The Blue Butterfly – An Interview

He is a blogger extraordinaire, writes stories with twists that leave you spellbound and pens poetry weaving an imagery that is truly beautiful. He is a published author – he has been part of two anthologies. His review of Ruskin Bond’s Book of Verse was picked up by Narrow Road in their latest edition. He is a great person to be with, though I have spent only a couple of hours with him. He is a good friend, very down-to-earth and is also a passionate Manchester United fan.

Many of you know him. Presenting Vinay Leo as part of the prompt to feature a guest on the Write Tribe Festival of Words. Vinay was gracious to accede to an interview. Here is what he had to say:

Can you tell us about the first ever story/poem you wrote?

My first poem was borne of boredom. A free period in class, and I was doodling. A butterfly came into the classroom, and settled down near my desk. I wrote a verse about that blue butterfly, and my co-ordinator, who came in just then, took the sheet from my hand. She read it, she loved it, and she encouraged me to write more poems for inter-school contests. Thus began a love for verse.

Your blog is titled ‘I Rhyme Without Reason’- where did you get the inspiration for this title?

I don’t remember, to be honest. I would rhyme often back in those days. I was part of a group blog of writers. We had poetry contests, and we’d post random verses we wrote. At times, we would even reply to each other’s poems with a poem. I didn’t need a reason to write or to rhyme. So I concocted the title. Since then, I have tried changing the title, but somehow, this has stuck.

Do people and things around you inspire the characters/events in your stories/poems?

Of course they do. Life can be a muse. Things around me, or events that happen in my life, observing people and relationships… these inadvertently lend a touch to my stories or poems. Nuances make a difference. The stories may not be theirs directly though.

What is more difficult – writing a story or a poem, and why?

Both are equally difficult. A verse should be simple enough to charm the reader and yet, it could have some depth in that simplicity too. A fiction should be engaging, be it 55 words, or 5555 words. I don’t think there’s anything such as a perfect story, but it’s good to try and find “near perfection”.

You have been blogging for 11 years now – which year has been the best and why?

Ah. I don’t know. Each have had their moments, each have had their lows. How can they be compared? Thankfully, with each post, or with each year, my writing seems to improve. I’ve felt so, and some of my friends and readers have felt so too. I think, in the end, that’s what matters.

Here’s wishing Vinay all the very best not just for his future writing endeavors but also generally. It has been a pleasure to feature you on my blog. Thank you, Vinay!

I am taking part in The Write Tribe Festival of Words #6. The theme for Day 6 is ‘Feature a guest – a guest post / an interview’