About the Author:
Door-to-door salesman, copywriter, business journalist and assistant editor at the Economic Times, Shatrujeet Nath was all this before he took to writing fiction full-time. He debuted with the Karachi Deception in 2013, followed by the Guardians of the Halahala and the Conspiracy at Meru, the first two books in the Vikramaditya series. At present, he is writing volume three of the series. Shatrujeet lives in Mumbai, but spends much of his time in the fantasy worlds of his stories. He can also be found at facebook.com/Shatrujeet Nath.
Interview:
Q. When did you first realize that you wanted to be a
writer/ a storyteller?
A. The honest answer to this is, I never wanted to be a
storyteller. Or let me say that in my growing years, I never dreamed of being a
writer. Ever. As a child, I wanted to
be many things… pilot, truck driver, actor… As I grew older, my ambition
solidified at wanting to join the Indian Army and become a commando. But being a
writer never crossed my mind.
I came to writing quite by accident, when a friend of mine
who worked part-time as a copywriter with an ad agency in Cochin introduced me
to writing. He read some stuff I had written and said it was good, so I could
become a copywriter as well. I did that, and that is how, from copywriting to
journalism to now writing fiction, I grew as a writer and storyteller. My
growth as a storyteller and writer of long fiction has been evolutionary. I
always say writing found me – left to myself, I would never have become a
writer.
Q. How did you come up with the idea for your current story?
A. My current series of novels (the Vikramaditya Veergatha
series) is the outcome of two unique and independent ideas that had been
brewing in my mind for a considerable period of time. This was in 2011-12, just
after the manuscript for The Karachi Deception had been accepted for
publishing. I was exploring ideas for my next novel, and one of these was on
how some of the Halahala (the mythical poison churned by the devas and asuras
during the samudramanthan, which Shiva is supposed to have later destroyed) is
still intact, and how it is a biological weapon that some evil characters want
to possess for world domination, and how the good guys in the book have to stop
the Halahala from falling into the wrong hands… It was for a thriller,
something along the lines of Dan Brown’s works. However, I wasn’t happy with
the plot – it was too gimmicky, too Dan Brown-ish to my liking.
At the same time, I was exploring the possibility of doing a
story on the legendary king Vikramaditya and his navratnas as a band of
superheroes. But I didn’t have a powerful enough story for them. Both ideas sat
side by side in my mind for almost six-eight months before one day, by some
inexplicable crossing of mental wires, it occurred to me that I could club
these two ideas (or half-ideas) and create a good story. From the moment the
thought first struck me, it took me all of 20 minutes to put the broad story
arc of the entire series in place. This is the remarkable magic of the creative
process.
Q. What question do you wish that someone would ask about
your book(s), but nobody has?
A. The question I wish someone would ask is why I chose to
make Indra the primary antagonist of the Vikramaditya Veergatha series, instead
of someone from the side of the asuras. The answer is fairly simple: The story
is about a three-cornered battle between the devas, the asuras and man for
control of the Halahala. The story is told from the point of view of the
humans, so they are the heroes. The asuras and devas, who want to take the
Halahala from Vikramaditya, are the villains. While it would be natural to show
the asuras as being evil (and they are), the idea of portraying the devas as
being equally wicked and conniving appealed to me. After all, this is the crux
of the story, as told to Vikramaditya by Shiva himself when Shiva comes to give
the king custody of the Halahala. “…the tyranny of virtue is as unbearable as
the stranglehold of vice. And as you will discover for yourself, the devas are
not above deceit and viciousness when it comes to getting what they want. So,
the question of good triumphing evil doesn’t arise.” From here, the decision to
cast the lord of the devas as the chief antagonist was a hop, a skip and a jump
away.
