An interview with Nihar Suthar, author of The Corridor of Uncertainty.
Hi!
Welcome to Zigzag Timeline. Can you tell us about your background as an author?
Hi!
Thank you so much for inviting me onto Zigzag Timeline. I’m excited and honored
to be here. I am a pretty young author - 20 years old and just graduated from
Cornell University in New York. I majored in Applied Economics and Management.
As you can imagine, I don’t exactly have any formal training in writing.
However,
anybody can uniquely and creatively express themselves through writing. That is
exactly what I have done. I make it a point to express my positivity through my
writing. All of my work has to do with some sort of true, motivational story.
I’ve
written two books so far. My first book was Win
No Matter What, released in May 2013. It’s a compilation of short,
inspirational stories with messages on how we can improve our mood, attitude,
and perception of others.
The
second book, which I’m most excited about, is titled The Corridor of Uncertainty. It actually just came out today
(February 1)! That book is about the miraculous rise of the Afghan cricket team
against the Taliban.
What
got you into writing?
Strangely
enough, I never envisioned myself being a writer. When I was going through high
school, I hated both writing and reading! The story for me becoming a writer
has to do with a few experiences I had, though. I originally come from a very
small town in Pennsylvania. As a result, when I went to New York for my first
year of college, I was SHOCKED. Culturally, emotionally, and just about any
other type of shock one could have. It was a huge change for me, coming from a
small town to suddenly being in the middle of all the action. In my first year
of New York life, there were two observations I ultimately made:
1.
There
is a ridiculous amount of negative information in the world! I don’t think I
ever heard more than one positive piece of news per day while in my first year
of college.
2.
Everybody
in New York has a unique way of expressing themselves. I needed to find a
unique way to express myself as well.
I
have no idea what happened or why I did it, but one day after class, I just sat
down at a computer and wrote out a few motivational stories. It was my way of
expressing myself and increasing the amount of positive information in the
world. Since that point, I’ve fallen in love with writing – and I hope to be an
author for quite some time J.
What was the first
idea you had for your book, and how did the story grow from there?
The
first idea I had for my newly released book, The Corridor of Uncertainty, was just wanting to write something
that was different. I wanted to write something inspirational that also broke
down countless boundaries. I found the perfect idea one day without even
consciously searching for it. In January 2014, when my family was on holiday in
Australia, I saw a short article in the local newspaper (I have no idea what
the name of it was now) about the Afghan cricket team. My first question (as
many other people also now ask me) was, “Afghanistan has a cricket team?!”
I
looked more into the story and found out that it was perfect. I could write
about religion, politics, cricket, and the Middle East area – all topics that
many people in today’s world are not completely comfortable talking about.
Among
your characters, who's your favorite? Could you please describe him/her?
My favorite
character in The Corridor of Uncertainty
is by far Karim Sadiq Khan. He becomes one of the star cricket players on the
Afghan cricket team after growing up in a refugee camp. He’s the best though
because he always cracks jokes. No matter what the situation is, he’s always
lighthearted. He also loves bragging about his muscles. I relate most to him
because I like to think that I am also lighthearted and make good jokes (though
some people may not agree…haha!).
What's your favorite scene from your
novel? Could you please describe it?
My favorite
scene from The Corridor of Uncertainty
is when the Afghan cricket team finally qualifies for the 2015 Cricket World
Cup. It’s just incredible to see the impact that a sport has on the entire
country of Afghanistan. When the Afghan cricket players come back home to
celebrate their qualification for the World Cup, thousands of fans came to
congratulate them. Even members of the Taliban are happy. It is the only day
where there is no violence in all of Afghanistan.
It’s
as if cricket mended the entire country from all its troubles (hence the “how
cricket mended a torn nation” subtitle in my book).
What's
your favorite part of writing? Plotting? Describing scenes? Dialogue?
My favorite part
of writing is most definitely adding the detailed descriptions of scenes and
characters. I just think it requires so much creativity, and it really makes me
think out of the box. It’s always nice to do that. I don’t think most people
get enough of a chance to do it on a daily basis.
