Anjali Paul In A Few Words
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What inspired you to start writing?
I have wanted to be a writer ever since I can remember. I started writing stories as soon as I learned how to write. Looking back, I think it was because I wanted to be able to communicate clearly, as I was not very good with words. Learning to be a great writer was my way of giving myself 'the power of the word.' I learned to write clearly so that other people could understand me.
What advice would you give to aspiring authors?
Write from your heart.
What’s your favorite genre to write, and why?
I do not write in any particular genre, because I do not want to limit myself. I write what I am inspired to write, and I write from my heart. That often means that my work is not easy to categorize, which does cause problems when I have to figure out how to actually put it into a category after I have written it!
Which book of yours was the most difficult to write, and why?
I think The Master was the most difficult book to write. That is because I had been challenged to write it in one month, from scratch. When I started it, I had no idea what it would be about. I was traveling at that time, and I started writing it in Thailand. It sort of grew organically out of where I was and what I saw was happening in the country at that time. I finished it in a month, and that nearly killed me! This was in the days before AI and ChatGPT, so it was a truly Herculean labour!
If you could give one piece of advice to your younger self, what would it be?
Live first, write later.
How do you choose your book covers?
I design my book covers myself. I create the cover art through sheer inspiration and because I know the book intimately.
What’s next on your writing journey?
I would like to write the next book in the 'Maya' series.
What’s a writing challenge you’d like to tackle someday?
I would actually like to find time to write my next book!
Which of your characters do you relate to the most?
The character I relate to the most is Maya, the heroine of The Difference Between Sociopaths and Psychopaths. She is the sort of woman I wish I had been!
What’s the hardest decision you’ve had to make while writing a book?
When I wrote my first novel, The Virgin Goddess, it took me five years to finish. I had been immersed in it for so long that it was painful for me to end it where I did. I wanted to write an epilogue that told the story of what happened to the two main characters for the rest of their lives. However, I knew that story was not what I had to tell. I had to end it where I ended it, and let them go. You have to know how to begin a story, and how to end it.
What do you think makes a story truly unforgettable?
The stories I find unforgettable are those that touch my heart, and they do that because there is something in them that is so fundamental to the human experience that everyone can relate to them.
What’s the one thing you hope readers remember about your books?
People who read my books always ask me the same question i.e. "Is it about me?" Sometimes my writing touches a nerve in them. I still remember a rejection from a man who worked for a UK TV Channel. I had sent in a script about a cold and vindictive man, and it clearly touched a nerve in him because of what he wrote in the rejection letter. I won't repeat that here! However, sometimes what I write just feels very relatable to people, so they like it. I hope people remember that my writing told the truth about life at the point in history when I wrote it. Perhaps my contemporaries did not always find it comfortable to read, but it stood the test of time.