Corporate professional, Sunayana Khandelwal, is also an NLP (Neuro Linguistic Programming) coach. Can You Love This Way is her first book, which she summarises as 'an extraordinary love story of three ordinary women'. "It took me almost a year to write this book. Matching the emotions of a person wasn’t easy," says Khandelwal.
Born and brought up in Delhi, Khandelwal now lives in Ghaziabad. She enjoys reading, especially Robin Sharma, Louise Hay, Mitch Albom and John Grey, and is a follower of Ajapa Yog which, she reveals, helps her keep calm. Excerpts:
When did you get the idea for Can You Love This Way?
As an NLP practitioner, I meet people from diverse backgrounds. Each has a story to share about life, love, and many questions for which they come to me seeking answers.
While the NLP coach in me has always reflected upon the answers to their questions in a calm and objective way, personally I have also faced such questions with people around. That’s how the idea of penning the book germinated.
The three stories in the book are based on true stories of three women and their experiences with ‘the most important person in their lives’. I have kept their identities secret, but took their consent before writing the book.
When did you first think of becoming a writer?
It was when I first read the novel Great Expectations during my graduation. I was incredibly enthralled by Charles Dickens. My initial inspiration was definitely him! Writing poems and short stories has been my hobby since I was in Class 8 or 9. But, I never shared my poems with others fearing adverse reactions. My close friends, Ritu and Neeharika, were the only two admirers of my poetry.
What does it take to be a good storyteller?
Simplicity, emotions, and truth. The complicated writing style tends to lose readers. A good writer should be able to emote the story well through humour, pain, joy and intensity. Last, but not the least, be truthful. Your story should be believable.
What is the role of NLP in your life?
NLP tells you the importance of understanding the perspective of others. Sometimes we are too closed in our thought process and feel only what we believe in is the right thing. As a result, we are not even open to listening to others, let alone accepting them.
This is where NLP helps, it broadens the outlook. One not only becomes receptive of others' beliefs, but actually enjoys their company. It is then we attract good people in our life. People like to be with us, hear us, and share their lives with us. All this happened to me, and life became beautiful.