BENGALURU: With more than 10 novels under his belt, Durjoy Datta is one of the most popular novelists in the country. He writes on the subjects of love, relationships, disability, drug abuse and death. Besides books, Datta also has to his credit popular TV shows, having penned the plot for over 1,000 episodes for some. The novelist is also a motivational speaker and has spoken in voer 100 schools and colleges on topics such as entrepreneurship and writing. His latest book, The Perfect Us, released a few months ago. Excerpts from an interview with CE:
What was your trigger for writing The Perfect Us?
A lot of people around me are at the age where one thinks of starting a family. The conflicts, the doubts, they are quite different from what they would have been, say, 10 years ago. We had all turned to each other and we would discuss it day in and day out. That prompted me to start writing this book. The fact that I had characters from an older book that would be the same age now made me write this as a sequel to the earlier series.
Have you always seen yourself as a writer?
Maybe a writer, but not a writer of novels. I had been blogging in my college days but never had I thought of writing a book. It was accidental. I wrote one and it worked. Slowly, it became an addiction.
What has been your inspiration as a writer?
My inspiration are writers that I have read and liked. I get obsessed with a particular writer and then start imitating him or her during that time.
Does your writing draw influence from vernacular books?
Unfortunately, I only read in English, though I do read a few translations here and there.
With the digitisation of books, have you moved to reading books on screen or do you prefer the old-fashioned books?
I keep going through phases. I would say around 20 per cent of the books I read are on my Kindle. Reading it on a device does make it easier, but of course, there’s a certain charm in owning and holding a book. It’s a tangible feeling.
What is the process you undergo while writing?
I treat writing as anyone would treat a job. Get up, work and go to sleep. It’s another matter I enjoy it, so I look forward to it. But I don’t wait for inspiration to strike me. I keep writing and hope it would be good at the end of the day.
How difficult or easy is it to get published? Have you had to modify or change the content of your book for it to get published?
It wasn’t that hard. But I also wasn’t looking to get published. So when a little publisher in Delhi agreed to publish me (the bigger ones rightly rejected the book), I was pretty happy and surprised. I have never had to change anything in my books.
Who’s your first reader? And who are your biggest critics?
My wife Avantika is usually my first reader and biggest critic. Though she’s always kind with it.
Do you think marketing plays an integral role in the success of a book?
I’m not sure about that. You can’t market a bad book. As writers, we try to do everything that we can but I don’t believe it plays a major role. We do it because it seems like one should do it.