Writer’sBlock
Ashish Kate dropped out of college to pursue a career in art and music journalism. Now a visual artist, he works with shoe polish as a medium to paint. He published his first book, Effortless as Clouds, in 2009. His latest book is Euphoria: The Story of Palash Sen.
QDescribe your favourite writing space?
I usually write at an old PC. Reminds me of the Nineties. I hate laptops. And I can’t write with my hands. So I have a corner in my room where the big machine sits. Still got Winamp player.QDo you have a writing schedule?
I usually write when it gets dark. Any time between 1 am and 6 am. I can’t write with any kind of natural light. I’m very nocturnal, can give an owl a run for his money.QEver struggled with writer’s block?
No. There’s no staring at a blank page when I write. I spent years practising. Got a million words out of my system before I started writing professionally.QWhat inspires you to write? Do you have a secret trick, or a book/author that helps?
Writing is basically storytelling. You have to want to tell stories. The rest is downhill. But I turn to music for inspiration. I play the piano. So it feels like you’re writing at the piano.QCoffee/tea/cigarettes – numbers please – while you are writing?
Three to four cups of black coffee in the day, and four to five cups of tea at night. I sleep very little.QWhich books are you reading at present?
Just finished U and I by Nicholson Baker.QWho are your favourite authors?
Leonard Cohen, Charles Bukowski, Mary Ann Caws, J.R.R. Tolkein.QWhich book/author should be banned on grounds of bad taste?
Mein Kampf by Adolf Hitler.QWhich is the most under-rated book?
A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess.QWhich are your favourite children’s books?
The Elves and the Shoemaker. I still read it.