Interview
Paperian Shubhangi Jain comes back to writing after 13 years
Shubhangi Jain, a student of Political Science, drinks coffee and knows things. She has politics for breakfast, baking for lunch, and writing for dinner. She says that the fusion of these three keeps her sane even during the pandemic days. And we couldn’t be more glad that The Folded Paper plays a small part in the sanity concoction of hers.
When Shibani and I started this writing community, she was one of the very first people to believe in our idea and join us. We swell with pride whenever we see her transformation and growth; she has ventured into new territories and has also started one Wordpress blog, Medium blog, and an Instagram page to showcase her writing, opinions, and photography skills. Hear from herself her transformation story.
The Folded Paper: Shubhangi, how has been your writing journey?
Shubhangi Jain: My writing journey began at the age of 7 when I started writing poems for my school magazine. However, it came to a halt a few years later when self doubt started creeping in and I completely lost touch with it. It was only 13 years later that I joined The Folded Paper to restart. From being uncomfortable with reading and writing fiction to accepting and adapting to it, from the fear of even expressing myself in words to now writing blogs — my journey has been a rollercoaster ride. Whenever the ‘wh’ questions of life hit me, I resort to this community to untangle, streamline, and express my thoughts.
TFP: How do you approach writing?
SJ: For a very long time, I believed writing was about great vocabulary and technical details. Maybe that is why I used to dread it so much. Now I have learned that everybody has a different writing style and it is important to get comfortable with it. We should focus more on enjoying the process and communicating our thoughts to the reader. Vocabulary can be acquired with time.
Now I say ‘yes’ to my first thoughts in whatever I write instead of worrying about the extraneous things or the length of the writeup, even 20 words is fine. This not only eases out the process but also helps me develop the later drafts with calm. Revisiting my drafts has also helped me in coming up with more writing ideas.
TFP: That is great! We are sure you know, at The Folded Paper, our motto is ‘Let’s write a little more than before’ and we are driven by the vision that ‘anybody can write’. Did we have any influence there😁?
SJ: Of course! Had it not been for this community, I would not have even rediscovered my love for writing. The space within the community is liberating and encouraging. The experience is one of a kind. It felt like home to write without facing any judgements from the fellow Paperians. I learned to let go of my inhibitions. The inhibitions have now converted into an urge to write down my first thoughts. When someone reads and appreciates what I write in the community’s WhatsApp group, it is serene. I also feel more optimistic about giving feedback to others.
I love clicking pictures of clouds and interpreting them. I would say, these interpretations is TFP’s gift to me, acquired from the meetings that don’t put limits on creativity. I have become more observant and I see a story in everything I see and feel now.
I can confidently say that TFP has filled a very important space in my life, and opened a new territory for me to explore and carve out my niche.
TFP: TFP recently celebrated its 25th meeting. How did it feel as one of its earliest members?
SJ: As one of the earliest members, I have not only witnessed myself evolve as a writer, but have also seen the growth of the community. Harini and Shibani have done wonders to build this community. I strongly believe in the idea of expressing oneself and it takes a community filled with love and warmth to make that easier for anyone. And, I hope more and more people experience it.
TFP: Please share some of the few things you have written.
SJ: The Toxicity of Social Media — I wrote this recently, hence my favorite. We become better with every writeup, don’t we? This is not strictly creative or a fiction writing. But this reflects the ease with which I could untangle my thoughts.
Want to write with such passionate writers in a curious and creative writing community? Join The Folded Paper today, a positive community for anyone interested in writing.
Till we meet the next time, happy writing!
