Satish Dey is an engineer with 35 years of professional experience in marketing and market research. He has nurtured his love for freelance writing for nearly a decade and has experience in business writing, report writing, and article writing. He has edited a business newsletter for the Chamber of Commerce for seven years, contributes articles regularly to a magazine for elderly people and blogs on topics ranging from global warming to industry.
Please tell us about yourself.
I am an engineer and turned a septuagenarian just recently. Though my age and professional background are not commonly associated with writing, I have been nurturing writing as a hobby for over a decade after retirement. In order to take full advantage of using computer for writing, I had to struggle for a year in 1998 to become computer literate. People frequenting cybercafés at that time were generally much younger than I was and thought I was wasting my time in trying to learn the ABC of computers so late.
How long you have been writing?
Occasionally, I used to write letters to the editors of The Statesman and Indian Express newspapers and articles for a magazine about 25-30 years back. But, my writing has been more regular for the last 10 years or so.
How did you start writing?
My father had an excellent command over the English language. During my school days whenever people approached him for drafts of petition or such writing jobs, I always wished to become like him one day in my life. In those days, he was perhaps the only one in the entire neighborhood who read Illustrated Weekly and Readers’ Digest regularly – the two most respected and popular magazines in 40s and 50s. Illustrated Weekly had a children’s section that included contests regularly. My joy knew no bounds one day when my name was published in it as a winner of one contest. I had preserved the prize – a plain notebook for nearly 50 years even after its pages had turned brown and dog-eared.
What do you love about writing?
Like goldsmiths making ornaments, I love the experience of writing as a wordsmith.
What is your favourite piece of writing? Tell us about it.
I wrote an article titled ‘When I became a grandpa’ narrating the thrills of becoming a grandparent. It was based on my personal experience and was published in the magazine ‘Dignity Dialogue’ for senior citizens.
Who are your favourite writers and what are your favorite books?
I prefer non-fiction writers and their books. I like authors, who write on complex subjects like convergence of science and metaphysics, the interaction between brain and mind. “The Tao of Physics’ by Fritjof Capra and ‘Code Name God’ by Mani Bhawmick are my favorite books. So also is the fiction ‘Namesake’ by Jhumpa Lahiri, which is a brilliant story of how an Indian, born and brought up abroad is compelled by subsequent events to return to his homeland.
What kind of writing do you dislike? Any Turn offs?
Beating about the bush and using jargons put me off.
Did you face any challenges in your writing career and tell us how you dealt with them.
The challenge was and even now is to overcome rejection. Of course, I have accepted it as very normal and carry on without getting affected by it.
Do you ever get writer’s block and how do you deal with them.
Yes, I do get writer’s block at times. I remain conscious and wait for the hibernation to be over naturally and then I pick up the thread and continue.
Who is your biggest critic? What has their most valuable piece of advice to you been?
A few words of praise or some remarks about the content or style of my writing make me aware about the views of readers. But, I am my biggest critic. I do not sometimes like my writing even if these are accepted or published by others.
How do you see the internet changing the way writing works?
Internet has paved the way for easy circulation; it has brought writers and critiques face to face across the globe.
What do you think makes Chillibreeze writers different?
Chillibreeze writers are required to show that they can really write well just as the saying goes ‘the proof of the pudding is in the eating’.
What has writing taught you about life?
Writing is an art that can be honed by continuous efforts and self-motivation. One should not lose heart if he does not have formal education for writing. Do not suppress your desire to write. Just listen to your inner voice and express your thoughts and feelings in the best way you can!
Is there anything interesting you would like to tell us about your experience in writing?
When I took up the onerous job of editing a newsletter for a Chamber of Commerce having over six hundred members, I had to single-handedly manage its content writing, proofreading and editing. I was given a fascinating designation -‘Editor-in-Chief” to keep my spirits high. One day, a prominent member of the Chamber talked to me in confidence and expressed his desire that I should ghostwrite and publish a story for him. When he got encomiums from all, he could not resist his temptation and asked my honest comments on his article. So, it had finally come full circle!
What kind of mistakes do you think new writers usually make?
Some new writers forget their target audience. So, instead of being obsessed with their work, they should view it from the perspective of their reader.
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