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Author Highlight: Saif Israr Discusses his Debut Novel ‘It Just Required One Step’ and Stories from his Life

We are delighted to welcome a very promising novelist, Saif Israr, for a brief Q & A session at our website about his recent novel: It Just Required One Step.

In this Q & A session, he will be talking about his writing aspirations, inclination towards contemporary fiction, and the route to getting his novel published. Stay on...while we chat with him.

What inspired you to pen down this novel? Any tales…

Ohh, there are many. Firstly, I always wanted to write a story and I wanted it to be socio-political as well as romance. I was researching for the same and came to know about a reputed university in Allahabad. I started exploring more and came across some news clippings which were about crude bombings, protests of union students, political mafia and murder. It worked for me as an inspiration.

It has been heard that you have a second book in the coming? What is it and when is it coming?

Yes, you have heard it right. My next book is about a girl who happens to be a CEO of an event planning company and a boy who is her employee. They happen to be school mates in their past. The story mainly focuses on how a divorcee handles the taboo of divorce in the society and keeps on rising. It is a challenging subject for me. I hope it sees the light of day. Wish me luck!

What do you do when you are not writing?

There is nothing specific what I do when I am not writing. I am a film-freak and watch a lot of regional cinema. I love listening to music and hanging out with my friends. One more thing which I do whenever I get ample time is, I travel to new places.

What inspire you most in life?

Inspirations are everywhere. I listen to success stories of famous personalities and stories of people from small towns inspire me a lot. My mother’s journey in her life had inspired me a lot. She had raised me and my younger sister in a very graceful manner.

How often do you write?

I write almost every day, whether it is a single sentence or a couple of chapters. I have heard somewhere that inspirations can be situational but it’s a habit which makes you what you want to be.

What kind of books do you enjoy reading?

I love romance, but there should be something more than romance. I like any story which has something social attached to it.

Have you ever written a character based on the real you in some part?

No, I guess. However, my every character has some bits which are inspired from my life experiences.

Any best piece of writing advice that you would like to share with new or struggling writers?

Read a lot and write what you want to write. The joy of crafting a story is exceptional, try to find it.

Looking back, what did you do right that helped you break in as a writer?

I don’t know, to be honest. I just had a hunger of writing something which could reach people, which could connect with them. I think it’s the honesty with the craft of writing.

What was your biggest learning experience throughout the writing process?

There are a lot of things which I learnt. Firstly, I learnt to observe people around me so that I could easily create characters. Secondly, I learnt to make writing a habit. If someone can write a complete story in a single sitting, he/she is exceptionally genius but for me it’s a slow process which has to be achieved by dedication and perseverance.

Can you tell us about your current projects – be it anything?

I am writing a story which is contemporary romance. It is a story of two school students who met in their mid 20s. The girl is the CEO of an event planning company and the boy is an employee. The girl is a divorcee in her early age and how she deals with the social stigma is the crucial part of the story.

If you were to change your genre, which one would you choose?

Murder mysteries. I have a huge fascination about that genre.

What does literary success look like to you?

The term success is subjective. For now, my definition of success might be different but once I will achieve it, it might get changed and the definition of my success might change. I am still trying to explore it.

Connect with Saif Israr

FB: https://www.facebook.com/saifisrar
Twitter: @saifisrar
Insta: saifisrar
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