Dear J,
It was a great pleasure to participate in your Novel writing class here in Walnut Creek, CA, on Oct 12, 2025. The class started in a truly strict school teacher classroom-style, demanding our undivided focus and attention. I was terrified in the beginning about whether I would be able to sustain the whole day in the classroom. As soon as the class started, you were able to get ourcomplete attention immediately by diving into the essence of Novel writing.
The following are the key takeaways for me:
1. Literature consolidates human thoughts and experiences, and creates, contributes and shapes culture, religion, and society, eventually helping to establish identity and authority in this world.
2. Start writing once the basic research required to start the novel is complete. As you start writing, carry out additional research as required for your novel.
3. Refrain from utilizing big shifts (character/location/ theme) as a novice writer.There were multiple emotional moments for me when you narrated excerpts from stories as examples to illustrate the writing principles. Barabbas by Pär Lagerkvist, Balyasakhi by Basheer, Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse, Kochi Grihastha (not sure about this title yet), to name a few.
I was able to relate to and identify with most of the novel writing principles, such as theme, plot, narration, character arc, and character rules in the Jeyakanthan novels that I have read before. However, the transformation, aka “catharsis” that authors make happen in the readers’ minds just by their stories/novels is still unfathomable to me; maybe it actually demonstrates the power of words and prose.
I still do not fully comprehend how art/literature (arrangement of words) can have such a huge impact on the human mind. I feel that no matter how deeply we dissect, analyze, and structure the stories that we want to write/tell, the power of art bringing certain transformation in the readers’ minds is still a mystery to me. I would like to continue to experience this mystery endlessly, as a readerunburdened by further analysis.
Personally, I also enjoyed being in your presence during other events during your California Bay Area visit. I hope to attend all your classes in Vellimalai someday. A small group of literary enthusiasts under the umbrella of Vishnupuram Literary Circle Bay Area Chapter meets monthly to discuss literary works. Anyone interested in joining can reach out at
thanks
Bansi
