A - Authenticity in Writing

Welcome to a new series of blog posts titled "Authors' Tips - A to Z of Writing". Eight authors -- Devika Fernando, Preethi Venugopala, Paromita Goswami, Reet Singh, Ruchi Singh, Sudesna Ghosh, Saiswaroopa Iyer and I -- will be posting on a multitude of subjects related to writing.

Topics will be chosen alphabetically and each week we propose to cover at least one or more subject characterized by the Alphabet of the Week.

So, let's get started....

I've chosen to go with the topic of Authenticity in Writing.

Authenticity in Writing can mean different things to different writers. For some, it may be the concept of writing something from the heart. If as a reader I enjoy reading mysteries or romances, or as a viewer I pick horror films or supernatural thrillers, this preference will also be reflected in the genre that I choose to write in. It's highly unlikely that someone who does not enjoy reading sci-fi novels will be able to write a believable story in that genre. So, it all comes down to translating your love for the genre, understanding its tropes and making your writing "authentic" to readers.

Authenticity could also be related to story elements. For instance, if you are working on a crime story where a police investigation is in progress, it makes sense to write scenes that are plausible in a real life situation. For that you need to do your research well and get a basic understanding of police work and how a crime investigation would work. Authors are known to conduct interviews with experts to make their scenes as authentic as possible. This is an important aspect because even though stories emerge from our imagination, they have to appear to be plausible. Or else your reader will not go along for the ride.

Photo by Clever Visuals on Unsplash

Stories are made up of a number of characters but are driven by a few (including the protagonist and the antagonist and perhaps a couple more). Being true to your characters is another way of imparting 'authenticity' to your writing. Knowing your characters inside out and understanding their goals and motivations, their behaviour traits, likes and dislikes is critical. If you know what makes them tick, the actions of the characters will be true to the personas that you have created for them. Often readers lose interest in a story when they perceive a character behaving in a manner that is not 'true to his/her character'.

Perhaps the best advice comes from screenwriting guru Robert McKee. He exhorts writers to "Write the Truth". Truth, as distinguished from mere facts. Writers, he says, who don't believe in what they write are just propagating lies and half-truths. "Story," says McKee, "is not a dramatised lecture but a meaningful insight into life." So, as a writer and storyteller, you owe it to yourself and to your readers to be authentic.

Would love to hear your thoughts. Do check out these posts in the series...

Here's the A-List:

A is for Anti-Heroes by Reet Singh

Authorpreneur by Devika Fernando

ABDCE Plotting Formula by Preethi Venugopala

Basu Chatterji's "Balcony Class" Films

Basu Chatterji's Rajnigandha was like a breath of fresh air in the 1970s film universe of Bombay. At a time when the Angry Young Man was beginning to dominate celluloid screens, Amol Palekar was as un-hero-like as you could get. He was the Common Man who traveled in buses, did not have hero-like mannerisms and did not breathe fire and brimstone at his opponents. Basu Chatterji's Middle of the Road Cinema burst on to the scene and surprised the movie-going audience with its everyday situations and storylines that had an undercurrent of humour. Chatterji catered to an audience that he liked to call the "Balcony Class". Anirudha Bhattacharjee, author of Basu Chatterji and Middle-of-the-Road Cinema writes an entertaining and heartwarming account of the life and work of Basu Chatterji, one of the most under-rated directors of Indian cinema. Recall of Chatterji's brand of feel-good, slice-of-life movies is perhaps highest for his Rajnigandha, Chotisi Baat, Baaton Baa...

Marching in the Dark - a true story of grit and resilience

"Nothing can dim the light that shines from within." I was reminded of this quote by Mary Angelou as I watched Kinshuk Surjan's documentary feature film titled "Marching in the Dark" . The film is an evocative tribute to the widows of Marathwada who have survived the suicides of their husbands - the men driven to despair and eventually death after years of failing harvests, rising debts and the cruel play of climate change. Surjan introduces us to Sanjeevani, an every woman who is not anyone's idea of a hero. If anything she is a victim - of her circumstances, of the unfair deal that she has got in life and of a male-oriented world that she is part of. But she has a quiet strength to her that is evident from the first time we meet her. She is grappling with grief and the burden of raising two small children after the suicide of her husband. She is a breadwinner as well as a homemaker. She works in her brother-in-law's farm who has given her family sh...

Facing my fear - one Pitch at a time

Pitching makes me freeze up. In fact, the very thought of it makes me wanna run away. For a screenwriter that's simply bad news. Because no matter what, if you want to get your stories out of your computer and hit the big screens, then you need to get comfortable with selling your story to potential producers and studios. And the first step in that journey is pitching. My fear of pitching has prodded me to find different ways of overcoming the hurdle. So, for a few years I tried to work with agents in the hope that they would read my book and be able to handle the job of pitching. But soon I realized that agents were not into reading. So, I was just another name in their long list of clients. How that helps them grow their business is a different story, and one that I will perhaps share at a later point when I get around to solving that mystery! But the turning point (life does imitate screenplays!) came when I was called to pitch my book to a prominent OTT channel. This was...

Preethi Venugopala1 October 2018 at 18:50
I loved Robert McGee's line of thought. Our writing becomes authentic only when we write what we believe in. It certainly will sound half-baked otherwise.
Amrita1 October 2018 at 19:48
Authenticity and not perfectionism.is what works I feel too.Great post.
iluvfiction1 October 2018 at 22:01
Totally agree, being true to your characters is the key! Insightful post.
Sudesna1 October 2018 at 22:18
Basically, writing from the heart and not worrying about what sells. Authenticity leads to the best writing!
Reet Singh2 October 2018 at 08:18
So many domains in authenticity - lovely pointers, thanks, Adite
Devika Fernando2 October 2018 at 10:24
Great post. I, too, love the whole 'truth' vs. 'facts' angle. Because I disagree with the often-touted advice to 'write what you know' as opposed to 'write what you believe in'.

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