Chetaan Joshii is a celebrated author of seven books, including Twin-Win Situation, Blind Man’s Buff, CockTale Carnival, Animal Palette and Literally Yours. His work spans across short stories, graphic novels, and films, earning critical acclaim and multiple awards. A creative writing mentor, Chetaan also teaches at media colleges, inspiring future storytellers.
The Literature Times: ‘Twin-Win Situation’ combines fantasy with self-help. What inspired you to blend these two genres, and how did the idea for the book evolve?
Chetaan Joshii: There are two prongs to this answer – I staunchly believed that people who write self-help books are the ones who seriously need help. All that changed when I came up with a radical idea on decision-making. Incidentally, the concept was in the self-help genre! I had caught myself on the wrong foot! The idea was so captivating that it just had to be set out into the world. Yet, I didn’t want to be a preacher of sorts and felt really trapped to be wrapped in a conundrum like this.
But there was a way out. I could embed the idea in a story; a story that could entertain a reader on its own merit. And I didn’t want the story to be merely a capsule to carry the idea like a strong dose of medicine. Even a reader who was sorted out in life and didn’t need any self-help should be gripped by the story. The challenge was to come up with such a yarn!
The decision-making concept had taken three seconds to pop in my mind and three weeks to take proper shape, but it took thirty years for the story to emerge.
Most often, self-help books deal with thoughts, emotions and habits. All of these are abstract concepts which automatically lent themselves to the fantasy genre. I was dwelling on the idea of doubt and action related to decision-making and suddenly the name of the book flashed in my mind’s eye – Twin-Win Situation! Once this happened, I knew the story had to be a zany adventure but with a core element of sanity.
The Literature Times: The two protagonists, Perhaps and Freewill, seem to embody opposing philosophies. What do these characters represent in the context of decision-making and self-growth?
Chetaan Joshii: A person about to make a choice is in two minds – to do or not to do. The one in doubt is Perhaps and the one who is about to go into action mode is Freewill. Both are holding each other’s hand. While taking any decision they both have to stick together. For the decision to turn out correct, both have to be fully convinced. One can’t force the other, or the decision would be half-hearted and can fail. We take several decisions every day, but rarely do we stop to think about how we take them. Which is why sometimes we succeed and sometimes we don’t. And in either case we are surprised! Being aware, being conscious of the process of decision-making ensures success and leads to self-growth.
The Literature Times: The Winds of Change play a pivotal role in the plot. Can you elaborate on how this concept reflects real-world challenges we face when dealing with change?
Chetaan Joshii: Winds of Change are actually sneaky shape-changers. The challenge is in identifying the real change, not the one that is obviously staring at you. For instance, a real-world challenge would be when a person changes his job from a healthy company to another one offering a better annual package. He’s an expert at what he’s doing, so he thinks all he has to do is prove his worth in the new organization. He may be sweetly ignorant that the new organization could be full of venomous peers with a resolve to sabotage a newcomer’s prospects. Has our expert actually identified the real change? While he is focusing on his skills, he is oblivious to the real change – the insidious work environment! Now he ought to divert his attention from his domain expertise to people management.
Broadly, there are four such fundamental changes and all of them need to be tackled using different strategies that are displayed in the book.
The Literature Times: Your formula for decision-making, L.I.F.E., is central to the book. What are the core principles behind it, and how can readers apply them to their daily lives?
Chetaan Joshii: The formula for decision making is L.I.F.E. true, but it is like a Rubik’s cube. The variables in the formula change according to the change you’re facing. As the story proceeds the characters identify the change and apply the formula accordingly. Perhaps and Freewill also talk about their personal problems in a way that the reader relates to them and gets an insight about how he would tackle a similar situation in his own life; a situation such as making a financial investment, fixing a broken relation or mending a mistake committed in the past. Claiming that the L.I.F.E. formula can solve every problem is taking it to the level of a boast, but realistically, the reader is better off with the formula rather than tackling situations unarmed.
The Literature Times: In the book, perfect decision-making leads to success. Do you believe it’s possible to always make perfect decisions, or is the key to success in learning from our mistakes?
Chetaan Joshii: I’d be a lousy liar if I said it’s possible to always make perfect decisions. If I had a million dollars, I would rather consult a share market wizard rather than a compulsive gambler at a casino before I put my money at stake anywhere. And there is a chance that I may be right or wrong whichever way I go! Rather than following your own ‘signature trait’ of being too logical or instinctive or too trusting, having a fresh, tailor-made strategy for every situation is the key to success.