Q. What are your current/future projects?
A. I am writing the third book in the Vikramaditya Veergatha
series. The Conspiracy at Meru, the second book in the series, came out only in
late August this year, but readers have already begun clamoring for the next
one. I hope I can bring Book 3 out by the end of 2017 – I don’t want irate
readers carrying torches and pitchforks standing outside my drawing room
window. After Book 3 is done, I will have to write Book 4, the last of the
series. After that? Who knows… readers have been asking for a sequel to The
Karachi Deception. Then there is another fantasy idea I am kicked about.
There’s a historical fiction I’d like to do… Let us see.
Q. Why did you choose to write in your particular field or
genre? If you write more than one, how do you balance them?
A. I am not partial to any genre when it comes to my writing
– or my reading for that matter. I quite enjoy a variety of genres, though my
recent reading has tilted towards fantasy on account of my writing fantasy. I
am more interested in the story than in the genre. I wrote a spy thriller (The
Karachi Deception) because that story appealed to me. I am writing a
mythology-based fantasy (Vikramaditya Veergatha) because this story excites me.
I want to write horror, historical fiction, satire… But what I will write after
I am done with the four Vikramaditya books depends on which story idea excites
me the most at that point in time.
Juggling between genres can be tricky, but I think the way
can be negotiated if one has read enough material in the different genres. It
is a question of plugging into the genre conventions of one genre, then
plugging out and plugging into the conventions of the other genre. Beyond that,
storytelling is ultimately about how much control and mastery you assert over
the story and the craft.
Q. Are you traditional or self-published, and what process
did you go through to get your book published?
A. I am traditionally published. My first book, The Karachi
Deception, was originally published by Grey Oak-Westland (in 2013), and has
since been republished by Rupa Publications (in 2016). The Vikramaditya books
are being published by Jaico Books. The process that I went through to get
originally published was to reach out to an agent. I got in touch with three
agents – one never wrote back to me; one sent me a mail telling me what their
“professional editing charges” were. I doubt the second one even looked at my
one-page synopsis and three sample chapters. The third agent I got in touch
with was Kanishka Gupta of Writers’ Side. He took me on within two hours of
seeing my first email, and placed The Karachi Deception within 30 days of
agreeing to represent me. He continues to be my agent.
I have heard that there are a lot of options available today
to writers who want to self-publish. I have also heard nightmare stories of
authors being sucked to the marrow by some so-called self-publishing houses. I
have also heard – and hold your breath
here! – that an established and respected traditional publisher asked an
aspiring author to shell out some funds to get her manuscript published! I
don’t know how far these stories are true, but I would urge great caution. I
know how desperate first-time authors are to get their manuscripts and stories
out – I had contemplated self-publishing when the first few rejections for The
Karachi Deception came in. But please, please do be careful whom you give your
manuscript (and rights) to. The desire to see your book on shelves is fine, but
if you go with a publisher who won’t guarantee you visibility on as many
bookshelves as possible, you are only killing your chances of being discovered
by readers. And that is never going to help you become an established author
with steady sales (forget bestseller status for the moment, please). So choose
wisely.
Q. Do you believe there is value in a review? Do you believe
they are under rated, over rated, or don’t matter at all?
A. The value of a review is proportional to the value you
attach to the review. A reader might read a negative review and still go out
and purchase the book because he or she is intrigued enough to read it.
Inversely, a reader might read a glowing review, and might add the book to her
wish-list, but never end up reading it. How many times has this happened to us
– it’s happened to me quite often. Does this mean the review is useless? Not at
all. The review served its purpose in helping the reader make a decision over whether
the book interests her or not. And that is the function of a review: helping
readers decide whether they want to read a book or not, watch a movie or not.
The book reviewer or critic’s opinion of the book is not God’s voice.
I believe that creators of content (authors, filmmakers etc.)
attach far more importance to reviews than the lay reader / movie-goer does.
This is natural – for the creator, his creation is his life’s purpose; for the
reader or movie-goer, that creation is entertainment, a short diversion from
the cares of life. So we feel elated when we get great reviews, and despondent
when we net bad ones. Reviews are like post-Trump era democracy for liberals –
you can expect the best all you like, but be prepared to accept the worst as
well.
