From textbooks to novels: A young author's search for success

New Delhi [India], Sep 20 (ANI): "Writing is more of a need for me," said Gaurav Sharma, a newbie in the world of words.

He is not much of a reader, but the 25-year-old nascent author is determined to be a successful writer after falling in love with the freedom that writing gave him.

"Writing is thinking with fingers and a primary way of expressing my thoughts. Moreover, it is the best way for me to channelize my thoughts, emotions, feelings and ideas into creating something," he told ANI, adding, "Nobody tells me what to do in my book. I can do whatever I wish and to whomever I want. It is fun for me. It calms the chaos inside my mind. That is why I write."

 

Gaurav has authored four books till date - three textbooks while pursuing his degree in journalism and a novel that hit the shelves last year.

Talking about the same, he said, "I wrote 'Development and Communication Morphosis,' 'Photography Redefined' and 'Design and Graphics Redefined' prior to my debut novel 'Gone Are The Days.' Those three are textbooks related to the field of journalism and mass communication at undergraduate level."

So, what made him switch the genre of writing? "Soon, I realised no student in my college and fellow institutions was interested in reading a textbook as the notes supplied by the teachers would be enough for them to merely pass the exam. Thus, I decided not to pursue textbooks in the future."

"I was already writing articles and short stories for some reputed online portals and I had to keep writing books. These conditions directed me towards writing fiction," he continued. "Since I had never written any novel before, I thought to pen down my own life experiences with some masala into a book. That, per me would give me an idea about what it takes to write something non-academic," he added. "During the writing phase, I came to know that fiction or non-fiction writing is way too harder than writing a textbook."

The semi-autobiography talks about his family, friends and what all happened even before he was born till he was 23. "It is based on some true incidents (fabricated with fiction) happened in my life. Its characters are inspired by the people who held a remarkably good or bad influence in my life.

The book shows my initial life in a small town of Sitamarhi, adulthood spent in Delhi where most of the 'fun' and 'crazy people' happened and my journey from there to Canada to pursue higher studies."

Spilling the beans on what inspired him to pen them, Gaurav said, "The awkward bumps in my life, the sudden shift in culture from Bihar to Delhi and then Delhi to Vancouver and my experiences with wickedly awesome friends motivated me to document my life. It was a rainy day in Vancouver (it is almost always raining in Vancouver) when I wrote the first thousand words of my novel. In eight months, a 180 pager was created."

'Gone Are The Days,' a tale of "perfect mismatch" in the author's life, didn't turn out to be a bestseller, but for a green writer's creation, it managed to fare well.

"There was an immediate rise in the selling of my debut novel right after it was published. Perhaps, all my college friends and family in India and Canada ordered my book. According to Rajasthan Patrika, youth in Jaipur showed remarkable interest in my novel. I now know that people are liking my book as it has started getting reviews in Amazon," he said.

"Besides, I received many Facebook messages and emails from my readers appreciating my work. Media in India and in the west are picking it up for reviews."

According to Gaurav, the simplicity and genuineness with which the book tells the story is noteworthy. "Besides, the connection of the book with a typical Indian middle-class family and daily life instances which the readers can connect with make for a riveting and often spell-binding read."

And now, Gaurav is all set to explore a new genre: historical fiction. "This would be my second novel and fifth book overall. The proposed title is 'God of the Sullied'."

"It begins in the Mahabharata era and picks up the pace with the death of Krishna. A major chunk of the book runs in the eighteenth century Pataliputra. The story revolves around the protagonist, Eklavya who, by the fierce wills of the destiny, loses his loved ones in a mysterious way. Eklavya was meant to fulfil some prophecies. However, the wrath of Kaliyuga upon him never lets things fall at right places in his childhood," he revealed of his upcoming work.

"This is the story of the warrior of Ikshavaku and the very miracle of the God. This is the story of the God and the Sullied."

Gaurav further noted, "It shall be out in the market by the end of this year or in early 2018 in all likelihood. I expect it to reach even wider audience this time in India and in the west.