1. Have an Interesting Snippet to Share : Click Here
    Dismiss Notice

What Motivates Me To Write?

Discussion in 'Snippets of Life (Non-Fiction)' started by HariLakhera, Jul 10, 2023.

  1. HariLakhera

    HariLakhera IL Hall of Fame

    Messages:
    2,551
    Likes Received:
    2,997
    Trophy Points:
    308
    Gender:
    Male
    What motivates me to write?

    After my snippet -Introduction to Geeta- was selected the Finest Post award for June 2023, Laks09, Moderator IL, suggested that I should give tips on writing. I am not sure if these will work for all but they do for me.
    Not very long back, I invited suggestions from friends in a group on subjects I should write that will interest them and one of them joyfully suggested 13 subjects. I wrote one piece each on all these subjects and thankfully appreciated too.
    This is to suggest that I need a trigger to write on something. It may come from anywhere- books I read, newspapers, chit-chat with friends, movies, tv serials, general observations, current events, whatever!

    Then comes expanding on that trigger and here again your experience, emotions, and analysis come into play.
    I believe, there is no original writing. Whatever subject you take, it has been written and spoken about not by one but many people in as many languages and as many places on this planet. Only the words and style differ.
    Secondly, nothing in print is worthless. We may or may not like it but the writer has given his or her time, energy, and effort in it. Who knows it may teach us something. Above all, learning never stops.

    Thirdly, each one of us has a writer inside us, a poet, an essayist, a storyteller, a novelist, preacher. The only thing one has to do is to give words to what we feel and think.

    There is not a single writer whose all published books became world-famous. Most of them are known for one or two books.
    So, keep writing. There is nothing called perfection.
     
    Rihana, kaluputti, Balajee and 6 others like this.
    Loading...

  2. iyerviji

    iyerviji IL Hall of Fame

    Messages:
    34,841
    Likes Received:
    29,183
    Trophy Points:
    640
    Gender:
    Female
    Wow thanks for sharing the tips. Will try to follow. After coming to IL only I learned to write and got experience and when I appreciated that my writings are good and simple feel happy
     
  3. Cheeniya

    Cheeniya Super Moderator Staff Member IL Hall of Fame

    Messages:
    12,794
    Likes Received:
    17,373
    Trophy Points:
    538
    Gender:
    Male
    @HariLakhera
    A great post Hariji!
    To a writer, the most perplexing thing is to understand what would interest his readers. We can go on writing endlessly without knowing if all we write is of any interest to the reader. This intriguing problem has caused agony even to such great and prolific writers like Wodehouse. He tells us how he used to spend hours to conjure up a laughable trivia that hardly occupied a para in his story. His biography, Performing Flea, tells us all about his struggle for excellence.
     
  4. Thyagarajan

    Thyagarajan IL Hall of Fame

    Messages:
    12,749
    Likes Received:
    13,487
    Trophy Points:
    615
    Gender:
    Male
    :hello:Dear Hariji, this blog is timely for many. Kudos to you.
    This could motivate indeed the hesitant -the ametures among IL followers old and new one. What drove us to write blogs in IL here - itself is a good thread for discussion and deliberations.
    I agree with every view that you had texted here.

    I think stalwarts in IL are all made with one thing of somethings in common. I think of JEEVES of Wodehouse. Humour infested writings reminds me of many IL’ites very old ripe ones, seniors and upcoming writers.
    God Bless them all.
     
    Last edited: Jul 10, 2023
  5. joylokhi

    joylokhi Platinum IL'ite

    Messages:
    1,773
    Likes Received:
    2,619
    Trophy Points:
    285
    Gender:
    Female
    Thanks for the very motivational tips on WRITING. i am an avid reader and enjoy all genres of books, however do not get down to writing much other than the odd letters earlier and now messages to friends and relatives.
     
  6. Viswamitra

    Viswamitra IL Hall of Fame

    Messages:
    13,781
    Likes Received:
    24,745
    Trophy Points:
    538
    Gender:
    Male
    Dear Hari Sir,

    What an invaluable response from you for the request from one of the most active members and nominators in this Forum? I treasure her responses as much as I do yours.

    I am a perfect example of how a man with no knowledge how to write could begin somewhere and continue writing so many snippets. My English proficiency is negligible as I studied in Tamil medium in the school and is not convent educated. All of my English writing skills were developed while working as before the internet days, we used to send faxes and mails to reach out to the superiors. I used to intensely read the writings of many of my colleaques and even books to observe the writing skills.

    I developed an interest to write here in IL after my wife introduced me to this forum in 2012. I have spent a lot of time reading spiritual books since I was 50 years old besides working in a public company in the US. Therefore, I thought it is best if I start writing about spirituality to begin with. Occasionally, I write about social issues and on other topics as well. When I started, I never thought I would write so many snippets in IL.

    You are right about the trigger. Somehow, a subject dominates my mind and eventually I decide to write about it without postponing it much. When thoughts are fresh, I write it without much effort to sequencing and structuring my thoughts. Most of them are in abstract form and when I get responses, I use the subsequent responses to complete my thoughts.

