A teen author's dilemma

Panav Bali

Being a teen-author is not as easy as it seems. One’s mind is always over-loaded with plot ideas and the twists and turns of creating perfect cliffhangers. But somewhere amongst these ideas, also lies the quest for fame. My books, my stories and my characters all seem so very perfect to me, and I often wonder if it is the same for my readers as well.

Looking around, I can not but help notice that the art of writing is no longer a way of expression, it is more of a ‘business’.

Every new author dreams of being the next best-selling writer and achieving instant fame. This quest for materialistic desires muddles the very foundation of writing — expression and creativity.

After writing three books, I had certain experiences which I believe most budding writers yearn for.

At merely fifteen years of age, my books were being recognised by dignitaries, I was being invited to award ceremonies as a guest of inspiration and I even won an award with my debut book, however, as the human nature encapsulates me too, there was and still is the quintessential desire of achieving fame and having a best-selling book. For me, that was simply what this industry was about.

When this industry is entangled with humanistic notions of profit and wealth, the creativity gradually dies.

I have been offered promotions of my book at a price that outweigh the profits which I would normally be earning from every sale of the same.

All this forces me to wonder if the common man can truly reciprocate his thoughts and stories to the world as it could be done in the yester-centuries.

A budding writer’s dilemma revolves around the question of the type of publishing one can opt in this wide-varying business.

One is indirectly forced to opt for vanity publishing and pay a hefty amount of money just to publish an account of one’s thoughts which rightfully should be expressed.

All of this because traditional publishing has become far from the hands or rather the pen of a writer in today’s world.

Sitting in solitude, I wonder if writing is genuinely appreciated in today’s world.

Afterall, this is the century of the Gen-Z, where I have seen my peers read books not out of curiosity but to hop onto the latest trends or to be valid amongst their peer-group.

Authors can achieve instant success if their book is able to trend on social media or is seen on a teen-influencer’s social media story.

Most of the so called avid-readers face difficulty in comprehending the basic narrative of the book but well, it goes unnoticed in this ‘age of the internet’. This certainly puts pressure on budding authors to question their ability of writing.

The truth in a sense is, that if you are not socially valid, then no big publishing house which is traditional in essence would be interested to be on board with your project.

This is harsh for any writer to read, but is unfortunately the reality.

A reality, which I personally have witnessed.

You can call it maturing as a writer, but now my objective is to express, rather than impress.

I continue to write books, and hope to do to so for decades to come.

But now, the spirit of a writer is not driven by materialistic success rather by the idea of becoming immortal.

Immortal in the sense that even after centuries, if I may remain or not, my book would certainly remain in the nook of a library somewhere, waiting to be read by a genuinely curious reader.

The Parker Beverly series or any other perhaps would go down as the musings of a teenager from India, who dared to enter this industry simply to express.

The writer is a student of Class XII, Bhavan Vidyalaya, Chandigarh