Ask the Author: Sachin Dev
Answered Questions (5)
Sachin Dev
Hi Jayana! < your efforts will go a long way in getting to that "best-selling" tag>
So inspirations: While I’m heavily influenced by a lot of the stuff that I read � I keep myself updated on the latest in speculative fiction as I get sent books for review all the time, so a lot of my writing style is inspired by the authors I love.
The Ideas � well, they come fast and furious all the time. For every novel I have an “idea� file where I collate all those cool little nifty ideas that strikes me whenever (you could try Evernote app to tag such!) and I always do a “story outline� � and “character� outline � then divide stories into chapters filled with side notes what characters POV is featured and which major plotline would I write about.
It has helped me so far! Books on Indian mythology (For example, the legend of the Andhakan killed by Shakti � was a demon who could re-generate from every drop of his blood spilled on the ground. This caused me to start thinking about ‘rakshasas� � as demonic creatures born of the union of the left over traces of Maaya that originated from the seeping wounds of a Goddess punished to sleep buried deep inside the Earth and spirits from the netherworld. Different forms arise depending on contact of the blood with different substances!) Different folklore and world mythology stories from books and the internet - they all help form different parts of my own world building.
Why not a thriller and why fantasy? Well, for the better part of the last ten years, fantasy is the only thing I've read. Naturally, i decided my first published book is going to be a fantasy adventure. No two ways about that! Each book, be it thriller or fantasy has a good chance of success if it's well written. So no, a genre doesn't score over others.
It's true in India - its probably a good time to write fantasy as people are getting introduced to this genre, possibly because GoT has become such a cult hit on TV! and mythological fantasy is something that has caught people's attention.
So inspirations: While I’m heavily influenced by a lot of the stuff that I read � I keep myself updated on the latest in speculative fiction as I get sent books for review all the time, so a lot of my writing style is inspired by the authors I love.
The Ideas � well, they come fast and furious all the time. For every novel I have an “idea� file where I collate all those cool little nifty ideas that strikes me whenever (you could try Evernote app to tag such!) and I always do a “story outline� � and “character� outline � then divide stories into chapters filled with side notes what characters POV is featured and which major plotline would I write about.
It has helped me so far! Books on Indian mythology (For example, the legend of the Andhakan killed by Shakti � was a demon who could re-generate from every drop of his blood spilled on the ground. This caused me to start thinking about ‘rakshasas� � as demonic creatures born of the union of the left over traces of Maaya that originated from the seeping wounds of a Goddess punished to sleep buried deep inside the Earth and spirits from the netherworld. Different forms arise depending on contact of the blood with different substances!) Different folklore and world mythology stories from books and the internet - they all help form different parts of my own world building.
Why not a thriller and why fantasy? Well, for the better part of the last ten years, fantasy is the only thing I've read. Naturally, i decided my first published book is going to be a fantasy adventure. No two ways about that! Each book, be it thriller or fantasy has a good chance of success if it's well written. So no, a genre doesn't score over others.
It's true in India - its probably a good time to write fantasy as people are getting introduced to this genre, possibly because GoT has become such a cult hit on TV! and mythological fantasy is something that has caught people's attention.
Sachin Dev
I frankly don’t think I am qualified enough to answer that question. What with just one book published (wink!)
I myself have gone through blue phases where I’ve sat and doodled staring at my empty laptop screen. Being methodical in terms of plotting probably helps. You can always utilize that time to do research for the book! If you are the type who gets fired up by deadlines, then by all means set some for yourself. Have daily goals if it motivates and pushes you. One thing about writing � like any other craft, it only gets better with practice. And it definitely requires a lot of discipline to keep at it. You wont get it right the first time but the important thing is to get it done. You can always edit and spit shine polish up your manuscript a hundred times over. But getting that first draft out is very important where you don’t self-check yourself. It’s tough but very doable. My first draft of the novel was around one-hundred thirty thousand words. The final edited version stood at less than hundred thousand.
I myself have gone through blue phases where I’ve sat and doodled staring at my empty laptop screen. Being methodical in terms of plotting probably helps. You can always utilize that time to do research for the book! If you are the type who gets fired up by deadlines, then by all means set some for yourself. Have daily goals if it motivates and pushes you. One thing about writing � like any other craft, it only gets better with practice. And it definitely requires a lot of discipline to keep at it. You wont get it right the first time but the important thing is to get it done. You can always edit and spit shine polish up your manuscript a hundred times over. But getting that first draft out is very important where you don’t self-check yourself. It’s tough but very doable. My first draft of the novel was around one-hundred thirty thousand words. The final edited version stood at less than hundred thousand.
Sachin Dev
I am wrapping up Book Two in the series, Wheels of Janani and I am also penning a contemporary romance (talk about variety!) ; co-authoring that with my wife and have tons of ideas to start off. Like a zombie apocalypse set in Kochi, a space opera, a historical fiction about the port city of Muziris in Kerala. So the days are full and packed!
Sachin Dev
Love for the written word itself is a great inspiration. you see, I love the language � and not just the classics or Shakespeare but everything about it.
Also I like creating new worlds � that incredible surreal sense of floating away into the unknown - jumping from one pulse-pounding adventure to another � some people may call it ‘Fantasy� but for me, every written novel is an escape. This power of being able create something from scratch is very intoxicating. And while I “create� characters to reside in such worlds, they are all as real as you and me � deriving inspiration from the daily world I interact with.
Also I like creating new worlds � that incredible surreal sense of floating away into the unknown - jumping from one pulse-pounding adventure to another � some people may call it ‘Fantasy� but for me, every written novel is an escape. This power of being able create something from scratch is very intoxicating. And while I “create� characters to reside in such worlds, they are all as real as you and me � deriving inspiration from the daily world I interact with.
Sachin Dev
Frankly while I would like to be more organized in terms of plotting, I usually let the story write itself as I go along. More of a pantser as opposed to a plotter.
This one, specifically - Faith of the Nine, first part to Wheels of Janani is actually a full length fleshed out back story to a short that I had submitted for a fantasy anthology back in 2013. I’ve always wanted to write a full length epic fantasy novel (my favorite genre!)
So the short story I submitted was essentially a fast paced adventure story that followed the lives of two people � trying to overthrow the yokes of tyranny in a desert kingdom. One a young boy prophesied to overthrow the current seat of power and the other, a soldier who rebels against his cruel masters knowing their ulterior motives. The feedback I got on the story was that readers would love to get connected to these two characters� back-story and the history of the world the story is set in.
So I knuckled down and wrote that back story and fleshed out that world � and lo! Behold! Part One, Faith of the Nine was born!
This one, specifically - Faith of the Nine, first part to Wheels of Janani is actually a full length fleshed out back story to a short that I had submitted for a fantasy anthology back in 2013. I’ve always wanted to write a full length epic fantasy novel (my favorite genre!)
So the short story I submitted was essentially a fast paced adventure story that followed the lives of two people � trying to overthrow the yokes of tyranny in a desert kingdom. One a young boy prophesied to overthrow the current seat of power and the other, a soldier who rebels against his cruel masters knowing their ulterior motives. The feedback I got on the story was that readers would love to get connected to these two characters� back-story and the history of the world the story is set in.
So I knuckled down and wrote that back story and fleshed out that world � and lo! Behold! Part One, Faith of the Nine was born!
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