You ask me whats with all this Mouthshut related write ups? (I’m inspired)
Have I lost my mind? (well I lost it years ago)
Have I taken an anti-mouthshut stance? (nope)
Is this mouthshut propaganda? (not at all)
Am I on an advice-giving spree? (hey... stop asking questions... dont torture my poor grey cells)
Time to get rolling...
Forgive the excessive use of that wretched pronoun - I
I’m walking up to the confession booth. I have a confession or two to make.
Part 1: The Confession
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Me: Father....
Priest:Yes child...
Me: I have something thats troubling my mind...
Priest: Let it out my child, the truth always sets you free...
Me: Yes Father...
Priest: I’m listening child...
Me:(deep breath)
Father... I joined this web site called Mouthshut to write and read and find some interesting people to interact with. I must admit, I succeeded...
But I’m not sure how... all I can think is that I...
wrote on topics that I knew about (no google... just experience)
didnt force myself to write (wrote only when I felt like and on whatever I felt like writing on)
didnt FORCE HUMOUR (its better to pretend to be serious than to pretend to be funny)
wrote to the best of my abilities (it may be limited but its honest)
made it accessible to most readers (no excess use of words even Webster didnt understand)
did not resort to emulating others (develop your own style)
made sure that the facts were correct (half truths can cause damage....)
was open to comments that pointed out flaws in my logic (they attacked my review... not me...)
READ the works of others and increased my own knowledge
maybe... maybe thats it...
Father... overall I have had a great time on this site... and I’ve written a bit.
Priest: Child... then what is it thats troubling you...
Me:Well... a few months after I joined... they gave me a label... a badge called Star Writer... they said I made it into an elite group of writers...
Priest: Thats great news son... why should that trouble you?
Me: Because I feel lost at times... they gave me a label but didnt mention what it was about... and what my responsibilities were... and I see something in this group I am in... some of the folks aren’t around... and some... confuse me...
I said to myself that a person gets that Star Writer badge when they have done the following:
Complied with the set of rules set by Mouthshut (photograph, profile page etc.)
Written decent, informative and well presented reviews on a regular basis
Play their part in promoting other writers and helping the community cause
Constantly innovate and try to push themselves to the next level
Set GOOD examples
my question... dear father... is... do I have all these qualities? Am I doing justice to this? These questions trouble me...
Also, I hate it when my fellow clan of star writers are subjected to unnecessary attacks and when they have to see mediocre works from fellow star writers who make a mockery of the whole system... and get away with it...
Priest: The road to inner peace is paved by one’s faith in one’s abilities and also one’s ability to accept truth... so if you feel you arent doing justice to the whole thing, embrace the truth... and work hard to improve and do justice to the position... if you believe you arent qualified and are just taking up space and time... give up the position... its better to be a sincere NOBODY than an insincere SOMEBODY...
Me: yes... that makes perfect sense... its better to be sincere and do justice to a role thats got responsibilities and expectations... or give up that role...
Priest: You have found your answer my son...
Me: Thank you.... thank you father...
Part 2: The Writer’s Scrapbook
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I hold in my hand a copy of the Writer’s scrapbook. It has been accumulated from the Writers Bulletin Board where all the writers - past and present - have left behind a message or two... I shall now read some of them out to you:
For Writers
Take a good look at the topic and ask yourself ’’am I comfortable with it?’’. If yes... you’re going to deliver a winner... if no... you’re going to torture your brain and rely on that creature called Google.
Draft the review. Two ways of doing it... either write free flow or plan it out and then construct each part. Free flowing reviews are pretty much words from the heart and they will have a beauty of their own. A review thats been planned out, broken into sections and constructed carefully also has its advantages - better factual correctness
and readability.
Re-read! The second round of reading helps iron out mistakes. Use the MOUTHSPELL feature to eliminate spelling mistakes.
Ask yourself ’’Is this it?’’... hit SUBMIT if you get a Yes. If its a No... rewrite the whole darn thing or just parts that you dont like.
Your work has to be accessible, factual and presentable - so take some time and make some effort. It pays.
Boy... not a bad piece of advice... now to read it once again and follow it myself...
Part 3: The Writer’s Hierarchy
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Newbies - Armed with a fresh mind and raring to go... newbies have the advantage of zero expectations and loads of topics to pick from. Newbies come to a fork in the road at some point of time... they can go to the right and become REGULAR WRITERS or they can go to the left and end up in WRITER’S LIMBO!
Regular Writers - They write!
Star Writers - The people who are at the wrong end of a loaded gun. Star writers are people who earned the badge through hard work or a process of selection that is as mysterious as the legend of Atlantis (am yet to figure out how I got there)... Being a star writer is a great feeling... but it comes with a lot of responsibilities...
Stellar Writers - These are the best of the lot. They dont wear any badge. They just write and create literary masterpieces. A star writer can be a stellar writer... but a stellar writer need not be a star writer.
The legendary writers - people who leave behind a legacy... and are regarded as role models...
I’ve talked enough... now its time to get abused...
~finis~
I genuinely feel for people who deserve this Star Writer tag more than I do... and I have this request to MS.... to review all existing Star Writers and potential ones... or... just do away with the whole darn thing
The final confession
I wrote for fun and I continued writing for the bunch of people who told me that they enjoyed reading what I write. Thats the essence behind writing on Mouthshut.