"My parents' relationship with Kolkata is so strong. Growing up, the absence of Kolkata was always pr..." — Jhumpa Lahiri

I feel my writing comes from a desire to... well, it's motivated by many things, but it's inherently a contradiction in that I'm writing for myself, and it's a very interior journey. On the other hand, I feel that writers do make that interior journey out of a desire to connect.

I try to represent specific experiences of specific characters, and that's all I want to try to do. I don't ever try to think about representing a culture, because its impossible, and someone will fault you. And it just doesn't interest me.

I think it's the small things, the smaller episodes and details that I linger on and try to draw meaning from, just personally.

I would not send a first story anywhere. I would give myself time to write a number of stories.