Meet Poet and Featured Member Ananya Dhawan
Ananya Dhawan is a young, spirited woman who has grew up in an around the Northern Hills in India. She is in love with the written word and spends most of her time immersed in books. Writing for her is a meditative experience. She likes to push her limits and challenge herself. Ananya holds a Masters in English Literature, and a certificate each in language skills and creative writing from the British Council, New Delhi. She loves writing poetry in her spare time and has been published by various online and offline platforms such Doon Times, Coffee Shop Poems, efiction India, Visual Verse and Unchained Melodies to name a few.
She also shows a keen interest in psychology, and has pursued online certificate courses in Introductory Psychology, Social Psychology, Cognitive behavioral therapy and Positive psychiatry and Mental Health.
She loves writing poetry and has to her credit two poetry anthologies titled Dew and Daze and Breath of Verses.
Ananya has a cheerful disposition, believes in living each moment to the fullest and believes in the policy of “Live and Let Live.”
Interview with Ananya Dhawan
What’s the most important piece of writing advice that you could give to other writers?
Write every day. Also do a lot of freewriting. Freewriting is extremely cathartic and helps you release your thoughts in a positive way. Also, believe in your writing. You need to believe in your own writing first for others to believe in it.
What are your writing habits?
Well, I like to write in the mornings, with a strong cup of tea by my side. For me, this is the time when inspiration strikes. I like to write at my desk or at the park by my house. I cannot write in cafes, as I need a quiet corner to put pen to paper.
When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
As a child, I wanted to be an astronaut when I grew up, but soon realized I did not enjoy studying Mathematics and the Sciences, two subjects that are really important in the study to become an astronaut.
What other writers inspire you?
The Jhumpa Lahiri and Khalid Hosseini. I also enjoy the works of Charles Dickens and William Shakespeare.
How do you deal with literary criticism?
Initially, I was really bad in dealing with both criticism and rejection. If some blog or magazine rejected my work it used to be the end of the world, and I wouldn’t write anything for days, post that. Gradually I got more positive about it, and it doesn’t get to me now. I can now take what needs to be taken from criticisms and correct what needs correction without sulking about it.
On a lighter note, editors are critical people! So I figured I might as well learn to be able to handle criticism about myself before I go on to criticize the works of others !
Ananya Dhawan was featured in our September meeting. Her poetry is available on Amazon.