Interviews
Interview with Vijay Medtia by Dr. C. Fowler, Lancaster University.
CAN YOU SAY YOUR NAME, WHERE YOU’RE BASED AND WHAT KIND OF WRITING YOU DO?
VM: Vijay Medtia. Manchester. Literary Novels and short stories.
WHAT STARTED YOU OFF WRITING IN THE FIRST PLACE?
VM: There are several reasons that seemed to collide at once- a growing creative impulse in my late twenties, why I don’t really know- but suddenly I started to feel very creative! I found fault with many films, both Hollywood and Indian films, and kept thinking I could have written the story better. This thought then also extended to books. Travel, my many trips to India and experiencing the huge contrasts between my life in England and over there seemed also to encourage me to write.
WOULD YOU CONSIDER THAT YOU HAVE ANY PARTICULAR LITERARY HERITAGE OR HERITAGES?
VM: None at the beginning, but as I started to read I found I was attracted to literary fiction; novels by the Great writers of the past, starting with the English writers followed by the Americans, Russians and French. I also enjoyed reading R.K Narayan, and V.S. Naipaul, giving me an Indian perspective and influence.
DOES YOUR WRITING HAVE ANY PARTICULAR SENSE OF PLACE, REAL OR IMAGINED?
VM: India. This is so at the present because I feel comfortable with Indian characters and places, I feel greater inspiration when writing about India. In the future this may change.
WHAT OBSERVATIONS DO YOU HAVE ABOUT THE WAY IN WHICH YOUR WRITING HAS BEEN READ, MARKETED, REVIEWED AND RECEIVED?
VM: My debut novel The House of Subadar has been well received, of course you always feel you can improve and could have done things differently in hindsight. Even so, it has been short-listed for The Glen Dimplex New Writers Award- Dublin 07, which has given me a great confidence boost in the way I see my writing. Although I didn’t win, one of the judges told me that he loved the book, and this was also very nice to hear. It made me think that I was close to winning the award.
I have received generous reviews on Amazon and in the Independent, plus magazines.
WHICH FACTORS DO YOU CONSIDER HAVE HELPED OR HINDERED YOUR WRITING’S ACCESS TO ITS READERSHIP, OR POTENTIAL READERSHIP?
VM: The price- debut novel was priced at £11.99. This was a decision taken by my publisher, and I thought it was high for an unknown author. Exposure on Amazon and the Internet have helped sales considerably, where the price was discounted. Perhaps I could have publicised the novel more also, but for now have concentrated on carrying on with my next novels, instead of doing a great number of events.
WHAT AGENCIES OR SUPPORT NETWORKS HAVE HELPED YOU DEVELOP YOUR WRITING CRAFT AND CULTIVATE A READERSHIP?
VM: Commonword in Manchester. The Identity Novelist group, to which I belong.
The greatest influences by far however remain the past masters of novel writing- Balzac, Tolstoy, Steinbeck, Hemingway, Narayan, V.S. Naipaul and some recent novelists too.
WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF WRITING FOR YOU? WHAT DO YOU HOPE WILL HAVE BEEN ITS MAIN IMPACT?
VM: Writing gives me enormous pleasure. It is my calling. Fame and fortune are there in the back of my mind too! But of late, I’m growing convinced that they will not fulfil me to the same extent as the actual process of writing and creating a piece of Art. It’s too early for me to think about the impact of my writing as I’ve only had one novel published.
WHERE IS YOUR WRITING GOING IN THE FUTURE? WHAT IS ITS RELATIONSHIP WITH OTHER WRITING OUT THERE NOW IN THE UK OR FURTHER AFIELD?
VM: At present I’m working on my next novel and developing some short stories; and I plan to make them as good as I can. I’m not thinking too far ahead. I have learnt a great deal from writing my first novel; namely how to edit, less is definitely more. Also how to develop character depth, story line, pace and plot; though I’m still learning the craft of writing.
I haven’t thought too much about the relationship of my writing to others. Perhaps this is something that I will be told by experts in the near future i.e. how they see my writing. And I hope that readers will look upon my writing favourably.