Ajay's Blog

I, personally, love that my work is being reviewed by my readers. But how many of we, the Authors, choose to review the works of others. Don't we, the Author, are too happy to bask in our glory while expecting others to stand clapping on our "good" or "bad" work.

Isn't it we are tempted very often to say that we don't have time since we are too busy in writing novels, fictions, non-fictions... apart from attending to our daily chores and conducting hectic official work? Is it really true that the Author don’t have time for others? Why don't the Authors find sufficient time to read the work of even his colleague authors or for that matter the work of his closest friends?

Such thoughts have been nagging me for the last two weeks. It's true that I had reviewed a few works earlier, but may I concede before all of you that I myself lacked in discharging my role both as a reader and as an author.

Then I keenly watched Sandeep Sharma, the Author of Hey Dad met my Mom, who is not only an avid reader, but an amazing reviewer. It put a thinking cap on me, "If Sandeep can do it, while undergoing his engineering undergraduate program, then I can certainly do the same."

Therefore, I decided to review the works, which I could remember that I had read them.
Finally the result showed on Goodread site i.e. https://www.goodreads.com/user/top_re...…, where I was ranked All India Second Reviewer during the past week. I'm proud to say that I reviewed 56 works.

I'm presently trying to review as much as I can even though I'm doing the final edit of my next novel, which needs to be submitted to the publisher by the first week of next month. Today, in this humdrum of life, my dream is to become the top reviewer of India. If it happens at some point of time, I will be actually a very satisfied man.

Next challenge for me is to read the work of my all colleague authors. I've taken this up in right earnest and I do believe in the next three to six months, I'd be certainly reading their work and review them too in spite of the most busy schedule for any taxman during the months from January to March.

No excuse from my side!!!!!

a) Main Plot and even subplots should always follow linear path. Preferable plots flow from time zero to positive time i.e from present to future.

b) Subplots should always run parallel to the Main plot. You cannot start a subplot, then forgets it for hundred pages, and again choose to bring it back somewhere in between, and then forget one more time. Sometimes, such subplots doesn't add anything to a story.
However, this could be possible done only in case of one or two small subplots, which comes much early in the story and is hold back with a definite purpose. Such subplots are intended to take the reader by surprise at the end and ultimately they are used to explain the climax. All other subplots have to be injected in the story along with the main plot, and invariable get them concluded before the climax.
It always happens that a subplot runs its course in the novel during the middle stage of development. . As soon as it happens, merge it with the main plot. Such subplots aids in story development during the middle level of the novel. That is why they are called subplots.
Don't try to develop another subplot during the climax part, as it will not only confuse the reader, but will unnecessarily drag the story. .

c) Avoid going time and again into flashbacks. Most of the time, you are already telling your story in past tense. Then, a flashback becomes past participle. 'Was' naturally becomes 'had' as well as 'has' mischievously turns into 'had'.
No one wants to relive the agonising moments of past again and again. The future is the promise for both: uncertainty as well as an ultimate happiness. So. let your story be allowed to flow linearly in the +ve time.

d) Trust your reader. Don't try to explain too many things to the reader. Don't repeat anything, which you have already told in your story, with a benevolent aim to recapitulate for your reader. This is a irresistible blunder by even top authors.
Know that your Readers are very intelligent. He or she knows a lot and their memories are quite sharp too. That is why they have picked your novel to read. So, why at all the Author should assume that only he can recall the past events, and not his reader. So, trust the intelligence of your readers.
If you are writing a fiction, avoid telling too many long-winded facts. Discard your those high-value researches, if they tend to make your story even a bit heavy or make it lesser bearable. They are known as drag in the story. You can always write a non-fiction for your researches, which you have been doing painstakingly for many years.
However, adaption from a real life events, which fictionalise your fantasy and imaginations, actually turns your novel the finest fiction. Try to melt actual facts (political, historical, mythological et al) with your fantasy and imagination to bring out an amazing tale to be told to the world. Remember how the story "Kite Runner" fictionalised a real character "Mullah Omar" and amalgamated it with events happening during days of Taliban vs. Russia.

