THE ESSENTIALS OF BEING A WRITER

WRITING IS AN ART

WRITING IS an art, and like any other form of artistic expression, it is a spontaneous outflow of one’s feelings. It is a reflection of perceptions and opinions on specific issues or subjects that are very close to the writer’s heart. A good writing is overall judged by how articulately and with what degree of cohesiveness and subtlety those thoughts have been portrayed for a comprehensive understanding of the communicative message. The ability to find a good subject is the most important issue here, as unless you have a suitable topic, what would you write on? Apart from the subject matter, it also has a strong academic aspect from the point of view of grammar, text and vocabulary.

A TRUE THINKER

THUS, THE first and foremost step in striving for success in writing is to see through the core of things and perceive different phenomena in abstraction. On doing so, you reach the realm of oblivion; lose your identity as a writer and as a human machine. Thereafter, whatever you see, whether a scientific or a non-scientific phenomenon, you can transcend all your barriers of learning and knowledge and tread into a different universe altogether, undaunted by the unknown new domain you have landed in. For, now you are empowered with the forces of utter self-realization, to unveil the hidden virtues discreetly lying dormant in you, enabling you with those extra-ordinary attributes to comprehend myriad subjects, theories and occurrences with ease that may seem impossible with the naked eye. A new vision engulfs you, and you turn into a child of imagination. Most importantly, it brings out the true thinker in you.

CONNECTING YOUR INNER SELF

IT IS indeed, extremely difficult, to elevate your mental horizons to such levels all of a sudden. For that, you need to study and understand the conflicts of life, and annihilate yourself into the beauty that exists within the joy of happiness or the agony of pain in suffering as we crawl along the path of livelihood. Whether it is the visage of a luxurious 5-star hotel or a road-side shanty; or for that matter the flying supersonic jets and a crematorium, all these are bright and dark portraits between the inter-mingling of dreams and reality of mankind in their enduring struggle for existence. These unending confrontations should submerge you and be the fount of your communicating link between you and all that is beyond you.

DEVELOPING SKILLS

WHILE PERCEIVING the theme is important for any form of writing, the ability to pen down the thoughts with excellent written communication skills is of equal importance. The secret to mastering this art is no overnight affair but requires tremendous toiling – which would include voracious reading and continuous writing habits. The more you read – and whatever you read from any discipline of study enlarges your imagination from a wider spectrum. The language used; the varied styles and subtleties; different forms of expressions; words, idioms, phrases, adjectives – all of these get registered in your sub-conscious mind. Here, you should assiduously note down all new words or the paraphernalia of language you come across, and this should be an unending process – there is no end to learning or refining or even redefining your verbal ability to set new standards in writing.

DIFFERENT STYLES

STYLE IS another important aspect of writing, and therefore, having a feel of how they differ depending on the type of writing is also important as you grow as a writer. For example, the approach of an advertisement copy would differ from that of a journalistic copy, while the technique used in compiling sociological texts would invariably be contrasting with literary texts as well as with those of science and engineering studies. Gradually, you can adapt yourself to these formats and create your own style too!

READING MORE

READING HAS to be supplemented by writing, and as you keep writing- you gradually start gaining control over the language, and it keeps maturing in a progressive manner with the aging of the clock. If you turn back to whatever you had written say even a year back, you would notice the distinct difference.

SECOND OPINION

ANOTHER EXTREMELY helpful tool is to get your work read by another person to find out the flaws and ways to improve on the same. Since an author is inclined in a particular direction, only somebody with an independent mindset can suggest the best modifications for the piece.

SEASONING ADDS VALUE

SEASONING YOUR writing is a must, as any piece of writing has enormous scope for improvement. For writers of almost every genre, the mind saturates at a specific level while writing, thereby affecting the overall creative strength. Therefore, one needs to spread out the work over a period of time by completely forgetting what he has written on the first day and take it up only after a few days. In this process, the writer gets the time to think consciously or unconsciously of what he had worked on, which in turn, brings new ideas the next time he takes it up. This opportunity should also be used for embellishing the article to make it look more colourful.

PUBLISHING YOUR WORK

BUT WRITING is not merely for the sake of writing or for self-appreciation. Seeing it in print is something that really enthrals any author, and more so if any reputed or premier publication carries it. This would obviously instil confidence in you, in your abilities and the potential you hold for success. Therefore, one should keep dispatching one’s work regularly to different journals, even if on most occasions they are not carried or returned with a euphemistic apology letter from the editor.

A CHALLENGING PATH

THE PICTURE may not be rosy for budding writers. It’s a long drawn process and one has to face innumerable hurdles, which may make him extremely frustrated. Initially, when you start, you stand nowhere – and often people may even demoralize you by stating that they are not up to the mark. But you have to ignore all such remarks and have a steel-firm determination to struggle and reach the heights of success – which would happen only after a considerable time-frame.

I AM THE WRITER

AFTER THE long wait is over, your writing skills mature and you start receiving the acclaims. Then you can proudly proclaim, “I am the Writer.”