Everyone has a story and Savi Sharma is determined to find them

Starmark, in association with Westland Books, recently hosted the launch of Sharma’s novel Everyone Has A Story at its bookstore in Quest Mall.

At 22, Savi Sharma quit her CA studies, to pursue her dream, to write a book.

“I did not want to number crunch for the rest of my life,” she said, “I wanted to find, tell and write stories.”

It was not easy as her family and neighbours tried to dissuade her. While her parents finally got around to accepting her decision, there were others who said that five years down the line, Savi was going to regret her decision of giving up on her financial studies.

Her manuscript ready, Savi chose to self-publish and sell through Amazon, while exploring the digital media for marketing.

The book sold over 5,000 copies on Amazon, and Savi had begun scripting her own success story.

Noting her popularity, publishing company Westland Books signed her up for a two-book deal.

The book has already sold about 50,000 copies since it was published in July, and has been the number one on Nielsen Bookscan.

Everyone Has A Story revolves around Meera – a fledgling writer, Vivaan – a bank manager, Kabir – who manages a café and Nisha – a customer at the café.

That is how the world knows them but each of them has a story within, a secret wish, a secret dream, an intriguing tale that they are trying to express.

Meera is looking for a story that can touch millions of lives. Vivaan dreams of travelling around the world. Kabir desires something of his own, while Nisha, the despondent customer of the café, keeps secrets of her own.

Delving into her own experiences, observing the people around her, drawing inspiration and ideas from the lives of friends and acquaintances, she slowly fleshed out her characters.

“Meera is me,” said Savi Sharma to a reader query. “Even Vivaan has traces of me. The incidents are not true but the feelings are. The characters contain shades of many people I have met over the years. The characters not only have a story of their own, but also help each other to complete their stories.”

Answering to a query from an aspiring writer, Savi said, “You have to trust your dreams. You must pursue your dreams with confidence and honesty. Trust yourself.”

While she was pursuing her CA, Savi found time to write, even writing during the breaks during her internship.

“Now I travel, sit in cafes and shopping malls, watching people, trying to understand the different stories that these people might have. At night, I sit and write,” she said.

To the delight of the audience, Savi admitted that she does nibble on chocolates for inspiration while writing.

Everyone Has A Story has been translated into several Indian languages, including Bengali.

(Reporting and images by Uttara Gangopadhyay)