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Welcome to the Fiction Emailer: A newsletter that aims to make sense of our chaotic world through the lens of ‘Speculative Journalism & Fiction’ by rayaan_writer. Visit my website to know more.
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Quick Note: I have over 150 books at home. I often have the habit of reading them randomly in the most odd hours, depending upon my mood. Sometimes I pick Lee Child; sometimes I pick James Patterson; sometimes I am devouring a comic.
Last week, I was rereading Dan Brown. Later, I had a call with a friend that eventually led me to a book shop. Finally, I retasted an action scene from Matthew Reilly's world.
All of this made me understand something in common: ‘simplicity is velocity’ (as said by Nicolas Cole) in fiction, and I believe this has to be adapted writers of any genre.
I talk about this in today’s edition of this newsletter.
1) Does Dan Brown's 𝘙𝘰𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘵 𝘓𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘥𝘰𝘯 𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘴 follow the same plot?
Here's what I've noticed in all the books:
Robert is summoned to a speech or an event at a historical place,
He is invited by a friend/a work acquaintance.
Scene shift: You have the antagonist belonging to a secret society or a cult preparing to destroy the world or unleash something dangerous.
Then, you see a female lead helping Robert in his journey of finding answers.
Dan Brown narrates them all through action and tense dialogue peppered with 'real facts'. The author says to make your story ‘unputdownable’, then let it have a ‘morally ambiguous situation’;
Write a great hero with a solid reason why they do what they do.
Write a greater villain with an equally legitimate reason of what makes their evil justifiable.
He then throws his characters face a...
conflict between science vs religion,
modernity vs tradition,
secrets vs transparency.
If you're his fan (like me), then do check out his MasterClass. Tons of great writing lessons here! [The note below is from his reading material. Shared below pics of his recent books that I enjoyed.]
© rayaan_writer (Book pic)
Sometimes, the best reads don't arrive because of formula… they arrive through a phone call from an old friend! This leads me to…
2) I love diving into 'reading rabbit holes' if it is led by a friend.
Few days ago, Suhas Peela from the Young India Fellowship at Ashoka University, called me. We caught up after several months and spoke long about life, work, and everything in between.
Among the dozen topics, our chat moved into 'creativity'... about what it is to live a creative life as an artist. Suhas suggested Julia Cameron's ‘The Artist's Way’.
Right after the call, I got inspired (or rather, I just needed a push to visit a bookshop) and I went hunting for this title at Higginbothams. I didn’t find it but I ended up purchasing:
Nicholas Sparks and M. Night Shyamalan’s ‘Remain’: A Supernatural Love Story
Blake Crouch’s ‘Pines: Book 1’
Stephen King’s ‘Full Dark, No Stars’
Robert M. Pirsig’s ‘The Zen & The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance’
Uketsu’s ‘Strange Houses’
I didn't get the book I wanted but I do have five books that maybe I needed.
(If a friend says to read something, then do try! That’s the most fastest and simplest way to get yourself to buy a book)
© rayaan_writer
I have the habit of over analysing how a writer wrote a scene in a novel. I add notes, highlights in the books as I read. It helps me understand what probably went into the mind of the author as they penned the literary magic on paper… which leads me to…
3) Who is the literary equivalent of a Michael Bay movie?
I'll choose one of my favourite authors Matthew Reilly.
His success as a techno-thriller novelist comes down to his unrealistic action scenes... ridiculous yet soo fun to read.
Sample the 'action sequence' from the photo I've shared below from his #book 𝘐𝘤𝘦 𝘚𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 (1998).
© rayaan_writer
It follows a team of US Force Recon Marines led by Shane "Scarecrow" Schofield, dispatched to Antarctica after a research team at Wilkes Station is found missing following a mysterious discovery deep beneath the ice. Scarecrow is pitted against French commandos, British SAS, killer whales, and mutated sea creatures!
I love Matthew's work for the pacing as it reads like a Hollywood script with:
Short sentences.
Paragraph breaks.
Sharp dialogue.
Crisp descriptions.
In an interview with Australian Writers' Centre, he says:
"So when Ice Station was being edited I was often educating my editor. They said, "Oh, what about this?" I said, "No, no. This is something that thriller readers will be OK with." They said, "Oh, OK." So to their credit, it was almost like Warner Bros making The Matrix. "We don't quite understand this, but it looks good.""
This reminded me of a quote by Nicolas Cole on keeping one’s writing short: “Simplicity is velocity”.
And that’s all for today!
If this landed with you, forward this edition to a reader or writer in your world who might appreciate it. I also post atomic essays on LinkedIn three times a week. Come say hello. Feel free to reach me at [email protected] 😊❤️
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