‘On Writing’: This is a new
series of author interviews where authors talk about the creative
process behind their books, their passions and about things that make them
tick. They offer tips to aspiring authors in their own unique, special way.
I am honored to present our
first guest to you. Today we have the vivacious, witty, talented and beautiful
Preeti Singh. Preeti has been working as a professional writer since last 15
years before authoring her two best-selling novels. Her debut novel - Flirting
With Fate was published by Mahaveer Publishers, India in 2012, followed by
Crossroads which was published by Authors Press, India in 2014. Her second
novel Crossroads has entered the Indian Book of Records as the First Indian
Fiction to Have Real Life People as its characters. Her third novel is on its
way!
She inspires aspiring authors
daily through her interactions on Social Media. In this interview she talks about her latest novel 'Crossroads'.
Welcome to ‘On Writing’ Preeti
Singh.
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Preeti Singh (Image Source: Author) |
Tell us how your career as an author
began. Was it a most cherished dream or was it a particular event or incident
that gave birth to the author in you?
Writing was always my passion, since I was about nine years old but slowly as I grew up and tried my hand in various fields like teaching etc, I realized my real calling was in writing…a haven where I find peace and happiness when I write. Circumstances tempted me to channelize my passion into my profession which helped me fulfill my dream of being an author & reaching Wikipedia.
‘Crossroads’ is unique as you have named
the characters based on persons that you know in real life. How effective was
this technique in framing the characters? Did it help you in creating more
authentic characters?
Well… I always aspire to do something different
in everything I do…whether it’s in career or building lifelong bonds.
Crossroads took birth mainly because I wanted to thank few people in my
life…those few who stood by me during various high and low moods…it included
published authors as well as Facebook friends and acquaintances. With God’s
blessings, Crossroads earned its place as the First Indian Fiction to have real
people’s names as its characters. This itself was a reward for each member of
the Crossroads family. Each character has been most supportive and kind during
the journey of Crossroads and I remain eternally grateful to each one of them.
You can read about this award HERE .
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Buy it from: Flipkart Amazon |
What is ‘Crossroads’ all about? How long
did it take to complete writing it? What is different about it when compared to
‘Flirting with Fate’?
Many people compare both my books but both
genres are totally different so comparison is futile, really. Flirting with
Fate is a crime thriller which took me about 4 years to write as it was
complete fiction, as I am no murderer…lols. It was a challenge writing FWF as I
wrote it from the perspective of a man. Crossroads, on the other hand is an
emotional saga on behalf of every Indian woman.
A lot of real life feelings, emotions and situations were weaved into
it. Crossroads has been a journey which almost every man or woman can relate
to. Thus, due to popular demand by readers, we also translated Crossroads into
Hindi, so it could reach a wider audience. The hindi version can be picked up HERE
How difficult was it to bring about the
characters of ‘Crossroads’ to life on paper? Was there anyone who was not
pleased by the way their character appeared in the book?
Well..like they say….you cannot please
everyone. The characters of Crossroads were created with the consent of all the
characters and most of them could relate to their own roles, easily. Yet, some,
who had to play a negative role, were left disappointed but not for long…..when
they understood that a villain only enhances the story further….only with the
importance of a villain, the hero can be outstanding. Moreover, everyone was
kind enough to understand that only their names were used with their consent
and not their real lives, natures and careers. They have been most kind and
helpful in making Crossroads reach, globally.
Which form of fiction writing comes
easily to you, short stories or novels? Do explain why.
Definitely novels…simply because I keep
flowing and do not know how to stop my word limit and in short stories one has
to limit the word length as per the guidelines.
Do you have a fixed
writing schedule? What is your favorite time for writing?
Lols…never ask a writer that question.
Jokes apart…no routine as such…I just get up and write when words and ideas
swim in my head…maybe at 3 am when the world is asleep or during a movie in a
hall…the reason why I carry pen and paper with me always…never know when an
idea pops up! Having said that, sometimes when you are continuously in the flow
of writing and a break happens, its little tough to get back in the ‘author
mode’ ! Yet, when the bug bites to write, one can’t sleep…eat and be normal
till you don’t take it all out of your system.
PS:That’s just my personal
experience…of course each author’s routine is different.
Do you read your reviews? How do you
respond when someone writes a bad review of your book which has received many
rave reviews?
Yes, I do read my reviews and I do not pay
anyone to write a positive review, neither do I remove any negative feedback
from anywhere. As I said before, you cannot please all readers…so one should
write for oneself...many maybe upset with the way an author writes but that’s
part and parcel of the package. It
happens. Finally, the reader is the
King…and when one reader writes and gives reviews…negative or positive, it
should be respected so other readers are not misled into buying a book not
worth it’s price.
If you are offered a chance to write the biography of one famous
celebrity, who will you choose and why?
Amitabh Bachan…simply because I am in love
with him since I was 10 years old..lols.
Which part in the whole process of creation of a book do you dislike
the most? Writing, Editing, Querying, Publishing or Marketing? Why?
Well…I don’t dislike anything about
conceiving a book as it’s a beautiful process but yes the most challenging part
of the whole process is the publishing and marketing process. Writing a book is
like pregnancy…simply a cakewalk but marketing is like the delivery stage…most tough!
Simply because, you can write books, but you cannot force readers to pick it up
…it really has to be their choice.
What are the three tips you have for readers of this interview who are
aspiring writers?
1) Write to express with simplicity…not
impress with your degrees and difficult words. If a reader has to pick up a
dictionary while reading your book, you have lost the purpose as the reader’s
flow will break.
2) Be humble and helpful to the ones who
seek your help….sometime ago you were like those aspiring authors…never forget
that!
3) Never write for money…you may land up
with nothing…write to fulfill your passion…you will find contentment and peace!
Wonderful!
Thank you, Preeti Singh for the
interesting answers. It was a pleasure having you over here. Wishing you the
very best in your career as a writer and awaiting your new book eagerly.
Much Love,
Love the Q and As, Preethi and Preeti:) I am a huge fan of Big B, been an inspiration since I was a child and thanks for the inputs on writing.
ReplyDeleteThank you Vishal for reading. Glad that you are taking away some useful tips.
DeleteOh, that was an interesting read. Didn't know her, but your interview made me curious:-) Good tips:-)
ReplyDeleteThank you Eli Ert for reading. Glad that you found it interesting.
ReplyDeleteThis was an interesting read. Thank you :)
ReplyDeleteThank you :)
Delete