[ ChitraDivakaruni - 6 - 10:01:56 ]
RE: [Susan/NASAChatHost] Good morning Chitra we've got some questions for you!
Good morning, all. I look forward to our dialogue.

[ ChitraDivakaruni - 8 - 10:03:10 ]
RE: [T.G.I.F./OHaraParkMiddleSchool/OUSD] Where do you get ideas for your books?
I get the ideas for my books from many places--things I overhear, my own life, the lives of my friends, the lives of my ex-friends! Dreams.

[ ChitraDivakaruni - 10 - 10:04:56 ]
RE: [T.G.I.F./OHaraParkMiddleSchool/OUSD] How long does it take to write a book?
Different books take different amounts of time. My first book, a short story collection, Arranged Marriage, took about 2 and 1/2 years. My novel about a magical woman, The Mistress of Spices, took about 2 years.

[ ChitraDivakaruni - 13 - 10:07:22 ]
RE: [ZACCARO/EDISON] Hi. I read an excerpt from Arranged Marriage in a popular magazine. It was wonderful. Was it written from experience?
I think you might have read the story The Ultrasound,which is about 2 women who are pregnant, one in India & one in the US. The one in India finds out, through tests, that she's having a girl,and her in-laws want her to have an abortion. She then has to decide what to do. Actually, that story came out of an article I read about the aborting of female fetuses in India that made me very sad and angry. I had to write about it.

[ ChitraDivakaruni - 16 - 10:09:32 ]
RE: [T.G.I.F./OHaraParkMiddleSchool/OUSD] When did you first realize that you wanted to become an author?
I didn't know I wanted to be an author until pretty late in life. After I finished graduate school and started teaching. I think coming to America from India made me into a writer. The 2 worlds were so different--it gave me a lot of emotions and a lot of subjects to write about.I've been writing seriously for about 10 years now.

[ ChitraDivakaruni - 20 - 10:12:20 ]
RE: [Molly/WoodsideElementarySchool] What suggestions to you have for students who are interested in writing?
A good place to start is by reading a lot. Look at your favorite writers carefully. Their stories will give you ideas for your own stories. Write every day. Keep a little journal. My six year old son Anand and I have a book we're writing together, called Anand's Book of Stories. He tells me the stories, I write them down because he still can't write that well. It's fun to write together with another person.

[ ChitraDivakaruni - 23 - 10:15:05 ]
RE: [T.G.I.F./OHaraParkMiddleSchool/OUSD] This is Michelle and Natally from Califronia. Who are your favorite authors? Did they inspire you to write?
Hi to you both. I love reading, so I have a lot of favorite authors. When I was in high school, I read Tolkein's The Lord of the Rings and just loved it. I think it made me want to write a magical novel. I like women writers a lot too--Sandra Cisneros, whom you might like, and Amy Tan and Toni Morrison. They write about their cultural background, and that inspired me to write about mine.

[ ChitraDivakaruni - 26 - 10:17:12 ]
RE: [ZACCARO/EDISON] I am sure you have experienced writers' block many times. How do you overcome that?
Yes, I think all writers have to go through writer's block some time or other, although I've noticed that if you write regularly, you have less of a problem with it. When I am really blocked, I try to write something else--maybe another story, or a poem, or talk to one of my writer friends about what I'm finding hard to write about. I also use that time to read, and sometimes that gives me ideas.

[ ChitraDivakaruni - 29 - 10:20:19 ]
RE: [ZACCARO/EDISON] I know some writers like to work in extreme environments -- certain music, colored lighting, solitude, subliminal messages. What techniques do you use if any?
I try to write at the same time each day. That helps me focus. I listen to Indian classical music--that seems to take me to a place deep inside myself. I keep a bottle of water on the table--when I get stuck, I drink some. I figure it's good for me--better than candy, anyway! Only problem is, I have to take a lot of bathroom breaks!

[ ChitraDivakaruni - 30 - 10:22:02 ]
RE: [Laura/WinesElementarySchool] My mom read one of your books she told me about it. How do you get so graphic it seames so real?
I try to put myself in the place of the character in the book. I try to see through her eyes. I ask myself, what would she be smelling, or touching, or feeling. I think that helps to make your writing vivid.

[ ChitraDivakaruni - 36 - 10:26:31 ]
RE: [Elizabeth/AutodeskFoundation] Chitra, I am very curious about the main character in Mistress of Spices. I was surprised that she abandoned everything that she had studied for and prepared for in order to pursue romantic love. Can you talk a little about how you decided to have her pursue love over career?
The main character Tilo in the Mistress of Spices does go through a conflict between love and tradition--the spices stand for duty and tradition, more than a career, for me. I think many immigrant women experience this conflict. Tilo is tempted--she breaks a lot of rules. But remember, at the end of the book she decides to give up love (and to give up going to the Perfect Place with the man she loves), and go back to Oakland to heal the people in her community.(which she sees as her vocation). It's lucky for her that the man she loves understands and acts accordingly!

[ ChitraDivakaruni - 38 - 10:29:37 ]
RE: [Molly/WoodsideElementarySchool] How hard is it to balance a private life with writing? Do you write at home?
It's hard to balance writing and teaching with a private life. I mostly write in my office. I have 2 boys, 3 years and 6 years old, and when I'm home, they don't let me write! The little one wants to sit in my lap and play with my computer! So I have to create a schedule and decide when I'm going to be in my office and writing, and when I'm going to be home & be mommy.

