Reviews & Feedback of It Happens

Let me start straight from where I left it in my previous blog.

How did I take the negative reviews or criticisms in my stride and learn from it to make ‘It Happens’ a better book :

1. The romance between Roshni and Gautam was shown less, thereby reader felt a little lack of connection between the couple. The emotional and physical side of their relationship was not explored much.

This was a good point and I agree with this assessment partly. Even though the close bond between them was shown, I made it a part of narrative which did not express the emotional connect in a distinct and descriptive way. This I have addressed by adding a detailed scene of a date the couple have at Roshni’s apartment.

The physical side of the relationship I have tried to keep it restricted to a kiss. This has been
deliberately done as I was very conscious about my readership which would include my children, relatives and parents. Hence I wanted to stay away from steamy scenes as I was personally not comfortable with this space.

The book that an author writes is also reflective of his attitude and views and it is very important to stick to those values in which he or she truly believes.



2. Given the Indian context of the storyline, Gautam’s parents agreeing quickly for the marriage without showing any debate was a let down for many. Indian parents can’t be so easy going.

In my first edition my thought process was not to drag the story by harping on repetitive reasonings and hence I showed that Gautam’s father was a carefree person who himself cared a damn about society norms thereby making it easier for his parents to accept the age gap relationship without creating much of a fuss.

This point was very much appreciated by majority of the readers. But many avid readers and reviewers felt that given the Indian society context, it was too easy and hence difficult to digest.

I agreed to this point and added a long conversation between Gautam’s sister Richa and her pare
nts where the various points were deliberated in detail giving the parent’s perspective. However I ensured that majority of the issues were not same as those raised by Rohit earlier in the book. Else to the reader it might become boring and hence repulsive. A lot of research went in to get the right answers to the concerns raised.


3. Relatives or society in general talking negative about the relationship was missing as the readers wanted to have a debate on the practicality of this kind of bond. 

Again my idea was not to make the age gap debate very repetitive and hence wanted to stay away
from these scenarios which sounded very cliched. When I wrote my book it was meant to be a fun story and not too heavy on emotions. A light story which one would enjoy reading and finish in one go.

However I too felt that the topic deserved a bit more serious approach especially given the Indian context. Discussing various points of views especially the negative ones was important to give a more mature feel to the story.

Hence I added this part at the end as the relatives start to leave the wedding by giving a touch of emotional drama.


4. The story did not have enough sadness and trauma which generally life has.

This is one point I completely disagree with. I feel that there is anyways too much tragedy and sadness in real life today, then why end up adding to your reading discourse as well. Every character goes through its ups and downs but the severity of their downturn does not make the story real. Not everyone’s story is tragic and laced with enough dosage of sadness. Every story and genre is different and the spirit in which it is written is very important.

The additional scenes which I added have seamlessly been woven into the story. This was important as I wanted to maintain the same flow as in the first edition.


5. The word ‘very’ has been used innumerable times.

Coincidentally I got this feedback when I had just started re-editing the book. I found that it was used around 170 times in the book. Got this situation corrected and now the count stands at little over 25 times. Simple points like these are missed out and it is this kind of feedback which helps you to become a better author.


6. Chapter names were unnecessary.

I agree with this. I gave the names for it to be like a header for every chapter. But in the second edition all chapter names have been removed as I felt they used to give away the flow of the section and I wanted the curiosity to remain.


7. The language was too simple.

For me the story and the narration of it are the key. If the reader can seamlessly read without getting bogged down or confused by the language then it is even better. I have always maintained that my forte as an author is that I am a storyteller rather than being a literature person.



8. Some of the scenes were too descriptive thereby hindering the flow of the story.
In my opinion it is important as an author to create a proper account of the surroundings to

a) develop the context
b) to let the reader get the right picture about where the characters are.

This helps in placing the reader right amongst the characters making him/her even more engrossed in the book.

The reader should be able to imagine the entire story as if it is being played in front of him, giving a cinematic experience.

As the author we sometimes get too invested in the story and hence you need another person to audit it. This is where the importance of a very good editor lies. Before publishing one should always get the book edited and also let 3-4 of your confidantes be it avid or casual readers, read the story before going ahead with it. 

All the feedback will only make your book better and hence being patient is a virtue which all authors should have.