It is often said that to be a writer, you need to be a reader. According to Twinkle Khanna, who dons many hats (author, producer, interior designer), it is much more important to be observant.
“I collect stories, and I’m curious about everything,” says author Twinkle Khanna at the Crossword bookstore in Chennai’s Express Avenue mall. She is in conversation with Rosella Stephen, Editor The Hindu Magazine, on her latest book Welcome to Paradise (published by Juggernaut Books).
Whenever anything funny or unique happens around Twinkle, she seems to go into writer mode. “I constantly take notes and there are always a bunch of stories in my folders. Some stories stay there for years on end. Then they come together in my head. When they are cooked, and percolated enough, that’s when I decide to put them out,” she says, adding that there are often stories that are complete, but the layers are missing. It is what has led to the creation of her latest work, a collection of short stories that explore the depths of loneliness, heartbreak, and deception.
Discussing the overarching theme of Welcome to Paradise, Twinkle says that the stories were not pre-planned and written accordingly, but the other way around. “They all came from me being at a particular point in life and seeing certain things. When I look at it now, I notice loneliness, but when I was writing, I did not realise that there was underlying pain.”
Stories come from your subconscious, and the world around us can impact those stories a lot. Twinkle’s book, according to her, was influenced by what we went through as a society during the pandemic.
Writing relatable characters, especially the common everyday man, without making them sound morose or depressing is a hard task that Twinkle tackles by being curious and empathetic. “I’m able to get into the mind of even someone from a very different background. I’d like to see what they are seeing and how they are experiencing life. I research certain details, especially when it comes to illnesses.” she says, speaking about her fascination with illnesses.
Research is the key when writing a well-rounded, complicated character. “While I do not know what it is like to be a drug addict, I can research. I have the resources — articles, first person accounts, and I can even go to someone who has been through it and talk to them. I don’t have to write about it, but as long as I know and have empathy for the character, it comes through on the page.” she says.
When it comes to taking criticism about your writing, Twinkle has an “it is what it is” attitude. “You have to accept criticism openly. I don’t want anyone to pity me. I’d rather they hate me when I say what I want to say. You just have to have a thick skin and that comes with time.”
