In Conversation with Vishnu J

About Vishnu J

Vishnu J is a software developer by profession and a storyteller by passion. His preferred medium to narrate his stories is through the pen. He loves his fantasy and thriller stories and consumes them as much as he can. He loves to experiment with his storytelling, narrate the tale in a manner that is unexpected and bring the entire story in its best version possible from the most interesting voices in the story to make it as immersive as he can. He is currently writing a dual book series titled ‘Ritterturnier’ which would succeed his debut ‘Crimson Uprising’

LiFT: Tell us about your book, the journey of writing it and its content?

Vishnu J: I remember the day I started writing this novel. The idea had been with me for a long time, and I was simply waiting for my 12th-grade board exams to end. That was when the COVID-19 pandemic hit, canceling the last board exam, Computer Science. On the day I got the news that the exam had been canceled, I began writing my novel.

I wasn’t new to writing. I had started several projects before, but none of them ever neared completion. There were many moments when I almost gave up on this one too—times when I doubted my writing, worried about a plot hole, or simply didn’t feel like writing.

But time healed all doubts. It took its sweet time, but as the book progressed, it gave me confidence. When I estimated that I had finished about 65% of the novel, I knew I had to see it through, given it was the furthest I had ever come. And finish it, I did. It took me a total of 3.5 years to complete this novel, with most of that time spent editing and crafting the best narrative I could. The climactic chapters—the last four—alone took a year to write. I wanted them to be perfect, and I am ecstatic to say that those chapters are, in my opinion, some of the best pieces of fiction I have ever written.

LiFT: Why you chose this title?

Vishnu J: Crimson Uprising was not the original title of this novel. The name I started off with was ‘Throne Reserved’
And then it became, ‘The Deep end’ as the climax approached.
Once the book was finished, with multiple rounds of editing and the final version became clearer, ‘Crimson Uprising’ stood out as an obvious choice.

It described the plot of the story in the best way possible and there was really no other close contender.

LiFT: When did you realize that you want to be a writer and what’s your inspiration behind it?

Vishnu J: I’m going to go way back for this one.

I was about ten when my school introduced an extra period towards the end of the day for one week, dedicated to training for the annual school day. Some students went for training, but most of us had to stay in class with nothing to do. Our class teacher’s solution to keep us occupied was to mandate that we read any book during that time. It didn’t matter which book, as long as we were reading.

I used to read the addictive Geronimo Stilton series and enjoyed it, but I noticed that one of my classmates wasn’t reading, and the teacher was allowing it. Curious, I asked her why. She replied that she didn’t like reading books and hadn’t brought one, so she had decided to write her own instead. It felt like a revelation to my tiny little brain back then.

I spent the rest of the week writing a story about a thief who stole a television. But when he tries to switch it on to watch the live telecast of the IPL, he realizes he forgot to steal the remote. In his anger, he burns the television and flees the country, selling whatever parts remain to fund his escape.

It’s incredibly silly, but it was the start of my journey.

LiFT: Where do you see yourself ten years down the line in the world of literature?

Vishnu J: I kid you not, I have a writing list that tells me the stories that I want to write moving forward. It has covered me for the next eight years. Hopefully, by then, I will have a lot of people enjoying my stories and have a great time with it. That’s all I want. People to enjoy my stories and want more of it.

LiFT: How much do you think marketing or quality of a book is necessary to promote a particular book and increase its readers?

Vishnu J: I have observed over the years that the marketing of the book is significantly more important to promote the novel. You may write an average or even a badly written novel, but if you have any kind of fame, or have strong marketing capabilities, you will be able to attract so much more sales than the average book that gets published today.

Not saying that the quality doesn’t matter but you can possibly go on and write the best novel known to mankind, but if nobody knows about it, nobody is buying it.

LiFT: What is the message you want to spread among folks with your writings?

Vishnu J: There is strength in unity and none in standing alone. If we truly want to make a change, standing alone won’t help, especially when the adversity is severe. Throughout human history, we have become increasingly divided as time goes on. Communities fracture, and hatred grows, making the outlook for humanity seem increasingly bleak.

I firmly believe that our only chance of survival is if we come together—as one, as humans.

LiFT: What do you do apart from writing?

Vishnu J: If I am not writing, then I am either working (duh), watching a movie, raging as my favourite football team (Chelsea FC, and Kerala Blasters FC) invents new ways to lose on the pitch, or reading a book, mostly thrillers.

LiFT: What are the activities you resort to when you face a writer’s block?

Vishnu J: The best thing to do when facing writer’s block is to take a break in my opinion. If your mind is struggling and frustrated at the prospect of getting through it, pushing it even harder is not gonna result in a good outcome. Take a break. Leave your story alone for a couple of days, weeks or a month even and get back to it. You gain a fresh perspective and new ways to continue the story.

LiFT: What if your story will be adopted as a movie? Whom would you want to work as a director or actors in it?

Vishnu J: I have given it a fair bit of thought earlier, and I have answers for this.

If the movie is being made in English, then I would easily want either Christopher Nolan, Ridley Scott or Martin Scorsese to direct it.

If it’s being made in India, I would like it if it’s Vetrimaran or Jeethu Joseph.

The film will bang if any of them made it I am sure.

LiFT: Are you working on your next book? If yes, please tell us something about it.

Vishnu J: Yes! I’ve titled it Ritterturnier, and unlike my debut, I’m confident this title will stick.

While it belongs to the same genre, this story is far more ambitious than my previous work. It’s inspired by the tales of the Mahabharata and Game of Thrones, and it’s shaping up to be almost three times the length of Crimson Uprising.

I don’t want to reveal too much about the plot, but my excitement for this project keeps growing as I write. I expect to finish the manuscript by the end of January and aim to publish it, bringing you all to the world of the Eastern Domain as early as Q2 of 2025.

LiFT: What are your suggestions to the budding writers/poets so that they could improve their writing skills?

Vishnu J: Just. Keep. Writing.
No book or story is ever going to be perfect and honestly nor will it be product you expect it to be when you are done with it. It may get depressing and you may even hate what you have written down, but keep working on it. Keep editing it and I assure you, you will get the end result you wanted, and cherish it.

Click here to order Vishnu J’s Book – Crimson Uprising