e) Know that the reader is the most intelligent person. He or she guesses. They are born to do it. When she is on page number 10, she is already guessing what would happen after 100 pages. When she reaches page number 100, she has almost known the end or at least she is pretty aware that in which direction the author is taking the story. Respect your Readers. If you don't, you will never command his or her respect.

f) Characterisation is the core of storytelling. In most of the story, Protagonist drives the story. He can be archetype or otherwise. But he or she is the person, who takes the life-altering decisions; he or she is found to be in the most critical situations; he or she has to wriggle out from a charge of blasphemy or safely land while dangling from a cliff or have to save a marriage marred by distrust. He or she has to be present in most parts of your novel. He should follow an arc, and then only, he can drive a story from one act to another; from one scene to other; from one event to another.
So, your protagonist can never be portrayed to be confused or found to be dazed in his thoughts, though, sometimes he or she could be allowed to do long pondering! Don't we all do such things in our real life? So, our protagonist can also do some weird or silly things, albeit only once or twice in the entire novel. At the same time, the Central character or the protagonist should rectify his or her mistake by the end of the story. If it doesn't happen, the protagonist is not a protagonist at all, but a weak character even though he is fighting a Godzilla in your climax!
He or she can do several stupid things, many times, only in case of humor genre and a only a few times in a romantic fiction. But certainly not allowed in case of a serious military-thriller.
Trust me, your protagonist cannot booze in every other scene. We value a term "character" and decry "characterless", and so your strongest character (the protagonist) should also value our accepted norms. After all, James Bond shows his "real prowess" only in the last scene of his movies!!
In some story, even Antagonist comes alive. Let him or her come before your reader like a flesh and blood, walking right before your readers mind's eyes. If it actually happens to your reader, then you are a winner. You have become a master storyteller.
A bit of caution for everyone. Never ever announce to you reader that your antagonist is a devil or evil. Show these attributes with his or her act in your story, and let reader decide if he or she was actually bad enough to be hated!
What about other characters. The characters, including supporting characters, should also play important roles in your novel. If they come in one scene, and quickly vanish afterwards, he or she should not be found a place at all in your story.
Characterise each of them by showing emotion, anger, happiness, satisfaction, smiles and most importantly let them speak. Conversation between characters makes your novel perfect. It is as if a scene is enacted in your novel, but is played on a movie screen. However, avoid long banal and mundane conversation. Everyone like crispy flavour!


g) Show; don't tell. Remember an example of showing a "Haunted house". Never ever write in your story, e.g. "At the dimly stygian night, John walked inside a haunted house."
Instead, show, "John crossed the boulevard and was in front of an old dilapidated house. As soon as he opened the door with a clanking sound, a bat ran out squeaking. And then everything was mute."
Similarly don't tell, "She was frightened." Rather show, "She wanted to wipe her sweat, but her hands failed."
Other example. Don't tell, "Adam was six feet four inches, strongly built, had dark moustache, brown eyes..." Instead show, "Adam ran and ducked a six and half feet door. In one swift motion, he removed a boulder lying ahead. His brown eyes sparkled in anticipation while his finger rolled over his dark moustache...."

h) If any character is not supporting a story, simply discard it even if he or she is very close to your heart and you have spent several hours to develop it. They are like jokers, and meant to be used when needed or are like dud, which should be thrown when useless.

i) The number of characters in the story should be as less as possible. Don't tax your readers. If you bring in your story, say Nancy, the grandmother of Ralph, has prepared a delicious meal for the friends Ralph. If Sally, Rita, John, Juliet, Jonathan, Joshua, Betty, Sana, Sophie enters the home whistling, hopped on beds frantically, enjoyed meals lasciviously, kissed Nancy and suddenly disappeared from the scene after smoking marijuana, then your reader would be gasping. He can't remember all his cousins name, and you want him to remember every rookies you chose to bring them in your story. I told you the Reader is gasping, and so need fresh air. He will simply throw your novel and pick other to smell 'fresh air'.
So, ask the question. Are these 'bumble bees' are actually adding anything in your story? If not, just remove these characters and cut your scenes. Didn't our father taught us that we should always be grand with our thought, but always be economical while writing! If you are economical, then you can give more time and space to your main characters. Develop later, rather wasting your energy on some "bunnies" or "buffoons".

