Interviewer:  Riazayn31
Author : Varad7

Q: May we know a few words about yourself ?

I'm Varad Kulkarni . I'm 18 years old right now and live in India . My hobbies include Reading, Writing, Photography, Playing Instruments , Playing Sports and many more .

Q: When did you start writing either on this platform or in a normal way ?

So I've been writing short stories since 4th standard , small ideas here and there , not much but I wrote a proper novella when I was in 8th on this platform.  It was named Phyre 07 and it got 3-4 2nd place awards in award books . Back then , it was #9 in Action , but after about a year or so I thought the book was quite childish so I deleted it without asking anyone and I didn't have any saved drafts . My parents are still cross with me about this till date xD . After that in around 2020 April I got another idea: WA&R. The story was about R&AW and that is how the title came to be . Just read the title backwards and then it's like a sudden Viola! moment . I got a lot of help from  twhiddlestons with whom I discussed ideas and she even edited some of my chapters back then . I left the book around halfway in MAY 2020 and got busy with other activities . I was quite unhappy with the book and my writing in it . Then in November 2020 I logged into Wattpad and a really kind person had messaged me saying he really liked the book and was keen to know what happened further. This really motivated me to actually go on and write , So I decided I would start from scratch once again . I was planning the plot in my head when I came across an Award book which really intrigued me . However , it was the 19th of November and the deadline of the submission of forms for the awards was the 20th of November and the book needed to be completed . Now the 20th of November happens to be my sister's birthday . So on the 19th I sat down after dinner to write my book . I wrote WA&R in about 6 hours in one night and saved and re-published every single chapter on Wattpad . I enrolled in the awards but sadly could not qualify for the next rounds . I haven't had the time to re read or edit or do anything to WA&R after the 19th of November so it is unedited and raw . I plan to work on it , add more locations , scenes , possibly more sub plots as soon as I get time .

Q: What is your motivation to write ?

I really like to think about plots , create characters and express them in the form of a story . The love I get from a select few people who care to give feedback and the criticism that I get is the only motivation I need to write .

Q: How did you feel when you got to know that you are the winner ?

I felt overjoyed and elated .

Q: Did you ever face criticism? If yes , then how did you overcome it ?

I've faced occasional criticism but I think the ones who criticise are the people who want us to improve and I think healthy criticism is very much needed in everyone's life . Apart from that , I think the most criticism I face has to be myself , so now you know how much criticism I've faced from others , haha . But yeah , I think I can do a lot more and have a lot more to achieve.

Q: When did you come across this genre or this fanfiction category?

My book isn't fanfiction , haha . But yeah , I was drawn into the Mystery / Thriller category by reading detective stories . My idol and favorite author is Jeffery Archer and his books inspire me a lot .

Q: What was your opinion about our awards and the way we hosted it ?

The awards were conducted very professionally and I enjoyed the process . I hope I get to enter and win many more awards just like this one xDD!

Q: How do you handle writer's block ?

Luckily I have not faced a writer's block till now .

Q: Do you plan on taking writing as a profession ?

I have no such plans at the moment but I would love to explore new opportunities .

Q: What was the response you got when you first published this book ?

It hasn't really got a lot of readers apart from the Award Show judges , my friends and an occasional few online readers , but I'm really happy with the response 😄.

Q: Is there any advice you would like to give to teenagers out there ?

I'm a teenager myself , but I would like to tell all my friends and fellow mates out there to go ahead and share their art forms. Whatever form interests them , create and share , without doubting themselves .

Q: A few words about our community ?

It's a really great community and I really hope to contribute to it someday 😄

Q: Would you like to join this community ?

I really appreciate the offer but I must politely decline , I've got a lot on my plate at the moment , Sorry. 

Q: How did you feel giving us the interview ? Any suggestions you would like to give ?

I enjoyed it immensely , Thankyou Soo much ! 😄