Further tips regarding writing(Published in D.H.education)

FURTHER TIPS REGARDING WRITING
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My friend SharadaRao has already guided many of you regarding writing;I will try to follow it up with some important tips;tips which I hope will prove useful in the long run.
Well you know by now that extensive reading is a necessary foundation; Good books are the windows for the world outside.Rightly has Francis Bacon-the intellectual author of the Elizabethan era(1561-1626), has said-‘Reading maketh a full man,conference a ready man,and writing an exact man’. But he has also cautioned about wasting one’s precious time over worthless books by advising thus-‘Some books are to be tasted,others to be swallowed,and some to be chewed and digested.’ Books impart knowledge, and knowledge in the intellectual’s words-‘denote power!’
Alas, even wit h the facilities provided by the government in the form of free libraries,reading habit has lessened due to Internet; Even language is suffering,
‘Internet vocabulary’ taking over.I would advise would be-writers to be wary, and study classical literature first,before venturing on their own.
Have you ever experienced a deep urge to express your feelings in words? If so, donot curb it ever, for then it will be like a root struggling to push its plant upward; Allow it to flower gracefully, otherwise, it may play havoc with emotions. Writing is a good form of relaxation, making any heavy heart lighter with all the stored thoughts and pent-up emotions channelized into something wonderfully creative for posterity.
Now,there are different forms of writing- novels,shortstories, skits,poetry,dramas, not to mention translations which are also finding a niche due to their importance of interaction . The technique of each field is different-novels calling for a wide canvass wherein the lives of quite a few-sometimes more,depending upon the plot thoughtout , are woven through complexity of characters leading to the main one. Hence, much research has to be done to gather authentic matter,and that presented in an appealing way with interesting conversations,suspense-built up incidents laced with humour here and there, powerful emotion where necessary, and colourful description
to make an impact. So,Wordsworth’s famous saying -‘one percent inspiration,the rest perspiration’-fits in. The background of Masterpieces we have read brings to mind –‘Rome was not built in a day’
Shortstories though not so laborious, is also painstaking in its own way,
as it calls for a powerful or interesting story within its small frame. Goethe,SomersetMahaum,O Henry, R.K Narayan have all perfected the art through intense power of observation,and diligence.
Skits require sense of humour; Daily incidents,however bitter, can provide the platform if viewed with a pinch of humour, whereas poetry flows when emotions are stirred. Technique of drama is different,an effective media with the personal touch as the characters speak out; Many are taking to drama-writing nowadays, what with revolutionary ideas cropping up. Greeks have given a good heritage. Penning radio-dramas are different from stage-dramas; One is more of hearing,while other is –‘seeing’;,to put it in a nutshell-‘Audio—Visual. .Stage plays are becoming popular with bold social themes and wide experiments conducted by both talented youngsters and dedicated veterans. Studying-through reading and viewing will certainly pave the way for a clear insight.
Now to come to the most important part-selling our writing……magazines and papers are the most popular medium; But each paper has its own yardstick, so it is advisable to study the published scripts of each magazine ,and send accordingly.Take for example, one magazine likes humour in an essay type,for instance,Oliver Goldsmith’s with his subtle humour type, another likes it in harate type, (More of conversation)yet another, humorous builtups on current topics,like Stephen Leacock, P.G.Wodehouse’s ‘My man Jeeves’, Mark Twain, Thurber,etc..The same applies to short stories also-some require simple language-crisp plot,another, an emotional piece written in flowery language,so on. And novels?serials have a special technique of their own evolved to sustain reader’s interest every week.It is quite a difficult craft,but paying if persued.There is nothing intellectual in it, a sort of soap-opera in written form.Many magazines thrive on such writing; Children’s literature is another field one has to reckon with in this era;Kids have become ultra smart,refusing to buy Santa Clause, or the old fairy tales..A lot of reality has to be blended before they can be
weighed and accepted.It is worth the trouble since that piece of writing is much in demand at present.Regular reading of the sheets specially brought out each week by all magazines and papers will help to hone the talent-even cultivate it.
Thus by some effort,the aspiring writer can find out the needs of each medium, and cultivate on those lines..
Lastly, current-topic based articles etc become period-writings, valuable for next generation since it gives them an insight of past history-past problems-past civilization etc,be it in any form.For example, ‘Gone with the wind, suitable boy, Tale of two cities,
Walter Scott’s novels, War and peace, Good Earth, Rabindranath Tagore’s works’,etc,etc. Another important factor to be remembered-styles change, according to the period we live in. In this nuclear age, nobody has time to read Scott’s lengthy descriptions,(However interesting they may be), or Dicken’s colloquial language,(However humerous), or go through the lengthy feelings of Thomas Hardy’s characters. They are allright as a solid foundation, but we –writers must keep pace with the trendsetters to prove ourselves.
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