On writing
I want to write. But I don’t know what or how. I think, I am not well versed or have good command over the English language, in terms of vocabulary and grammar. I am scared that I will make mistakes. But a wise man once said “You have to lose your fear of being wrong to be creative.” So conquering all my fears today, I have set down to write. But I don’t know what to write about, I don’t have anything in mind, really. This brings me to my second fear of writing - content. The Inspiration. Sometimes, I itch to write, but I don’t know what to write about. It would be wrong to say that I don’t have any ideas or I am not thinking about anything. Ideas are streaming in my mind continously like atoms falling in from the surface of any matter to deep inside of it and back, or water bubbles that contiously drift from the surface of the water to deep down and back. Thoughts about humanity, society, love, life, the earth, the universe and everything else is continously ravaging inside me, unconditionally. Yet, I don’t usually feel the emotion, the urge to express it out there.
I still don’t know what to write about. Even if I cook up something to write on, what about the expression in my writing? What if it is hillarious or too childish? What if it is too confusing and there is no clarity in my writing?
Hopefully, you can now understand what a writer has to go through even before he starts writing anything.
I think writing is an enourmous creative effort. First, you have to find some interesting thing to write about. Then you have do all necessary research, sketch an abstract outline in your mind of how the writing you want to be, and then put words to express the interesting thing you had to write about. Often is the case when after finishing, you don’t get the kind of language or tone or mood you initially wanted the writing to have.
So, you go back and read the whole writing, editing to make it more like the way you wanted. From a spark of an idea to completed work of excellent art needs a lot of care, effort and dedication which is illustrated by the writer’s passion towards his writing. Long story short, its not easy to write anything which can move a person deeply, change his life, or remain very much contemporary even after hundreds of years after its creation.
Its same for all forms of art as well.
Its 3 AM, and I am typing frantically at my keyboard, its the only sound I can hear. I don’t know what to write about or how to go about writing, yet I have typed out around 30 odd lines without thinking anything. I guess its just coming out. Sometimes the Inspiration can be very powerful. Sometimes when that Inspiration is peeping from inside of you to come out, or comes and sits beside and asks you “What’s up?”. Words just start flowing from your mind ceaselessly. You run to grab something so that you can hold them. Then you don’t really need to think. Words come out of you straight to the paper. It feels so exhilarating. Its truly speaking your mind. And then many of them go on to become legacies and sermons.
The key is to keep being inspired and the music will come to you.