WriteFluence

Nilanjana Banerjee is a collegian, pursuing Honours in English. Keats, coffee and cheese are necessities to her. She pours her feelings in writing, most of which are impromptu. Her experimentation with words began when she was fourteen. She had been trapped in a writer’s block for four years until one day when a door of inspiration was opened to her by an unknown Muse, waking a side of her creativity that was asleep for eons. Banerjee is fascinated by thrillers. However, she tastes various flavors of literature and enjoys them. Some of her favorite authors are Charles Dickens, Agatha Christie, P.G. Wodehouse and Stephen King. She is usually engaged in composing poetry.

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The contest of PenFluenza organized by WriteFluence gave her an opportunity to explore the author in her. Her inclination towards thriller shaped her story and incorporated the unique theme of “fragrance” into it from an unexpected angle. Banerjee finds solace in the fact that her words can finally speak instead of remaining confined within the bounds of her mind.

We asked Nilanjana a few questions to get to know her better. Here’s what she had to say:

I have been writing since… 

I was fourteen.

My favorite author(s) and book(s)? 

Katherine Mansfield (Bliss) Agatha Christie (‘The Murder of Roger Ackroyd’), P. G. Wodehouse (‘Joy in the Morning’), O. Henry (The Cop and the Anthem), Roald Dahl (Lamb to the Slaughter), Stephen King (11/22/63) and Sydney Sheldon (Tell Me Your Dreams).

My journey as a writer: 

As a teen, I used to compose short verses of poetry. However, I had been trapped in writer’s block for four years until one day, when a door of inspiration was opened to me by an unknown Muse, waking a side of my creativity that was asleep for eons. Now, I have devoted an Instagram page to writing.

My favorite genre to read / write :

Thriller and twist in the tale

What advice would you give young and aspiring writers? 

It’s a difficult journey, I’ve just begun. I’m like many of you out there. I had given up, but somehow I managed to pull myself together. Baby steps is the key. One day we might collaborate! Writing prose? Observe the world. Into poetry? See the world and beyond.

Here’s an excerpt from Nilanjana’s winning story The Scent of a Killer that’s now published in Wafting Earthy:

I never write. Last time I composed something were catchphrases for a contest, two years back. My sister, to this day, claims that the judge had fainted not because her sugar level fell, but my atrocious rhymes. But miracles do happen, so, here I am with an ancient notebook, recording something beyond the mundane. I’m providing a detailed account on the recent happenings in this small quaint town that made their way to several newspapers.

I’m Avery Turner, twenty-four. I run a bakery with my big sister, Annisa. It pays fairly fair to earn us our daily bread. Dear Annisa was kind enough to spare me a decent room in her house where my part-time job is tutoring her kids, Ellen of twelve and Harry of eleven. My simple life revolved around the bakery and home until that day when things started getting complicated, with my town being guarded by the police because a serial killer was on the loose. Now that I look back and connect the dots, everything falls into place.