"Do not let the word "writer" be the only defining factor of your character" ~ Zareh Zurabyan: The young Arm-American writer

"Writing is easy. All you have to do is cross out the wrong words..." said Mark Twain and our today's interlocutor DOES know how to do that. He has his way with words and even though he lives in The States now, here, in Armenia, people who have read his works, enjoy his style and carefully chosen words.

Zareh Zurabyan is a 26-year-old young writer, who's been living in The States since 2003. His family "moved to US for better opportunities. Armenia does not value science as much as other countries do," and his father being a physicist, better opportunities showed themselves in The States. He went to Regis College, majoring in biochemistry, minoring in math and pre-med concentration, and graduated in 2012 with cum laude.

I got to know Zareh when I first read one of his works online and instantly fell in love with it. It was very interesting to know how an Armenian guy thought about different things, how he described feelings and people.

And recently, when his first book got published, I decided to take my chance and have a little chat with our Armenian guy.

How old where you when you first started writing, Zareh?

I didn't officially start writing as a hobby since I was 24-25, but I always enjoyed writing for school projects, essays, and scientific papers. But before for me it was just something "I had to do" to get good grades. I had even started writing essays for cash. In High School it was $10 a page, and in college I started writing papers up to $300 a paper, guaranteeing at least an A or B in grade. I made side cash on the side, and in the mean time I developed my knowledge as I wrote anything from theology, to microbiology papers.

Where do you usually write?

I write everywhere -constantly. My phone is full of notes and thoughts. Anything new or interesting comes to me I write. But when it is time to expand, I like to go to the library, where I am surrounded by books and people who seek knowledge – there is something very inspiring about that. I also like to write in coffee shops in Harvard Square and people watch – the busy life of others engulfed in their own little worlds in inspiring also.

How many books do you already have published? Tell us a bit about it/them? What is it/are they about?

Just one, titled "Letters to You" by Zareh Zurabyan. Which is a collection of letters from different characters to different characters, non-related to one another, however the underlying theme connects the dots in the end when you finish. The book is special for me because both the writer, and the person that is reading it, looks at it from both perspectives, from self-reflection through his/her own eyes, and also outer-reflection from the outside. I think it is a very special way of connecting with people's souls. Also each letter of the book has designated photo taken by a very talented designer, Nvard Yerkanian, that has abstract symbolism to the letter's message/emotion. So far the feedback has been great.

What is your favorite work from "Letters to You" ? Who is your most favorite character there? Tell us about them a bit.

Everybody is asking me that, but I do not know just yet. My collection of letters has so many perspectives, and each letter signified something special, and depending on my mood, or the period of time of my life. I think if I read these letters 5 years from now, I will have different emotions about each one. And as for characters, every character in this book, whether the character that is writing, or the character that is receiving the email, is very close to my heart. The characters of these letters are a concoction of people based on my, my friends/families, with exaggeration and imagination all coupled together to give life to these characters.

How did you choose the names for your characters?

Choosing names is probably one of the hardest things, because I really did not care for the names. Names are not important to me, what is important to me is the message and the emotion that the letter portrays. But the more I thought about it, I realized that the name does matter. There is a reason why we have names, and why we associate names with certain things – so I decided to get creative. For example, one of the names is Siramarg – for an American that is a creative/crazy foreign name – but for Armenians, it is a bird, and that particular chapter is called "I want colors". I used some latin/greek prefixes with the names that have double meanings, and I tried to give more depth to the characters in that regard.

If you were to give a color to this book of yours, what color would suit it most of all?

Read the chapter called "The colorful couple" in the book, and you'll know.

Oh-kay, another question, what scene in your writing has made you laugh the hardest or cry the most?

Hmmm... In the 1st letter of the book, titled "I am sorry", I got emotional. I also got emotional when I was writing "Now" where it is a guy writing a letter to his friend who he hasn't been emotionally connected with. Each letter has shades of emotions that take you on a rollercoaster. As far as the laughs, you have to read to see the subtle jokes here and there.

