“Publishers have an urge to play it safe and this could come into conflict with a writer’s aspirations,” said bestselling Indian writer Ravi Subramanian during a session titled ‘Fact or Fiction: Thrillers set in the World of Finance’ held at the 41st Sharjah International Book Fair.

At the session moderated by journalist Nasreen Abdulla, the author – a banker by profession, said he found it tough to explore new genres of writing as publishers often advise him to stick to thriller-writing, the genre in which he has already found success.

“I wanted to explore children’s writings, one of the toughest forms of writing. It is hard to keep kids engaged and the language needs to be as simple as possible. To write for children, you need to become a child again and unravel mysteries with their age-appropriate knowledge levels,” he explained.

“There are still very few Indian writers who choose to write for children. In a country with such a huge population, it is regrettable that books for children are still relatively small, and I wanted to contribute my bit to expand it,” he added.

Ravi Subramanian, who has written popular thrillers about banking and bankers, including an award-winning trilogy — The Incredible Banker, The Bankster and Bankerupt, said: “I often absorb real-life nuggets into my characters and this helps to keep the readers hooked. I use flowcharts to create complex strategies while engaged in writing. The shock value keeps you going in thriller writing.”

Curiosity and story-plotting happens 24/7, said the crime thriller author. “And when I sit to write in the 25^th hour and writing flows within, I tend to cut out socialising activities in order to concentrate.”

The master storyteller and author of I Bought the Monk’s Ferrrari, said his biggest critics are his wife and daughter as they are “not obligated to keep me happy”. He added: “I often share manuscripts for immediate feedback and it helps get a different perspective.”

Advising young aspiring writers at SIBF 2022, he said: “No matter what the style of writing you choose, try to be authentic. Think of yourself as becoming a trendsetter and tell a story you have never heard before.”