Hi, Everyone! Throughout the writing process, I have been my own worst critic!
There I was, in the form of a little devil—just like the movies, at least the Bollywood ones!—perched upon my shoulder sniping and carping at everything I wrote, whispering odious objections into my ears: why this? Why not that . . . ? Credibility, credibility, credibility, it dinned into my head.
What I wouldn’t have given to swipe that voice away . . . !
But even through the worst frustrations I was glad the voice was there, for it kept me on my mettle. It made sure I gave my all to the novel and left no stone unturned in ferreting out teeny-tiny bits of information.
When there was so much research I was doing that was directly connected with the subject of my novel—and my mind had been a blank slate on this subject, upon which I was writing fast and furiously—to be digging up obscure facts, that would most likely not make it into the novel was very difficult, to say the least.
Did I really want to read of the atrocious deeds of Brigadier Niell?
Did I want to understand the mechanics of the WWI? Understand the politics of Turkey around that time?
Did I want to learn of the seasons of flowering trees?
Did I want to learn how to break someone’s neck, to know what happens to a beheaded body?
No, no, no, and no! But I did. Strictly speaking, I could have written the novel without going into all this, but my conscience would have bitten me every day. I am glad I let the ‘devil’ hound me into doing the right thing.
There is, however, one—well, two if you count not researching gay molestation—thing I did not research. And that is Spencer’s First Principles! Though I mention them, since Savarkar knew them by heart, I am utterly clueless re that.
The little ‘devil’ started its buzz-z-z, buzz-z-z-z right away, but I put my foot down against researching Spencer’s FPso hard, that it was knocked right of my shoulder. Thank goodness!
And my conscience seems to agree with me, for all is quiet on that front.
Anurupa