Q. What is your biggest fear about having a book published?
A. Rejection. The fear that one-third of the way into the
book, readers will frown and say ‘This is just trash’ and throw the book aside
for another.
Q. What makes a good story, why?
A. I don’t think anyone has been able to deconstruct a story
and see what makes it good, mediocre or bad. That is because there are just too
many factors and variables at play in a story – language, pacing, drama,
characterization, tempo, narrative structure, style, depth and perceptiveness,
universality and resonance of theme… these are some of the broad ones. And then
the most unfactorable factor of them all, the reader himself. Every reader
comes to a book with his own unique set of experiences and expectations, so every
reader reads a different book and takes away a different story. In fact, I
sometimes wonder if stories are not in books at all, but instead are entirely
inside readers’ minds, and books are merely keys to unlock these stories in
their minds. How else can we explain this bizarre phenomenon where the same
book is loved by one set of readers while being reviled by another. It is the
same book – what is different is the reader.
Q. Do you read your reviews? Do you respond to them, good or
bad? Do you have any advice on how to deal with the bad?
A. Indeed, I do read all the reviews that my books fetch.
Reviews from friends, reviews from bloggers… but the reviews that I care most
about are the ones from readers who don’t know me, and hence own me nothing. They
have invested their time and money on my book in the hope that I will keep them
entertained and enthralled. The book is the only thing that links me to them –
no shared past or present or future. The book is the only contract between us,
so their opinion of it is paramount to me. As a rule, I do not respond to
reviews unless they have been addressed to me by name. If the review is a good
one, I usually click the ‘like’ button. If the review is poor, I ignore it.
That is the only way of dealing with a bad review, I believe. What else can one
do? You can’t take the criticism to heart, you can’t – mustn’t – rant a retort,
you can’t sulk. So just ignore it. In a day or two, it won’t hurt that much. In
a month, not at all.
Q. What is the easiest/hardest scene for you to write, why?
(Love, action, fight, death, racy, controversial, etc.)
A. There are no easy scenes. Every scene is hard, especially
if you want to make it stand out, especially when you want to steer clear of
clichés. Doing anything that demands originality is hard and painful. The thing
about writing is that when it looks easy to the eye, you can bet it took many
rounds of patient crafting to achieve the ‘easiness’ that the eye perceives.
Q. What would you like to write about that you have never
written about before?
A. Erotica. The fine line between erotica and pornography is
an enchantment and a challenge. One day I hope to walk it.
Q. Were your characters based off real life people/events or
did you make it all up?
A. In The Karachi Deception, all my characters were
fictitious, whereas in the Vikramaditya series, Vikramaditya and his navratnas
are supposed to have been real people. But the point really is whether the
characters authors create are entirely fictitious, or whether they are clever
facsimiles from the author’s life. I believe every character is a bit of
someone the author knows or has met in passing. This could be a friend, a
familiar stranger, a teacher from childhood, some distant cousin, a nodding
acquaintance in office… This borrowing may not even be conscious, or it might
just be one aspect of the character. Height, build, baldness, manner of speech,
an idiosyncrasy… I admit that in my books, characters have bits and pieces of
people I know.
Q. What are the most important elements of good writing?
According to you, what tools are must-haves for writers?
A. A vivid imagination; a perceptive and sympathetic mind; a
basic understanding of human nature; the ability to draw the reader into a
make-believe world and suspend the reader’s disbelief; to my mind, these are
the most important elements of good writing. Among the must-have tool are a
good understanding of pacing and narrative structure, basic knowledge of
grammar and punctuation, and a bag of happy surprises for the reader.
Q. What is your most/least favorite part of the writing
process, why?
