.Writers.on.Writing.
Get to know our authors, the foundation and heart of Yellow Arrow Journal, and what writing means to them through our monthly series.
W.o.W. #64
Gargi Mehra
How did you first publish your writing and what was it?
The first piece of writing that I had published was a nonfiction humor piece in a major Indian women’s magazine called Femina. I queried the editor and got an instant response asking for the article. It was published in the next issue itself, and I am very proud of it.
What is your writing Kryptonite? Your most interesting writing quirk?
I think words such as ‘just,’ ‘only,’ and ‘somewhat’ are my writing Kryptonite as they indicate a lack of confidence. My most interesting writing quirk, based on feedback I have received, is probably my tendency to inject humor into even the most poignant of pieces.
If you could have dinner with anyone, who would it be and why?
Jane Austen, just to ask her what she thinks of the fact that her books are beloved so intensely even after two hundred years and could she ever have predicted it.
What does your inner writing voice tell you?
It sometimes tells me I’m awful at writing and I should give it up but when I don’t it tells me I’m brilliant and I should persist so I do.
Gargi Mehra works as a project manager in the IT arm of an international bank. Her work has appeared in numerous literary magazines online and in print, including The Writer, Litro, On the Premises, and others. She lives in Pune, India, with her husband and two children.
Yellow Arrow published Gargi’s piece “Striking the Right Notes” in RENASCENCE (Vol. VI, No. 1, spring 2021). She blogs at gargimehra.com and recently switched her focus from novels and longer stories to flash fiction and poetry. You can also find Gargi on Instagram @gargi_mehra, Facebook @gargi.mehra.7, and Twitter @gargimehra.