How did you get the idea of writing a novel together?

Our English teachers at school suggested that we take this up. The project initially started with a larger group of students, but eventually settled down to six of us. One mentor was assigned to all the groups who facilitated the brain mapping and writing process. We had a lot of meetings, discussing basic themes, plot points and characters. These meetings were quite intense as each author contributed ideas, concepts and story lines that we appraised and vilified.

Initially, we did the writing by rotating the chapters between us as a cycle. Individually we would carry the plot forward, chapter by chapter. However, when we had written nearly half of the book, we were short on time since all of us were studying in separate universities. So we got together one day and started a parallel writing phase so we could finish up the project quickly.

Throughout the writing of Shades of prey, many chapters were rewritten, some edited and then re-edited, while some were discarded.

There must have been arguments regarding the plot, characters and how the novel would turn out. How did you resolve these differences?

Discussion and debates were a very important part of writing Shades of prey, because there were six different storytellers with six different perceptions. We disagreed a lot on how we wanted a character to develop, how we wanted the plot to proceed and so on. Everyone in the group was pretty opinionated.

The good thing was that all of us were ready to listen to one anothers point of view and we would all give our reasons for wanting things a certain way. Each recommendation was discussed to the point where everyone came to a definite conclusion whether it made sense to the storyline or not.

From the names of the characters, to naming of the book we would discuss and reach a consensus. Where a difference of opinion existed, a majority vote had the final say. We usually ended up doing what the majority wanted even though some of us might have remained unconvinced.

Why did you self-publish your novel? Our teacher, Ms Pervez, came up with the idea of self-publishing. We had submitted our manuscript to various publishers, but we werent satisfied with their terms and conditions. Also, after putting in so much effort and time in planning, discussing and writing the novel, we didnt want to wait for it to hit the shelves one or two years down the line.

How did you market your novel?

We self-marketed our novel. We used the internet efficiently, creating a website containing basic information about the novel and its availability, while also creating a Facebook group. Moreover, the novel was available for ordering online from amazon.com, thus making it available internationally. Apart from the launch of the book, interviews on channels, and book reading events further helped us market the work, enabling us to tell people about our experience and its final product.

What were the three main lessons that you learnt from this venture?

We learnt that time management, hard work and teamwork are very important when doing something as a group. Accommodating others and taking their perspective into consideration is also very important. Such a venture is always a kind of exercise in learning how to write, edit and evaluate one's own work.

What has been the response to your novel?

The response has been amazing so far. Everyone has appreciated the effort and the creativity put in the novel. An easy to read, suspense page turner novel always appeals to a large audience, which was true in our case. The most overwhelming response, however, has been from the younger readers who want to know how we went about writing it and how they could do it on their own. However, we also met people who had a lot to criticise.

Any words of wisdom for aspiring writers?

If writing is something you like, you should do so without fearing whether people will like it or not. Don't let others dictate what you write. If you have the passion, scribble all you want and what you want. Never let your writing get stagnant. Keep experimenting! Learn how to face rejections early. Youll have to face a lot of those if you plan to make it into the creative field so you need to come to grips with it early on.