Sonia Chauhan is a professional writer, editor, and author. She writes contextual, layered stories that explore inner lives and private worlds. Her stories have been published in literary journals and anthologies. Her debut novella, You Tell Me, was published in September 2021. Her second novella, ‘This Maze of Mirrors’, won the second prize in the prestigious Pen to Publish contest held by Amazon Kindle. Sonia is a corporate attorney and runs an independent law practice in Chandigarh.
Q. You’re a corporate lawyer. Tell us about your writing journey. How did it all begin?
A. I wrote my first piece – a short story about a blind girl treading through a field of tall grass – simply because I needed an emotional outlet. I’ve found that I’m a deep thinker and pouring out my flurries of contemplation into a story brings me great relief. In that sense, writing is quite like therapy for me. I’ve never stopped since.
My profession, on the other hand, brings joy to the problem-solver part of me.
Q. What kind of books do you like to read? What’s your favourite genre?
A. I mostly read literary fiction. I love character-driven plots that delve deeply into socio-political themes. We live in an ever-changing world where societal norms are being challenged every day. The stories I write are an exploration of the human condition and ask big questions about love, loss, and relationships.
Q. Would you like to give our readers some recommendations of literary fiction you’ve liked?
A. Absolutely. Sally Rooney’s Conversations With Friends, and Murakami’s Kafka On The Shore are good places to start. The Foreginer by Arun Joshi is my latest favourite.
Q. Does Writer’s block exist?
A. It does, and it doesn’t. I only speak for myself but I rarely face writer’s block. However, I’ve noticed that when we’re unable to write, it’s mostly because we’re navigating through a difficult emotion that stops us from putting pen to paper. Once we deal with that, the flow returns. That said, writer’s block has plagued the greatest of writers from Tolstoy to Virginia Woolf to J.K. Rowling.
Q. You regularly publish content on online writing portals like Quora and Medium. How’s that different from writing fiction?
A. Blogs are the future and if one wishes to be a professional writer, then an online presence is a must. I’ve been writing on Quora since 2013. I’ve been nominated as Top Writer twice. I feel that personal essays and non-fiction blogs are a good way to improve your writing skill in general. Fiction writing, on the other hand, is a clear-cut process. It has steps and stages – ideation, pre-writing process (research, character development, mood boards, chapterization, etc.), first draft, edits, proofing and so on. Blog writing offers the liberty of free writing.
Q. What is your debut book – You Tell Me – about? And what was your thought process behind this story?
A. You Tell Me is essentially an inquiry into the notion if the greatest of friends can be perfect lovers? A chance encounter brings my characters, Madhav and Nishaat, together, and they form an uncanny friendship that spans across years. But Madhav is chasing a long-distance girlfriend while Nishaat is battling her own demons.
My stories revolves around the negative spaces in a relationship. I want to unravel the intangible and see what’s inside. That’s my thought process in a nutshell and all of my stories are based on this core aspect.
Q. How was the road to publication for You Tell Me?
A. I feel like I’ve been manifesting the publishing part of writing. Everything unfolded on its own. You Tell Me was picked up by Kalamos Literary Services, a Delhi-based publishing house. Anuj (publisher) and I wanted to write something short but deep. The novella is only 60 pages but it will keep you thinking after you’ve put it down.
Q. Your second novella – This Maze of Mirrors – recently got the Amazon Pen to Publish Award. Tell us a bit about the story.
A. Maze of Mirrors is the story of an alcoholic father who reunites with his lost childhood as he searches for his missing daughter. Parenting and generational trauma are big themes in this book. I’ve tried to capture a father-daughter relationship and how family members can sometimes emotionally disappear even when they’re right before our eyes.
Q. What challenges do you face while writing?
A. A lot of times, I think I stand in my own way. Writing a story is in itself an emotional carousel. You flow with your character’s moods and destinies. To snap out of that mood and get back to reality is a challenge. Sometimes, I miss a story after I’ve completed it.
Q. What’s your writing process?
A. Ideation. Outline. Write. Rewrite. Edit. Re-edit. Proofing.
Ideas are like bird poop. They drop on your head when you least expect them, and almost always when you’re tending to something urgent. I carry a small diary with me for such moments. I jot down my ideas. When I sit down to write, I outline the idea into a clear plotline. Then, I sit down to write the different acts or whatever you wish to call them. After I’m done writing the story, I take a couple of days off. That’s vital for rewriting, that you approach it with a fresh mind. Once I’ve completed rewriting, I take another day off in between. Then, I edit and so on.
Q. What would you like to say to upcoming writers?
A. Reading a great story is like watching a mango hanging from a tree. What we see is the finished product. Someone planted the seed and waited five years for that sapling to grow into a mature tree to see that mango dangle merrily off a branch.
Approach your writing like you’re planting a mango tree. Patience is key.
Q. What are your future writing plans?
A. Right now, I’m ideating on a new project. I hope to see my name in print soon. Fingers crossed.
Sonia Chauhan