How successful has your quest for reviews been so far?

Amazing. A lot of people have said that they've cried when reading it. I've gotten great reviews on Amazon. With already 200 downloads online – haven't counted the hard copy sales yet. There are a lot of collaborations coming up. I feel blessed.

Have you ever written a novel? And if you were to choose an actor for the main role, who'd you choose?

I have not written a novel just yet, I think that will be my 3rd book though. But if I were to choose an actor for the movie adaptation of it, I would choose Frunzik or Leo De'Caprio.

What is your favorite theme or element in writing?

Self-Awareness. Through writing we explore the depths of our subconscious, and it is very important to understand what is happening when we are doing that, and as writers we have an obligation not to lose ourselves, and create a level of conscious in the readers. I feel like a lot of writers nowadays just try to be poetic, complicated, and create shock factors, or write something controversial to make money, and we forget that the most important aspect of writing, is it being real, from the heart. So, I like to create that feeling of truth, and awareness of life.

Do you read much and if so who are your favorite authors?

I do not read as much as I should or wish. I love the classics. I love Russian literature, Leo Tolstoy is my favorite and I love Greek philosophy, my favorite is Plato's Republic. Recently I started reading a lot of Malcolm Gladwell, which is more scientific/statistics of cultural phenomena that he explains in very subtle ways. It is enjoyable to read and soak so much information. But as far as the creative style of writing, where the pages take you to a different world, there is no one better than Leo Tolstoy in my opinion.

What do you think makes good writing?

It being real. Real meaning that it is from the heart, not from the logical mind. When you start thinking of "how can I make it interesting, how can I make it unique, how can I make it special" it loses its authenticity. Good writing is when it comes out of you naturally. How you EDIT it, and morph it into something more creative, that is complete different, but the core product, absolutely has to come from the heart like an uncontrollable volcano.

Do you ever get writer's Block? If yes, how do you overcome it?

I think people give "writer's block" waaaaay too much credit. It is not writer's block, it is laziness from the writer to expand their mind, or know how to channel their energy. Writer's block, scientifically speaking, it is just your brain controlling your emotions, and you're not being able to be lost in the moment to create new content. So...

Exercising – it clears your mind, and can reignite your passion.

Editing – use this time wisely by working on not the creative part, but the editing part of writing.

Doing something new – try yoga, try running, go to a new place to eat, meet new people

Reading other works, watching movies that have a lot of energy packed in it that can tap into your emotions

But most importantly, NOT ACCEPTING that it is writer's block – that is a weak and easy way of getting out of responsibility.

Advice on how to end/start a story?

Start: Write down ideas, thoughts, and concepts... See where that takes you and use your imagination to get it going. I like to start writing without thinking of the ending.

End: Once you start writing, you'll know how to end it. I think a lot of people think that there is a special formula in writing. But there isn't. Every writer has their own way of writing. Some like to do outlines, of beginning, middle and end, others just write and see what happens. To me the most important aspect is the start, and as long as you have some fundamental message or emotion that you want to portray, the rest is all on you to use effort and imagination to bring it to life.

Do you listen to music when you write?

Yes very much. I listened to a lot of Tigran Hamasyan, Mozart, Vivaldi, Dave Brubeck, Bach, Chopin, The Weeknd, James Blake, LV, and even Duduk solos when I write. Mellow music that plays in the background, can put you in a special zone. I try not to listen to anything with words though, so I do not get distracted.

What are you working on at the minute?

On this interview. (Zareh says jokingly)

What's it about?

Me. (haha :D )

Jokes aside, I am writing a short story book. But it is on hold, as right now I am focused on the promotion of my current book that just got published 3 days ago.

Is there anything else you would like to add that I haven't included?

Do not let the word "writer" be the only defining factor of your character. Be more than that.