The Anglerfish Author Subham Acharya talks about his writing journey and a lot more in an exclusive interview. Read now. 

The Anglerfish – a collection of short stories of lives never felt – is a book written by a young Indian Author Subham Acharya.  We caught up with him for an exclusive interview and here it is:

1. Tell us something about yourself in brief. 

I’m a 20 year Old medical student from Odisha, currently pursuing my MBBS from SLN MCH Koraput. More than that I’m an aspirational writer , wildlife lover and enthusiast and a political science enthusiast who has got a keen interest in fields of Zoological sciences, International relations and also economic affairs. I’ve done my schooling from Kendriya Vidyalaya no.2 Bhubaneswar and had prepared for the NEET UG exams for one year while simultaneously pursuing a graduation in B.Sc (Honors), from which I dropped out to join MBBS.  My father is a civil servant , while my mother is a homemaker. During my teen years I was also trained in playing the guitar and classical western Music theory.

2. How did the idea of writing your debut book come into your mind? 

I’ve been writing ever since I was 12 years old. My father, who was in this field before he joined the civil service,  taught me some key styles and basis of writings . I’ve also learnt writing from a friend of mine who’s currently into the Hindi movie industry as an assistant director.

During my school years I would post my writings in magazines but most of the time I would post Writings on Facebook and Quora with a pseudonym (Dr. Shaurya Ace or K.D) – most of which I later deleted or have gotten removed. I worked as a co writer in about 22 anthologies in the time between giving my NEET UG exam and joining College in order to shake off the anxiety. During this time I came to realize having your ideas jotted down in the form of a solo book not only boosts you as a writer but also strengthens your character as more and more people get to know about you directly through your books rather than coming across them in anthologies or Magazines or some random blog.

3. As a writer do you think being a full time writer in India can be a sustainable job? 

Being a writer in India as a full time profession is really risky and needs a lot of patience and sacrifice.  Most of the famous writers in India are not core writers, which means they only write fiction as income. Some are from the creative or journalist field like Anuradha Roy, or Kavita kane and this works to build up recognition and gain exposure. There are people from Corporate and engineering sectors like Amish Tripathy, Anand Neelakantam or Ashwin Sanghi who have a great deal of knowledge on whatever they write while having a stable source of Income. There are also people like Chetan Bhagat who used his IIT – IIM identity to pool in Readers and convince Publishers.

True, many people have become successful and famous through writing only but that requires patience and a lot of marketing.

So I think being a full time writer can not be sustainable for people from the middle class.

4. What books have you read recently that have created an impact on you? 

Recently I read 1984 by George Orwell that tells a lot about how reality can be moulded by the victors and how everyone remains in a partial state of truth. The issues in the Russia-Ukraine conflict (the scars that stayed from the Soviet affair) are a growing testimony to that. When we come across tales of indentured labour from Fiji or the Caribbean we can turn the pages of 1984 and get an idea that how brutal Colonialism and Dictatorship can be.

I read Premchand’s Kayakalp that gives an idea of how religious violence, domestic abuse and casteism just spreads by the ignorance of the middle class and the suppression of the ones that speak . I read “The picture of Dorian Gray” by Oscar Wilde that beautifully spoke of the Gaustian Deal with the devil – how one loses his or her morality in pursuit of power or perfection.  That strikes true for most of the scandals that take place in bureaucracy , journalism or politics. More importantly I read B.C. Chatopadhyaya’s Anandmath (I totally grew up admiring Writers from Cuttack and Calcutta – Odia and Bengali doyens) that speak of honor and nationalism.

5. Who are the people and organisations who have helped you in your writing journey? 

I’d like to thank my father Mr. Subodh Chandra Acharya (OAS SB) first. He has always inspired me to write and grow ahead. I’d like to thank My teachers from school for seeing a growing talent in me as a writer. As most of my writings were online as in the form of posts on Quora and Facebook and other Sites, I got both criticism and Love from a lot of readers- unknown, yet so real- fron across the world. I’d like to thank them as well . My best friend Jai who never understood my writings but would patiently hear me anyways. As in organizations I’d like to thank The inkzoid Publishers,  sgsh and Digital Golgappa as of now.

Last but not the least I’d like to thank someone who used to be a friend, for her I started writing. For someone whom I would not name but secretly thank always for bettering me.

6. Who is your favourite author apart from yourself? 

I worship the famous Odia writer Manoj Das and the Bengali Writer Gurudev Rabindranath Tagore. I’ve read Hindi, Odia (both classical and Sambalpuria), English and Bengali literature and I’ve come across translated versions of Spanish, Russian, German, Italian, French, Punjabi, Urdu, Marathi, Assamese ( Ahomia), Tamil, Malayalam and such. To name a few I’ve idolized Gabriel Marquez, Victor Hugo,  Amrita Pritam, Munshi Premchand, Arundhati Roy( her first work though.) And Anand Neelkantam.

In fields of non fiction , they are mostly Shashi Tharoor, Stephen Hawking, Sadhguru and Jim Corbett.

7. How important is marketing for a book to succeed? 

In short. Marketing is everything in today’s cut throat competition. You can be the next Shakespeare but  until you get noticed your work may get unnoticed like Shakespeare’s works did

8. What is your advice to anyone who has just started his writing journey?

 First of all best wishes and I pray to my lord that you move in your career( even if I don’t know you).

I’d suggest first spending some time reading and understanding novels.  Know what genre attracts you, what type of writing attracts you. Keep reading on that genre and know who the good writers are in that field. The genre that never fails to attract me is Dystopia and symbolism.

That’s why I read all of Orwell’s works. What he meant by “all animals are equal but some animals are more equal”, what the characters of Boxer and Napoleon, and that of squeaker tell to society. What Big brother represents as an authoritative figure. What Suzanne Collins meant through the Mockingbird figure or how the burning of District 12 was depicted. How easily children’s minds can sway through “The lord of the flies”. I’ve even read from lesser known authors and have no shame in reading from aspiring writers. Try to learn from movies and video games .. like what The combine’s regime meant in The half life series or what the suppression field signified.

Try to start using a structured format in whatever language you prefer- plot, script, layout, screenplay, central character,  type of character ( flat or round) and so on.

Find a guide and try to share with him.

Keep on writing and you’ll get better

About The Anglerfish – A collection of short stories of lives never felt – by Subham Acharya

Deep inside the darkest depths of the ocean, there lives the Anglerfish. An ugly fish with a bioluminescent source of light that acts as a bait for its prey. This book takes across several stories of lives never experienced from the point of view of an object that is associated with them. From the story of growing atrocities against doctors to the hapless conditions of educated unemployment. From the story of dowry related deaths to farmer suicides , this book tries to bring forward such stories to the readers in form of prose and poetry.

Amazon: https://www.amazon.in/dp/9356595429/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_awdb_imm_MY0E90DENH29JKX8QZB7