As a professional blogger, I browse Internet a lot everyday. So, I read the writings of many writers. I admire Bhaswati Ghosh (an Indian freelance writer and blogger) mainly because of her writing skill. She makes writing look so easy. Don't believe me? Just visit her website, her food blog and writing blog and then you will have to agree with me. Bhaswati has a rich academic background and she has good experience in journalism too. She is now a full time freelance writer and I am sure that she will become a great writer in the coming days. She has seen some decent success in freelance writing so far. As a writer from South Asia, I personally know that there are a lot of limitations and challenges. So, I am very happy that Bhaswati is doing so well in the world of freelance writing. That is why I became interested to interview her.
Here is the interview:
SouthAsiaBiz: Tell us about your personal and professional background.
Bhaswati Ghosh: I am a homebred Bengali born in New Delhi, India. Thanks to a writer grandmother, I grew up amid a lot of books (we have several rusty iron trunks loaded with books and old Bengali magazines) and went to schools that taught the Bengali language. I took to writing in middle school, and by teenage I had settled upon the idea of becoming a journalist if I couldn't fulfill my dream of becoming an engineer.
I did study journalism at the undergraduate level and went on to pursue Master's degree in English literature. Most of my professional experience has been in the field of television journalism. My first job, which lasted six months (because that's how long the company lasted), saw me working on the editing board of a small television production house that made shows on literature and writers from Asia.
Following this, I worked as a news producer—writing and editing news stories, working with visual editors to put together the stories to be broadcasted, preparing the run-order of the news bulletins, and generally keeping up with fussy bosses and a crazy newsroom atmosphere.
After about a 6-7-year stint in TV news, I tested several different platforms that could hone my writing skills. These included editing essays for students applying for higher studies, working on the editorial board of a children's newspaper, and as an editor at two publishing houses. I finally decided to work as a freelance writer in the autumn of 2005.
SouthAsiaBiz: What are the problems you faced as a writer from South Asia when you tried to write in the American market?
Bhaswati Ghosh: I can't think of any problem as such. The only issues I faced were logistical in nature; many U.S. markets prefer to pay via PayPal. While I can send money through that channel, I can't receive money from it as yet.
Something I had to adapt to when writing for the American market was to learn American English. In India, we grow up learning British English, and since the American variant of the language is distinctly different, I had a few lessons waiting in the wings for me.
SouthAsiaBiz: Many writers and journalists from South Asia are eager to shine in the US market. How should they try for it?
Bhaswati Ghosh: I wish there were a formula for that, but there isn't one. I can only say that for me, the Internet was the wonder tool that made it possible to gain access to American markets and reach U.S-based readers. I joined an online writing community that helped me both in terms of knowledge and networking. Besides this, subscribing to newsletters and visiting writing-related websites that provide information on market trends as well ways to hone writing skills are crucial steps one can take.
SouthAsiaBiz: You have a website and two blogs. How do you feel about the differences between blog and website?
Bhaswati Ghosh: The major difference has got to be the flowing motion of the blog, vis-à-vis the static nature of the website. Unless you keep adding fresh content to your website, visitors wouldn't keep checking in. A blog on the other hand is such a dynamic entity, always growing, evolving, changing.
SouthAsiaBiz: For the readers, briefly describe about your two blogs.
Bhaswati Ghosh: My two blogs celebrate two of my life's joys—writing and food. At Home, Writing is the space where I record my ongoing writing journey. It talks about the writing process itself, books I read, writers who move me, and issues/events that shape and alter my writing sensibilities.
(Lima) Beans and Delhi Cha(a)t is a food blog I co-author with my Peruvian friend, Cesar Carlos. It's a chronicle of our adventures and tribulations in the kitchen. While both of us are novices in terms of cooking, the blog provides a wonderful peek into the cuisines of two cultures separated by a hemisphere.
SouthAsiaBiz: Your book is about the problems that foreigners face with the use of English language in America. Why did you get interested to write about it? Are you working on any other book right now?
Bhaswati Ghosh: Making Out in America, my debut book, is an account of my brush with everyday American lingo, which comprises a good deal of slang and colloquialisms. The idea for the book came about from my experiences in the chat room of the online writing board I mentioned earlier. When I had encountered more than a few embarrassing yet hilarious scenarios, two of my good American friends from the same board decided to teach me American lingo. What started as just a casual play, later transformed into a book.
I am in the pre-nascent stage of another non-fiction book at the moment. I won't be able to disclose anything other than that it draws from my personal experiences as well.
All I can say is, even though you received a formal education in English, American English as well as the other brands of english are different sub-languages that you still need to learn more of in order to get a hang of it.
Posted by: nepspeed82 | August 18, 2006 1:11 PM | Permalink to Comment