The simple joy in writing

It’s really amusing when I think about my first blog post, how it all started, rather WHY I started blogging? I simply cannot pinpoint the exact factor which triggered it -

Pseudo preparation for CAT to improve my verbal section’s score [turned out to be a joke. Please stress upon the word ‘pseudo’] or 

Room-mate’s constant cribbing on his declining vocabulary, thanks to the influence of some of his colleagues [his profanity improved considerably though] or

The online chats with my friend based on her deep passion for writing, which echoed my own feelings. [In my opinion, she’s an excellent writer. Of course, if she manages to hold a pen for two straight hours.]

Nevertheless, I do know why I’ll continue to blog.

Rise of the Vocabulary

There are people who believe in using English language just to convey an idea or a message. After all, it is just a medium for communication. But, doesn’t the right choice of words make an article more beautiful? There IS a difference between, ‘It is something that cannot be explained’ and ‘it is inexplicable’. A good vocabulary matters.

It is slightly tough for me to just conjure these “good words” out of thin air, but there’s always the dictionary and the thesaurus, right? Each blog post helps me in adding at least a couple of words to my just-above-average-vocabulary. In fact, I use some of the words when I write just so as to commit them to my memory. 

There you go! A New Year’s revelation: I ain’t no walking, talking dictionary.

Yet.

Strengthen Structure

I think it is about time that I responded to all my friends’ appreciation for a couple of my posts. I’m really grateful for the encouragement. Thank you. But, I still sit and wonder whether I’d have to consider it as a compliment when someone sends across a message saying that I would be the next Chetan Bhagat.

No disrespect, but in any novel, I would prefer to read, ‘He washed his hands after taking a long piss behind the wall’ rather than CB’s style, ‘He went behind the wall. He pissed for a very long time. Then, he came back and washed his hands.’

I imagine CB fears that his readers would mix up the sequence of events. Yes, if I’m writing fiction or something meaningful and selling it for a few bucks, I would keep my ideas organized. I would structure it well and make sure it is easy and free flowing for the reader. But, insulting the reader’s intelligence would be the last thing I would do.

Or maybe not. Last would be Serena Williams.

An outlet for creativity

Blogging gives me an opportunity to think out of the box, to pen down all the weird thoughts I get, to express my pun-oramic views on the simplest and mundane things of life. I can give life to a rock or make a dog speak. I can create a new world, build new characters, start a new story and give my own ending to it. The freedom… is simply exhilarating.

Speaking of weird, even an ant can initiate a train of absurd thoughts.

Add a p – pant.

Add an l – plant.

Add an i – plaint.

Add an iff – plaintiff.

Add an s… you get the drift. Just play with the words.

Breaking barriers

I’m a shy/reserved/conservative Indian. If I speak or write about…um, certain things, I’ve supposedly committed a sin or performed an iniquitous deed. However, holding back wouldn’t help me either. So…

Breasts, penis, vagina, kiss, sex, porn, nipples, naked, pubic hair, orgasm, masturbate, PMS, condoms

Whew! *wiping sweat off my forehead* It might not be a complete list, but I think I’ve crossed the bridge now.

Learning

Blogging gives me a well defined purpose to surf the net. I constantly search for new topics to write or I have to continually research to obtain more and more material for a chosen topic or to examine others’ views and ideas. In the process, I learn. A lot.

There is also the challenge of – exploring new styles, to write like a particular blogger or to write like no one else has written before; and exploring emotions, to investigate human attitude and to get into people’s minds. 

Explore. Examine. Experiment.

In addition to this, it opened up an incredible concept.

Unlearning

There are times when you are stuck upon an idea, when you are damn sure that something is right/wrong. It is only when you are fed with a whole different point of view from someone else that you begin to think, ‘Oh, I had never thought about it that way.’

Blogosphere gives you fresh perspective.

Recognition

We, the wannabe comedians, have attention seeking souls. Yes, I too have the need to have a presence ‘online’ and leave a mark of my own. Why else would I ‘publish’ a post instead of writing it in my diary?

Mark Zuckerberg’s greatest creation is not Facebook - a social networking site which helps people connect and share what’s important to them. It’s the ‘Like’ button.

And then…

There might be other reasons.

You might want to keep a track of all the events in your life. Twenty years down the line, you might look back and enjoy a good laugh over it. A public diary, you can say. 

Or,

You might want to share a few of your jokes, which only you would think is utterly funny. 

Or,

Perhaps, you just love the written word. You may find the conversion process, from invisible thoughts to visible words, intoxicating. You may experience a sense of euphoria every time you finish a piece of writing. A sense of accomplishment.

It doesn’t matter if you never see any of it in print. It doesn’t matter if the public isn’t impressed by your work. For now, it is all yours, for you to take delight in it. It is…

Writing for writing’s sake.