    Fear of how it will be received by the audience used to dominate my mind so much when I started writing. As I began receiving responses from ILites, this fear disappeared. Most people like a simple presentation of a solution for a complex problem. The greatness comes from simplicity.

    After a snippet is out, I consider that as something triggered me to write and don't take pride if the content is appreciated. Feeling good doesn't allow me to improve my writing. If some of the snippets don't get much response, it doesn't affect my ego. I only focus on sense of fulfillment of writing to my satisfaction.

    Not everyone is available and waiting to read articles written here and they are busy in their own lives. When they get sometime, they will read them and respond if the snippet deserves their response or if they have something more to add. Sometimes, they add their own experiences to the snippet by way of response. If the snippet is inactive for even for a few weeks, I let it go and don't feel bad about myself. The motivation to write is as important as the content to write.

    Rarely, I look for content to write and the contents find me and trigger me to write. We are all experiencing so much in life and as long as we are analyzing our experiences to learn lessons, each such lesson triggers some thoughts in our mind. When I try to refine the article way too much, I lose focus and the sentences become difficult to understand. When I edit, I try to simplify my thoughts.

    More later.

    Viswa
     
    Last edited: Jul 10, 2023
    Rihana, kaluputti, Laks09 and 3 others like this.
  7. iyerviji

    iyerviji IL Hall of Fame

    Messages:
    34,841
    Likes Received:
    29,183
    Trophy Points:
    640
    Gender:
    Female
    Well written. I am not good in replying but to nominate the best. I also learnt writing after I joined IL. Bargavim Srinivasan was the first to guide me. Studying in Convent school.also helped me. Recently my Daughter's friend was telling my daughter your mother's English is good. Since she studied in.Malayalam medium.she was.surprised about my English
    I am.glad I have won awards in.IL though.my write up is not so good
     
  8. Thyagarajan

    Thyagarajan IL Hall of Fame

    Messages:
    12,749
    Likes Received:
    13,487
    Trophy Points:
    615
    Gender:
    Male
    I was impelled and encouraged to write by my son. I owe my writings to him.
    He was writing on social issues to the magazines and quotidian which i always considered waste of time.

    But son was getting not only appreciation but even got paid for some of his publications. He would prepare well in advance and think for long and put it in writing in a jiffy. He would write crisp and told avoid superfluous and redundant usage of words etcetera.

    He was telling me mails - especially consumer complaints - to attract attention should be sent late night so that morning when the offices opened, it would possibly be seen at the top ten and get due attention.

    In the beginning, when i wrote anecdotes for “The New indian express” & “the Hindu” it was all vetted by my son & spouse duly corrected and well formatted. I was in great surprise to get ₹2000 per contribution. This gave me more impetus.

    I was not adept with PC yet and no mobile or smartphone. With every my anecdote stand corrected with their inputs and well formatted by them, i realised how novice i was.

    But later i turned confident could effortlessly handle PC . Few stories got published in the popular “chicken soup” series fetched good appreciation from international readers and cheques too. The publisher used to mail in advance the topic for upcoming publication and i did contribute some.

    I had in middle of sleep get ideas and i jot it using pencil in semi dark -a brief on a spiral pad kept ready by my head pillow.

    My boy said the more you read the more ideas germinates. He has a huge library of books and old magazines.

    I write as & when i find leisure. But i find best time to write in IL and edit is still hours of the morning in INDIA SO THAT YOU GET TO SEE by night feedbacks & responses which might in turn encourage and enthuse to do more better.

    Lack of vocab should not deter one to write. Many begin with delectable mistakes and from their they made it big. Functional & recognition vocabulary build up happens as one reads and responses avidly. I learnt numerous ways of expressing a thought only by reading others opinions, views, perspectives in various fora here and elsewhere. Many seemingly insignificant acts have great potential to seed a huge popular article.

    For example take the word “delivery”. Just associate this word with happenings in various sphere. It would connect one to - delivery of baby in water tank or by CS , delivery of mail by post man, by courier, delivery of bullets by assassins into body of late Indhira Gandhi or Mahathma Gandhi or President kennedy or Martin Luther King, DELIVERY of medicine into body .. etc
     
    Last edited: Jul 10, 2023
  9. HariLakhera

    HariLakhera IL Hall of Fame

    Messages:
    2,551
    Likes Received:
    2,997
    Trophy Points:
    308
    Gender:
    Male
    There is no doubt that groups on social media such as IL are great motivators. One needs no degree to write. As they say practice maketh a man perfect. But as said, there is nothing called perfection. As long as it satisfies our inner self and mind, it is fine.
     
  10. HariLakhera

    HariLakhera IL Hall of Fame

    Messages:
    2,551
    Likes Received:
    2,997
    Trophy Points:
    308
    Gender:
    Male
    Many thanks, dear Shri Cheeniya. A lot many things depend on being famous as a writer. Last year I posted this snippet in three parts. It tells what a failed writer feels. Many writers could never get into print.

    SSS Smile A While-concluding Part NOBEL

    SSS Smile A While Part 2

    SSS Smile Awhile PART 1
     
    Thyagarajan likes this.

Share This Page