Kisholoy Roy:- "Writing block to me is a myth" (Interview)

Hi Dr.Kisholoy, we would like to know how you got into the Writing space? How did it all start?

It was always there within me but then as individuals we often discover certain creative instincts within us a little late in our lives. It especially happens when there is no one in your immediate family who is pursuing a similar field as a profession or as an amateur. Actually i discovered the writer within me sometime during my college days. I started with writing short stories. Then i started experimenting with other genres as time went by.

What gives you motivation to write book after book in different genres?

A THOUGHT. Yes a thought that strikes my mind and when that thought stays with me for sometime and it keeps troubling me night and day like a pestering kid; that serves as the fodder for my next book.

How do you take time from your schedule for writing and what challenges do you face with schedule?

I have my workshops on marketing management to conduct and also various consulting and teaching activities but then it’s the temptation to tell a story that matters. When that temptation crosses a certain threshold limit, i somehow happen to find time for writing a book at any point of the day.

Tell us something on your love for your Cricket as we know you are from Bengal and you want or not, your default settings are set to Sports.

I have been an avid observer of the game since 1985 when our house got its first colour television set. However my love for the game acquired quantum leaps during the Sourav Ganguly era. Here was someone who was initially an underdog but then he moulded himself according to circumstances and set such high standards of sportsmanship, that it was worth emulating for many in different other walks of life. To a certain extent, yes that ‘Bengal’ connection that you mentioned can be counted as one of the reasons.

How difficult it was to write book on Sourav Ganguly and MS Dhoni named “Czars of the East”?

Honestly speaking it was both easy and difficult. Easy because among all the players whom i have been following in the last 20 years of Indian cricket, these were the two icons whom i have really admired for their approach, conviction and their ability to set trends and hence knew a lot about them. But then the irony was when i started my research for the book, i found that both Ganguly and Dhoni had so much to tell through their respective careers that it would be next to impossible to accommodate two full fledged biographies in one book which was my ‘big idea’ for the book.

Also tell us something about the motivation behind writing a complete book on just a Test match between India vs Australia. And why that match particularly?

Oh that Test match! It was and will remain an unforgettable episode in Indian cricket. The Test match at the Eden in March 2001 was not just a test match that was unbelievably won by India at the end but was more of a trigger for things to come. It was the trendsetter for a more potent Indian cricket team. A team that was super confident wherever it went and had no inhibitions to display their attitude and prowess against any opposition.

Which according to you is the turnaround ODI match for India? And if we are going to witness a book on that from you?

The NatWest trophy final in 2002 undoubtedly. What a match. It was another episode where the Indian team under the able leadership of Sourav Ganguly raised from the rubbles like to the proverbial phoenix and dominated the game.

Well a book on that game? Perhaps not!

Do you ever face Writing Block which we keep on hearing so much or is it just a myth according to you?

Writing block to me is a myth. See as a writer we are all first social creatures and hence often we are preoccupied with fulfilling our priorities in life. Sometimes that effort leaves you with very little time for any creative pursuit and you are unable to concentrate on the relevant and required thought process but then that to me is not a ‘block’.

What are your future plans on writing? Which book are you currently writing or planning to write?

Presently i have ideas about two fictions that will serve as light-hearted and entertaining read

primarily. They will focus on various unexplored perspectives of love. The book development process is on.

Any feedback on how tough it is to get published in India as we have seen almost all your books are self-published?

See, primarily i am an author of books on case studies in management and books on marketing management. Initially i published text books with various publishers in India but the royalty that they offered was ridiculously low which made me decide on going my own way or rather the self published route. Getting a publisher in India who will be offering you the end of year royalty based on merit of the book is a next to impossible task. After all when you author a book with all your efforts, you do not want to do charity but earn out of your efforts and hence going the indie way is and should be the practice.

Any words for the budding writers and the readers who wait for your book.

My advise for budding writers is whether you go by the traditional route of publishing or the indie route, focus on the content. Do not come up with trash since there is already so much in the market. Content and its presentation are two main areas that budding writers should focus on and as for readers they should be wise and conscious enough to spot the right sort of books to read.