Believe in yourself. If you don't, nobody else would: Tuhin Sinha

dna presents a unique opportunity for aspiring authors to exhibit their creativity and knack of storytelling. All creative stories tucked in notepads, inside closets and saved in secret folders in gadgets will now have a platform to bring them into the open. The stories will now meet the eyes of an interesting jury including reputed authors from Hachette. What’s more? The winning entry will be published by Hachette.

dna thus invites aspiring authors and interested writers to send in a detailed synopsis, along with three sample chapters or not less than 5000 words, of their work. Writing in any genre is welcome. The winning entry will be published and distributed by Hachette India and dna will track the entire the book upto its launch in 2014.

Tuhin Sinha is one of the authors under Hachette's banner and also one of the judges that will eventually pick who will finally get their work published. dna decided to pick her brain a little and ask her views on writing and the field in general.

Tuhin A. Sinha is a best-selling author, columnist and a scriptwriter. Tuhin is widely acknowledged among the most prolific Indian writers with each of his books - That Thing Called Love, The Captain (formerly 22 Yards), Of Love and Politics and The Edge of Desire breaking new ground in terms of subject and treatment. Tuhin is also a scriptwriter of several popular TV shows. Apart from his fiction novels and scripts, Tuhin is a keen political observer. His columns on Indian politics appear regularly In India’s leading dailies. Tuhin also has a regular blog onibnlive.com. When he finds time from all of these, you might catch him on a news channel, debating politics or cricket.

What got you interested in writing? What is your major source of inspiration? 

In our generation, we didn’t grow up with the notion of pursuing writing as a profession. Hence most of us are writers by default and that includes me.

I always had a flair for writing and would do well in essay contests in school. Hence, when I was trying to break in as actor in Mumbai, I found it easier to break in as scriptwriter instead. But then as a scriptwriter I only had a limited say in the creation of the final product. I had with me stories which I wanted to tell my way, without any interference from the director or the TV channels. It was this pursuit which led to my first novel. And then the rest followed.

I derive my inspiration from unsuspecting incidents..some which I read in papers and others which I see happening around me.

Which book are you reading right now? Can you suggest a couple of good books you've read lately?

 Jhumpa Lahiri’s Lowland.. I am enjoying it thoroughly. And for readers out there I suggest you take a look at, Bankrupt by Ravi Subramaniam and The Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Devkaruni

Do you have a particular routine when you write? What sets you apart as a writer?

I try to write as much as I can during day hours. There are, of course, days which are spent entirely on research or planning the future chapters.

With due modesty, I guess I have experimented the most with my stories and narrative format, as compared to other contemporary Indian authors. I started off with romantic fiction, wrote a cricket thriller, then forayed into political thrillers and now even have a non-fiction narrative to my credit. The Edge Of Desire is narrated in first person by its female protagonist. This could well be the first time a male author has written in first person as a woman.

Unlike most other authors, I did not want to be typecast into any specific genre and wanted to be as prolific as I could.   

Who is your favourite author, what is it that really strikes you about their work? 

Milan Kundera, Mohshin Hamid, Manju Kapoor, Chitra Banerjee Devkaruni.. they are all deft story-tellers who provide us some very intriguing insights into the psyche of their characters.

Who do you think is India's greatest living writer, and why?

Ravindra Nath Tagore.. for the way he weaved philosophy into his narrative..his stories are timeless

What challenges did you face when breaking into the field? Do those challenges go away when you publish your first novel?

Well, my first novel, That Thing Called Love was released in 2006. In those days, it was tough to break in.  And hence I had to face multiple rejections.

Thanks to the super success of my first novel though, it has been smooth sailing since.

What do you think of Indian writing at present and particularly the fact that practically anybody is writing a book these days.

Well, the quantity of books being churned out has increased manifold; the quality has declined. So it’s probably easier to break in but that much more difficult than before to create a mark for yourself.

Would you want any of your books adapted into films: If yes, by whom and who would you want as actors? 

Of course, but as a matter of principle, I have stopped chasing the film industry. If my books are destined to be made into films, that would happen. But personally having been a part of the entertainment industry and seen its working style closely, I don’t have the patience to pursue it beyond a point.

As wishful thinking, I’d ideally like to see The Edge Of Desire being made into a film, with Kareena Kapoor in the lead role of Shruti Ranjan and Shoojit Sircar directing it.

What do you think about our initiative 'dna next best seller'? What are looking for in the next bestseller?

Excellent initiative! Deserves to be supported and popularised in every possible way. An engaging, relatable story with some exciting characters.

Can you give the budding writers out there some words of advice on writing and breaking into the field? 

Believe in yourself. If you don’t, nobody else would. Have lots of patience and discipline. Without them, it’s tough to sustain yourself as writer in the long run.

If you are an aspiring author with a story to tell, participate in dna hunt for the next best-seller in association with Hachette, India. To send in your entry log ontowww.dnaindia.com/bestseller. For further queries write to us at engage@dnaindia.net