How
long does it take you to write a book? Do you have a writing process, or do you
wing it?
It
depends on the book. I wrote Win No
Matter What in less than six months, but writing The Corridor of Uncertainty took me about two years. This is
because The Corridor of Uncertainty
required a lot of research. I even studied Pashto, a language spoken in
Afghanistan, to write that book. Generally, if there is a lot of research
required, it will probably take longer to write that book.
I
do have a writing process (with just a little bit of winging). In my first pass
of writing, I just get all the content down without worrying about grammar or
anything. Once I am satisfied with all the content, then I go back for several
rounds of editing and revising. Finally, I give my work to a professional
editor to read.
What is it about the
genre you chose that appeals to you?
As I mentioned,
I just don’t think there is enough positive information in the world. What most
appeals to me about inspirational books is that I can literally change the
lives of people around me. Many readers of my books have told me that I
impacted their life in a positive way. That keeps me going J.
Are
there any books or writers that have had particular influence on you?
I can’t point to
one specific writer – every writer I have run across has been motivational to
me in some way!
Did you ever surprise
yourself when you were writing your book? Characters who took on lives of their
own? Plot elements that took unexpected turns?
Every author
surprises himself or herself in some way while writing. I definitely have
surprised myself a lot while writing. I dream up scenes and ideas that I never
even knew I could dream up. For example, in The
Corridor of Uncertainty, I thought it would be vital to include some sort
of main female character. I couldn’t think of how to incorporate a female
character into a story about an all-male cricket team. However, then it hit me.
I could focus on one of the cricket players’s mother and how she inspired him
in tough situations! I made Hamid Hassan’s mother a very inspirational
character in the book.
Thanks for stopping
by!
ABOUT THE BOOK
In 1979, Afghanistan erupted into one of the most brutal civil wars ever. The fighting lasted almost a decade, throwing the country into a period of political instability, harsh leadership, and extreme danger. Hundreds of thousands of civilians died, and millions relocated to refugee camps. The rest of the world began to believe that violence would always define Afghans.
However, deep in the refugee camps of Pakistan, displaced native Afghan children had a dream to unite their country once again with peace. The solution was disguised in the game of cricket. These children began to learn cricket, and persevered against the danger, criticism, and unrest to create the first-ever Afghan national cricket team. With unrivaled access to the team and players during the 2015 Cricket World Cup, Nihar Suthar tells the story of their inspiring journey to change Afghanistan in one of the most under-told, heart-warming sports stories of all time.
However, deep in the refugee camps of Pakistan, displaced native Afghan children had a dream to unite their country once again with peace. The solution was disguised in the game of cricket. These children began to learn cricket, and persevered against the danger, criticism, and unrest to create the first-ever Afghan national cricket team. With unrivaled access to the team and players during the 2015 Cricket World Cup, Nihar Suthar tells the story of their inspiring journey to change Afghanistan in one of the most under-told, heart-warming sports stories of all time.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Nihar Suthar is an award-winning writer, covering inspirational stories around the world. Believe it or not, hestumbled upon writing completely by accident after moving to New York City for the very first time (at the young age of 17). While in the Big Apple, Nihar noticed that there were thousands of people missing out on the greatness of everyday life, due to the very fast paced lifestyles they lived.
As a result of his observations, he had a big idea to inspire people around the globe by writing a book (which was strange, because he always hated reading books. Why would he ever write one?). With the support of his family and friends though, Nihar ended up debuting his first international book, Win No Matter What, with Balboa Press in May 2013.
Since then, Nihar's work has taken him to both distant parts of the globe and down strange alleyways. For his 2016 release, The Corridor of Uncertainty, Nihar traveled to the United Arab Emirates and received threats from the Taliban, as he sought to chronicle the miraculous story of the Afghan cricket team. To deepen his understanding of the Middle East region, Nihar also studied Pashto, one of the official languages of Afghanistan.
Nihar currently calls Boston home, and is constantly on the prowl for fresh, inspiring stories to document.
LINKS
Find The Corridor of Uncertainty at:
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