This month, we introduce you to Hiren Shah, winner of the Chillifreeze It’s YOUR Site Contest
20 Questions on Chillifreeze
Please tell us about yourself.
Though a finance professional by profession (career), I feel I am a writer and a bit of a poet by spontaneous inclination (calling).
How long have you been writing?
My first article on Lateral thinking was published in August’2001. Before that I was appreciated for a lot of frivolous writing which I did not take seriously.
How did you start writing?
I discovered that I had a unique flair for written expression when I started writing letters to relatives and friends in my first year of college. That was in 1983.
What do you love about writing?
There is a saying,” I write to know what I think”. I feel that it clarifies or kind of structures your thinking and gives you a much better focus. The muddled thinking kind of feeling goes away. That apart, when I start writing, it is as if I am in meditation. I lose awareness of space and time. The other advantage of written communication in places like internet discussion forums is that it facilitates responding instead of reacting which is often the case in verbal conversations. One is forced to read the other person’s point of view without interruption which facilitates good communication.
What is your favorite piece of writing? Tell us about it.
Rather than piece, I would say favorite subject. I have written over 15 articles including an award winning one on career misfits and I really enjoy that subject more than anything else because career is where one spends a majority of one’s waking hours and therefore, something that cannot be taken lightly or for granted. I have written on several other HR subjects but career misfits is the pet subject.
Who are your favorite writers and what are your favorite books?
I mostly read non-fiction. I would rate Thomas Freidman’s “The world is flat” as one of the best books I have read and plan to read his other books as well.
I love HRD books whether it is by HRD professionals like “First, break all the rules” by the Gallup corporation and “Achieving a dream career” by Morgan and Banks or “Success v/s Joy” by Billiards Champion Geet Sethi.
What kind of writing do you hate? Any turn-offs?
I feel that trying to be over scholarly is being pretentious. One should write in a way that a common man can understand. I also don’t like being over verbose or using fancy vocabulary which does not suit the audience profile.
Did you face any challenges in your writing career? Tell us how you dealt with them.
I am a part time freelance writer and I don’t have a writing career as such. The biggest challenge in writing is what famous novelist and India’s representative to the United nations, Mr Shashi Tharoor said, “ The full time writer is a rare breed anywhere in the world” . To make a fulltime living out of writing is extremely tough and I have read that even at Chillibreeze.
Do you ever get writer’s block? What do you do about it?
I am good at writing articles and can write on a variety of issues. I don’t think I get writer’s block but I often get poet’s block since I am not much of a poet. I try to write limericks on all sorts of peoples and different situations to keep the poet alive.
What is the best feedback you received about your work?
Being based in, I used to write to a doctor in Bombay for medicine. When I went to meet her, her son told me that when your letters come, our entire family reads them. That, to my mind, is the biggest compliment. That apart, I have always been appreciated whenever I have written -both by people known to me and absolute strangers on a variety of subjects. I was one of the two most famous members of a stock market discussion forum for my writings and mkt poems than any knowledge of the stock market.
Who is your biggest critic?
My wife when she chooses to read. She tries to get me more focused and specific.
What do you think makes Chillibreeze writers different?
I feel that they are able to convey well in a few words which I feel is very professional. An untrained writer tends to be over expressive and verbose which is totally absent. So far, I have not come across any high flying write up which may seem artificial.
How do you see the internet changing the way writing works?
I feel that the biggest advantage of Internet is that untapped, unknown or latent writing talent can be spotted and promoted. In a country of a billion people, there are bound to be many good writers. From the writer’s perspective, it is good for confidence as it is something where he can showcase his talent. One should feel grateful when one considers the fact that people like Munshi Premchand and Shakespeare were posthumous successes. A medium like the internet can minimize if not eliminate something like that. One can also interact with other writers directly in discussion forums or writers from abroad which aids the blossoming of a writer just the way cricketers learn more by playing against one another and with those who have international exposure.
What has writing taught you about life?
Since writing is something I really enjoy and a majority of waking hours are spent at work, I would say that writing has taught me the importance of discovering one’s passion in life or one’s calling. It is said that” Choose your career on the basis of who you are and not on the basis of what you know. “
A writer from Authorsden called being in the wrong occupation "Spiritual suicide". Another writer from the film Industry called it "Lifetime imprisonment". My own life is a replica of the great actor Balraj Sahni who was miserable in his father's business. It is a part of one of my published articles "Soul of a profession":-
http://wplay.wordpress.com/2007/07/02/soul-of-a-profession/. I have read some poems by poets on how miserable they were in the wrong jobs.From all this, I feel that writers and poets are particularly miserable in the wrong profession and should be careful.
To be a good writer, one has to read a lot and one can learn a lot through books and relate to what one has read on having the experience and understanding in depth. . There is a saying “The person who does not read good books has no advantage over the person who cannot read them”. A well read person can also be an interesting and confident conversationalist. Seen in depth, all kinds of writing reflect life’s experiences, which, I feel are the biggest gurus.
What inspires you to write?
At most times it is some incident or something that I have read which I can relate to and which spontaneously synergizes the facts related to that concept or issue in my mind.
What would your autobiography/biography be called?
“The significance of discovering yourself at a young age” or “Missing the wood for the trees- how I discovered myself”
What is your dream as a writer? Any publications you’d like to see your work in?
I have no illusions about that. Since I cannot write stories, I doubt if I can be a best selling novelist and I do not really know the commercial prospects of an essayist of my kind of writing in India and abroad. I don’t allow myself to dream because of certain facts that I have read about the lives of writers.
What kind of mistakes do you think new writers usually make?
I feel that an aspiring writer should try to discover his niche as writers who are good at all kinds of writing are rare. That apart, some of them may try to be verbose or try to appear scholarly which would not be their natural selves which in turn would not make their write ups authentic.
I came across a very young writer once who told me that I was lucky to have reached middle age because I had so many experiences to draw from. That was a valuable insight which, I believe, is true for certain kinds of writing.
Do you have any advice for writers who are starting out on their careers?
Try to discover your niche as said above.
Read a lot
Ask yourself whether you are a writer because of spontaneous inclination or is it some kind of preconceived notion? You could be trying to follow the footsteps of a friend, relative or famous writer. That kind of thing can prove dangerous in any career.
Learn wealth management- Someone told me that many people write well once and live on that money for the rest of their lives. Since writing does not pay well, it is worth learning anyway.
Is there anything else you’d like to tell us about yourself? Perhaps something interesting about you, that people are always surprised to hear?
I started writing with letters and frivolous poetry. I can write hilarious poems and limericks in Hindi which I tried to replicate in English. I had one time become so good at writing poems on other people’s wives that the husbands began to get upset and I had to abandon it. The other interesting fact is that I began writing poetry with a funny poem on what a joyous life the life of a businessman’s son is as he gets everything on a platter and today, I have written over 15 published articles on exactly the opposite theme or how important it is to be in the right profession which need not be your father’s business.
Since there are some self styled intellectuals who feel that poetry is all about verses and look upon rhyming condescendingly, I knew my chances as a poet where limited but got recognition from four editors which is not bad for my kind of poetry. Where articles are concerned, I have written several HR related subjects and the Times of India.
What I am trying to point out that even if it is silly and frivolous, one should continue writing- diary, blog or whatever. You never know what experiences you may have in writing and how they refine your writing as you go through life. Even where frivolous writing is concerned, Devyani Chaubal was so good at writing gossip that film stars used to be wary of her. Express yourself whenever the opportunity arises.
It is also said that the luckiest person is one whose hobby and profession are the same. Some day, god willing, you may be that lucky person and may even manage to earn out of full time writing.
Share this page
