|
| What draws you to the crime/thriller genre as a writer? |
| I love writing crime thrillers with intriguing plots and complex characters. To build an intense story that grips the reader is gratifying to me as a writer. I enjoy deep-diving into the minds of my characters and that often leads to interesting revelations that help my storytelling. Writing the intricacies of the investigation process while my protagonist tries to crack the motive behind a crime has its own charm too. |
| How challenging is it for you to put yourself into the characters and write gender specific dialogues? |
| It is a delightful experience! I have the habit of talking to my characters and observing them converse with one another, when working on a novel. Writing from the point of view of a character becomes interesting when you empathise with them. But if I am prejudiced or judgmental, I will not be able to create relatable, impactful characters. Empathising with my characters, regardless of their gender or background, makes dialogue-writing simpler. |
| Do you see a part of you in your characters? |
I guess there’s a part of me in almost every character I create – both good and evil. I wanted to be an Indian Police Service officer, but failed to crack the civil service exams. When I created Mili Ray, a young detective who left the police force at the peak of her career, somewhere my desire to work in law-enforcement was fulfilled. But that’s where our similarity ends! I might also have a trait or two in common with the antagonist in my latest novel ‘Who Killed the Murderer?’. That’s the benefit of being a writer. We can leave a bit of ourselves in any character we want, without the world knowing  . |
| Has your stint in the corporate world affected your writing in any way? |
| Yes, of course! I was totally absorbed in my corporate career for over 16 years and the experiences gathered at the workplace continue to influence and inspire my books. More than anything, it helps me create multifaceted characters. Even today, while working as a content consultant and screenwriter – my experiences help me immensely while writing books. The more people a writer interacts with, the meatier the story bank! |
| What is your advice to budding writers? |
| I believe that if you can dream it, you can achieve it. To aspiring writers, I would say – keep writing and don’t get bogged down by criticism. Writing can get lonely sometimes. But if you enjoy your ‘me time’, the writing process is total bliss. Good luck! |
|
 |
|
|
|
|
 |
| Victoria Krundysheva is a Russian-born conceptual fashion photographer, art & creative director living in India. She is also a Broncolor GenNEXT ambassador as well as Sigma India ambassador. Her style combines the techniques, aesthetics and visual luxury of fashion with creativity, insight and storytelling of conceptual photography. |
|
|
|
|
 |
| Apeksha Rao is a homoeopath by profession, and a writer by passion. A polyglot, fluent in six languages by the age of five, she fell in love with words very early in life. She wrote her first story at the age of seven, and her stories and plays won many accolades in school and college. She is also an amateur sitar player. She is a keen observer of human nature, something that is reflected in her stories. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