j) Suspension of disbelief:
Reader, in turn, trusts his Author, even though something "not at all believable" is happening in the story. The readers tend to suspend his disbelief, but at the same time he or she is craving for a satisfying climax. However, if the author is careless and puts too many unbelievable scenes or acts in the story, the reader stops reading any further. He or she will sigh, "The Author thinks himself very smart," and will never pick this 'Author's future work, even though that would find place among Newyork Bestsellers.
So, while an author has to build his ultimate climax, he or she should not weave a story with too many unbelievable facts or fantasies.

k) Don't shift POV or the "Point of View" too frequently.
E.g. If a character is telling something in a scene, and you suddenly insert another character, who interrupts the First one, and before the Second one has finished, you again bring back the First character to conclude what he or she was saying, is not a very good thing to do in describing a scene or an act of your story.
Your reader cannot keep pace with too many shifting (from one person to another) happening so randomly. He gets confused, "Who speaks what," syndrome sets in.
So, if more than two persons are talking in your scene, you have to be much more careful. Make a very nice transition while you shift your POV from one person to another. Let a character finish his talk, and then your other character takes over the conversation. Let Second one to complete, and then only allow Third to speak. Try to follow a circular pattern. Avoid making abrupt transition by chipping in, "John cut in..." or "Johnny interjected...."

Apply the same in case of POV shifting from one place to another.
E.g. One of your characters is singing (acting) in a room; suddenly she sees a shadow and scamper to her backyard, finds something horrifying in the backyard too, and runs back to her room to find her dead great grand mom, lying on her bed, and happily chewing bubblegum. The girl suddenly jumps out of a window and lands straight into a car, whose ignition was just keyed in by her boyfriend. Her friend rev the engine while she kisses him. The boy bend the throttle and steers left to a turn, honk to a leisurely walking man and was about to kill the poor guy.........Finally, he pull his car near a cafe. In the entire drama, the girl's makeup is done, and both of them quickly vanish from the street; albeit still alive. They enter at the front door and make a quick exit from the backdoor of kitchen, in the midst of bullets spewed every nook and corner of the city, where scenes are unfolding; rather too fast!.
Isn't it too taxing for a reader? I think it is! There are too many scenes that change, and readers cannot keep pace with it. At the same time, there are inbuilt inconsistency (called as hole) in these scene. In one scene, the girl is described as scared as a crow, and then in other scenes, she is busy kissing his boyfriend, and sadly in other scene she is casually applying lipsticks.
My suggestion--avoid! Avoid, avoid, and always avoid such long-winded quick shifting scenes.
So, just break the entire shift of POV into different scenes and present them in several subsequent chapters.

l) Not a very strictly rule, but it is suggested that a new author should write in Third-person, unless and until he or she is writing an autobiography in First-person, or in reality, he or she has firsthand account of some anecdote. Writing in Second-person has been historically disastrous.

m) Write in Active Voice. In modern writing, Passive Voice is anathema.

n) A story has three parts.: 1.Beginning exposition. 2. Middle level Rising. 3. Climax.
In part one, after creating a hook of the story, you set the timeline and tell the goal. You slowly start introducing your characters at different places while enactment and acting continues at several miss-e-scene.
In part two, you bring out twist and turns; throw: suspense, challenges and failures, while leaving subtle hints here and there.
In part three, you start resolving the story, which will ultimately lead to a crescendo, whose formal name is climax.
A standard structure says that each of the part should be about ⅓ rd each.

o) Lastly present the climax, which is plausible and something that surprises the reader. Sometimes shocking and a few times shuddering!