Writing- Things to Remember and Forget

I love to read and write and perhaps what I would love most is to be a frequently-read writer. I dream to be a reader’s writer. However, just because I love writing so much could only make for the raw material to attain my dream. So what is it that I need? Some of you might hate this analogy but despite that I am going to make it. If writing was sex then, I do not think I ever gained orgasm, a writing-orgasm? How mischievous indeed! But that is the truth, I don’t think I ever wrote anything yet, which made me stifle that sigh of satisfaction or enjoy that giddiness, which comes from physical gratification. I guess I can also compare it with eating. Yes, I remember smothering the air rising in my throat to escape in a belch, after a good meal. And that had often made me smile with satisfaction. I need to find my way towards a writing-orgasm or a gratifying belch and may be that could help me see where and how much more I need to learn.

The thing is forgetting about the constraints. The flow of thoughts in a mind is relentless. However, if we put everything that comes to mind on paper there is a good chance that we might get arrested. Freedom after all doesn’t mean the breaking of norms. But still thoughts can flood the mind’s channels and there becomes an unnerving need to let them out of there. However, this is what I do and I know it is really oppressive to the good writer in me, who, I hope, is hidden somewhere- I begin to write and my thoughts lead to some outrageous place and I put them on paper. Then I spend the next hour trying to scrape it off and change it and make it appear more ‘civilized’. My fear is that people would not like me for my boldness. My mind tells me, “It’s wrong, my dear, it’s wrong. Don’t do this slaughter again,” but I still do it. Yes, I guess it is true that I have this desperate desire to be liked before people can like my writing. But what prove do I have that people would not like reading bold thoughts and actions at least in paper. And even though, my urge to be liked by everybody is too intense still to write for somebody else is not a writer’s job. She has to write for herself of how she perceived a situation and how she will react. Honest and frank opinions that are true to the writer’s innate nature are the clue to a likeable writer. May be that’s what people see when they read- honesty of thoughts and not mere words which are too mild that lead to mediocrity in the plot. So the truth might be that my need to be liked by others will have to take a second place. They should like my words and then if they like me fine otherwise I shall still live.

But there is another verity that I should not forget and even so when I have made it sort of my writing mantra- expression is central to the human existence. Well those were not mere words to make me look good. I genuinely believe in that theory. We cannot live in an expressionless world. We constantly provide outlets to what rises inside. If that is true then should writing be any different. My most loveable mode of expression is writing, so why should it remain stifled and become artificial so that people ‘might’ like it better. And even then what is the guarantee. So wouldn’t it be better that I at least guarantee that I will feel gratified and fulfilled after I express my honest ideas on paper. Of course, the rawness of language would have to be honed, the rough edges would have to be filed, grammar would have to be corrected, and continuity would have to flow more smoothly.

Emphasis in great deal is given to the openings and ends of a write-up- open with a bang and end with a slam, I read in an online tutorial for writers. Well, it is a good rule of thumb because a good opening leads the writer to a good plot. May be some good writers write with the whole story in mind, but most of the time they just have a vague idea and they take a surprising journey with every story and unfold it word-by-word. A good opening keeps us enthused and makes for a good foundation for an excellent manuscript.

There is one important fact to remember and that is to forget to revise each sentence as soon as it marks the paper. Of course, revisions are saving grace for any writers, but those revisions should happen only after first draft is complete. Writing and rewriting every sentence again and again might make the sentence perfect but there is a good chance that the flow of thoughts would get hampered taxing the chance for a good plot to expand.

Revisions are important in fact they are the key to a successful writer. A three-revision policy is often recommended. But in my humble opinion the revisions should be a writer’s call. But in no case revisions should be less than 3 times. The points to keep in perspective are- 1^st revision could make us feel like a child who is standing next to his teacher looking, discomfited, at the red marks that the teacher had made all over his essay. The feeling we might get when we make our second review would be of inadequacy. It might feel that the plot is lame, the climax not impressive enough, the language too childish, and we might even feel like discarding the essay/story and starting anew. But to tell you what, that is really a good sign. That gawky inadequacy would lead us to fix the real loop-holes and glitches in the plot. Remember the urge to fix each and every sentence as soon as it was produced, and as I said we should not do that anymore, well this step is going to provide a time to gratify that urge. We would get a chance to fix each and every sentence to make it look more correct and impressive without affecting the flow of the story. This step is the most crucial one in the whole after-production process. And the best part is that it will guide us to a third revision. And with third revision things will start to look up. By the third time we would either have perfected the article, perfect being a subjective term, or we might have found a way to take a step further and whet it to our liking. After we are done with our revisions it will be best to keep the article some place and forget about it for a couple of days. In the meanwhile we could start working on some other piece or better yet read something from some other writer. Then after those two days we go back and pick-up our story/article and read as it was written by some body else. If this would not open our mind to a different avenue that was missing because our mind was saturated with the plot then the story should be deemed complete and very readable. And most importantly it would be in most likelihood will be liked by the readers. This should be the final step in the whole writing process. Be it after 3 revisions or after 15.

