Written by: Shilpa Samant
This
rhetorical question has as many valid answers as the number of thoughts it
provokes. You can say ‘to each, their own’. The answer revolves around the
three I’s in different proportions depending primarily upon people’s sun-sign
that shall decide their personal traits and secondly, their own
characterization of themselves as writers. Yes. That’s the truth. One’s
perception on writing depends on one’s perception on seeing himself/herself
with a scribbled note wondering how to put words together to form a mosaic.
Though I am an extremist, writing is one field I am most liberal about. This is
my viewpoint on facing the three defining I’s in writing, especially freelance
- Imagination, Intelligence and
Inspiration.
THE
IMAGINATION
To
a few, writing is an idea or imagination (yes, I meaningfully include another
parameter, another ‘I’). You need a thought to write about and for that mere
shred of a thought you need to be meticulously observant. But as the great
Einstein once quoted ‘Logic takes you
from A to B, imagination will take you everywhere’, I choose to blindly
believe in him. Imagination is that power one has which determines his/her
ability to rise above the mundane, to look beyond the obvious and to surrender
to dreams. I am always tagged as a day dreamer by my friends and family.
Staring at someone like staring into nothingness usually is my style of
allowing my mind to wander free grazing on unbelievable thoughts and undoable
tasks. Yes – I am not looking at you, I am looking through you! How did this
start? Well, nothing exclusive, to be frank. Interpreting various cloud
formations with friends as toddlers was my best teacher, apart from staring at
old walls in the house and trying to decipher the hidden codes of black patches
to unknown treasury. Any kid with an Enid Blyton or Sherlock Holmes collection
will superimpose on this thought. A forlorn spotty old mark can actually
resemble the Queen’s palace if you look in closely with an open mind. Yes – an
open mind is a necessity for writing. The moment there is a block, you jerk
back on your harmonious train of bewildering ideas. So, that’s the first ‘I’
for you – imagination. Let the ideas flow, no matter how crazy, no matter how
weird! Every genius has a touch of insanity.
THE
INTELLIGENCE
The
most misunderstood virtue. For the mundane, writing is for those who follow
literature and have a good command over their chosen language which essentially
includes good vocabulary, good grammar and great sentence formation ability.
True - But to a very minute extent. Intelligence truly lies in how well one can
pen down those amazing thoughts borne in the mind without losing their
innocence and value. That’s true intelligence of a writer. Exotic words and
marvelous vocabulary may at times not be as effective in moving your soul as
are simple words when written with honest conviction and total surrender to
one’s thoughts. After all, writing is all about making a difference in the
reader’s life, no matter how small. As an inquisitive kid I had once asked my
father the most important thing in life and he had an instant reply for me – do
what you want to, not what your neighbor does. I take this is as my mantra for
writing as well. Write what you want to share with the world, not what the
world wants you to share. Subtle, yet very difficult to differentiate and
inculcate. It’s as simple as the distinction between Peter Keating and Howard
Roark in Ayn Rand’s classic Fountainhead for those who believe in philosophy.
There
is a minute innuendo of doubt in this which revolves around the fact of
interpretation by the reader. Now that is something no writer should worry
about unless he/she wishes to die of a mind gone haywire. My first poem
submission at the age of 10 in school was on a ‘candle’. It had won an award
and I carried the glory up my sleeve like a vain kid. When I recited my poem to
my father he appreciated the fact that I had compared the candle with life. I
was upset and moved on to recite the poem to my mother. She loved it too,
particularly the fact that I had related the candle to be a soldier. This left
me confused and exasperated. I had no intention of comparing the candle in my
poem with life or any soldier. While penning down my innocent thoughts I had
been thinking of my birthday cake! Finally after re-reading my poem from their
point of view I understood what my parents meant. One interprets according to
one’s choice and that is as variable as can be. The realization that a few
words here and there could actually mean so much to different people listed up
as a better accolade than any other! So to sum it up, a writer’s intention is
purely presenting his/her thoughts and imaginative ideas to the best of his
potential. Their interpretation is a mutually exclusive event based on the
reader’s interest.
THE
INSPIRATION.
Now
this is my favorite part – the part that makes each writer a special entity.
‘What inspires you?’ is one question that cannot be just defined by an ‘eureka’!
Till now I have been only blabbering about the mind-work, it’s time to face the
real challenge in writing – the heart. One has to write with the heart. It is
as plain and straightforward as one can take. It’s just a matter of a
nanosecond for something or someone to pluck the strings in your heart and
inspire you to do the impossible. When I hear great writers speak about their
moments of inspiration, I am left with just one emotion- awe, undying awe. An
inspiration can be anything from the dew drops tenderly resting on the edge of
a leaf to elephants spraying water to an old pen lying under a dusty table. You
just have to find it and it is something only you can do. Once you find that
passion for something, the rest just follows. I remember getting up at wee
hours and scribbling illegitimate words on crumpled notepapers, staring at
sunrise and feeling a sense of hope being filled in my heart, all those
feelings and emotions which led me to think I had lost it actually were my
moments of inspiration for after every such incident I found myself writing
away for hours at length. To write you need to be inspired by passion!
This
is my take on writing. I don’t take pride to be a very good writer nor do I
claim to touch hearts. But there is one thing I am very sure of – writing gives
me immense pleasure from within. The process of bringing all my thoughts alive
gives me a sense of living. It makes me forget the night and day. My mind and
heart are at total peace (for once!!) and that
is worth everything in the world. I guess at times it transforms from a
voluntary act to an involuntary one and I am just a medium between my
imagination, my intelligence and my inspiration. Probably that’s why I fear of
having a short term memory as when I read my own poems or stories again, there
are times I doubt if I am truly the one who had written them in the first
place!
As
John Donne culminated the emotions of all writers and quoted - For me, writing is exploration; and most
of the time, I'm surprised where the journey takes me!
To all those aspiring
writers –kudos!!
About the author:
Shilpa Samant is an
aspiring writer and poet from Mumbai and she defines ‘writing’ as her ‘passion
in life’. She created her own blog (shilpasamant@wordpress.com) to share her ideas
and connect with other bloggers. A true Aries, she loves to take life as it
comes!
Dear shilpa,
ReplyDeleteGreat article. ...it just sums up everything so beautifully.
Will definitely be checking your blog too.
Thanks for the simple and straightforward words. As a fellow writer, it liberates me from my doubts and reteriates that I am right when I believe that good writing always comes from the heart and the mind just follows.
The simply put concept of 3 I's is just perfect.
Thanks a lot.
It made my morning!