Arvind Parashar got his second book published in May this year, and he has not looked back. Arvind has worked hard on his second book and readers across India seem to have taken a note of it. We got in touch with Arvind to talk about his books:
The Bookoholics: A writer has this immense power while writing a book like you can do whatever you choose, how do you decide which plot line is best?
Arvind Parashar: This is a fascinating question. When I write my plot for the first time, at that point, it is the best plot to me. After a few days, I read it again and then improvise. Then I look for enough stuff in it to keep me hooked. While the story gets strengthened, the plot gets a new high. It undergoes several interactions. The method I use is giving the story a break and then reread it. That helps. There are times when I have written plots, and those are just lying in some part of the notepad, unused.
The Bookoholics: They say a writer’s first book is almost autobiographical, how much of that is right for you?
Arvind: What they say cannot be completely wrong. I would just add that being a writer gives you a lot of liberty. So if I wanted to fight a war, then introduced Kabir and made him a hero in my debut book. Or if I wanted to show love and dedication between a couple, I made Neil and Gauri fall in deep love in my second book. Hope you got my point.
The Bookoholics: Before writing your first book, did you think about the readers? What did you want them to feel or know after reading the book?
Arvind: Initially, I just thought of the story that was closest to my heart, and I wanted that to come out. Fortunately, my first book turned out to be a Crossword Bestseller and the second one a romance Bestseller. I always feel and believe that a reader should feel like part of the book and hate it when the story is about to end.
The Bookoholics: The characters in your book, they are inspired by the people in your life?
Arvind: Some of them, yes. I would say, instances do have an influence, and a part gets reflected in the characters.
The Bookoholics: What inspired you to write?
Arvind: My birthplace and upbringing happened in the beautiful valley of Dehradun. Mr. Ruskin Bond had a massive influence on me apart from our storybooks and the nature I lived in. That apart, my life has been full of beautiful stories itself.
The Bookoholics: Have you ever gone through a writer’s block? Some say there’s no such thing as a writer’s block.
Arvind: Of course, there is a writer’s block. It is natural. There will be times, you will get stuck with the story, be it the climax, or the ending or even the way plot moves forward. I deal with it by taking a good break and watching movies.
The Bookoholics: What would you say about the current dating scene in the country? Meeting on dating apps, ghosting on partners? Like most of the youth is in a relationship because they are afraid to be lonely or it’s just peer pressure.
Arvind: Today, there is enough and more ways for folks to get in touch. Somehow, I am not too comfortable with the idea of just meeting a stranger via dating app. Honestly, I don’t even know what ghosting on partners entail, so you can imagine I am an old school. Relationships should not happen out of fear of growing old and who will take care and all, and they are still happening because our society is such. Yes, there is peer pressure too. However, I also wish to add that the scene in metros is changing largely and is catching up in tier two and three cities too. People don’t want to be in a relationship for the heck of it. There is much more that exists, and it is shaping up. Long way to go, though.
At this point, we thought of asking questions which would help younger\new authors.
The Bookoholics: How long did it take you to write your first book? Does the process get any easy after writing the first one?
Arvind: It took me almost a year to finish my first book. The reason for the longer time was owing to the fact that it involved a lot of research. Also, I wrote it with a full-time corporate career. The process of writing does not get any easy or difficult, after writing the first one as each story would present its challenges.
The Bookoholics: What publishing advice would you give the new authors?
Arvind: It’s not easy to publish a book, especially when you got no idea. Try to work hard on making your story better than going mad about anything else. Write and do that regularly. There is no fixed guidance to the new authors except doing justice to their book. Because, in the long term, that is the only thing that will help.
The Bookoholics: How did you market your book?
Arvind: Print media, social media, music videos, word of mouth, blogs, radio interviews, lectures, and friends like “The Bookoholics.”
We wish Arvind well for all his future endeavors.