A. The part that I love the most is building the basic
story, main sub-plots and primary characters around the core story idea /
premise. This is in the very early stages of story development, where, once the
story’s premise has been put in place, the challenge of spinning the whole
thing into a cohesive storyline kicks in. Here is where the idea really starts
taking wing as we see plotlines emerge, characters define themselves and
conflicts rear up like rattlesnakes. This is the stage where we are at our most
god-like, painting the big picture in broad and bold strokes. This is so much
fun.
The least favourite part comes right after, when I have to
sit down and start hammering it all out. I know that is going to drain me of
everything that I have, so I keep dodging and delaying. As a result, the work
doesn’t get done and that frustrates me. I really hate this part. This is the
part between ideation and writing, that horrible no-man’s land of uncertainty
and procrastination. There is only one way of overcoming this phase, and that
is to sit down and start writing – it sounds easy said that way, but for me it
is hard. Once I actually start writing though, I am back to being a child in
Disneyland.
Q. Do you read? Who are your favourite authors and how have
they influenced your writing style?
A. I have a long list of favourite authors, and that list
keeps growing as I discover newer authors. Right now, in fact, I am in the
midst of reading Promise of Blood by Brian McClellan. I had never heard of him
till a few weeks ago, and I am already in love with his writing. Other
relatively recent discoveries include Joe Abercrombie, Paolo Bacigalupi,
Gillian Flynn, Scott Lynch, Robin Hobb, Peter James, Bernard Cornwell and Keigo
Higashino. I think Suzanne Collins is amazing. Among those I discovered a few
years ago, I rate China Mieville, Mario Vargas Llosa and Conn Iggulden highly.
Old favourites include Frederick Forsyth, John le Carre, Stephen King, Tolkien,
Bill Watterson, Alan Moore, Dan Simmons, Isaac Asimov, Jules Verne, Jack Vance…
I am sure I am missing a dozen names here.
It is hard to say how they have influenced my writing style.
While writing The Karachi Deception, I often wondered how Forsyth would write
the scene I had in mind, and then I would try and write it the way I thought he
would have written it. Very presumptuous of me to even pretend to have decoded
Forsyth’s style, but that is how I moved from scene to scene, chapter to
chapter, till I finished writing the book. The end product I had produced might
be chalk to Forsyth’s cheese, but he inspired me to complete the book. I guess
that was his influence.
Q. What is the best piece of advice you have received, as a
writer, till date?
A. The best piece of writing advice I can think of comes
from Kurt Vonnegut, who says: “Every character should want something, even if
it is only a glass of water.” His point is that when characters want something,
it means they have an agenda and will chase that agenda to the best of their
abilities. When this happens, characters are bound to cross one another’s paths
and step on one another’s toes, which will create conflict. Now conflict is the
key to good drama – and good drama is the bedrock of good fiction.
Q. What is the best piece of advice you would give to
someone that wants to get into writing?
A. Choose the story you want to write wisely as it is
something that you will be stuck with for the next one-to-three years. The
story should be something that sustains your interest and your passion over
long periods of time.
Q. Tell us three fun facts about yourself/ your book.
A. (a) In the first draft of The Karachi Deception, the last
scene had Major Imtiaz Ahmed, the book’s hero, having breakfast with his wife
at Wildflower Hall in Shimla. This was the only allusion to him having a wife,
but as the scene never made it to the final draft, readers of the book never
get to learn about Imtiaz’s marital status.
(b) The original title of The Karachi Deception was “Project
Abhimanyu”. The name was changed at the last minute when a friend of mine
pointed out that Project Abhimanyu didn’t suggest a spy thriller. I then used
Robert Ludlum’s naming technique to pick The Karachi Deception.
(c) In The Guardians of the Halahala, the scene where Amara
Simha beheads a corpse to force a confession out of a captured Huna scout is
loosely inspired from a scene in Brian De Palma’s gangster epic, The
Untouchables, which is one of my all-time favourite movies.
Books by the Author:
Thank you, Mr Nath for this amazing interview! I wish you success for all your future works. Keep writing!
