Interview questions by Ute and Barbara
What is your name/pen name/ name you are comfortable giving us?
My name is Siddhi (pronounced Sid-thee). On the internet, I go by siddhiwritesbooks or Catastrophist.
What project or projects, if any, are you currently working on?
I am currently working on a political fantasy novel with the temporary title Trial of Power.
What project or projects, if any, are on your back burner?
I have two projects on the back burner. One is an engineering-themed murder mystery and the other is a short story about cyborg angels in a dystopian world.
Why do you write?
I write because if I didn’t, all the ideas in my head would slowly drive me insane. I tried to not write, it was awful.
How long have you been writing? How much of that time seriously? (You define what seriously means.)
I have been writing stories since I learned how to spell. Through elementary and middle school I wrote three fantasy novels and submitted several stories to writing competitions. I gave up writing in high school because I got a very malicious critique from someone I trusted and decided I was not good enough. I started writing again seriously in my last two years of college when I realized I needed to have a life outside of STEM when I started working. I remembered how much I loved and missed writing, so I gravitated back to it naturally.
Do you have any published works?
No! I do not. I do have my blog and tons of technical writing published internally at my job that is hidden behind an NDA.
What is the best part of writing for you?
I like the experimental aspect of writing. I enjoy thinking of weird ideas and seeing if they work out, even if it is a little bit scary to put a bunch of work behind something only for it to flop. I like exploring my ideas and learning from others how to execute them and improve.
What is the hardest part of writing to you?
The hardest part of writing for me is trying not to over plan. I always end up planning too much, and I feel like it prevents me from using ideas that come up organically that might be better than what I intended. Another hard part of writing is wondering, “Why am I doing this? No one will ever read this.” I quiet this thought by reminding myself that I write because it’s fun and I love it, and I don’t need any more reason than that.
How do you overcome writer’s block?
The only thing that has ever worked for me to overcome writer’s block is to write through it. Every time I feel bogged down, I’ll either set a timer or turn on a TV show and just keep going until I feel better about it. I think this works because, usually, writer’s block happens when you are judging your idea before it hits the page. Forcing myself to get the words out without thinking about that is usually the answer for me. Since I’ve started doing this, I haven’t had much writer’s block.
Have you ever seen the sun set over the ocean? (We’re Pen & Pier, we have to include the Pier somewhere.)
I have! The first time I remember was at Mackerricher State Park with my cousins during a camping trip.
How did you find Pen & Pier?
I found Pen & Pier through the internet during NaNoWriMo 2022. I kept talking to my boyfriend about my book idea, but he is a math guy and doesn’t really read fiction. He suggested I find a group to give me better feedback and I found Pen & Pier when I started looking. I was terrified of meeting people online in real life, but am very glad I took the step to join in person while I could. I am not in SLO anymore but I still love to keep up with this awesome group of people and confuse them in the Discord with fleeting Gen Z slang!
What is your favorite genre to write? What is your favorite genre to read?
My favorite genre to write is fantasy! I like making stuff up and not being restricted to the rules of our world. My favorite genre to read is actually romance, though, because I eat up interpersonal conflict (that is not mine of course). It’s like reading a reality TV show.
If you could collaborate with any writer, who would that be?
If I could collaborate with any writer or would be Jim Butcher. He has such interesting ways of grounding far out ideas and I would love to write a story with him. Another writer, in a different sense, I would like to collaborate with is the composer and songwriter Andy Gillion. His music has inspired several scenes in my books and he tells stories without words in his instrumental compositions. I really love that!
Would you like to live in your own stories? Why, or why not?
I don’t think I would like to live in my stories because usually my characters are going through a lot of stress. I do not think I could handle the situations I put them in myself.
Do you have a favorite joke? (You can tell us, but you don’t have to.)
My favorite joke is simply referring to a burger as a “bunger” and confusing people. Someone at a work lunch once got quite mad at me for this, but it was worth it because it was very funny.
What book(s) or stories would you want everyone to read? The one(s) that keep you going all night, if someone asks about them.
My favorite book of all time is The Bear and the Nightingale. It is such an interesting exploration of self acceptance, patriarchy, duty, family, religion, all in a fantasy setting. I will never read it again, because the first time reading it was such an emotional and transformative experience, but I think everyone should read it. Another book I love is the Tombs of Atuan. The world building, descriptions, and terrifying aspects of this book are something I aspire for in my own writing. My friend described it as “creating a world that feels vast and ancient in a short period of time”.
What are you looking forward to the most for your writing within the next year?
I am looking forward to having more people read my work. I’ve been keeping things pretty private because the story was nowhere near where I wanted it to be yet. Now I feel more ready to share!
Follow Siddhi on Instagram: @siddhiwritesbooks.
Website: siddhiwritesbooks.com
Sign up for her newsletter to get all the new episodes of Running With Wolves exclusively.