Spillwords Press Author of the Month Q&A Interview!
My heart is full; I am ecstatic! By the will and empowerment of the community you all form, I am voted Author of the Month at Spillwords Press!
Thank you for your support, encouragement, and every kind word. Thank you too for sharing the ways my writing touches your lives; in the knowledge words heal and liberate I continue to write.
August is also my birth month and one I feel especially honored to be Author of the Month during. In my second interview with Spillwords Press, I share a little more about what it means to be Author the Month. The following shares an excerpt of the interview.
What does it mean to be selected as Author of The Month?
To be nominated Author of The Month fills me with the knowledge that people love to read the stories I write and the experiences I share. Words are nothing without people to read them and I love knowing that my words are now starting not only to open conversation between me and readers but also between the readers themselves. To be nominated Author of the Month is an honor and a privilege that I am proud to have earned. I may not write for recognition, but I cherish it all the same!
How have your friends and/or family influenced your writing?
My family has always been incredibly supportive of my writing! Their encouragement is one of the reasons I still write so passionately today. My mother used to read my earlier novels out loud to my siblings, despite my lack of paragraphs and general use of punctuation. My father continues to share his original ideas with me too and, while not every idea finds a home, he challenges me to go beyond just being creative and start getting crazy.
Most of the friends I make online are writers themselves and their diverse styles, voices, and stories continuously inspire and influence me to write beyond one thing and open myself to the possibilities that everything I encounter is a story waiting to be told.
What inspires you to write?
I love being inspired by a story, painting, book, or experience. Usually, it is just the feeling of the moment and any random images or memories that immediately came to my mind that make it into my writing, but I also love making a small object or tiny life slice into a poem. Sometimes, out of a whole story or picture, only one word or small detail stands out and becomes the focus of my writing.
I am also inspired by a challenge, so I love creative writing prompts and photo challenges. Nothing quite gets my pen scrawling like needing to go beyond the accepted and ordinary in a picture or phrase to what no one else has written before.
What was your writing catalyst?
I have been writing since I was nine years old. Currently I am facing the interesting problem of running out of space for the notebooks and pretty journals I use to keep ten years’ worth of my diaries and creative writing.
I started with Tolkien fan fiction but have written dozens of fantasy novels. In my early teens I ambitiously queried them; now I am wise enough to know the books need work before they stand a chance on their own spines.
In 2017 I began to share my Tolkien fan fiction and chapters from a series of fantasy novels I still feel strongly about online. I began to feel the pressure of writing for my readers instead of for myself. People told me I must put my readers first; I must write what they want to read. This did not agree with me. I write first for myself and, in doing so, attract the people who need to read what I write, not what I am writing for them.
In staying true to my vision of my stories and the way I write, I started to see I stood apart from the thousands of other writers populating the writing sites I was using. Realizing that I can write well in writing something different while staying true to myself is my writing catalyst . . .
In the remaining three quarters of the interview, I share a little bit more about my writing process, explore what I see my legacy as a writer to be, and define how imagery informs my writing. Please continue reading here and share your beautiful thoughts!
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Photo by Kelsey Curtis
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Cindy Georgakas
Congratulations Jaya and so much deserved! This is so awesome. Congratulations!💖👏👏👏
eob2
I’m so happy for you, Jaya. Congratulations and may this progression of recognition continue. Wishing you always the best. 😊💙🙏🏼
Jaya Avendel
Thank you so much! <3
eob2
You’re most welcome. 😊
the hot goddess
Congratulations! Happy to have found you here.
Sara James
It’s great that your mum and dad were supporting you from early on. Your passion for writing is immense, and your creative abilities are insightful yet unique.
Congrats, Jaya, and Happy birthday as it is still your birthday month:)
Jaya Avendel
Thank you so much, Sara!
Artist/Poet_JayMoraShihadeh
Oh that’s great news my friend! Congratulations, well deserved.
A Sustainably Simple Life
Congrats on your nomination! It’s so well deserved 😀 I find that writing catalyst question a really interesting one and really agree with not writing solely for the readers. I’ve been given that advice before too, and it never resonated with me.
Donna Vitalie
Wonderfully spent year! You’ve really advanced on your goals. Your list of publications sounds interesting, and I’m looking forward to reading your future post about it. I don’t know that the list itself will match the needs of other readers, but I’m very interested in your process for compiling it. 🙂
Have a great 2022!
Jaya Avendel
Hi Donna,
Thank you for sharing your thoughts! The list definitely was interesting to compile, but I am hopeful it will be easy to reference and comprehend. Happy new year!
Mahesh
Congratulations. Even i’ve got some of my articles in spillwords.
barbaraleaver
Congratulations – well justified with the wonderful catalogue of poems!
