Ok first things first, I am not a great writer, yeah sure I have penned close to some 384 reviews out here on Moutshut and also of late writing on other sites like Passion For Cinema, Short Fiction, Cinemaa Online, plus my own personal Blogs. I started out tentatively writing poems, then into articles, then into movie reviews, then into blogs, and now dabbling in short stories and it has been almost a decade’s into writing on the net.
But as Robert Frost stated, "The woods are lovely, dark and deep, there are miles to go, and promises to keep, before I sleep". I still have a long way to go, and writing is not my bread and butter either. There is that book, which I have always been planning to write, but has never got off. And many other dreams, that still remain dreams. What I am posting here are not tips? I don’t believe in tips, to me they are just placebos to feel good. What I am sharing here is from my own experience. To me Experience has always been the best teacher in life, it can teach you more than what a dozen self help books do.
So why the Zen funda?
Some time back i remember when one of my articles on Passion For Cinema, had very few comments, and add to it some snide remarks, and i was feeling down about it. Then i recall, the site owner telling me, "When you are writing, you need to have a Zen like attitude, do not be affected by remarks, or response, just keep going on and on".
Now having a Zen like attitude, is not the easiest of things to do. It can be frustrating, when you see yourself putting in so much effort, and people do not even care to acknowledge it. It can be frustrating when you see some one putting in a more mediocre effort, and getting more recognition. It can be all the more frustrating, when you have to put up with snide remarks and jabs, asking you to change your style, and dumb it down. But then at the risk of sounding cliched, "the road ahead is always strewn with rocks, stones and thorns".
Remember one thing, when you are writing something, it is you and you alone, who is responsible for the content. What you are putting out are your own thoughts, your ideas. Write straight from the heart, put out your feelings, what you feel about an issue. Do not go by what others feel, not every one is going to agree with your views, be prepared to face the opposition, but believe in what you write. Never write something you don’t believe in. That is a big no, it is cheating yourself, which to me is the worst crime ever.
Also remember one thing, You can never be a perfect writer. There is no standard by which you can define perfection in writing. It is a continuous, never ending process, writing is a craft like anything else. It has to be honed, sharpened, polished. But does not this contrast with the Zen approach. No, what i say is that keep your ears and eyes open, read as much as you can, listen to suggestions, comments. But pick those suggestions you feel are worthy of implementing, how do i determine what is worthy or not? No answer for that, it is your take. Take in the feedback, keep improving, at the same time make sure, that end of the day, it is your voice that is heard.
Again write on what interests you. I can write on movies, music, politics, sports, history, travel, because these are the topics that genuinely interest me. I can’t write on fashion trends, i never follow any in the first place, and i honestly can’t make out the difference between pleats and cuffs. I can’t write something on dressing, considering that my idea of dressing up is a jeans, tee and a stubble. I can’t write something on cosmetics or perfumes as I rarely use them. Do not try to be a "All under the Sun" writer, trying to write on everything. It is not imperative that you need to know everything. Write only on what you are genuinely interested in.