Research, detail-oriented, clean and clear plot, and good peek points in the story are some other points to ponder when committing ourselves to writing. I shall elaborate a little bit more on the points, for my benefit and perhaps yours.

Peak points:

I read ‘The Namesake’ by Jhumpa Lahiri. Although, I could relate to the basic plot of the novel the immigrant dilemma, the immigrants’ children cultural confusion and the other facets related to the same. I thought the high points of the novel were lost in the lackluster narration of the book. I couldn’t read Gogol’s emotions on the death of his father; I couldn’t find Ashima’s misery when Ashoke died. To be precise, it was a mediocre plot because the peaks of the story were blunted. I read the book with aloofness and could picture the scenes from the story, but could not become a part of it.

On the other hand, I loved Sue Monk Kidd’s ‘The Secret Lives of Bees’. In this case even though I was not a native to the cultural panorama presented, I could still relate. And found myself walking side by side with Lily, when she fled home, and was stung by bees, or even when she had her first kiss. I could feel the anger which provoked Rosaleen to spit on the white men for which she got arrested. I mean I was there in the story feeling the emotions, knowing what Lily must have felt like and understood the reasons for her actions. The story had many climaxes, I am sure Kidd must be used to multiple-writing-orgasms by now. And the end was certainly a slam. A story without a twist is not a story at all, they say. I will add to that, that a story, with camouflaged twists created by distant narration, is even worse.

Clean and Clear plot:

It doesn’t mean a platonic writing with pristine background and a virgin protagonist. Clean and clear plot is one which causes least bit of confusion to the readers. The hodgepodge of the plot can cause un-abatable migraines. I remember reading a book; the title of which escapes my mind, well because it was long time ago and also because the plot was in disarray. Every time I picked up the book to continue from the last time I would have to flip back to connect the dots. The numbers of characters in the book were countless and each one had a personal story going about them. Now, don’t get me wrong here, plots like that can be carried out with better organization and compartmentalization, even if in the end it is all going to come together. Remember watching 21 Grams, that’s what I mean.

Detail oriented:

An eye for the detail can be writer’s best friend. A reference to age at one point and then a different reference to age at a different point in writing should add up. The scenes should be such that story starts a movie in the reader’s mind as he reads through. His eyes should dilated with fear or surprise and should moisten with a tragedy, or become soft on reading about the clichéd mushy stuff. To create that reading environment being detail oriented is very important. The venue, the menu, the looks, the clothes, should all be adequate enough to put reader’s imagination at work. So much so that the projector in the mind can successfully project a movie from what he is reading.

Research:

A writer has to do her homework and to develop an eye for the detail; one has to wake the researcher in her too. Good research gives good foundation to the story and make it seems more believable unless one is experimenting with something like paranormal phenomenon or a lost spaceship that landed on a strange planet.

It so happens that I started writing this piece with introspection in mind but it turned out to be somewhat homily type. Thus I felt like sharing it with the readers. But the most important thing to consider is if I reached writing-orgasm while writing this- Hmm, well I think I am on the right path as I did feel the earth give a little shake if not a big one. I guess the big O still awaits me but I will get there since the path that I have taken seems correct.

Writer’s block- An Unofficial Guide

Those who write with a writer’s perception often collide with a phenomenon called ‘writer’s block’ or ‘muse apnea’. Writer’s block is a monster that all writers dread but encounter some time or the other. The monster was chasing me for a long time now and I was just sick and tired of running from it. The irony of the matter is that there is no amount of running that can take us away from this monster. Au contraire!
Running away might give the monster more power and ferocity, which is bound to incapacitate us for a longer time than it should. A few writers have found an easier way to shoo it away. My mind goes vacant when I am under the spell of this brute. No amount of reading helps my mind from reaping any creative topic to write about. I am still trying to engineer my way out of this spell. And in that endeavor I am considering this my first step- analyzing the character of the monster and taking it by the horns. So, I decided to write about the same monster that tries to debilitate me from time to time.

What gives birth to ‘writer’s block’? Many things in my opinion, and one of the most important one might just be saturation of our brains. I think a writer just likes to go on and on without taking enough breaks. That gives rise to an unmanageable clutter in our brains, which disallows the creative juices to flow out on the paper. To remain clutter free we have to leave our mind for some rest. Getting out in the nature and absorb the freshness might clear up the clutter effectively. Or watching some mindless show on TV. In essence, doing some exercises that would not involve deep thinking. For me cooking has worked and so has watching a movies and talking to a friend on the phone.

There is one more reason for that clutter to accumulate. Human beings are collectors they don’t like to throw out things that they have collected over the years. As a result the clutter in our houses can clutter our brains too. In similar terms a writer, a human being, gives birth to ideas (writing ideas) and collects them in his brain little by little. He makes a mental list of all the ideas on which he should write about. It doesn’t occur to him that some ideas may not expand into anything readable. But he is a collector and he hates to throw those ideas out of his mind. The clutter just keeps getting bigger often reaching to an overwhelming size. The best thing to do than making and keeping a mental list is to make a physical one. Put the ideas on a paper as soon as possible. There are two things that can happen from this exercise. One- when we put the ideas on paper our mind can rest aside the fear of forgetting those ideas. And it will give us a chance to evaluate those ideas later, for their solidity. We will think harder on how to expand those ideas and start our homework research and exploration of knowledge.

