Dion Anja is a 21 years-old literature major from Istanbul. She published her debut dark poetry book My Dawn Is Only Five Hours Away in 2020 and is currently working on her second collection. She loves cats, storms, and literature.
1) Have you always wanted to be a writer?
I can partially say “yes” to this question because I’ve always loved to write whether under a pen name or just in my diary. The concept of “writer” as more of a business term has been with me for a year though and I am trying to find my way through it all by trying and making mistakes. My inspiration usually comes from books in general. I remember when I was a kid, coming back from school not only meant TV but also reading time. I loved how people created worlds and characters and touched so many hearts all over the world. I wanted to be like that, and this is still my main motivation: to reach people’s hearts and move their souls.
2) What, in your opinion, is the most difficult part of the writing process?
First drafts are always hard for me to pull off due to waves of insecurity that crash my brain without notice. I sometimes have an idea or a nice sentence to add, then my brain goes crazy, and I find myself discouraged and drained. It doesn’t happen always but when it happens, it is truly blocking me for a solid day or two.
3) What is your preferred genre(s) to write? Is it different from the genre(s) you usually read?
I write poetry mostly, but I am also trying to make my way into novels. It is nice and refreshing to switch up between different forms of literature. I wasn’t an avid poetry reader until a year ago because I thought I wasn’t smart enough to understand it but now that I am writing poems myself, I find it easier to read poetry too and when I can find time from my academic responsibilities, I try to read at least a poem a day to keep my brain engaged with form, imagery, and all.
4) What is your book about?
“My Dawn Is Only Five Hours Away” was about the pandemic, isolation, and other dark stuff that kept me awake during those long and lonesome days of quarantine. I am working on another poetry collection and this time I wanted to make things lighter, both the language and the subject matter. I don’t think I’ve revealed this online yet but this new collection will be about growing up and quest to finding, or rather forming, and I, a self. Of course, there will be somber poems again (I can’t stop writing them honestly) but this new book will also be about sweet parts of coming of age as well. I’m really excited to change my style!
5) Do you have a favorite character from the ones you created? Tell us a few things about them.
I haven’t fully fleshed it out yet, but I am also outlining a novel and I am trying to create these characters who are definitely not larger than life. I want to show the inconsistencies, the lies, the conflicts because we as real humans have them too and I think we can be really inclined to polish those parts to appear more appealing in real life or online.
6) What does success mean to you?
Definitely reaching a wide audience! I love it when people leave a review, or message me, or comment on my posts to tell me that they have read my book. It can be negative or positive, but I truly enjoy it when people show interest in my works. I know writers are usually encouraged to write for enjoyment or fulfillment, but I feel more motivated and more successful when I know the presence of others. Writing can be really lonesome because you are constantly with words and characters and ideas. I miss human interaction sometimes.
You can find Dion Anja on:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Dion-Anja/e/B08LTKRLGF/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/dionanja
Author Website: https://dionanja.wordpress.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/thedionyrtal
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dionwrites
TikTok: https://tiktok.com/@dionwrites
