Rekha Valliappan is a multi-genre writer of short fiction and poetry. A former university lecturer who has taught at three colleges in two countries, she has won awards, been shortlisted and long-listed for her writing and published online and in print.
Do you favor the traditional route or self-publishing?
Marketing is a profession, best left to the marketing pundits and gurus. When it comes to publishing I am somewhat old-fashioned. I am a writer. What I do best is write. The two don’t mix, not if the writer does not have the tools, the latest in high tech, etc. to enter the industry. I definitely favor the older traditional route. That thankfulness of feeling, to know that someone out there, who is a complete stranger to you, doesn’t know you, chooses to read your work, out of hundreds, maybe even thousands, likes what you wrote, and then decides to publish it, is almost impossible to describe or replace. I’m always overjoyed and enormously grateful whenever I’m published. Every writer deserves the opportunity for external recognition that builds on their levels of competence and preparedness for when they must make those choices and take the plunge to self-publish or turn to time-tested formulas. At the end of the day no writer wants to be left wading in pools of unpublished manuscripts.
What do you think the publishing industry will look like twenty-five years from now?
I think kindle and e-books and audio podcasts will takeover what our eyes have done for centuries. I think the core duty of a writer as William Faulkner once said ‘to uplift one’s heart’ will still hold true. Storytelling is literature’s greatest duty and will still earn respect. But the golden era of ebooks and wattpads has arrived and is here to stay and with it the epidemic of crowdsourcing and the many sites that permit ‘books’ to be freely marketed and readily available to the reading public. Susan Sonntag presaged this intersection of technology, society and the arts wonderfully well in an essay years before. I think the classics in literature will still hold their place. But popular sub-genres of the speculative kind like scifi, clifi, thriller, crime and mystery, pulp and commercially produced novels will overtake those that win major internationally recognized book awards. I think a certain kind of readership will swell, if they have not already done so. It’s far easier today to get lost in an exciting thriller than what heavy literary reading can offer, unlike in the past.
Are you an outliner or discovery writer? Or somewhere in between?
Never an outliner. My thinking is too chaotic to stick to a plan. It may be because I haven’t started formulating a novel as yet. With a short story I tend to go where the story leads. I have a vague kind of notion of it turning into a horror or surreal story, based on plot and my MC and depending on theme, but that is all. There are times I’ve started a story in the middle and let it fan out.
How do you deal with rejections?
I am fairly grounded in the reality of knowing there are journals and journals, just as there are submitters and submitters. Editors have their work cut out. That being said, and somewhat experienced in knowing how it works, particularly if one is competing among the best writers, where challenge is bound to be intense, for the best publications, where acceptance rates are at less than 3%, some even at 1%, I am prepared. Besides, some editors write the nicest of rejections slips, which itself is worth receiving. There is also a valuable lesson to take away even with rejections. They give one the opportunity to revisit and polish and re-polish the story. In that sense one is writing and re-writing, always writing. The more one writes the more one hones one’s craft.
Do you ever get criticism from family or friends who don’t understand your passion?
I am fortunate to have had parents very early on, my teachers, my husband, my children today, and in the process the rest of my family, a small group of friends, and all those who now know the ‘writerly’ side of me, including those from many social platform writers’ groups, who have encouraged my writing, which has helped maximize my passion. Of course there are the odd few who do not understand why I would pursue writing when it does not pay. This is every writer’s dilemma to grapple with. While I think it can be done, I also see how much the human capacity for incomprehension does not extend to basic economics where the buying and selling of books is concerned. Writing is not for the faint of heart.
Were you taught anything about creative writing in high school or college that just didn’t work for you?
No. I studied in a catholic all-girls school which encouraged reading and English composition. I read at the rate of a book a day, practically devouring the entire school library, through my middle and senior years. In my college days I participated in essay and story writing competitions, some of which I won. I was encouraged by teachers to stretch the limits of my imagination and I believe I did not falter.
In your opinion, how important is a writing degree or MFA when it comes to achieving success in writing fiction?
Very important. I have lectured at three colleges in two countries, teaching English Literature. My Masters Degree put me through a study of Middle English, American, European and Indian literature. A handful of second languages, French, German, several Indian languages, helped. I believe the value in a good MFA program and/or writing degree is indisputable. Alternatively, a close substitute, by way of a good college degree in English Literature to counter-balance, would certainly help, since today’s multitudes of writers are from all walks of life.
What are your writing goals for the next twelve months?
To continue writing short fiction, flash fiction, poetry, creative nonfiction and hybrid as I am doing now. Some of my short stories have already found their way into print short story collections available on Amazon and MagCloud. In about a year and a half since I took up writing again full time, I have won a Short Story Award, was Best of Fiction, shortlisted in a prize-winners anthology, long-listed, and published online multiple times in a variety of sub-genres from literary to surrealism, scifi to clifi, horror to historical fiction, fantasy to mystery & suspense, satire to irony & humor, magical realism to whimsical, dystopian to irreal, contemporary to romantic.
What book(s) are you reading right now?
Re-reading would be more to the point. Short stories by H.P. Lovecraft, M.R. James, Edith Wharton, Donald Barthelme, others.
Is there anything you’d like to plug? Feel free to share a link.
My author website : https://silicasun.wordpress.com
Twitter : @silicasun
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/rekhavalliappan
Pinterest : https://www.pinterest.com/rekhavalliappan
