Lakshmi Sunder
ORP: Does writing or creating energize or exhaust you? What aspects of your artistic process would you consider the most challenging or rewarding?
Lakshmi Sunder: Writing both energizes and exhausts me. It reminds me of going for a run. You get into a meditative state and feel almost out of time with the world, and when it's done you feel a beautiful kind of effort and exertion. Sometimes poring over your words can be painstaking - I would say revision if often more exhausting for me than drafting - but the result of it is super fueling.
ORP: What would you say is your most interesting writing and/or artistic quirk? Do you have any habits that you believe help or hinder your creativity?
LS: When I am writing a longer piece, I will sometimes insert it into a document with two pages side by side so I can imagine it as a book/novel format. It makes me feel inspired to keep on working at something even when the end vision feels far away.
ORP: What books have you read many times?
LS: Normal People by Sally Rooney, The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller, and The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan
ORP: What is the most valuable piece of advice you’ve been given about writing or creating? What advice would you give to another writer or artist?
LS: Sometimes the best way to elicit universal feelings in a reader is by writing with specificity in mind. People often find alignment and shared experience in small moments.
In terms of advice for another writer, I would say it's okay to have fun with your writing process and not feel like it has to be a tortured artist kind of thing. Writing should be exciting and you should get to feel the thrill of discovering your story as it's written.