WOTM: An Interview with @amangledfoxtrot

30 JUNE 2021

The Writer of the Month Project is a revised segment of The Plain Poets that looks into what makes a writer, be it their craft or ideas. At the end of every month, we will be conducting an interview with a selected writer, and we’ll be diving into their muses, their writing history and much more.

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Truly, Indian writers and poets on Instagram have been a gift to the community. They’re ubiquitous and versatile, and such good writers. @amangledfoxtrot is one of them, creating pieces that radiate the same milk and honey as Rupi Kaur. Her work feels ancient, yet familiar; very reminiscent of sandy deserts and the royal palace glittering over the horizons. Think of reddish earthenware and shadows and spices. Or an Indian princess dancing through the halls of her palace in her flowing sarees and crown jewels. That’s what I think of whenever I read her work.

But other than being a writer, she’s a nineteen-year-old student with a lot of big ideas to create and shine through her screen. Despite being in the writing game for eight years, she has sampled various forms - blogs, poems, novels and short stories. Poetry is her constant in her waves of impulsion and changing interests, and sputtering ideas. To sum it up, her life is a constant notepad of ideas saved for a book but these scenes never get picked up anyway. But that doesn’t stop her from writing; she wants to write more regardless.

Writing is a defining aspect of her foundations for the future. Some of her goals include writing a killer fantasy series and getting into a strong writing career (think, full-time writer). She also wants to start writing prose again and to submit it to literary magazines. Publishing a book someday is definitely a yes, but it would be a matter of time before she would find the right idea to execute.

It’s no wonder that she’s come a long way as a writer. She deems her first poem for Mother’s Day as an abomination packed with cliches, but with great potential. “I am grateful to my mother for seeing past that and encouraging me to write more,” she says with a faint smile at the memory.

Today, the writer cites her location and background as an abundant source of inspiration. In her eyes, India is a beacon of change and vibrancy, and it’s heavily reflected in her written perspectives. While she does admit that her life is rather mundane, she credits her dreams of the outside world and its people to bring light into her work. But then again, the works of @amangledfoxtrot isn’t an easy feat. Her writing progress changes depending on two specific moods: uninspired vs inspired.

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“When I am inspired, I let an idea germinate in my head for a day or two,” the writer explains, “I write it down at the point when I get so excited that my hands itch to put down a piece on paper. I don’t edit or format at this stage. I then take some time off (not more than a day, typically), after which I edit or rewrite it. If I’m happy with the result, I post it on my Instagram page.”

But when the opposite hits, she prefers to throw in as many writing prompts as possible. All of the prompts would be saved, but only two to three would be shortlisted for a poem. These selected prompts would lead to the formation of a concept, which wouldn’t come immediately (or as easily). In fact, it takes a few tries of writing and incorporating more prompts if there was a new roadblock. A lot of times, there would be rewriting and rearranging happening There is a lot of uncertainty of an improvised piece, after all. Regardless of the effort and time, most of these pieces come out as some of her best work. Her consistency and determination are what makes her a wonderful writer, and even then, she aims to capture these qualities in her voice.

If you were to ask about the context behind her username, let’s just say that it would be her fantastic dancing skills. On the note of advice on starting an Instagram writing account, this is what she had to say:

“Divorce your writing from the numbers,” she says, “It’s best to perceive Instagram as a platform for networking with people who share the same passions as you, than as one that will help you grow as an artist. This is for two reasons: first, the algorithm is a terrible metric to measure your self-worth and second, constructive critique is very rare, even when you actively seek it out.” She also continues to say that authenticity and self-worth as an Instagram writer come from setting the goal of meeting like-minded creatives and reading their work.

Her love for them also stems from the diverse community of writers and poets. These writers are often supportive of her work and her craft, and they can be so accepting and kind. Plus, they can be so talented! So in tune with their expression. During NaPoWriMo month (November), everyone couldn’t be more alive in creating and posting their best works.

However, as the community but also as an individual writer, I do recognise that there’s a constant pressure to post often and be the best. Keep up with the latest writing trends and beat the frustrating algorithm that shadowbans our work. She hates how the writers’ community have reduced to nothing but a means of insights intertwined between quantity and quality. That’s where we come in as our own kind of writers’ community. We don’t want to be like the rest where we profit off paid features and the competition that revolves around analytics.

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We just want to be here for you and your craft. We want to nurture the smaller, underrated writers and put them in the spotlight. @amangledfoxtrot isn’t the only great writer we should be talking about.

Here at The Plain Poets, we aim to identify these unique poets and writers and to put them on a pedestal via a platform everyone can support them. You may check out our page here.