Walking into the session, I was somewhat excited about the opportunity to meet a best-selling author. The other sessions, while certainly amazing in their own way, explored aspects of the creative arts that I wasn’t very interested in; at least in comparison to fiction writing. This session, however, hit right home, targeting the exact thing I was most interested in, and I was eager to hear what an experienced veteran had to say to us.
Reflecting on it now, I realise that I already went into that session with certain expectations in mind. For instance, I expected to meet someone who was checked all of the ticks when it came to writer stereotypes: being shy and introverted, a reclusive genius, all of these descriptions came to mind. I also expected him to talk about the passion he had for creating and writing, with a backstory that involved him leaving a well-paid job to pursue his dreams.
Nothing could be closer to the truth. A confident, humorous man who wasn’t afraid to speak what was on his mind, his entire talk was like a well-planned, efficient business workshop, grounded more in reality than it was in fantasy. He ruthlessly dissected the science behind writing a best-seller, walking us through the process as we, the audience, wrote a mystery novel with the man himself.
The procedure, is in a sense, very simple. The crucial elements of any story are the characters, plot, setting/location. and ‘incidents’. First of all, characters. For a murder mystery, one needs around 7-8 characters. 1 murderer, 1 victim, 1 investigator and 4-5 witnesses who act as potential suspects. Moving on, the plot is also something that can easily be created, with there already existing norms for each genre. For instance, when talking about a romance novel, there is always a love triangle, as well as an evil guardian. The setting, one needs to look at time and period. Great importance should be placed on what time period is chosen, with Mukul himself, stating that “The past, is the hardest, requiring intensive research, whereas the future requires little to none”. Finally, incidents or actions in other words, which serve to build tension and suspense.
Once you have gone through this simple formula and generated an outline, you just have to write the novel. Pretty simple right?
Hearing this from him was something that was very interesting, and a bit of a shock to me. I have always pictured the writing process as something sacred, with writers having these mad bursts of inspiration and writing down chunks, followed by several days of empty blackness. Hearing the calculated, chilling methodology that could be and was being used by Mukul Deva unnerved me quite a bit.
Additionally, other statements he made did not sit too well with me. In particular, one thing that he had said was that he “knew exactly what the reader wanted” and he “gave it to them”, in order to ensure that his books would sell and make money. There is, of course, nothing wrong with this, and many if not all authors do this to some extent. However, I am of the personal belief that writing is about putting your voice out there, and creating what you want to create, whether or not people enjoy it. While this is an idealistic view and one that might quickly lead you to become broke in the real world, it is still one that I carry with me, atleast for now.
Overall, I think that there are several takeaways from this session. One important one is that no two writers are alike and that there are definitely several differing opinions within the industry. That image of a quiet recluse writing for the pure pleasure of it alone is certainly something that is not accurate. I also think that another important point is that there are several different perspectives out there, and there isn’t a single ‘correct’ one. While I personally may not agree with Mukul Deva’s approach to writing, I certainly cannot say that he is in the ‘wrong’. At the same time, just because he holds a certain opinion, my own opinion is not and should not be instantly devalued. Both are important.
Some of the notes I took:
