I have posted
25 articles! A humble mile stone for an untrained writer! I thought I will
pause a little and deliberate a few issues.
What
motivated me to write my first post? Is that valid still? What kept me going? How
did I choose the subject for each of these articles? Did I really choose the
subject or I felt compelled to write?
When I got
what I thought were the answers, I felt uneasy; am I not being immodest? Just 25
posts and I have started assuming a lot; Choti moo, badi baath?
I recalled
the blogs I have been following. Many of them have posted their hundreds….Many
have been blogging for years- be it Saru's romantic poems, or Seema's paintings,or Subrashis's soul searching articles, or the multidimensional Sahana or Sunil's observations or the astonishing photographs of Joshie Daniel, Magiceye, Chintan or Arti's accounts of visits to religious places or Arvind's thought connect or Dr. Vikram's world views or Bharatiraja's archive of an unknown or the pencil drawings of Shanoj or Sowmya's potluck of thoughts or Satish's humorous posts or Krishnapriya's lovely short stories and poems or Sujatha's enchanting personal accounts or Rohit's sareenity or Swetha's Howzzat or Sunita's 'I See, I feel, I say!!!' or Neeraj Kumar's probinglife or Ashwini's 'Just The Way I Like' or Vijay Menon's 'Here I am' or India's no 1 blog or Nona's beautiful accounts of life in Paris or Zephyr's posts on social issues or Meera's 'Chronicles of an Unknown' or Indranil's Copycats or the mouthwatering recipes of My Kitchen Flavors or Deduides travel accounts or Anne John's abstarct admissions or Agnija's Monsoon Rains or...or...or...
If I feel exalted with my 25 posts and 2 months of
writing, how do I describe what will they be feeling? With so many popular posts to their credit, I wonder whether they would have had the time to think about all these things. Are they not more competent
to give their views? I sincerely believe they are. Would their views not be very relevant to the rest of the bloggers? Again I believe they will be.
Here are my
questions.
How do you
choose what to blog on?
Do you
always have a compelling story- be it a political story, personal one or a
romantic poem or a photograph or a picture or a recipe or a historical monument
or religious site you visited- to share with others? If you always have a
compelling story, what is the role of research? Without research, how do we get
new ideas, new recipes, new scenes to be photographed? How do we form opinion
on new developments?
Or do you
choose a subject and then research on the same? In such a case, will you be
able to emotionally connect with the same? Does it not sound too logical and
less creative? Is it not a case of form over substance?
Is it the irresistible
inner urge that makes you blog? Or do you want to get noticed?
Do you see
what is trending and jump into it? Pragmatic, I would say. Or do you intensely
feel about something and genuinely believe that it will ‘trend’? Pragmatism or
idealism- what drives you?
Are you
conscious of the language? Do you write and re-write? Do you change one word or
phrase for another because you feel the former is more powerful? Or do you just
focus on the content?
Do you read
or review your post again and again and again before publishing?
Are you
concerned whether the readers may not connect with you? Do you tone down your
views lest the readers may take offence? Do you ever hold back your honest
views lest you may be classified as right wing or left wing, secular or
fundamental or some other slot?
Do you feel
a sense of achievement after every post- an article on the success of an anti
corruption movement or a photograph of rising sun or a recipe for new halwa? Or
do you feel you could have done better?
Do you feel
frustrated at being unable to do anything beyond creating a post say after a
terrorist attack…say after clicking a pathetic beggar…say after visiting a neglected temple? Or do you feel you have done your job as a blogger?
How do you take an adverse comment on your post? Is it better than a favorable comment? Or is it just better than ‘no comment’?
Is your answer a straight ‘haa’ ya ‘naa” for these questions? Or is it somewhere in between?
Whoa! there are too many questions there! But first thank you for linking my blog and reading my posts.
ReplyDeleteI blog about things that jump at me suddenly -- they could be something I read or heard from news channels, from my friend or even my maid. I don't just dash off the post, but take pains over it in terms of content and language and I do research when the post warrants it. Language of course. My English sir would turn in his grave if I didn't pay attention to it, God rest his soul. :)
And I welcome comments both good and bad because they show me that my post was read and not just 'viewed.'
I am not very sure. I write when I get time to do so ... when my schedule permits me to do so ... but I never plan anything ... it just happens ... If I try to write something out of compulsion I may not be able to write even a single line ...
ReplyDeleteYes I do feel good after posting something and yes I do feel bad that I am not able to do more than that ...
thanks for giving my blog Copycat's link, however, I am more active in my hindi blog
ReplyDeletewww.indranil-sail.blogspot.com
Sir, first a big congratulations...Even I completed my 3 months of blogging on 14th...To answer your questions, I write poems as many feel it's my strength, if I write articles then I sound like ET. Because, I got positive feedback for my poetry, I post poems. I do a lot of research on words, I try to make it simple. I generally don't edit as poems are nothing but flow of thoughts. But in articles, I do a lot of editing. Yes, there is a sense of achievement when you write a post and people appreciate it. Also, if they criticize you, it's good. I feel blogging is all about freedom of speech and both author and reader can write what they feel is correct. For sensitive issues, the only thing I say is use the blogging tool very cautiously.
ReplyDeleteFirstly, sir? that many posts in 2 months is quite commendable!
ReplyDeleteYes, there's always a compelling story. Either something political or personal, which just rips me apart unless I pen it down. Of course, nobody wants to sound dumb, so there's enough research done to eliminated doubts.Conscious about the language, inevitably, since there are so many good bloggers around, you've got to give people a good reason to follow your blog. And everyone is always worried about their post not being accepted well; though sometimes, a counter-argument in the place of 'acceptance' is more rewarding!
Hari ji...thank you so much for the mention and many congratulations for 25.
ReplyDeleteI have stories/accounts/thoughts each and every moment. My mind does not keep quiet even when am quiet or asleep. For me blogging is a way to speak my mind,heart and soul.
I read my article only once. Once published I avoid reading. I respond to comments via email and blog. I research for some issues nit for all.
I avoid holding back when am blogging. I have posted topics that people consider taboo cobtrovercial. We are adults if we do not cater sensitive issues, then who will?
I researched for fake orgasm and many women related issues.
Regards,
Chintan
I dont know what it means by a trained writer, but if by untrained you mean yourself then 200% I want to be able to be like you :) :)25 posts in 2 months..congrats Sir :) and I am very humbled that you linked my blog with really good names in blogging, thank you :) :)...very interesting questions, have tried to answer :)
ReplyDelete1) I blog just about everything that I talk on...I do choose the topic which I think can be shared with everyone...sometimes reading someone elses blog also gives an inspiration to write a blog
2) Most of the time I do have a story, it can be personal or just a public happening. When I decide to publish an opinion which may sound biased then a research helps me. I think personal experience and research helps build a good article.
3) I do write mostly because of the urge, precisely the reason that sometimes you will see my blog idle for long time and sometimes there are 4 posts in a week :). But I also write to get noticed, for eg if there is a competition then I would write something circling that particular topic, in that case even if there is no urge because of the deadline, I do intend to write.
4) Yes I am surely conscious of the language but dont intentionally change words, like to normally use words which can be understood without google.com :) :)
5) Yes I do review my posts before publishing. Incase it is an argument then I do try to balance both the sides and if it is an opinion then I try to base it on some incident or points from where I derive it. I do keep readers in mind and if something I post is going to be controversial then I usually leave the readers with the question.
6) About achievement yes I do feel it when I write because of my urge, if I write for some competition then I just feel I have done my job unless I get a prize for it then it would be an achievement :D :D :D
7) To be honest yes I do feel helpless that I am just writing a post which I am not even sure will help the situation in anyway
8) An adverse comment is certainly better than a no comment in my opinion. I do take criticisms positively, helps me sometimes. I am also glad when some readers send me mails and we take the discussions offline, shows that they are really interested in what I am writing.
9) It has never been a haa naa answer so far as I remember, usually clear the comment in a more explanatory way.
Hi Sir.. congratulations you have reached 25!! A hats off for those mind blowing, thought provoking, sarcastic comical views that you have put forth in front of us..
ReplyDeleteThank u! for mentioning my blog here..! privileged.. and happy you have made my day!
Since my blog consist of short stories and poems, I keep my mind open when ever i travel everyday, and note down thoughts in my mobile.. then write down in paper, read and re-read them especially poems, and for fictions I do it basically in head and read just once before pasting..!! phew.. done with my first interview! :)
Keep writing Sir..
Sir, congratulations... It indeed is a great achievement given the time you have taken to do that. Great strike rate! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for considering me as one of the worthy bloggers to mention in your 25th post. I am really very happy. It gives me a lot of confidence.
I have been thinking of writing a post with answers to most of these questions (Talk about any subject. This is what i say!). So, give me sometime. I will give my answers in a separate post shortly. :)
Congratulations on your 25th milestones. All milestones needs to celebrated. And a big thank you for mentioning my blog on your post.
ReplyDeleteFor me, blogging a good pass time. At times, I treat it like a diary to which I can go back after a few months, years and may be decades. Sometime, I write a draft and rewrite the draft in a different angle. Often there is a lesson/message I learnt with the incident. I don't spell it out but it is obvious.
The first and foremost thing is to post. So you will find errors related to grammar and sentence construction. I get criticized by people I know. But I still post with mistakes. Sometimes a reader points it out or a friend mails the mistake. Then, I get correct it immediately. :)
Sir, as promised, i have written a long post with my answers to your questions. Please read and provide your comments on that. :)
ReplyDeleteIt's available in http://bharchive.blogspot.com/2011/09/whats-whys-whens-and-hows-of-my.html.
Thanks for your comments/ views. They are very useful.
ReplyDeleteZephyr: You get your subject practically from everywhere. One needs to keep his eyes and ears open.
Indranil: I understand. "It" should happen. There is no point writing out of compulsion.
Saru: I can sense the smooth flow of thoughts in your poems. Also "Be cautious while writing on sensitive issues". Valid point.
Anu Krishnan: Compelling story backed by research. I understand why your posts are so interesting.
Chintan: Blogging is your passion; not just a hobby. You think about it all the time. No wonder your posts are so intense.
SuKupedia: Thanks for theexhuative, point by point reply. I understand your emphasis on "urge". If the post is controversial, you leave the readers with a question. I like the idea/ approach.
KP: You note down your ideas in mobile while travelling! That's a good technique. I should follow. I get some point while in office, but forget the same when I reach home.
Bharathiraja: Thanks for writing an exclusive post. I will post my comments there.
Nona: There is a lesson/ message in each incident. You don't spell it out. Yes. I like this style.
Thanks again for your comments.
I blog whenever I want to say something.
ReplyDeleteAnd yes, I feel good after I have written what I wanted to say.
Hello Hariharan,
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, good job. 25 blogs in 2 months is a great thing!
I'm a doctor by profession and photographer by passion. So whenever I get a decent story in my image I take while on the streets, I blog. And these days, I try to take images as often as I can and I post once a day.
Yes, I do feel a sense of achievement after each post and now as I've crossed 200 posts, I feel real great. And now I know that there is a small number of people who follow my blog regularly and give in their valuable suggestions .That makes blogging worthwhile.
I blog at www.georgiemathew.wordpress.com.
Best
Georgie
I write only when it flows out, otherwise I just sit and stare at the screen..I guess even though there are a million blogs, every single one is different
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on completing a milestone. 25 posts..a nice time to sit back and reflect. I am ??? what to answer so many questions.. It was fun reading the post and the comments. Best of Luck for more posts ..another milestone 50?
ReplyDeleteHow do you write a post? Would love to know about it!!
ReplyDeletefirstly, thank you mentioning me here, though I am more passionate about my photo blog - My Third Eye.
ReplyDeleteDifferent people have different objectives from blogging and my interest lies in expressing myself and hoping that my work is appreciated so that i can keep going.
a little research is good but too much of it is an overkill - u may loose your thought/creativity.
trending topics always help and yes, who wouldn't want to start a trending topic. as far as my photo blog goes, trending topics dont matter as much, but yea, u cant be putting Ganesh Chaturthi celebrations during Xmas.
when i write, i do a review once and do believe that on sensitive topics its best to check language. but i kw and follow people who dont care about their language even on religious matters.
there is always a sense of achievement but if u dont feel u cud do better (even if it may be after a couple of months), ur loosing ur creativity/passion.
Thanks Vikram, Georgiemathew, Ana-treek,Bemoneyware and Rohit for your views. Very useful.
ReplyDeletecongratulations on your 25 posts. what i like about your blog is that in spite of being in a very high post,having a very demanding job, you are taking out time for your passion which is blogging. ^ with every post the reader takes something with him.
ReplyDeleteas for me, i really struggle for topics - hahha. i am only 77 posts old even though i posted my first article in 2010 !! so 25 in just 2 months is a major achievement esp when we look at the topics you've chosen to write on. an average of 1 post every 3 days!! wow!!
you have raised some very valid & interesting queries in this post. i remember going through a similar phase & writing a post titled
"Why Writers Write" - http://sujathasathya.blogspot.com/2010/04/www-why-writers-write.html
(thank you so much for mentioning my blog)
Sir,one request: pls remove the word verification for comments.
How do you choose what to blog on?
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately m not a very extrovert person. Breaking the ice is the harder part and as i had talked about in a post of mine - Saying No to someone is the hardest. This usually results in pent up feelings and this is where my blog comes to my rescue. I write wht comes to my heart and it usually hovers around the Good, The Bad and the Ugly things of life.
And yes i do write (sometimes) to get noticed.
Thanks Sujatha. I went though your post. I can see that you have analysed these questions threadbare and given a convincing answer. (I will try and remove the word verification. I am not very good at these technical things.)
