Write Winged

Generally I start my Guest posts by talking a little about the guest author or just start off by writing something that would suit the mood, but here I dont think anything is required. Her write has such a beautiful flow that you just cant stop reading... so without boring you anymore... read....

 

I’m one of the aunts Sriharsha keeps speaking of in his blog (although you won’t know which one because there are five of us – at least, not unless he specifies it). Well, to put it more specifically, it’s the aunt whose kid’s article in “The Hindu” Harsha put up last week on the blog.

When Harsha asked if I would write something for his blog, I did not exactly jump at the offer because he caught me in a sort-of burnout from all the writing (non-stop almost) done over the past two years. But, agree I did, out of a sense of kinship – I could identify with the need to take a break from writing, and besides, how could I say no to my own nephew when I wrote for people I didn’t even know!!

Just for background – I’m presently a full-time Asst. Professor at a private college in Bangalore, and a freelance writer for online and print media.

How Writing Changed Me

I read this statement once that the more things change, the more they remain the same. It sounded strange and flawed at first glance and it set me thinking of things to refute this logic. I didn’t have to look too far because my own experience proved how a single step can be the gateway to a sea of change. A simple email I sent on a whim to a content writing firm in July 2010 turned out to be my induction into an entire new world – one filled with sitting non-stop at a newly-acquired laptop, learning to navigate through keyword specifications, subtitle and bulleted list requirements, avoiding run-on sentences, steering clear of plagiarism, ensuring what I write doesn’t put people to sleep etc etc etc.

My perspective widened

As I began researching and writing, every single topic I worked on helped to contribute to my knowledge. Being an avid reader, I enjoyed the process of finding information on topics that I would never otherwise have a reason to read about. Whether it was about starting a flower basket business, managing diabetes and hypertension, or dealing with a differently-abled child, choosing the right television antenna or retirement home, or becoming a basketball coach or taking up TOEFL and SAT, every article I wrote gave me information that helped me obtain an entirely new perspective.

I manage time better

In the beginning stages, it often took me around two hours to complete a 500-word article with more time being spent on researching than on the actual writing. Gradually, I learnt to manage time better by focusing first on information needed for the article. Simultaneously, I also maintained a list of the websites that had interesting information and visited those at leisure for my personal reading. Besides, it came to my notice that completing the assignment became simple if I began with the easy part and then went on to tackle the part that appeared difficult. As I grew adept at using this system, the time required for the 500-word, good quality article came down to about one hour and currently hovers to between 35 to 45 minutes.

Empathy increased

With time, I noticed that all my articles which garnered praise were the ones that had a basic simplicity to them – they were the ones that spoke directly and honestly to the reader. This taught me how important it is for a writer to be able to identify with the needs of the audience. Ever since, I make it a point to read my own writing from the viewpoint of the intended reader, making corrections every time I find that fancy words detract from the meaning of what I’m trying to convey. I’ve found that this has also helped me in the classroom – I’m now more sensitive to the requirements of my students and tailor my teaching to ensure they receive relevant information in an engaging format.

Taking criticism is now easier

There is one thing that is more unpleasant than writing on a difficult topic – rewriting it. Not only do you have to start from a new angle, you are also burdened with the emotional baggage that is often a result of a hurt ego. Writing has taught me to face criticism with equanimity. As I continue writing, I have developed the ability to face up honestly to my mistakes. More importantly, it has taught me to take the occasional unduly harsh comment in my stride without letting it bruise my self-confidence.

However, as I continue mulling it over, perhaps the person who made that statement (a quick search on Google shows it’s part of a song by Bon Jovi) is not entirely wrong. After all, I was writing something unique at every point of time – whether it was the answers that my classmates copied in their homework books, the meticulous notes in college that friends swore by or the articles I now write.  Besides, there is one thing that has still remained the same – the joy and thrill that I experience every time I sit down to write.

Whew!! That’s quite a lot I’ve written, and I hope you managed to make your way through without losing interest…I’d love to hear what you think…..so do write in with comments.

~Anu

Rights Wrong Write

Its an age old belief that Lakshmi, the goddess of wealth follows and always comes after saraswati, the goddess of knowledge. The wise and well read also said that the true lustre of knowledge and wisdom, the sheer brilliance of art and literature is often found to shine from underneath the clutter of poverty and obscurities.

 There might be a few exceptions to the latter statement, but the bare sense of rating Saraswati over Lakshmi holds a lot of meaning. Have we somehow lost this teaching? Or has the teaching itself lost upon us? Whichever might be the voice used, lakshmi clearly seems to be leading the way today, and the ‘New Age Indian Authors’ who are also the point of talk in this article, are the staff holders of this lakshmi led regime. 

As common as it is for people to want to be heard, it is also quite common for people to have stories; not to mention the crave for fame and the desire to tame success. A mix of all this is what gives rise to the tragedy called “The New Age Indian Author”. Yeah, what follow is going to take an aggressive turn against the new age Indian authors, so if you like the Chetan Bhagats and Rashmi Bansals, you stop here. 

Everyone has stories, and everyone likes to be heard, the more people hear you the more happy you feel and if popularity, success and money come along, then who wouldnt want to become a writer? My question to these authors is- doesn’t writing have a purpose?  are just money, success or popularity reasons enough for writing books? Or do they even care about any of this?

When I first thought I could also turn author, I came up with an attractive and a fairly interesting prologue. Thrilled at this, I showed it to my dad, who is again an author,  but by no means has new or age on his side

.

‘It’s not bad. I think you might have an interesting story to tell, but I wouldn’t give a good review, you have a story and you mean well but thats not enough. You also know Kannada well, but not quite enough to be an author. Be more descriptive, romance a little with the words, make reading a pleasure. Make it look like literature and not a news report.’ Said my father.

I was not surprisingly, crushed and a little hurt; which led me to conclude that my father was too old for lite reading.  Only now I realise that this ‘lite reading’ is a bug. A bug that is one of the reasons for the encroachment of these new age authors on an enchanted lane of literature paved long before there existed a ‘lite reading’. 

While speaking to my aunt on this topic, she seemed to be outraged, her exact words were

‘Just because you have a lot of money and know people in publishing, it doesn’t give you right to put crap on paper. That’s reader abuse!’

True, I thought. How many IIMs have you seen turning into authors? Or as my aunt said, serve crap on paper. You take the names, but it holds good for most. This is where we see lakshmi taking lead over Saraswati. Just because you are rich and have an IIM diploma it doesn’t mean you have what it takes to write. I wouldn’t want to go on to explain how bad the writes can get, mostly because I don’t want to get in trouble, and also because I don’t want my post to turn too big. 

All said and done, I do believe people are good at heart, even if you’re an IIM. So just stick to being good.

Reminds me of a song that translates to ‘A Bird that spans the skies doesn’t expect an award for being what she is’ 

Are we so obsessed with success and popularity that we expect recognition for being selfless? Does that even count as being selfless? Or has selflessness become another qualification to sell yourself?

What started off as an expression of dissatisfaction for bad books and poor literature by these story sellers has manifested into something much different. Nonetheless it is worth thinking. Do we need to accept and implement these new found definitions and meanings of selflessness? Or would we use it as a cynical complement? Think!

Oh yeah..  I almost forgot... Don’t buy their books if you like English