Jaya Avendel
Thank you kindly! 🙂
Raji (@journeyintofantasy)
Congratulations Jaya! Great interview, really enjoyed reading it!
Jeff Flesch
Awesome interview. Congratulations, Jaya. So well-deserved! 💙
Bethany dean
Wow that’s amazing, very well deserved Jaya! x
Lovely Daughter🌸🍀 (@thelovelyrhythm)
Congrats on the nomination and Happy Birthday as well! New to your blog but I believe you are someone incredibly talented and passionate about writing. All the best!
Jaya Avendel
Aww, thank you so much for your kind words! Love that you enjoyed reading this interview.
ReadAndReviewIt
Congrats on being nominated, that’s amazing! I love how you said you write for yourself, that’s always so important. I love using writing prompts too, they’re so much fun! Thanks for sharing a great interview x
Jaya Avendel
Thank you! Love that you enjoy prompts too.
Elle
Oh my days this is absolutely amazing, huge congratulations lovely. You have such a beautiful way with words, it’s well deserved. I love reading your stuff, you write with such passion. Really happy for you! Xo
Elle – ellegracedeveson.com
Jaya Avendel
Thank you, Elle, for your lovely read!
Ingrid
Congratulations Jaya: I knew you would be awarded this richly-deserved accolade! ⭐️
Jaya Avendel
Thank you, Ingrid! Love your word choice: accolade. <3
Lauren
Congratulations on your nomination. So wonderful to read a lovely interview. Learning more about you and your writing is so interesting to read.
Thank you for sharing your interview Jaya!
Lauren – bournemouthgirl
Ruth| Ruthiee loves Glamour
Oh I’m so glad you are back Jaya! For a while, I checked your blog and I saw that it was under reconstruction. Your new theme looks beautiful and I guess you are now self hosted which is fab. I’m happy for you! Congratulations!
Secondly, congratulations on being nominated! This was a fantastic interview. You are an amazing and talented writer, your poems are amazing and your personality shines through all your poems. I loved reading the interview.
I love that you write for yourself. I do the same and it’s amazing! I feel like when you write for yourself, those who need what you write will love it. In my opinion, you deserve all of this and more. I was born in August too. I celebrated my birthday three days ago and I’m glad we are birthday mates lol Keep it up Jaya! Love ya.
Jaya Avendel
Yes, I had it under reconstruction for several days as the learning curve on the new self-hosting thing was new to me. I am pretty happy with my new theme so thank you for noticing and sharing your thoughts!
Happy belated birthday! I cannot thank you enough for your amazing words; I love your thoughts on why writing for yourself is so important and wholesome! May the words flow, Ruth. <3
Michele Lee
You rock, Jaya! I enjoyed reading your interview and learning more about you. You inspire! ✍🏼 ✨
Basic With Life
Wow this is amazing and well deserved. Congratulations. 👑
Kelly Diane
Congratulations this is amazing news. I’m so happy for you. I really enjoyed reading this interview too.
thetravelvine
Congratulations on your nomination 🙂 you must be really proud of yourself! Good on you for writing what you want. It’s good to have influence from your readers, and if they suggest something which inspires you and that you actually want to write about, then that’s great! But glad to hear you’re writing about things that you want to write about.
Jaya Avendel
Thank you! When my interests cross with reader’s interest, then I am truly happy. 🙂
Lucy
I am happy and proud of you, Jaya! You’re an amazing and talented writer, and I look forward to your poetry and stories. <3 Congratulations on the nomination and interview, I really loved reading your thoughts on what pushed you to write and how family inspires you. I also agreed with this:
"People told me I must put my readers first; I must write what they want to read. This did not agree with me. I write first for myself and, in doing so, attract the people who need to read what I write, not what I am writing for them."
I think writing, above all, is what it means to the author and THEN what the reader takes from it. We must enjoy what we are doing and write for ourselves first before anyone else. People have even been inspired by reading novels and then writing a series based on what they would have loved to see from it (or other series) in their favorite genres and familiar character dynamics.
Anyway, this is fantastic news. May the words flow. 😉
Jaya Avendel
Aww, Lucy, your fantastic words warm my heart! Thank you so much for sharing how this piece connected with you and how you hold it important.
Corinne
Well done on being nominated for this! I hope you have a lovely birthday.
Corinne x
Andrew McDowell
Congratulations! Good on you for writing what you want. August is my birth month too.
Jaya Avendel
Early/belated happy birthday, Andrew!
Andrew McDowell
Thanks. Same to you!
Ami
Wow! Congratulations on being nominated, your writing style in the interview alone oozes passion, so I’m not surprised you’ve been nominated! I agree that you shouldn’t write for your readers, you write for YOU. Its your passion, your love, and your talent! Keep being you! 💚
Jaya Avendel
Thanks so much, Ami, for your passionate read!