Up Close With: Parul Bavishi
Meet the wonderful writers and patrons behind LWS.
This week marks our 100th LWS member profile (!!), so we thought it was about time to bring you our fearless founders — yes, we’re profiling none other than Ma & Pa themselves. Here, we meet the woman with the soothing tones and luxurious hair. The editor extraordinaire. She’s the epitome of cool, calm and collected: Ms Parul Bavishi.
Parul Bavishi
- Also known as Pa or P.
- Based in London
- One-half of London Writers Salon’s fearless founding duo!
What do you write, in general?
I write poetry now and then, and after years of being an editor, I’ve broken through to the other side; I’m working on a short story collection and having a lot of fun with it. I also journal regularly.
What are you working on right now?
I’m writing a story set in 1970s New Zealand, imagining what it would have been like for immigrants like my father, who made a journey to a faraway land, far removed from the life he had known. It’s about unrequited love and belonging. I always seem to be drawn to those subjects.
Where and when do you write?
Sometimes I write wherever I am, whether it’s walking outside or on the tube or wherever I happen to be. I’m always writing notes to myself.
If I sit down more formally, it’s at Writers’ Hour, sometimes at the LWS cabin. I get more done in the morning or early afternoon sessions. My favourite place to write is at the 8am Writers’ Hour sessions when I’m still half asleep, and I have Einaudi trickling through my headphones. I like to gaze out of my window, stare at the treetops and the sky (and peek at neighbours walking by).
How do you write?
I’m a huge fan of Ryan Holiday, so I decided to take inspiration from his journaling practice. So, I have three journals: a five-year diary where I summarise the day; The Daily Stoic Journal, which necessitates a daily stoic reading and writing to a daily stoic prompt. And finally, I have my morning pages practice — which Matt introduced me to. I love my journal and writing by hand.
The short stories are written on my computer, using Scrivener.
Why do you write?
The act of creating is one of the most beautiful things that we can do. I write because it’s a natural form of expression. I write to think, to be heard and to understand myself better. And as David Whyte said to us: “We write because we want to be deeper friends with the world”.
What inspires your creativity?
I live by the river, and I love water; I love watching the boats and the birds passing by. I grew up by the sea in Wellington, and something inside me relaxes whenever I see water.
I can’t write without Einaudi, so music is an essential part of writing for me. I also find incredible inspiration in stories I hear from the writers I meet at Writers Hour, at the Salon and on the page.
It sounds a little cliched, but I’m inspired by the daily routine of life, the mystery of love and human connection, and the larger questions we all grapple with about why we exist and where we are heading.
What’s your favourite book?
Right this moment? The Fearless Writer by Beth Kempton. And The Daily Stoic by Ryan Holiday.
What’s the best advice you’ve received about creativity?
I remember Julia Cameron telling us that while we know how to ‘work’ at our writing, we have forgotten how to play. I think this is true for so many of us, and I want to bring more play into my creativity this year.
What’s the one thing you would tell other/aspiring writers?
The obstacle is the way.
How can we discover more about you and your work?
I have no writing to share yet, but in the meantime, you can find me on Instagram: @paruledits or Twitter: @paruledits. You can tune into our Salon interviews with wonderful writers on the LWS podcast.