ReplyDeleteThanks Peenuts. Your comment is as good as a post.
nice post...few times you come across good blogs which u read and get inspired ..here the inspiration can be just anything like even cooking a meal which you have not done before or any trip not planned before and the blog u read made it..isn't the blog worth then...its all about various ideas and thots coming together and sharing...sometimes i wonder, what if there were no blogs? no thots on anything...how lost we would be? whatever the blog is about, it gives a perspective to look at things from other person's point of view too..i have always been inspired by all the wonderful blogs i have come across be it in a small DIY project..they have got me thinking and made my brains roll..so in short i feel, whatever the topic is, whatever u feel, write, fake or real, when someone reads and registers it even for a moment..u have achieved it... and that is sharing mind....
ReplyDeleteThanks a lot for considering me for the mention in your silver jubilee post!
ReplyDeleteCongratulations.
1) Daily life incidents inspires me to write a blog. I love sharing things the way I experience.
2) I do research before I write ANYTHING. I do take care not to hurt anyone's sentiments. I love making people smile.
3) The love for my life and the beauty of it makes me to blog. I feel I am blessed. I am happy, I love to share happiness. That is the reason for blogging.
4)Some posts give me a sense of achievement, some posts makes me feel that I have not given my best.
5) Yes I do review, I take care that I do not offend anyone.
6) I would say "everyone is entitled to have an opinion on the subject" I respect the opinion. I would thank them for letting me know their perspective.
7)In my humble opinion, we blog to let the world know our opinion. I have taken it for granted that blogs cannot change the world. We should have power to do anything.
Thanks Slobonthejob- inspiration is the key word. Thanks Spicy Sweet for your point by point reply- Daily life incidents, I could feel and enjoy them in your posts.
ReplyDeleteHi. Thanks for this thought provoking post.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure we all blog on our topics of interest. I personally find it educative for myself and love to share. Everybody however probably has different triggers for inspiration.
For travelogues, my trigger is some interesting place I visit. For my tech blog, it is some cool tech, new technique, problem solved, or a DIY experiment. For the pop science blog that I recently started, the triggers are mostly things that I see during the day and become curious about.
About preparation... For me, it depends on the kind of topic. Posts that are mostly feelings, have to just flow out. But other types have to languish as draft until they are ready. :)
For posts that are factual, I need to research a bit. For DIY/experimental activities, I usually decide whether it will be worth writing about and record bits and pieces of the progress. I also use some simple tools to help me gather/record information/thoughts during the process.
Thanks Tanmay for your comments.
ReplyDeleteCongrats for the milestone...here goes>>
ReplyDeleteHow do you choose what to blog on?
Whatever comes to my mind I just write in a word file…some of them become posts naturally…
Do you always have a compelling story- be it a political story, personal one or a romantic poem or a photograph or a picture or a recipe or a historical monument or religious site you visited- to share with others? If you always have a compelling story, what is the role of research? Without research, how do we get new ideas, new recipes, new scenes to be photographed? How do we form opinion on new developments?
Not always…I read a lot, and sometimes ideas come from there. Google, and research done :)
Or do you choose a subject and then research on the same? In such a case, will you be able to emotionally connect with the same? Does it not sound too logical and less creative? Is it not a case of form over substance?
Different posts are different…Write what comes to mind…
Is it the irresistible inner urge that makes you blog? Or do you want to get noticed?
Do you see what is trending and jump into it? Pragmatic, I would say. Or do you intensely feel about something and genuinely believe that it will ‘trend’? Pragmatism or idealism- what drives you?
I definitely want to get noticed…:p
Are you conscious of the language? Do you write and re-write? Do you change one word or phrase for another because you feel the former is more powerful? Or do you just focus on the content?
I let it flow…don’t mind powerful phrases…
Do you read or review your post again and again and again before publishing?
Are you concerned whether the readers may not connect with you? Do you tone down your views lest the readers may take offence? Do you ever hold back your honest views lest you may be classified as right wing or left wing, secular or fundamental or some other slot?
I read twice before posting…I try not to be prejudiced…
Do you feel a sense of achievement after every post- an article on the success of an anti corruption movement or a photograph of rising sun or a recipe for new halwa? Or do you feel you could have done better?
I do feel that for posts with lots of good comments ;)…..Always feel I could have done better…but that’s natural for me…
Do you feel frustrated at being unable to do anything beyond creating a post say after a terrorist attack…say after clicking a pathetic beggar…say after visiting a neglected temple? Or do you feel you have done your job as a blogger?
I don’t expect my blog to change the world :)
How do you take an adverse comment on your post? Is it better than a favorable comment? Or is it just better than ‘no comment’?
First thing I do is laugh…then try to get his/her view without letting my ego in…and comment back as much gently as I can…
Is your answer a straight ‘haa’ ya ‘naa” for these questions? Or is it somewhere in between?
All of the above