voicebox magazine: issue 1

An interview with Pink_Poet_

dragonwritesthings: Hey there! Thanks for coming, we're so excited to interview you. Tell us a little bit about who you are, and what you do on Wattpad.

Pink_Poet_: Hi there. I am a poet. I go by the pen name Pink Poet. I'm basically an Aeronautical Engineering graduate who fell in love with poetry. I started publishing them on Wattpad and now I have three books on Wattpad.

dragonwritesthings: Cool! When do you think was the first time you showed interest in writing?

Pink_Poet_: I think I was in my 4th grade and I was reading a poetry for my English class and I started penning down some words on my own. And since then I have been writing.

dragonwritesthings: That's actually really interesting—all the other people I've interviewed so far have said they started to show interest in writing around the same time. What writing projects are you working on right now?

Pink_Poet_: It's actually a really interesting phase when you start understanding things around you and in general life and that's why most of the writers show interest in the same time.

And for the projects, I am working on a Wattpad book called "When the Night Falls" it's a crossover of horror genre with poetry which I am trying out

dragonwritesthings: That sounds really cool! What books/movies/tv shows do you think have inspired you to write?

Pink_Poet_: Haunting of the Hill House, a show Netflix. That show has really inspired this book. The show is really good in horror genre but it plays around this family theme and how every human tackles grief in their own way. That though became the basis of my book.

dragonwritesthings: That sounds great! Do you ever get nervous about sharing your writing online—and if so, how do you cope?

Pink_Poet_: Yeah, like everytime I try to click on the "publish" button I'm always nervous. And the warning that pops on Wattpad doesn't usually help. But one thing that I have learnt from posting so many poems on Wattpad is, not every piece of yours will be liked. I try to always remind myself that it's okay to get some bad work out there too cause it shows the growth of a writer. The ups and downs. And if this doesn't work. I just text my friends, get their critique.

dragonwritesthings: Oh I know, the Wattpad warning gives me so much anxiety. What's some of the nicest feedback you've ever gotten?

Pink_Poet_: There was one person who read "Winter Sonata" one of my book about heartbreak after losing someone. She has recently lost someone important too and she basically sent me a personal message thanking me, saying the book helped her in someway and she connected with the work. I think that was the nicest and the greatest feedback I ever got.

dragonwritesthings: Do you ever get writers block? How do you handle it?

Pink_Poet_: Yes. I have been through couple of weeks of writer's block in between every book. It's the time and phase where I'm not sure where the book or the poem that is been on my mind, is heading toward.
I actually try not to force myself to write during a block. I let my mind rest. During this, I try to watch or read some good shows that could give me further ideas related to the book.

dragonwritesthings: That's definitely some good advice. How do you cope with negative feedback?

Pink_Poet_: I have got my share of negative feedback for my earlier work. I'm a bilingual, so there are times when my English isn't up to standard or there are grammatical sentence errors. So I had lot of such issue during my earlier work and the readers would have a hard time understanding the main theme of the poem.
I take this as a challenge and try to better myself.
I feel negative feedback is necessary to keep a writer or for a fact any artist grounded. This helps us push through our comfort zone and try to grow.

dragonwritesthings: What do you hope your writing can mean to others—and what does it mean to you?

Pink_Poet_: I want people to connect. Not just in "wow this is a nice piece about life", I want them to have a feeling of nostalgia or melancholy to take over when they read my work. It should strike their mind and stay there. I want them to feel that they aren't alone when dealing with life.

I always say "poetry will be my salvation". Writing has been a way of me trying to make sense with this world and try to understand the things that are happening to me. It's my way of dealing with the emotions that sometimes overwhelm my mind. So writing is me channeling my thoughts, my emotions and my feelings into something that tell a story and connect people to it.

dragonwritesthings: What gives you inspiration to write?

Pink_Poet_: I want to tell stories. I want people to read my ideas in a very colourful, yet sophisticated way. So when I watch some good movie or show, or read some good book and a thought from the book has been stuck in my head then I want to write it down, I want to tell how it connects to me and in a way want to know how others feel about it.
Writing is a way I connect with other people. It's a faster means of understanding person. You can surely get to know who the reader is just by knowing what they are reading. And I think, this need of connection is what inspires me to write

dragonwritesthings: For sure, that's actually a lot of why I write too. I think writing, especially poetry, is really good at connecting people—at describing the indescribable.

Pink_Poet_: Yes. I feel you can convey faster, in short sentences and basically leave the reader in awe or in shock. And sometimes both.

dragonwritesthings: Are there any people in your life who have helped you along your writing journey?

Pink_Poet_: Yes. My friends. My amazing friends. They have helped me since the day one and always supported me on this journey. I was reluctant on sharing my poetry to anyone outside our circle. But they encouraged me to find a wider audience and meet people that share the love for the same field.
They actually helped me a lot with the writing process too. Somedays I would be stuck on a line not knowing what to add or remove. A little advice always helped me finish up many of my pieces. So yeah, friends have been a great support system for my writing journey.

dragonwritesthings: What's some of the best writing advice you've ever gotten?

Pink_Poet_: Okay. I don't know if this is a legit advice but I have a friend come up to me and tell me straight to 'take a break' from writing. And I think that actually helped me.
It was a phase all my poems were sounding same and didn't have any basic plot or theme to speak about. So I was advised to take some time off, do random things, read other works and come back.
That helped so so much that my writing actually showed a great improvement after that.
At first it seems a harsh advice but it surely helped.

dragonwritesthings: Do you have any writing advice you'd like to give to those reading this?

Pink_Poet_: I just want to say, keep writing whatever you feel, do not try to sugar coat your words to make it sound good for mainstream reader. Keep your work as raw as possible. That actually helps you connect with readers faster. And even when you are on the break from writing, carry a book or have note open on your device, keep adding ideas, themes you would like to work on. If you see/read some good prompt, note down. Go back to the lists once a day and I'm sure you'll get some great ideas for your work.

dragonwritesthings: I'm going to have to let you go, but it was great talking with you! Thanks so much for coming :)

Pink_Poet_: Thank you actually for giving me this opportunity to share my work and my ideas. It was really fun doing this.

Today's prompt: Reality
Remember to check out Pink_Poet_ and read their books. As well, feel free to share how you've interpreted the prompts in the comments. :)