“Love Stories With Bittersweet Endings Can Also Leave You With A Feel-Good Vibe” – Anuja Chauhan

“I love endings that leave people better off than they were when the story began” says popular author Anuja Chauhan, on what makes love stories tick. 

What makes great love stories? What are the secret ingredients that make some love stories stick with the readers whilst others just fade away into oblivion?

Well, love stories evoke some of the most powerful emotions from readers. Writing a love story is probably the most difficult of all genres. In the words of India’s best selling author Anuja Chauhan, the key to writing a good love story is:

@TarangSinha I think the key lies in WHY two people are perfect for each other. Why will only that person do and no one else

— anuja chauhan (@anujachauhan) May 24, 2017

Anuja joined us as a special guest yesterday at our weekly #WomenOnTheMove chat over at Twitter. (If you’re not yet following Women’s Web on Twitter, do now, and you can come over for the chat too, every Wednesday 6-7 pm IST.) With her latest novel Baaz, bringing us a spirited love story against the backdrop of the 1971 Indo-Pak war, we thought it was a great time to have Anuja over and get chatting about love stories.

Never miss real stories from India's women.

Register Now

Love – an emotion that cannot be explained in a deterministic equation – in zero and one. There is no right way to fall in love, that is why it is said that we ‘fall’ in love, it just happens. Great love stories weave magic with their words and makes the reader experience something that resonates with what people desire in life. They are reminders for readers that love is worth all that heartache! As Kasturi Patra puts it:

@womensweb A2. I like love stories that make me cry. Eg: Oliver’s Story, Fault in Our Stars. (Morbid, I know 😉 )

— Kasturi Patra (@PatraKasturi) May 24, 2017

Love is a powerful emotion and love stories are like beacons of light in an otherwise imperfect and brutal world. They show that hope can be found in a hopeless situation too. Yet, why do some love stories impact us so deeply as if it they are re-telling our life’s story whereas there are others who annihilate without a trace?

A2: Realistic characters. Smart execution. Not-so-instant attraction. Would love to know @anujachauhan‘s views. 🙂 #WomenOnTheMove https://t.co/forQ8GR1eN

— Tarang Sinha (@TarangSinha) May 24, 2017

A2. Flawed characters, an unconventional ending, unexpected twists and turns. And deep meaning to the dialogues. #WomenOnTheMove https://t.co/FYm6Kah4jt

— Mithila Menezes (@fabulus1710) May 24, 2017

Love stories are driven by the passion and emotion that two people share with each other. But there are many other things to a great love story – the characters, the conflict, the sacrifice, the relevance and the most importantly, the plot. A great love story is a perfect blend of plot and emotion. They are mutually inter-dependent. If the plot is weak, even great characters cannot secure the future of the story and if there’s no emotion that resonates with the readers, the story is lost without a trace.

@womensweb I like humour and sass in the interactions. & chemistry. And a larger issue swirling about in the background. And an emotional striptease

— anuja chauhan (@anujachauhan) May 24, 2017

A2 When you are so invested in the story you root for them to get together ! And if they don’t it literally hurts !! 💔 #WomenOnTheMove https://t.co/NFq4av7RTs

— Chandni Moudgil (@chandnimoudgil) May 24, 2017

But do all love stories have to have a happy ending – a happily ever after? Not really. Love stories are reflection of human interactions, emotions and relationships; and relationships are complicated. Yes, we all would like to live in an Utopian world where happily-ever-afters are a reality, but unfortunately we live in a dystopian world where things are not perfect and more often than not happily ever afters are non-existent.

@womensweb @anujachauhan Nah ! I prefer a broken heart anyday to not feel anything at all for the protagonist ..

— Chandni Moudgil (@chandnimoudgil) May 24, 2017

@womensweb Endings that leave people better off than they were when the story began.

— anuja chauhan (@anujachauhan) May 24, 2017

@womensweb So even if it’s bittersweet, you’re grateful that it happened at all. Cos it enriched you and widened your world and helped you grow.

— anuja chauhan (@anujachauhan) May 24, 2017

Love stories don’t have to be perfect.

As Anuja puts it, “They don’t have to have happy endings. As long as the story and the characters in it has enriched you & leaves you better off than when you started, it is a good love story.”

Anuja Chauhan as always, blends romance, drama and humour effortlessly. Her new book, Baaz is a tribute to our men in uniform. 

For our readers in Bangalore, tomorrow, 26th May (Friday), we will meet Anuja Chauhan in one fun party – #AuthorTalks where ‘Baaz’ will be launched, we’ll hear a dramatised reading from the novel, and be superbly entertained. If you want to join the party, simply leave your name, email and phone number here to be added to our guest list.

Image: Twitter

Comments