Ten Minutes with Sheba Ghosh
Sheba Ghosh is a mother, wife, an air traffic controller, an officer commissioned in the Indian Air Force on 29 Dec 11, author of “Womanhood- from bare-knuckled angst to bare bottom babies”, a screenplay writer and blogger. She loves to spend time with her family and write whenever she can.
What inspires you to write?
Feelings, happenings and simply being.
Who are some of your literary or artistic crushes or influences?
I love the works of Rabindranath Tagore, Munshi Premchand, Sarojini Naidu, Fitzgerald, Agatha Christie, Ayn Rand to name a few. I love potboilers, crime novels and also like beautiful epic dramas and love stories. It depends on my mood. Everything I read influences my thoughts which I then translate into my style.
What are you currently reading?
Speaking of Films by Satyajith Ray, an Indian film making Icon and the shooting script of Rang De Basanti, a film that started a movement.
What are you working on next/what was your last project?
I am working on my second screenplay, a psychological thriller.
Tag three of your favourite IG poets we should read:
@funkhauser @mkay.musings @arlene.gurung
What are some common themes you see in your own work?
Feminism, motherhood, self-care and self-love.
How do you beat writer's block?
Keep writing. Every day. Whatever it is.
Do you feel that sharing your poetry is a vulnerable process?
Not really. When I started, I did. I cared about what others might think. It does not affect me any more because this is my journey, you are welcome to witness it.
How many unfinished or unpublished books do you have?
I have an unpublished novel based on a trans woman.
What is the first book that made you cry?
Love story by Eric Segal.
Do family and "real life" friends read your work?
Yes, they are my first audience. My ma is my biggest critic.
How many finished books do you have?
Two.
What does "good poetry" mean to you?
One that makes me feel, care or question an existing thought, practise or status quo.
What is your writing process like?
Poetry flows. I edit it in the end to pretty it up. But fiction happens when I run. The stories develop in my head, characters speak to each other. For a long while I didn’t know who killed my protagonist, until it revealed itself to me while running.
How do you research for your poems?
I haven’t done that yet, didn’t know that I should, but hey, you just gave me a great new process. Thank you.