it’s oversharing time! #paperbirdqanda

1. what got you into writing?

i intially only wrote short stories and narratives for school, so definitely mostly prose based. then, i'd write for my school's annual mag and gradually their newspaper and the feedback i'd get was pretty great as someone who's always physically hated the stuff i write, so that definitely pushed me to write more. and then i fell in love with free verse and wtw, of course. :)

2. outside of wtw/prose, who are your biggest writing influences?

honestly, inspiration, for me is everywhere. it's like i'm too inspired lmao. obscure song lyrics, people with weird backstories that were neglected by history, me being chaotically liberal and angry. and the weather? like it's been raining nonstop for the past week or so. and tropes, gotta love overdone tropes that spawn angsty midnight poetry.

3. what’s the significance behind your profile picture(s)?

aight, so my wtw pfp was originally a labradoodle, which i'm glad to say has been approved by our queen of the straights @VinterVejen (which i changed after like a day, classic anoushka indecisiveness: see 2 username changes). then i went through a bunch of others and i came across this one. deadass just googled pretty bi aesthetics and i'm mildly interested in photography, although i haven't travelled enough to pursue it fully.

4. top fifteen favorite books - go. (if you don’t know what exactly are your favorite fifteen, just name twenty you like.)

1) Harry Potter- jkr who? (this is an open plea to talk to me about avpm in my comments bc im desperate)

2) The Secret Life Of Bees- Sue Monk Kidd

3) The Perks Of Being A Wallflower- Stephen Chbosky (the movie is art. btw, he even directed it!)

4) The Kite Runner- Khaled Hosseini

5) The Testaments- Margaret Atwood ( sequel to the Handmaid's Tale, but MUCH more gripping and well written imo)

6) Animal Farm- George Orwell (we do not stan misogyny, but we do stan vv. intense commentaries on politics)

7) Dizzy- Cathy Cassidy (yes, yes, i know it's YA and got all that super sad teenage girl has divorced parents and falls in love with mysterious edgy new kid but forgive me okay?)

8) Educated- Tara Westover (needs no explanation)

9) Me and Earl and the Dying Girl- Jesse Andrews (just hilarious)

10) The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society- Mary Ann Shaffers and Annie Barrows (written entirely in letters which gives it this implaceable allure)

11) The Great Gatsby- F. Scott Fitzgerlad (i'll admit it took me a wiki deep-dive to fully understand that ending, but i love it nevertheless)

12) Holes- Louis Sachar

13) Hercule Poirot's Christmas- our lord and saviour, Agatha Christie

14) Summerlost- Allie Condie

15) The Picture Of Dorian Gray- Oscar Wilde (Um has some of the most gently captivating prose i've ever read and that ending was satisfying af)

5. what’s the significance behind your username?

originally anoushka1705, changed it bc oooh too many numbers and all that jazz. then anoushkaa, too unoriginal. then outoftheblue on wtw. the real reason i picked this username is a little controversial, and Wicked! is the only person who knows, so let's just pretend i like the phrase okay?

phantasy is *le olde* spelling of fantasy which i came across in a russian short stories book and im in love. '05 is the year i graced this earth. ;)

6. any particularly stupid quote that you nevertheless love?

huge fan of hopelessly pessimistic ones but a personal favourite is "i'm sick of following my dreams man. i'm just going to ask where they're going and hook up with them later." *shoves aside toxic positivity*

7. how would you define your current writing style?

finding inspiration from the mundanest of things, yeeting my feelings out through word vomit and giving it a gentle push into the creative void in the hopes of someone reading it as they parachute along the way. i guess i tend to overuse commas and try to be too meaningful and stuff, but maybe i'm getting better at free verse? i use existential angst a ton too, but y'all already know that.

do you think this is your set style, or are you still evolving?

definitely still evolving. i do this thing where i reread other wtw pieces and be like "okay, WHY is it that i like this so much, and can i use a bit of this to add to my style or not?" if it wasn't for wtw, i'd still prolly be writing crappy poetry in that one blue notebook i've had since i was 7.

8. favorite song(s)? favorite song(s) to listen to ironically?

i will never stop hyping up jewel by adam melchor, but i also have a soft spot for phoebe bridgers' cover of teenage dirtbag by wheatus- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3BmrWXYif0 that and the wallows on repeat. and women in music, part iii.

a huge thank you to @rainandsonder for introducing me to the lyrical geniuses that are the mountain goats and sena for lucy dacus which led me to boygenius. seriously, wtwers have the best music taste.

songs i listen to ironically are the caramelldansen song (perfect for 3 am cry-laughing when you can't sleep), anything by vennu mallesh and friday by rebecca black, the classic.

9. a common writing error or trend that annoys you?

when...people...write...like...this...all...the...time

10. should pineapple be on pizza?

absolutely not, some things must remain holy.