The best tips come from people who have been there and done that. Blogchatter Writfest brings us some immensely successful and talented authors who have published number of books and are inspiring budding writers and authors. Today I am sharing an insightful session conducted by Blogchatter WritFest with Meghana Pant, Kiran Manral & Kanchana Banerjee which was moderated by our own Harshita Nanda.
When asked how does an author make a strong social issue the focus of the book, without making it moralistic or preachy?
All the author unanimously agreed that whether the character is a noble-hearted man or a thieving anti-hero , if you want your readers to invest in their journeys, you have to make your character look relatable. And what makes a character relatable, their humanity, the reader should be able to empathize with your characters. Some times you might have to add some humor, romance or thriller in the story to make it light and interesting. Meghna Pant added saying that women centric books that are focusing on any social cause still needs more acceptability and requires correct portrayal of their personality by giving narratives that takes feminism forward.
" Women are neither Becharies, nor Krantikaries they are just normal Naaries" very well articulated by (in Hindi) - Meghna Pant.
Do author gets self indulgent in terms of plot twisting or language and how to avoid that and be more relatable?
According to Kanchana Banerjee, clarity while writing is the key. Writers do soak in all they see around. It is difficult to keep yourself aloof from the society and it does reflect in your writing but sometime you need to be little cautious and restrain yourself from being too self indulgent. Know your vision for your story and adhere to it with discipline. It is fine to play around for a while but don't get sidetracked from what's best for your story. Keep your writing crisp and powerful as possible.
How much trends influence writing?
According to Meghna Pant, write a story which you think cannot be written better by anybody else. Write what you like or what you are comfortable and comes naturally to you. Art is to elevate and not to suppress the creativity. Never follow trends. Both Kiran and Kanchana resonated with her thoughts and added saying that, don't write for money, write something that you cannot only be proud of but also enjoy the process of writing. Write from your heart and what gets you excited to sit in front of your computer everyday. Do not fear failure instead go with your instinct and trust your voice. A successful career in writing typically takes too long to achieve, can be too exhausting so better write what you are passionate about and believe in yourself. It is important to enjoy the journey and be authentic. Kanchana Baneerjee rightly said that, as a writer you are your first reader, if your are not liking what you are writing and not enjoying reading it, then, the end result can never be good and story won't live up to its potential.
Is it important to have a writing ritual?
We all are individuals and we all have different needs and very different points of inspiration. What might work for some might not for others. So follow your own ritual which suits you the best and inspires you to write. Anything that gives 0% distraction and 100% focus. It could be a closed room, a café or an outstation.
Is there a difference in approach for writing fiction and non-fiction books?
According to Kiran Manral, whether it is a fiction or non fiction, facts needs to be right and believable. So in fiction get your facts right and than fictionalize the facts.
What do you aim for while writing, relatability or innovation at the risk of courting absurdity?
According to Meghna Pant it is all about balancing both. You need to think out of the box and be more creative, as people do get bored very fast and at the same time try to make it more realistic. Too much of relatability makes it mundane and too much absurdity is also not relatable. According Kanchana Banerjee, it is important that characters in the story should be compelling, who can grab reader's attention instinctively.
What do you choose first, genre or story?
It is important to write what you love. The characters, plot, and setting are going to come much easier to you if you love what you write about. It's never a genre, either you choose a story or story chooses you. That's the best approach and that's how it should be.
Author's favorite books and recommendations
Kiran Manral: 3 Men In the Boat by Jerome K. Jerome
Kanchana Banerjee: Kane and Abel by Jeffrey Archer, Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Meghna Pant: Alice Munro books, Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
If you have missed this session, here is a quick glance into the session. Stay tuned for more such insightful sessions by BlogchatterWritFest.
Written as part of BlogchatterWritFest
'This blog post is part of the blog challenge ‘Blogaberry Dazzle’ hosted by Cindy D’Silva and Noor Anand Chawla in collaboration with RRE Studios and ShowCase Events.'
'Written as part of BlogchatterWritFest
Very well articulated, though i did not attend it but loved every tip given by authors. Thank you
ReplyDeleteI missed this session and you encapsulated it really well. I liked that little slogan by Meghna Pant. Made me think of the stories I write and my portrayal of women. Thanks for this.
ReplyDeleteGreat insights and very useful for upcoming authors and writers. thank you for sharing this Swati.
ReplyDeleteI so wanted to be a part of this. But missed my chance to be at the live event. But thanks for the live insights.
ReplyDeleteSome of these thoughts also run tru my mind
ReplyDeleteThank you for this insight into Meghna Pants views on writing. I missed all the sessions.I loved the quote best, Women are not Becharies or Krantikaries but are just normal naaries.
ReplyDeleteIt looks like a must watch, always nice to know how authors write. I really liked what Meghna Pant said. I cannot tolerate books where women are becharis.
ReplyDeleteHave had so much on my plate recently and haven't had a chance to catch a single live session. Thank you for the lowdown and the insights. I am sure my author friends would find it extremely useful.
ReplyDeleteI have been missing these helpful sessions. So glad I can catch up with them via your detailed and informative posts.
ReplyDeleteMayuri/Sirimii
The seesions have some good points. Thanks for putting them here.
ReplyDeleteI missed the session due to an office meeting but I'm so glad you took the time to take us through it in a gist. I cannot love the last point more - write what you love, the rest will follow!
ReplyDeleteSwati, I'm so happy to read about three women writers I admire so much in your post! I loved the line by Meghna. And yes, even in fiction we must get our facts right to make it believable.
ReplyDeleteWell articulated and summed up post, I had attended the live and your post is an absolute summation of the tips and quotes.
ReplyDeleteGreat points covered for authors to follow. Specially loved the line women are neither bichari nor krantikari they are just naris.
ReplyDeleteThat is a very interesting and insightful session. Many will be benefited from what the authors had to say.
ReplyDeleteWow this is just wat I was looking for aa i couldn't join live taht day. Much insightful thanks for sharing
ReplyDeleteSindhu
I had missed this event. Thanks for the brief. Storytelling is an art....very difficult to get it right.
ReplyDeleteThanks for putting this into words- loved reading it and found it very informative
ReplyDeleteWow! Such an informative and insightful post, You have beautifully sent the message across on how to write and what are the things to be followed.
ReplyDeleteWow what an amazing session it was. You covered all the important points shared. 'It is important to write what you love' is something that a writer need to follow.
ReplyDeleteVery nicely compiled learnings from an interesting session.
ReplyDeleteNoor