And about learning from our make mistakes, I’d say, it’s an alarmingly costly way to learn. Instead, we can learn from other people’s mistakes! There are so many of them all around. Now look for someone else. Don’t we all know at least one person whose success story only went from one peak to another with no pitfalls. We all know at least one classmate who was always a topper. Or that one person who is managing a happy marriage without going to the brink of suicide or divorce. We also know at least one person who built a fairly successful business without being thrown onto the street, ever. He’s the one who never made mistakes. Giving all the credit of his success to luck alone, is being unfair on the poor fellow. Knowingly or otherwise, he must have had a method. Perhaps he knows formula that’s in this story.
The Literature Times: The book includes elements of self-discovery and self-enhancement. How does this journey resonate with your own personal or creative experiences?
Chetaan Joshii: Just being aware while making any choice itself feels very reassuring. For instance, I discovered I am short-tempered and couldn’t seem to help it. I didn’t get into combat with my temper, but I made a slight change in myself to tame it – by simply dropping my ego several leagues underwater. How I did it is worthy of another book but it helps me take the right decisions most of the times which my hyper-emotional state wouldn’t have allowed. To solve an emotional problem, I used logic – a tailor-made solution.
In the creative realm, my earlier pursuit was to design stunning stories in different genres. The uniqueness of the story gave enough impetus for me to write it. The characters took shape later. This has changed radically. Now I start with an idea and hand it over to the characters. As they move on with the journey of their lives, I let imaginative sparks illuminate the path of the story. Coming up with a story is an instinctive process, but to bring more depth to it, I used emotions – another tailor-made solution.
The Literature Times: Your book has been described as a ‘bizarre journey’. How important is it for you as an author to challenge conventional storytelling and offer readers something unexpected?
Chetaan Joshii: I don’t challenge conventional storytelling for the sake of it. However, readers are more like mind-readers today. Unknowingly, they play a prediction game whether they are watching a movie or reading a novel. They want to guess the next twist and be proven right. That somehow gives them a kick. They switch off a movie if their predictions turn out to be accurate most often. They shut a book when they can stone every turn. In the process, they also miss out on a well-written story that fails their test of being unpredictable. So, to keep them engaged a writer has to jolt them out of their nonchalance. The writer has to offer a promise that he is going to give their guessing game a well-deserved break. A strong concept can do the job, but for that, the story has to stand up to the promise.
The most unpredictable thing ever is the human mind. It can accommodate any thought at any time, however bizarre. That is what I decided to use in my stories – the randomness of the mind. Once the reader is assured of the unexpectedness, he becomes the writer’s ally not his critic and lets him lead the story. Then, as the writer, I can narrate what I have in mind…and perhaps inspire the reader to write his own story instead.
The Literature Times: As a mentor of creative writing, how do you guide your students in balancing creativity with practical, impactful messages like those found in ‘Twin-Win Situation’?
Chetaan Joshii: Frankly, I don’t do that. I’m not even sure if I can coax a sequel out of Twin-Win Situation. I only help students discover their own creative potential. Once they see the magic of their own creation, it is hard for them to give up that power. As for an impactful message, it emerges from within the person…there’s no method to it. All you can do is be alert when it does and be tenacious enough to write it down.
The Literature Times: ‘Twin-Win Situation’ has received several awards and recognition. What does this recognition mean to you, and how does it influence your future writing endeavors?
Chetaan Joshii: Awards are essential and incidental at the same time. Essential, because this recognition means my stories will reach more readers. These awards pat your back much after your book is done; when you’re not looking but others are. They encourage you to keep your flame glowing while you write away in some corner of the world, creating a new one.
Awards are incidental, because they are unpredictable. If an award is the only motive to write, you’re in for a major heartbreak. They don’t influence my future writing endeavors because when I first began writing, I wasn’t even sure I’d get published. Readers love me for the way I write…and if I change that most crucial element, I’ve metamorphosed from a storyteller to a story monger, which is a pathetic state to be in.
The Literature Times: With your extensive background in different genres, from short stories to tribal novels to films, how does each medium inform or influence your approach to storytelling?
Chetaan Joshii: A story’s sole motive is to take its own inherent shape. The writer’s singular task is to let it happen just by patiently and willingly being there. There’s no point to decide whether it’s going to be a short story, a novel or a film. It’s too early. Speeding or forcing the process is probably going to create a gory mutant. So, I wait until the story is ready. Then I wear a different cap according to the medium and let the medium takes over and nurture it in its own way, with its own tools of expression and show it to the world in the best way possible.
