Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Newbie Corner: Niranjan Navalgund

Today on Newbie Corner we have the chess champion and author Niranjan Navalgund. An interesting combo, right? Come, let us learn more about him.
Welcome to Newbie Corner Niranjan!
Follow him: Facebook     Twitter      Chess Blog    Fiction Blog

Tell us a little about yourself. How did you begin writing?

 Greetings to you and the readers of Tulips and Me! I’m Navalgund Niranjan. I’m a chess player and an ardent reader. I also write in leisure. Thanks to my parents, I cultivated the habit of reading at an early age. It helped me to foray into writing as well.  My journey of writing began when Amma started giving me prompts. I used to write a bit on the prompt and send it to my great grandfather. We exchanged several letters; he sent me the corrected versions of my essays along with a personal letter. I will always cherish those moments.

Whenever I wrote something, my parents read it enthusiastically. They gave me the required time and attention. From 2008 to 2013, I mainly wrote about chess. I have a blog which is 8 years old – www.beingchesstastic.blogspot.in. Recently, I started writing short stories and Readomania gave me the first break. I participated in a short-story writing contest. My story ‘Hide & Seek’ was published in their anthology titled ‘Chronicles of Urban Nomads.’ Two more stories attained their places in anthologies:  Authors Press India published my story ‘OKAY’ in their anthology ‘As a Beginner for the Beginning’ and Author’s Ink published ‘Magic of the Mask’ recently.
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The next big thing to happen was a short film  - ‘B-Tweets’
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I have also experimented a bit with Japanese poetry. Shloka Shankar taught me the basics of haiku. I will always remain grateful to her for introducing lovely forms of poetry. I tried Concrete haiku recently and a reputed journal published it:
http://www.underthebasho.com/2015-issue/concrete-haiku/1552-niranjan-navalgund.html

What is your favorite genre in writing?

I think this answer is subject to change. At the moment, thrillers fascinate me. I have observed that I am elated when I manage to write a decent thriller. It is a challenge to write a thriller; you have to outplay the reader or at least come close…  

Who inspires you most and to whom would you dedicate your creative growth?

My Parents! They are not only creative themselves, but they also encourage creativity to flourish. My parents are poets, they both write. I owe them everything.
What kind of a writer are you? Do you plot the entire novel/story or make it up as you write?

If you would have asked this question a month back, my answer would have been different. Just recently I wrote a novella that involved a lot of planning. If you count that as an exception, I am a writer who goes with the flow.  I don’t plan so much; I am no Dan brown.
 Do you have a favorite place to write or a scheduled time to write every day?

I have written most of my stories at home and I don’t have a schedule for writing. I write only when I am inspired enough to.

Who are your favorite authors and what is the genre that you like reading most?
I have a long list but, Paulo Coelho, Agatha Christie, and Mitch Albom top the list. I like reading thrillers and new age philosophy.

Where do you see yourself in the next 10 years?
I can only answer for the present. As of now, I see myself finishing this line and going to the next question.  

Is there one subject you would never write about as an author? What is it?
Fanfiction, probably!

How much important do you think marketing is for the success of a book?

Marketing is very important for the success of a book. You have to get your book to the reader- that is the only way you can give yourself a fair chance. I believe that creativity is the key. If you manage to reach people in different ways, there is a greater chance that you will be read and appreciated.

What is the message that you want to convey to the readers through your writing?

I love carving stories that have different layers and I’m very happy to have written stories that have such a flavor. Stories like that mean differently to different people. There is more than one way to interpret them. All in all, I have always tried to give a message to the seeker, leaving a part of myself in everything I write…..
For those who want to read my writings, check out my blog:
www.niriwrites.wordpress.com
Thank You  Niranjan. That was a wonderful chat! Wishing you the very best for your future endeavors.
Buy his books here:
Chronicles of Urban Nomads


As a Beginner for a beginning




ALCOL - A Little Chorus of Love


That is all for now folks!

Until next post,
Much love,











1 comment:

  1. Wonderful read. All the best Niranjan for your many stories and poems that you will let out in your lifetime. Great yo know such kind of bloggers.

    ReplyDelete