[ ChitraDivakaruni - 40 - 10:31:13 ]
RE: [ZACCARO/EDISON] DO you enjoy teaching?
I love teaching. I don't want to ever give it up. There's a special joy in being part of a person's growth process. I learn a lot from my students too. When I was writing Mistress, my students taught me a lot about up-to-date slang!

[ ChitraDivakaruni - 44 - 10:35:49 ]
RE: [T.G.I.F./OHaraParkMiddleSchool/OUSD] Do you think anybody can be a writer, or do you need special talents?
I think everyone has an ability to write--just like we all (unless there's a physical handicap) can talk. With practice, you get better at it. In fact you can become very good. Great writers, though, the ones people will remember after hundreds of years, do have a special talent.This is true of artists in any field. However, unless you push yourself to the limit & give it all you have, you won't know if you have that special something inside you.

[ ChitraDivakaruni - 47 - 10:37:04 ]
RE: [Molly/WoodsideElementarySchool] Do you think your style is different because you grew up in India?
Yes. My language, Bengali, is very different from English. I often think in it. And I still read Bengali authors.

[ ChitraDivakaruni - 48 - 10:38:30 ]
RE: [Christine/TeenyBeeInc.] You've written poetry and adult fiction. Any chance of your writing literature for children? I'm sure children would be interested in a glimpse into some of visions of India.
Yes, one of my future projects is writing a series of books for children, taking the Indian folk and fairy tales and translating them for children all over the world!

[ ChitraDivakaruni - 51 - 10:40:44 ]
RE: [Jan/ChapinElementarySchool] Hi. I'm Nick. What are you currently working on, if anything?
Hi, Nick. I'm just finishing up a novel titled Sister of My Heart, about 2 girls who are best friends and grow up in Calcutta, my native city. It's a novel about how women help each other through challenges in their lives.

[ ChitraDivakaruni - 54 - 10:44:20 ]
RE: [ZACCARO/EDISON] One of your philosophies is that "if a writer writes well enough, a novel can be a window into a culture..." But novel writing isn't necessarily to open a window to other things. I think that writing should be for enjoyment -- both for the author and the reader. Does writing have to have a purpose?
Different people write for different reasons. Certainly you should write in the way that is meaningful to you. Enjoyment should always be at the heart of writing--otherwise, there's no reason to do it. What satisfies me, as a reader and writer, is the chance to experience lives that are very different from mine. For me it is a way to promote understanding in the world among people who would not otherwise know each other at all. That's important for me.

[ ChitraDivakaruni - 58 - 10:47:36 ]
RE: [Sarah/PineRichlandMSHS] Do you consider yourself to be a feminist? If so, do you, and if so, how do you express your feminism through your writing? Also, have there been any instances during which you've had to stand up for your rights through pressure?
Yes, I consider myself a feminist. I believe women should be given choices. They should be allowed to live lives of dignity. The choices will be different for each one of us--there must be space to allow that. I like to show women making important decisions and standing up against pressure in my books. In my life I've had to do that too. Especially in the work I do with MAITRI, the hotline for South Asian women in distress. When we founded this service, we faced a lot of opposition from the community. But we stayed with it, and now our community supports us very strongly.

[ ChitraDivakaruni - 65 - 10:50:41 ]
RE: [T.G.I.F./OHaraParkMiddleSchool/OUSD] What do you think the most important part of a book is, the characters, plot, or setting?
They're all important, but character is the most important. If you can't relate strongly to the people in the book, everything else falls flat.

[ ChitraDivakaruni - 68 - 10:52:22 ]
RE: [Sarah/PineRichlandMSHS] I know that you have writing as an outlet for your creativity, peny-up frusteration, anger, joy, etc.. Do you have any (other) ways to release these emotions?
My boys and I bake a lot of chocolate chip cookies. And then we eat them! That takes care of frustration and creativity all at once, and puts us all in a good mood.

[ ChitraDivakaruni - 69 - 10:54:05 ]
RE: [Molly/WoodsideElementarySchool] Is "Sister Of My Heart" only for adults or is it for young adults?
Hmmm--I think if you're a mature young adult, you could read it. Much of the story is in the voice of the 2 young girls, ages 8-13.

[ ChitraDivakaruni - 70 - 10:55:38 ]
RE: [Jan/ChapinElementarySchool] Did you take any special writing courses in order to become a better writer?
Yes, I took a few classes at my college (where I teach). They were very helpful. Writers groups are helpful too. Maybe you can form a group with friends who are interested in writing and meet every other week.

[ ChitraDivakaruni - 72 - 10:58:02 ]
RE: [T.G.I.F./OHaraParkMiddleSchool/OUSD] When you are writing, what lifeskills do you use?
I try to be very focused, to really "listen" to the characters, to think carefully about their motivations. They have to become "real people", not just mouthpieces for my ideas. I try to keep an open mind and not be prejudiced when I write. I try to remove my ego from the process. I always say a prayer before I write.

[ Susan/NASAChatHost - 74 - 11:00:33 ]
Thank you Chrtra, this has been a wonderful chat, I can see that your writing has really captured young minds. Thanks kids for the thoughtful questions.

[ ChitraDivakaruni - 75 - 11:01:37 ]
RE: [T.G.I.F./OHaraParkMiddleSchool/OUSD] If you want to become a writer, where is a good place to start?
Be a good observer. Watch and listen carefully to what's going on around you. There are stories hidden everywhere. Find them. Writing isn't easy--don't give up too easily. The rewards are worth working at. And now I must say goodbye to all of you. I've enjoyed chatting with all of you, and I wish you all the best. Follow your dreams! Much love.