My article in yesterday's DH Living - Here comes the god of all things!
Comments welcome!
Last week, DH asked me to write about why Ganesha is so popular. They gave me a deadline which I could almost reach out and touch. I wouldn't have minded such a short deadline had I not had two other deadlines before the DH one. Yet, I decided to step up to it, and accepted it.
Two days later, DH told me that I'd have to give the article 1 day before the original deadline. They apologized too, saying that something had come up and they needed it earlier. So essentially, after I'd sent off the other two articles I'd been working on, I had 24 hours to research, interview and get quotes, write, edit, and turn in this front page article on Ganesha.
Last year, I couldn't have done it. But this year, I did it. In 24 hours, the article was done and dusted.
You can see that the result is not too bad.
So why could I do it this year, and not last year? It is because I've been writing more regularly this year. My brain is used to churning out decently-formed sentences. Where previously I would have struggled to form good sentences at one go, where I would have had to think much more, wonder which sentence was effective and which wasn't, it was far smoother this year. Regular writing has strengthened my writing muscle.
It is to be noted that not all the writing I've done is publish-worthy. A lot of it is garbage. Yet, the very act of writing regularly has helped.
Comments welcome!
Last week, DH asked me to write about why Ganesha is so popular. They gave me a deadline which I could almost reach out and touch. I wouldn't have minded such a short deadline had I not had two other deadlines before the DH one. Yet, I decided to step up to it, and accepted it.
Two days later, DH told me that I'd have to give the article 1 day before the original deadline. They apologized too, saying that something had come up and they needed it earlier. So essentially, after I'd sent off the other two articles I'd been working on, I had 24 hours to research, interview and get quotes, write, edit, and turn in this front page article on Ganesha.
Last year, I couldn't have done it. But this year, I did it. In 24 hours, the article was done and dusted.
You can see that the result is not too bad.
So why could I do it this year, and not last year? It is because I've been writing more regularly this year. My brain is used to churning out decently-formed sentences. Where previously I would have struggled to form good sentences at one go, where I would have had to think much more, wonder which sentence was effective and which wasn't, it was far smoother this year. Regular writing has strengthened my writing muscle.
It is to be noted that not all the writing I've done is publish-worthy. A lot of it is garbage. Yet, the very act of writing regularly has helped.
4 comments:
Tagore once told a young punjabi writer that the best thing to do is write 4 hours a day and everything from saraswati will flow your way. Simple or as difficult as that!
Ha, well said - as simple, or as difficult indeed! :))
and Joesph Campbell says for writers to make a writing appointment. even if we do not feel like writing. in that setting up an appointment with the self (like you have continued to write) --something from deep inside of us starts to surface, ----that can be brought forth only by us.....thanks for sharing your journey. Good article by the way...
As you rightly said, the key to better writing is writing more and more. Best wishes. Keep writing.
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