The Art of Storytelling

Art of Writing

One of the most common questions my readers ask is about my writing process. First, let me say that I don’t have any formal training in creative writing; I simply follow what feels natural to me. In Indian philosophy, the term for creation is Srishti, meaning "to pour forth," and for me, writing is precisely that—a pouring forth of what lies within me. Some parts of my work come from examining my mind, while others require me to dig deep into my soul.?

Readers of my book Waiting to Breathe can often sense which sections come from my thoughts and which are expressions of my heart and soul. The foundation of my stories is always the characters. Once they are fully realized, they take on lives of their own, guiding the story forward in unexpected ways.

Character Development

Each character in a story has a unique level of refinement, shaped by the depth required for the narrative. I think of a character as a jigsaw puzzle: the more complex the character, the more pieces they have, requiring careful assembly. The characters in my story are inspired by real people, though not as direct portraits. A character’s core essence might come from one person, while traits and nuances are drawn from many others. However, all these traits must fit together harmoniously, supporting the central essence of the character.

Take Kodjo, for example, a refugee from Ghana in my book. His essence was inspired by Francis Ngannou, the UFC fighter who overcame immense hardship—working in mines and crossing the desert to reach France, eventually becoming a worldwide sensation. Yet, other aspects of Kodjo’s life and personality are inspired by friends and people I’ve met from Africa.

A key element in my character development is my curiosity about people and the arcs of their lives. My characters are shaped by people from all walks of life—friends, family, acquaintances, even figures I’ve read about in fiction or mythology. Whenever I encounter an intriguing personality, I fictionalize it, evolving it further to fit my story. This practice allows me to build a library of characters, ready to step into the story as they’re needed.

The Big Game

Once you’ve chosen the central characters from the "library" of your imagination, it’s time to breathe life into them. You begin by placing these characters into a specific situation, allowing the story to unfold naturally from there. Each character responds to the situation based on their unique personality, and this interaction gradually shapes the storyline.

As the narrative develops, you start introducing new characters, and soon, the story begins to take on a life of its own. While you may have an idea of where the plot should lead, the characters often have plans of their own. For me, it sometimes feels as though they’re sitting beside me, sharing their stories directly.

However, letting the story roam entirely unchecked isn’t ideal; if left solely to the characters, they can steer the narrative off course. To keep the story aligned with the core themes, you need to guide the narrative, gently nudging it back to serve the vision you have for the book. This balance between free-flowing character development and directed storytelling is where the magic of writing truly happens.

Editing

Writing the first draft of a book is only about 20% of the work; the remaining 80% is all in the editing.I read each chapter at least 15 to 20 times, and with each pass, the characters and storylines grow tighter and more refined.Unnecessary words, extraneous characters, subplots, and digressions are pruned or removed altogether. Sometimes, I even end up rewriting whole chapters. This is also the time to identify and resolve any plot holes. Filling these gaps often means revisiting multiple parts of the book to ensure consistency.?

Each subplot is like a stream originating from a mountain; just as each stream ultimately flows to the ocean, every subplot must contribute something meaningful to the story’s grand finale. If a subplot doesn’t add to this outcome, it has to go.

The same principle applies to characters and the core message: the final theme must remain simple and clear. Any plot thread or character that adds complexity without value must also be trimmed, no matter how much I might love it. Cutting these elements can be painful, but the sacrifice is worth it.

I rely heavily on grammar and spell-check tools to polish each detail, but editing can feel endless. At some point, you have to take a step back, feel satisfied with what you’ve crafted, and release it to the world.

Higher Power

The universal law states that information can neither be created nor destroyed. In line with this truth, all the characters and stories in this book were not invented but received. They already existed in some form within the universe, waiting to be tuned into. To access them, I had to elevate my consciousness to match their frequency. One of the most frequent comments I receive from readers is about the last three chapters—how I could possibly have written them. The truth is, those chapters emerged from a place of deep introspection and meditation on God. They feel less like something I wrote and more like something that moved through me, as if I were only a medium. In the process, those words transformed me. The only analogy that comes to mind is Escher’s Drawing Hands, where two hands draw each other—a loop of creation and reflection, where creator and creation become one.