I bring rawness into storytelling: Sid Kapdi

At a spooky themed resort in Mahabaleshwar, bestselling author Sivan Singh conducts a workshop on advanced horror-writing. On its final day, nine participants, influenced by their eerie experiences during their stay, along with an enigmatic writer, go all out for the story narration competition, Scare Me If You Can. Let your head spin around as you see everything going wrong and horror becoming a reality with author SID KAPDI masterfully crafting a unique backdrop and blending 10 immaculately written, fast-paced Indian stories based in different cities with the horror quotient rising with each story.
An engineering graduate from WIT and an MBA from NMIMS, Sid has spent over two decades in the IT industry performing techno-functional and leadership roles in transformational IT projects with Fortune 500 clients. Based out of Mumbai, Sid was born in Gujarat and did schooling in Gujarat and Mumbai. He, at present, works with a global consulting and IT giant.
Excerpts of an interview with SAURABH TANKHA…

When did Sid Kapdi, the professional who has spent over two decades in the IT industry, decide to pick up the pen and start writing?
I was wanting to get into fiction writing for a while, but it was never a priority and hence I was not serious about it. Just for fun, some of us friends (schoolmates) used to write small episodes on our WhatsApp group involving our friends as characters. Some of the friends felt that a couple of us had good potential and should make an attempt at writing. Around the start of 2018, I began to explore a bit, attended lit-fests and joined a few FB groups. Around mid-2018, I knew what my first book would be, and in November 2018 I wrote the first draft.

Tell us about Scare Me If You Can.
When I started practicing fiction writing, I began with prompt-based writing, with short stories. Also, I liked to experiment with variety. This gave rise to an idea of having a bunch of varied stories integrated into a larger plot. I wrote about a dozen outlines and formed nine stories. The backdrop took a lot of thinking but once I finalised it, everything fell into place. I was lucky to have met the right people such as bestselling author Neil D’Silva and literary agent Suhail Mathur at the right time and my journey was decently smooth. My publisher Treeshade Books and their team too provided immense support, and thus Scare Me If You Can is a dream debut for me.

What made you choose horror and crime and not any other genre?
When my friends and relatives learnt that I was going to write and publish, their guess was that I would write comedy or something in IT. However, I wanted to write outside my comfort zone. Also, I found that scaring the readers is much more challenging and fun, as compared to making them laugh or cry.

Has any of the 10 stories in Scare Me If You Can inspired by a real life incident?
No, the central theme of each story is imaginary. However, the situations and backdrops used in many stories are from real life. In one of the stories, there are back and forth cab trips within Aarey Colony past midnight. Since I pass by Aarey for my commute to office and I know how the travel feels late in the night, I was able to choose the real spots and bring authenticity into the story.

Your favourite among these 10 stories and why?
My favourite is Ajgar. This story has a powerful antagonist as the lead character, and the story has been told from his POV. It is very different from the others and it really hits you. A reader would shudder at the end of the story, imagining the scenes of torture and punishment. The best part is, the story does not end.

If you were to attempt any other genre besides crime and horror?
I could look at a blend of comedy or romance or sci-fi with horror or crime, but would stick to these two. Of course, if there is a Eureka moment for me, I could end up writing in any genre.

How different are you from other authors?
I feel my stories are genuine, unique, come with a lot of visual impact, revolve around real people and situations and my articulation is simple and effective. I also bring a rawness into storytelling, and I do not shy away from describing something the way it should be.

In your opinion, what is that one thing which is the most important part of a book?
I think the stories should seem as real as possible. It takes a bit of research and effort, but I feel the core of the story could be imaginary but the situations and the way people behave in them, should seem real. That way, the stories can stay in the reader’s mind for a longer time.

Is writing energising or exhausting?
For me, it is certainly energising because it is a way for me to create my own world and experiment with ideas. Mentally sometimes it gets exhausting when I try to write something that involves high emotions and I can feel what my character feels.

What does it take to be a good storyteller?
Observation, imagination, research, creativity, patience, articulation

Do book covers matter as much as the content?
Certainly, because they are the face of the book and the online world sees the thumbnail of the book before anything else. It matters more for relatively new authors. For impulse buyers too, a good cover can attract an onlooker even if it is for a moment.