Lack of ideas is another reason that writer’s block kicks in. Inspiration is all around us, inscribed with stories that remain untold or not narrated rightly. But writers are not magnates and the strewn ideas are not iron pieces that would automatically get attracted to a writer. And yet a writer who loves to write has to keep finding new ideas to explore and expand. Still, sometimes writers find it difficult for an idea to stick so that they can finally develop it to an article or a story. Encountering this kind of blockage is even worse than the one that occurred due to the clutter. The reason here is just the opposite- emptiness or more aptly a vacuum. But only if we can understand the mechanism of such a situation to occur we can probably deal it with much ease.

We cannot be jack of all trades, irrespective of the invention of that phrase. We all are masters of a few, though. What I mean is that we like to write about a few genres and we can be good in them with enough practice. I, for example, like to write stories and essays that involve women, social, familial, and some other issues similar to those. But one fine day I decided to try something new. “Let me start a mystery thriller,” I told myself convincingly. So I sat down to write a suspense story where the protagonist, a woman, kills her lover. I had the basic idea of the plot. But I had no idea on how to proceed to make it a mystery. After many efforts the story that evolved was more of a psychological profiling of the protagonist her difficult childhood, and her chaotic relationship with men. So in the end I could only write the story with an angle which I am more comfortable with. The story is still a work-in-progress and its genre is woman-issue. I have realized my limits as a writer. We have to know our limits and try to expand them but not break them. Of course, some of us can write about any topic under the sun, but most of us are limited by our own personalities. If we stay true to ourselves we decrease the likelihood of writer’s block striking us by one count.

I have found that freewriting works wonderfully at times. It is unstructured in style, content, and purpose. It is professed by many writing instructors to have helped the student-writers find a personal voice through unrestrained expression. I think it is a wonderful idea to exercise our writing with freewriting for various reasons. One explanation is that freewriting can break the writer's block much more easily than any other exercise. The other advantage of this exercise is that it lets the idea flow smoothly on the paper, because the freewriting rule is to write continuously with no attention to spelling or grammar mistakes or if the writing is disconnected. Freewriting allows us to write down our scattered thoughts in one place. They become like dots, which we can connect later. Amazingly the dots can connect to make a beautiful graph of a story/essay. Even if that doesn't happen, this particular exercise helps in purging of the mind, which is essential for any writer to practice. A freewriting exercise on a daily basis develops a healthy writing aptitude in a writer and helps him/her evolve into a better writer.

In conclusion, there are many ways that will identify the upsurge of writer’s block in us. But there are as many ways to tackle and break that block also. In summary the points are as follows:

• Taking ample rests between writings- a restful mind is a good ground for new ideas to grow.
• Un-cluttering the mind- a restful mind can remove some clutter from our thinking process. However, if the help from that step doesn’t achieve breakage of writer’s block, taking the ideas from the mind and putting them in a physical list often is a great idea.
• Identifying our voice- As much as it is important for any writer to explore his limits it is also important to write in a voice that is completely his own. With time and experience a writer can find new tones in his voice. However, writing in what his present knowledge and understanding demands from him is the best idea to keep the pen flowing and the mind going.
• And last but not the least, a few exercises, like freewriting, can keep the creative juices of a writer flowing.

The Wanderer in my Heart

Open fields are too easy to saunter,
Give me some thorns to wade through,
For I have no urge to stroll anymore
Give me a crooked path to meander.

I’ve forgotten sentimental foolishness
I only remember its sappy triviality
So with my heart I think not anymore
Give me a mind to conquer.

The restless energy stirs inside
But today I don’t need to tame it,

It rejuvenates my desire to explore

Day by Day

A new yet usual morning,

Coffee's aroma surrounds again.

Sizzle of frying eggs at the bustling corner café-

Sounds and smells of early day.

Rush of the subway station.

Some familiar faces but still unknown

An unsmiling rare nod from a man,

Who shared a seat one similar morning.

A wide-eyed kid

Stares at my un-American appearance,

Next moment turns his eyes

From my smiling face.

Cringing again from a homeless person,

Who tries to squeeze through the narrow spaces.

And I clutch my hand-bag to the chest,

As if in it whole life I encase.

I sneak a peek at a handsome face,

A cheerful sight in the usual humdrum.

Averting my eyes for a fleeting second,

Coming back to it, to gaze again.

Walking two blocks to my office

Remembering it was a donut-day.

In spite of the full breakfast in the morning,

Picking the do-nut treat on my way.

A pile of work waits with patience.

Typing with fresh fingers,

That tire easily,

With passing of the day.

For you and me both,

With some variation,

Life passes by,

Day-by-day.