R.P. Balakrishnan is an independent Management consultant turned writer. A Science graduate from St. Edmund’s College Shillong, he has experienced and survived the thorny deserts and badlands of banking, finance and the corporate sectors over an eventful span of thirty years. He is currently operating from Delhi as an independent Management consultant. He loves reading crime and Horror fiction. He enjoys unraveling complex pieces of writing and presenting in it in a simple, easy style for the layperson.
Please tell us about yourself. Have you always been a writer?
I am a Science graduate whose early years revolved around books and music. Both my parents were voracious readers – my mother wrote books for children- and it was their encouragement that led me to embrace the world of fiction and non-fiction! (Today the world is grappling with the challenge of differentiating between the two!) I have fond memories of creating comic books for my friends and starting circulation libraries! This was in the vibrant sixties…..
My career with a bank in the State Bank group required the generation of regular documentation for the institution and interaction with customers, regulators and the board of directors. I interpreted regulatory guidelines and transformed them into comprehensible internal guidelines. Along with this, I also conducted training programs for bank staff in diverse fields, which entailed writing lesson plans. Then came the period when I headed the finance function in an SME. This entailed communicating with banks , financial institutions, customers, overseas suppliers and regulators. Today, I am a consultant — communicating with everybody!
What drew you to writing as a career?
The nature of my occupation brings with it a constant requirement to read and communicate.
Have you faced any hurdles in becoming a writer? How did you cope?
Not really. The will to communicate is what is required. After that what is required is only effort!
What kind of writing do you enjoy the most?
Pieces which unravel complex matters which the common person would not ordinarily understand.
What is your favorite piece of writing? Tell us about it.
Relaxation for me always meant reading good crime fiction or creative horror fiction! “Misery” by Stephen King was a great read!
Misery was a fictional character created by an author, the key protagonist in King’s book. So successful was his set of Misery’s best-selling adventures that he developed a hatred for Misery and the demands of the loyal Misery fans that he had created! So, like Conan Doyle did to Holmes, he had Misery killed in his latest book! So that he could continue writing what he wanted — he had a complete manuscript of the work—and not what Misery’s fans wanted!
Returning home on a wintry night, after celebrating Misery’s ‘death’ in a highway bar, he has a bad car crash in which he is seriously injured. When he regains consciousness he finds himself trapped on a wheelchair in the house of a psychopathic nurse who is a Misery fan. She medicates him, supplies him with a typewriter and paper, and forces him to write a new book bringing Misery back to life! Very entertaining that was…but definitely not for the weak-hearted!
What kind of writing do you hate?
Writing is a creative field. Like music, it is just a question of personal taste. Personally I dislike the flood of “A for Apple B for Ball” self-improvement books written by self-styled “gurus”!
If writer’s block strikes, how do you cope with it?
Switch off, listen to music, leave the city! It always works.
Do you prefer writing for yourself or to a brief for clients?
Both bring equal satisfaction
What is the best feedback you received about your work?
Readers getting back to me saying “Thanks, that’s just what we wanted.”
Who is your biggest critic? What has their most valuable piece of advice to you been?
My family. “Don’t give up. Go with the momentum” has been the best advice I’ve received
How do you see the internet changing the way writing works?
Net resources and tools are fascinating – something we didn’t have in the sixties and seventies; freedom of expression has increased exponentially with the advent of the internet, though I have noticed a steady deterioration in the quality of the language and the increased usage of unwanted slang…..
Plagiarism is a HUGE threat to creative writing and should be guarded against.
What has writing taught you about life?
This is the only planet that I will inhabit! Make the most of it!
What qualities of yours do you think help make you a better writer?
Powers of observation, a sense of humour, and a variety of interests always help…..
What inspires you to write?
As I’ve said earlier, reducing complexities into simple and comprehensible pieces, easily understood by all What would your autobiography/biography be called?
My mis-adventures on Earth – volume I
What is your dream as a writer? Any publications you’d like to see your work in?
To see my pieces published in leading magazines and journals like the Economist, Newsweek, McKinsey Quarterly…..
What kind of mistakes do you think new writers usually make?
Not being themselves and trying to be somebody else!
Do you have any advice for writers who are starting out on their careers?
Yes! Always have an alternative source of income. Writing by itself will not bring the bacon in! And yes, an active interest in many spheres of human activity adds depth to the imagination and creative output.
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