I’m a firm believer in starting my day the right way. I’ve noticed that normal and boring adults grudgingly wake up to reality every morning. Its either due to the drudgery of daily survival, or perhaps sleep itself has become a luxury these days! Senior people usually wake up with uncomfortable incontinence issues; while new mothers wake up to their baby’s wailing, a painful yet sweet alarm for them. Men wake up to a healthy morning wood. I don’t know the female equivalent of that, but I’m sure there must be something that women wake up to as well.
As far back as I can remember, I have always woken up to one thought – the dream of seeing my name on bestseller lists, week after week. It may be because I have always wandered into sleep with that thought. Or maybe because that’s my most favorite day dream too? Writing for me is therapeutic. It is a window to my soul and to the deep confines of my subconscious mind.
I began writing for a purely selfish reason – to give vent to my innermost emotions. You know, the type of feelings that you cannot discuss with your best friend, sibling or parents? It is something that is only between you and your God. Maybe something that you would take to your grave?
That’s the politically correct official version which I quote to sound philosophical.
Unofficially speaking, I began writing because I got inspired by a girl. It was part of the usual teenage-crush-process where hormones are working 24×7 and you end up discovering a hidden talent that may later on become your calling in life. I composed an ode and she was so impressed that she overlooked my meager pocket money and said yes to me instantly. Crazy things can happen during those wonder years and she was one of them. Alas, that relationship lasted only till writer’s block struck me.
Over time, pen and paper got replaced by a laptop and I thought of consolidating my writing in the form of a blog. The intent was not to publicize or attract readers, but solely to document my life and experiences in my own words. There was a part of me that wanted the memoirs to be private and for the initial years I used to publish under a pseudonym.
The plan was to blog regularly so that it makes for a voluminous book to read at leisure post my retirement. But you can’t really hide creative work for long! A dear friend of the fairer sex picked up the whiff of my writing and those words struck a chord in her heart. She encouraged me to write more and I slowly started witnessing a stream of readers on my blog. Their comments made me realize the power of my words. For some they came as a healing tonic. For others the posts were manifestation of their unfulfilled desires. Many readers blessed me for bringing a smile to their faces and helping them unwind. A common thread across all my readers was the ‘bonding factor’. They felt connected to each other through me and my words. To me this was the biggest compliment.
Blogging to me is a stepping stone towards realization of my dream of becoming a writer. Give me my laptop and internet connection, and I wouldn’t mind being marooned on an island!
(This post is written for MissMalini’s MEGA Haul. It is my only real chance to earn a mentor-ship with her!)
Beautifully expressed. 🙂
I don’t know if I can call writing my calling ( I am forever confused) but I learnt that I enjoyed writing very late in life. But like they say, never too late for anything if you start right away.