I have been writing for quite some time now. I started blogging as soon as I got out of college. I have been writing on and off since then, but in the last one year, I have been successful in maintaining a writing streak. I have always wanted to write regularly; it is only now that I have been successful at it. A significant impetus to the writing streak was the realization that I was becoming a passive consumer and not a producer. I am a voracious reader, and at one point, I realized that I was consuming stuff without putting out anything of my own. Off-late, I have been promoting my posts a bit more aggressively due to which I have received bouquets as well as brickbats. A couple of questions have come my way along the lines of how do you manage to write so regularly, where do you get the ideas from and some trepidations people go through when they want to express their opinion in public.
I write for myself; this might sound like a cliche with a lot of writers claiming so, but you need to start writing to get this. Writing is like having a structured conversation with oneself; it is therapeutic. It helps to bring clarity to a lot of ideas I have. It also helps me to develop a rubric for thinking and decision making which aids me at work as well as in my personal life. Every day I make tons of decisions, creating a framework for this helps me to evaluate the choices objectively and get better at it. Writing helps me to reinforce the process to make these decisions.
One of the trepidations that most face when it comes to putting out their opinion in public is whether it is good enough, what will others think? Whenever I look at my past writings, I have a terrible feeling in my stomach. I can spot quite a bit of grammatical errors, half-baked ideas, and poorly constructed phrases. I am sure I will feel the same about this post in future. But, you get better by doing, not by not doing, hence, if I write more, I should get progressively better at it, at least, that is the hope. Seeing this from the lens of a journey rather than a destination helps. Ask yourself the question; what is more important to you? Is it your image in other’s eyes or your improvement? What do you prioritize?
What if I write something which I no longer believe to be true? It does not matter. If your views and thoughts are not constantly evolving, there is something wrong. If your beliefs are changing, it means that you are getting exposed to diverse ideas and opinions and you are continually updating your thoughts. A better way to put it is; strong opinions, loosely held. My writings are a reflection of my views at a particular point in time; they may very well change in the future. Wise people understand this.
Another common misconception everyone has is that one has to write something long and unique. Even I held this view earlier, but I have changed. I no longer believe that writings have to span pages to be effective. Shorter essays are equally palatable and powerful. Haikus, proverbs, and parables are some examples of short useful musings. Even if you voice something that someone has written before but color it in your perspective, it adds a lot of value.
How do I write?
I have a rough idea in mind. I draft that. I sleep over it for a couple of days, editing it now and then. I try to shorten it as much as possible nuking unnecessary words and sentences. When I feel I have been moderately successful in communicating the concept effectively, I publish it. After posting, I find numerous ways in which I could have done it better, but I have to draw the line somewhere.
I am writing this in the hope that I can enthuse others to start writing more often.
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