Arranged marriage novels. If you have been reading novels by Indian writers, this is the most common theme you would have found. But there are many Clichés and unbelievable things that these novels have that I feel like scratching my head sometimes. So here I go:-
1. Marriage is next month or in 15 days.
Well most of the Indian marriages have a lot of work to do like arranging a banquet hall, shopping for bride and groom, giving gifts to guests, and so on. There are so many rituals and planning required and therefore parents prefer to fix the date at least two to three months after the marriage is fixed.
2. Unusual match
In real life, why would a person deviate from his or her community and go for other community for marriage? This was the reason why I said that keep the surnames common in Tips And Suggestions As A Reader because at least then you would know which community does your character belong to. Unless and until there is not love marriage, a baniya will not prefer to marry a Punjabi, or a Gujarati will not prefer to marry a Bengali. The biggest reason is the cultural difference. It is like if you find quality item in your locality, why would you go 30 km away for the same thing?
Even in Christian arranged marriage systems, two people of different Church sects do not usually marry. For example a person who is following Catholic Church will not prefer to get his son married to a girl of Church of South India. So please do research on this topic before writing.
3. Domestic violence
I don't have problems with novels with such themes, but my problem lies with the fact that the woman still loves the person who is physically torturing with her heart and soul. Please guys keep yourself in your character's place and think. Would you love a person who beats you everyday? If no, then why are you showing such things in your novel?
4. Spoiler Alert
Just like the title of DDLJ is a Spoiler, so are the title of such novels. Titles like, 'From Arranged To Love', 'Married To a Stranger' are not creative and they tell us the whole story in four words. So why the heck should I waste my precious time in reading your novel?
5. They haven't seen each other before marriage.
Now this is a total bullshit. In urban areas especially there are a lot of ways in which guys and girls can connect and do a basic research about the person they are going to spend their life with and they fully utilise it. Be realistic people. This thing has stopped in the 21st century.
6. Horoscope matching
Very rarely has any novelist shown this factor. In India, horoscope matching is quite common and many things are decided on the basis of that. But this thing is absent even if the families are shown to be extremely traditional.
7. Extreme in laws
The in laws that I have seen in such novels are either too loving or too rude. Where is the middle ground? Many of the in laws are loving but yet restrictive. Please don't make your novel a Saas Bahu daily soap. In reality there is a middle ground.
8. Marrying a widower
See I don't have a problem if you show your character getting married to a widower, but please be practical. Why would the parent of an unmarried girl marry her to a widower who hasn't been able to move on even a little? Simply no reason. Your future comes at the priority before any friendship.
9. Marriage before graduation
No parent in urban areas get their girls married at graduation or before it. The same parents who spend a lot of money in your education would want you to be independent before marrying anyone so that if something happens at least you can stand up on your own.
In all I would like to sum up by saying that imagine your story but keep the situations realistic.