The why's of writing | April 2025
My debut novel BLACK SALT QUEEN comes out in less than two months. As I find myself at the precipice of what I hope will be a long and fruitful writing career, I can’t but ponder the WHY of it all.
Dear friend,
My debut novel BLACK SALT QUEEN comes out in less than two months. As I find myself at the precipice of what I hope will be a long and fruitful writing career, I can’t but ponder the WHY of it all.
Don’t get me wrong: I feel incredibly lucky for all the amazing things I have going on in my life. But as a child, I was prone to bouts of melancholia, which, in adulthood, has given way to good ol’ capitalistic nihilism. For many of us, it’s inevitable given the general state of the world.
I’ve dissociated several times over the past few months—beneath the showerhead, at the back of the supermarket checkout line, during brief jogs along the canal below my apartment—agonizing over the point of (gestures wildly) all of this.
Why write at all? Why create art, only for it to get gobbled up by an unfeeling machine?
From there, the questions quickly spiraled.
Why care about anything or anyone? Why love another human if time will inevitably take them away from you?
And then the answer came to me, like most things in life, through writing.
Moving on from my debut novel to other projects, I’ve been asking myself what I want to say as a writer. The kind of art I want to bring into this broken world.
My stories often reflect what I admire in other authors’ works. High emotional stakes and complicated relationships. Descriptions of lush settings, ornate dresses, and food you can salivate over. In this current chapter of history, I want to devote my words to beautiful, precious things.
Because, as cheesy as it sounds, everything I’ll ever write is about love. Every character I create hungers for it. They’re barreling through their imagined worlds, begging to connect with another human, desperate to be valued. To be seen.
It’s a pain known to all of us, I think, especially in an algorithmic hellscape that feeds on our division and fuels our rage. These days, it’s easy to get sucked into the nihilistic void. But every now and then, a glimmer of humanity slips in through the cracks.
Reading is, first and foremost, an exercise in empathy, of which we are in dire need. If writers can get readers to delve into characters’ heads—if we can get them to appreciate others not despite but because of their imperfections—there may be hope for us after all.
Most days, creating art feels like a cry into the void—but it’s a much needed cry. It’s how we reclaim our humanity. It’s how we remind ourselves that there are others out there with pain and anger and love swirling around in their chests—and that they’re begging to be seen just as much as we are.
💌 What I’m loving lately:
Rosie. As a fan of Blackpink, I’m deeply fascinated by their solo projects. Rosé’s debut studio album, Rosie, resonated with me the most. I eat up yearning and angst in all the art I consume, and her authenticity shines through the melodies. The more I listen, the more I connect it to different moments in my life—every heartbreak and regret, as well as the slow acceptance that comes with time. It’s incredibly gratifying to watch her and the other members grow into themselves as artists and I’m excited to see what they do next.
Posca Pens. I’ve just purchased their colorful markers to sign about 200 bookplates before the launch. They glide beautifully and dry fast (especially if you’re an author with a few signings coming up, 10/10 would recommend).
🔗 Links:
Add BLACK SALT QUEEN to your TBR on Storygraph and Goodreads.
Preorder BLACK SALT QUEEN via Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, and wherever books are sold!
Sign up for the BLACK SALT QUEEN preorder campaign and win some cool swag (including a gorgeous phone background and signed bookplate).
All my love,
S.B.
samanthabansil.com | @sam_bansil