoming hardships, dealing with situations that were tough yet some had ever lasting sweetest memories. These poems are definitely dedicated to all those who are falling in love with their fragile lives.
- Any piece of advice to the budding writers?
I advice everyone to keep writing. Even though you will be told or judged by a plethora don’t give up..keep writing, keep inspiring. Never underestimate the story teller and a poet inside you. If you want to unleash it don’t even think about future events. Keep your spirit high and focus on your aim. Most importantly, trust your instincts and vibe in the process of writing. The more you fall in love with your write up, the more you will create wonders.
- Lastly, who you wanna give a special thanks that helped you come so far?
Thanks to all the amazing readers and few of my friends who are extremely close to my heart. Thanks to those who betrayed else I wouldn’t have turned my pain into poetry, Thanks to those who believed in me hence I didn’t give up writing and Thanks to all my faithful supporters. Much much love.
