A year ago, one of my author friends shared a review of an epistolary she had just finished reading. Her review was mixed mostly about how the story unfolded in an expected way. But to me the ‘epistolary’ part was intriguing. It was the first time I had heard of a fictional story told in the form of letters.
Later that day, when I sat with my mom for our usual chat over a cup of tea, she told me about Iti Ninna Amrita an Indian context adaptation of AR Gurney’s American play, Love Letters (1988) in Kannada.
As I read and learned more about this interesting narrative type, I wondered if I could try something like this. Those who have followed my writing journey know I’m not a genre writer. I write stories that come to me without thinking about the genre, the marketability or even the title.
In Shikhandini, I tried to blend mythology, history and the modern take on gender equality beyond man and woman. In Gift of Life, I explored emotions, inspiration, frailty and strength of the human spirit. In Those Girls, I ventured into the darker side of society and in my upcoming Novella (My most ambitious work yet) I experiment with Sci-fi. So I decided why not try writing an epistolary?
Over the last few months, I worked on an epistolary short story and after some very positive feedback from initial readers, I present to you ‘The Mix-up’.
The response I have received so far for this short story has been overwhelming. On day 2 it rose to #2 in Amazon Hot New Releases (Short Story ebooks Category rank) and #4 in Category Bestsellers. It is now also #2 Most Gifted.
If you haven’t read it yet, you can grab a copy here: The Mix-up: An Epistolary Short Story .(You can read it for free if you’re a Kindle Unlimited Subscriber)
What other narrative forms have you read about? Tell me in the comments below.
That’s all for today. Have a great day!
