Shikhar Goyal: Author Feature

Author Shikhar Goyal knew he wanted to be a storyteller when he was 11 years old. His writing journey began rather serendipitously when he joined what he thought was a cursive writing club at school to fix his bad handwriting, and it turned out to be a creative writing club instead. Fortunately, the teacher in-charge, Mrs Juliana Dsouza, was quick to discover the creative spark and encourage him to hone his talent. It wasn’t very long before he won his first prize in a writing contest. The prize, a cheque for the sum of Rs. 300, is still in his parents safekeeping as a proud momento of the start of Shikhar’s writing life.

When Shikhar Goyal’s debut novel, Delhi Disco, was published earlier this year, it was a culmination of a lifetime dream. An easy, urban read, the novel stands out in the genre of crime fiction as a story that doesn’t take itself too seriously. With its tonality underlined with humour, the vivid imagery and the pace, Delhi Disco has the makings of a delightful series. In addition, the fact that the author did a handwritten draft in our overtly technology driven times, intrigued us and we sat to find out more about Shikhar Goyal’s journey of storytelling, his inspiration and learnings.

Let’s start with what drew you to writing crime fiction? Are there real-life cases or headlines that sparked your imagination?

Even more than crime fiction, I’m drawn to the concept of whodunnits. A critique of whodunnits is that it is the most formulaic genre. In the sense that there is always a crime committed early on, a protagonist who is actively trying to get to the bottom of things, and a dramatic reveal awaits at the end. It appeals to the way we are wired as human beings. And even though most of us don’t have anything to do with murders or crime in our everyday lives (I hope), the reader in us loves the sense of urgency, the thrill, and the change in the status quo created by these events. As a writer, I feel that if I can invoke these feelings, it will be a job well done!

There are so many real-life cases that make me wonder if fact is truly stranger than fiction. For my book, the Jessica Lal case served as a genesis of sorts for the title – Delhi Disco. Once when I was out with my friends in Hauz Khas Village in Delhi, a friend pointed towards a lively discotheque and announced to our entire group that the Jessica Lal incident had taken place there many years ago. It got me thinking about the many stories that are hidden all around us.

In writing Delhi Disco, did you outline the crime and solution first, or plot around the characters?

I definitely had an idea of the crime and how I would play it out in the climax first. Once I had that clarity, I locked in my protagonists, Neil and Sameera, and other characters materialised around them.

Which part of the book was hardest to write? And is there any scene or passage you’re particularly proud of?

The bit of violence towards the end was difficult to write. I didn’t know where to strike the balance between too many details and too few details about every little thing that takes place during those scenes. I was aiming for a slight cinematic feel and had to rewrite those scenes a few times before getting them right.

I am proud of the way I have written Chef Alex’s diary entries, which are spread across the book. Some of the entries serve as a time capsule for the events that took place before the current timeline. And some throw light on the interiority of Alex’s mind. I enjoyed writing all of them.

Now that the book is out, what are the reactions you hope your readers will have when they finish reading it?

The first reaction I hope is that they didn’t see the BIG reveal coming in the end. Haha! And that is actually something people tell me all the time, that the climax was unpredictable. As a true-blue fan of the whodunit genre, it is very satisfying. Apart from that, I hope the readers walk away not only entertained but also can reflect on the chaotic inner lives of the main characters.

Considering that the book lived with you for over 3 years, how has writing Delhi Disco changed you?

For starters, sitting with myself without the constant distractions of social media or the allure of OTT platforms has become easier. It has also made me more structured with my thoughts. As a fiction writer, one has thousands of random ideas ranging from plot points to character quirks, flowing into their head every single day. I feel I can now better categorise these ideas into what’s useful and what’s not. My brain is not working on overdrive all the time.

What’s the best advice you got when you were writing the book? And in turn, what advice would you give to aspiring authors on your genre?

The best advice came when I had to do the editing. I was told to stay away from the book for a while after finishing it. To marinate it for a couple of months, so that I could view it with objectivity and freshness to recognise the blind spots while editing it.

My advice to fellow writers is to spit out the first draft without striving for perfection! It is meant to be full of plot holes, dead ends, and half-constructed subplots. The second draft is where the major cleanup happens, and the book reaches a worthy level. And it gets significantly easier with subsequent drafts.

Particularly for whodunnits, my suggestion would be to test your crime and solution combo with different readers and get a gauge on whether or not it is working. Sometimes, things make a lot more sense in our minds than on paper. Gotta kill your darlings!

It’s rather unusual these days to do a handwritten draft. Do please share your reasons for the same.

It is actually a two-fold reason. First, all my earlier attempts at writing a full-fledged novel were on the computer, and each time, I could never get past a couple of thousand words. The convenience of the Backspace key was my downfall; I kept editing and perfecting every sentence instead of moving the story forward. So this time, I made a conscious decision to write by hand and to push through and finish an imperfect draft rather than abandon a perfect, unfinished one.

The second reason is a bit simpler (and maybe a little funny)- I’m trying to get rid of my glasses! I’ve already spoiled my eyes with far too much screen time, so writing on paper felt like a good way to give them a break.

What’s next for you? Are you working on anything new?

Oh yes! I have started groundwork for my next story. It is a similar blend of genres as Delhi Disco– murders, romance, and a generous dash of humour. Hopefully, my next conversation with Coffee and Conversations can be about my next book soon. Fingers crossed!

Finally, how do you like your coffee? And if you could invite any fictional character for a cup of coffee, who would it be?

I am a big iced Americano junkie. Need that caffeine boost in the first half of the day.

I’d love to have coffee with Mr Hercule Poirot, Agatha Christie’s Belgian protagonist. I’d love to pick his brain about his process, and ask him, “If you had to commit an unsolvable murder, how’d you do it?”