Author Highlight: J. Jacqueline Discusses her New Book ‘Butterfly for a Heart’ and Stories from her Life

We are back with another author interview. Today, with us, we have Jacqueline – the author of ‘Butterfly for a Heart’. Here, she talks about her journey as a writer from a young age and her latest collection of poetry.  She also offers some great insights and tips into writing poetry.

Jacqueline, what attracted to you poetry? As it's a trend among new young writers to write more about love and college stories?  What made you to choose something different?

Writing poetry is faster and requires very less words. I am not joking, it`s a fact, I cannot write anything longer than 1000 words. There is something about writing poetry that brings out a different Jacqueline; it is all words and the twist and turn of them that makes it all the more beautiful.

School and college life did not have an effect on me much and even while I am writing this I could not sense any emotions out of it.

Love and loss are the main factors that push an artist to express her feelings, be it through poetry, stories, painting, music or dance. So love plays a part of its own in some of the verses I had written, maybe hidden somewhere in the words. Some love gained and some love lost.

Do you read poetry? Is there any poet who influenced you heavily?

Yes, I do especially after I published this book. I read to understand them but mostly looking for inspiration.

At the moment I am reading A. K. Ramanujan`s ‘Journeys A Poet`s Diary’ and only a few pages are read in which I found that he was having the same feelings towards a place and life especially when he said “I wish to go somewhere. Mysore doesn`t interest me greatly, in spite of its atmosphere of affection. Still, the ‘somewhere’ makes me feel lonely. I never know what`s in my mind”

I think poets are the idiots who are always in search for something somewhere and I bet we don`t even know where that ‘somewhere’ is.

I do not have anyone in particular that I would say have influenced me in my work because I do not have any favourite at the moment but I am sure every poem I have read have influenced me in some way or the other.

Are you planning to write any non-poetry book, like novel, or short stories in near future?

Yes, I do. I have many unfinished works which I hope I will get the time to spend with in the coming months and hopefully I can come up with a novella or something.

Do you think you can lead the Modern Indian Poetry arena?

Well, I don`t know. Still a baby in this new world. Time will tell.

How do you think you’ve evolved as a poet over the years?

Taking that one step to publish this book has done me a great deal as a person as well as an aspiring writer. I have more focus on my aim and now I know what to read and how to read not only poetry but all genres in the literary world.

Being on the stage gives you a different experience than watching it from the audience seat so it was the same with me, after this book was published I learned that there were many things I could have done to make it better and now I am learning and writing at the same time to bring out better writings.

How does editing work in poetry? How do you do that?

Editing in poetry is difficult for someone who has not written it because some of the verses in my book were edited in a way I did not plan them and I felt the entire poem lost its meaning because of it. It was part my mistake but I did learn that no one should fiddle with it and if you do you need patience and understanding of the whole thing.

Usually after I write a poem I leave it alone for some days and sometimes even for weeks because looking at it with fresh eyes and mind-set gives me a better idea. It is after this that editing takes time and planning on the lines and words so that it fits my ideas and brings out the best of my vision. Other than that I play with words, punctuations and a dash.

Do you think that poetry has a purpose and meaning? How do you see it with reference to your own work?

It is through poetry that music comes and it is through poetry that we got Romeo and Juliet, and after these comes our love stories of different interpretations in many languages that capture the hearts of people like you and I.

Poetry has helped me see the world through the very different eyes that I would not have experienced if I did not love poetry so much. It is through poetry that we romance the stars and moon at night.

What’s the best experience you’ve gained through your poetry writing?

Playing with words and emotions are the best things that poetry has given me. Besides this learning that people feel the same way that I do about life and all that comes with it is wonderful. It`s an amazing feeling.

I feel happier when I hear comments like ‘I need to read it again to understand’. That is the whole point of a poem right?

Is it correct to say that you are a born poet?

I developed the interest as I was growing up and the encouragement I got from my father, who told me to try out writing since I am a very shy and quiet person, slowly turned to a beautiful hobby.

How do you feel being about a poet?

I still have to get used to being called a poet, maybe after another book I will be able to consider it. The support and response I got on my work from my family and friends has definitely helped me push myself harder into becoming someone in the literary world. I do hope that I can be that someone one day. Time will tell on this one too.

Would you like to share some of your writing tips with aspiring batch?

There is no good or bad writing at the beginning. Even if I do not have anything in particular to write about I write a line just to finish my quota for the day because you never know that line might bring out the best poem, best short story and maybe it may develop into a novel too.

My poems are all based on some vision that I would see while sitting idle at work or at home or even when sitting in the car, some are based on people`s conversation and some are just made up from that one line that I wrote on a dull day. When you are a writer or an aspiring one, something will always inspire you to put words on paper. Keep writing and God Bless.

Connect with J. Jacqueline:

Instagram: jacqueline_nengnong