I’ve called Percy Wadiwala
of The Slacker
Tales as
the Sachin Tendulkar of our little literary
world. So good that the world loves him - even worships him, but that means that he is eternally cursed to perform,
as if he is obliged to serve something
better every time. I have read Percy’s stories, reviews, and excerpts consistently over a period of time and I can safely
say that the God of Cricket will be happy to associate his name with this God
King (a title aptly given to him by Aindrila and Pritesh).
So, Percy Wadiwala
shared a short story, ‘A Reason to Live’ with Ritesh
Kukrety. Ritesh reviewed it. Imagine, a story which has been read by three to four people
including the author gets a review on a blog! No, Ritesh isn’t a serial reviewer nor a serial
blogger and knowing Percy,
I know he would not have asked for
it. The idea that Ritesh
had something to say about the story triggered a handful of people into
asking Percy for the story, including me. I am late to
begin, as well as a slow reader. When I got the story in my hand I knew
I was going to take some
time to read it. But people, especially on FB have no patience. They reviewed
it with praise galore in the
comments. The problem with FB is it's an infectious place, people outdo each other to look good or
score marks. Yes, I am a skeptical person. There was a minuscule chance that the story would not be
all that great.
Also, this was a period
when I was fighting my own inner battles. How good am I?Why my stories didn’t make
it to any of the contests
that ran around including UnBound, a magazine curated by my own group? The debut novel I was working on looked frivolous
and a run-of-the-mill kind of story. I was doing what I could. Making character sheets, drawing the infographics, but I moved nowhere. This battle ripped apart my
soul as a writer and I’d nearly given up, ready to hang my boots even before
the game had begun. Amidst
all this,I opened the story received in my mailbox and it was fucking 30 odd
pages and I shook my head. I KNEW I won’t make it to the finish line. Like my
works, this will remain incomplete.
But then, I began to read
it then I savored it and then it was over in a day without a hassle. The
characters and their conflict were etched
in my mind for days to come.
The story triggered a
debate in my mind - what exactly
is good writing and no, this was not about grammar. For a
great story, it is given that it is well edited and proofread
before it is presented to an audience. What makes a story
told and retold over a period of time better than others? Why must people
read my stories?
Then one day someone made a
post on the group. It had a 100 or more comments singing
the praises of the said flash fiction. Yes,
reviews are good and when they are in hundreds the much entire better. It
piqued my curiosity. The post was deliberately written for receiving an applause and someone might say there is nothing wrong in receiving the applause, yes they are right. But the OP had done gross injustice to one of the characters which was unacceptable. The OP must have thought the piece would create hope in this unjust and selfish world.The post it riled me to an
extent that I was willing to walk up to the OP and tell - Listen, please don’t
write. But I didn’t for
two reasons - 1) I feel everyone should write irrespective their talent
and 2) I, myself, as a writer was
struggling to come out with anything readable. Most writers work hard, they live in recluse and build characters in solitary and this OP was nothing but a blot on such writers.
My own story which I began
to write after reading ‘A
Reason to Live’, a submission for
Juggernaut’s prompt #FirstLove looked nothing more than a piece of pedestrian writing. It was so bad that I felt I
should leave it midway and also I was fast pacing towards a
feeling of “never take the quills in your hand”. In recent times, the Internet has been a great
support to my writing but at the same time, I could have been mistaken for
someone who constantly seeks attention and it’s the last thing I want. Cautiously, I spoke to Ravi
Kumar and Percy. Ravi Kumar reminded me that we as writers write for ourselves.
Yes, the primary customer is us, always. On the other hand, Percy pointed out
that I don’t concentrate on my work which was again true. He gave few more tips
which I won’t tell here and I was back with a bang. Once I finished it I sent
it to him for editing and he said in his email (I am going to frame these
lines) --
“I like the story itself. A good way of telling a
story, though ‘First Love’ is not exactly the focus, but as a story on its own it’s a good thing you have there. Wish I had
had the idea :)”
I was ready to shout from
the rooftop after reading these lines. But then, doubt crept in because Mr.
Wadiwala is an awfully nice guy. So, I sent it to Ravi Kumar knowing that it’s
not the genre Ravi reads. Frankly, I was not expecting Ravi to read it but Ravi not only read it but also suggested that I
should fine tune it which of course even Percy had suggested. This I must tell
you is golden moment of my writing career. This is what I seek as a
writer. Appreciation from my peers. I already felt like a winner but then it
didn’t end here.
A fellow named Anirban
shared a
review of yet another short
story written by Percy. It was titled as - “Alayne’s Smile”. I called for it to read. Another round of praise on FB and once again I read, savored and finished
it.
In Reason to Live, the
author writes 20 odd pages before he gives a reason for Daranos Drivas (a
character set in the mythical world of Mithos) to live.
Drivas is several centuries old,
technically immortal, and is contemplating to sleep permanently
(i.e. end his own life). The 20 odd
pages are all about Daranos , his world, his race, his academy, his students, and in the end his life. In these pages, he
presents the conflicts between the races inhabiting Mithos, conflicts within Daranos’s mind and
then gives him a reason to live.
Alayne’s Smile is a
completely different story set in Midgard about a few college friends which is
an imaginary town similar to Mumbai. In this story, he sets up conflict on page
2 and not only that, but
author hits you with a conflict and how! And I knew from here the story could go anywhere and
absolutely anywhere. I liked the way it unfolded, in the end, evoking emotions
ranging from momentary euphoria to eternal sadness.
I have read authors who
churn out stories in the same fashion in which they have written earlier ones, making them sound mundane. I might be one such
author. Though I do know Percy has written these stories years apart they still can be seen in a comparative
sight. Both stories are
distinctly different in language -- In former, Percy weaves subplots together
in simplest language showing you the Drivas Academy, its legacy and its staff
while in the latter he a uses a more complex method of telling the story to
keep audience’s attention. I
can’t say which one is better but they will remain my favorite, equally until I
receive something more from him.
After reading Alayne’s
Smile my thought strayed to my own story ‘Fault’ edited by Percy and the good
things he said about it (Not available in public domain as it has been
submitted for a contest) and other stories, I now want to work a lot harder on
these stories. As Pritesh keeps saying --
‘We must match the level at which Percy writes.’
Edit: If you wish to read his works and wondering where to begin here are some links - Wuthering Heights, once again , She was the best of us., Lost Boys of Aiden
