After reading many books on the craft of writing to polish my writing skills, the question still continues to pop. Most of the books confess that the craft of writing can be learned but not the art of writing. Art of writing is not something that a creative writing class or a book can teach.

Personally I think, of all art forms, writing offers highest creative expression. For that matter, all our scriptures are written. Writing is the best art-form to express the human soul. We have as many languages as we want.

I realized, with dedication and practice, writing non-fiction can be learned and mastered to a considerable degree. All of us have written thousands of words in exams, emails, project reports, and so on.

What about creating fiction? Telling something that doesn’t exist. Creating characters that are human-like? Creating stories that hold reader’s interest till the last word? Creating fiction that is plausible and palpable? How to make readers live in the fictional world of the novel? To be short, how to write an immortal novel?

Can these skills be taught or learned? Are the writers born with these skills? With dedicated practice, other arts can be learned to a greater degree. Anyone can learn to play a musical instrument from a teacher. In no way, I am belittling music or other arts. Every art is special and has got its own challenges. All I am trying to say is, writing is a more personal and subjective art when compared to other arts.

I am very specific about writing in English language. English grammar is scary. It is even more scarier for someone who is educated till his high-school in some other language. In my case, it was Telugu. English was a second language in my first twelve years of formal education. Of all the skills needed to be a good writer, in a way, grammar is difficult to manage and master. I am not aiming for a Literary Nobel though. But, a considerable degree of mastery over grammar is needed to write with more confidence.

Having mastery over good vocabulary is also important. But, when I read few books by Ernest Hemingway, I realized good writing does not always require a great vocabulary. I practically learned that profound thoughts can easily be expressed in simple everyday words. Following is my favorite line from one of Hemingway’s famous works, A Farewell to Arms.

The town was very nice and our house was very fine.

Though it does not convey any great thoughts, it truly reflects Hemingwayian style of writing. Simple and sexy.

One advice that gets repeated in every writing book is: the only way to learn writing is by writing. We cannot simply read books on writing and expect to write better. We write better only when we write, write, and write.

I have realized the limiting factors for my writing:
1. not having enough mastery over grammar
2. limited vocabulary
3. not reading enough books while in school and college

Let me spend few words on each of the above factors. Grammar is essential, but I also realized we cannot absolutely master it unless that is our full-time profession. Learning enough grammar to write without confusing readers and without making too obvious mistakes is a good target to reach. Coming to vocabulary, sometimes, I feel that it is a blessing in disguise to not to have a great vocabulary. With moderate vocabulary, I can write using simple words. But, it has got its own limitations. When I am unable to find a suitable word, I feel frustrated for not having a great vocabulary in my arsenal. The third fact is something of past and I cannot go back to it and change. So, I got to live with it and make sure I read more books now.

I am planning to spend time on improving my grammar and vocabulary skills to write more confidently and express my thoughts more eloquently.

On the surface, my writing may sometimes really seem to be good. But, I am yet to convince myself that I am a good writer. I hope it will take practicing for few more years to become a really good writer. Few of my friends tell me that I write really well. But few others point out errors in my writing now and then. Though I cannot name each and everyone, a big thank you to both the groups. Former makes me happy and encourages me to write more regularly while the latter helps me correct my mistakes.

Here is a piece of secret information I am making public now. I have been fancying myself to write a bestselling novel. I even tried my hand at writing a small novel and finished around fifty pages. Hit the roadblock after that, for various reasons. Reasons related to writing skills and reasons that were personal as well with no relation to my writing abilities. I wish I could get back to it and finish it in the future.

Till I feel absolutely confident that I can write well, I think this question will keep on popping in my mind.

I read in some book about a musician who said that if he does not practice for one day, he will notice the difference. If he does not practice for two days, his critics will notice the difference. If he does not practice for three days, his audience will notice the difference. I think it applies to writing also. If I do not write regularly, I see the difference in the flow of words. Keep practicing till you become a good writer and do not forget to keep practicing even after that.

I think the same is true for many of us in different professions. Can I be a good – singer, musician, painter, architect, cricketer, dancer, actor, and so on.

Though I am skeptical about my abilities now, somewhere I firmly believe that I could really write well if I can keep on practicing.

Hope you liked this article. Thank you for reading.

Here goes the story.

***

Around 1200 AD, under the ruling of a notorious King, a terrible thing happened in one of the small towns of southern part of India. The town was only few kilometers away from the headquarters where the King lived in his palatial palace and ruled the kingdom.

On a Sunday morning, people of that town found that a stone idol of the deity of a temple was broken and desecrated. The news spread fast across the kingdom and its inhabitants feared the vengeance of the Gods.

King visited the temple the same day and ordered the town criers to announce the news everywhere to ask for the culprit to surrender in front of the court within twenty-four hours.

Six days had passed without any progress and the perpetrator never appeared before the court. Everyone in the kingdom was afraid of what the King was going to do.

Exactly, on the following Sunday, people found one more idol being destroyed in a different temple. The news spread quickly and people of the entire kingdom were panicked and gripped with extreme fear.

The King visited the temple again the same day and ordered to appoint security at every temple. Guards were posted at every temple.

Finally, their vigilance paid off and the culprit was caught red handed while he tried to destroy one more idol. He was brought to the King’s court the same morning.

“Who are you?’ the King asked.

“I am nobody,” the culprit said stoically.

“Do you know what a crime you have committed and the punishment that awaits you?” The impatient King asked raising his voice fiercely.

“Yes, destroying the idols is a blasphemy and… I know that it is punishable by death.” He answered almost cheerfully.

“Are you a madman? Aren’t you afraid to die?” The King asked, rather surprised by the answer of the culprit.

“I am not a madman and yes I am afraid to die. But everyone will die someday.”

“No fool would do what you have done, knowing fully that you are punishable by death if found.”

The culprit took a deep breath, mustered the courage to speak, looked around and said:

“All my life I have been a nobody. Nobody’s nobody. I have never done anything to distinguish myself from the rest. I feared, I would die like the millions and millions before me who died and no one remembers them. Eat, sleep, reproduce, and die one day. I wanted to do something that will make people notice me. Notice me that I exist. Remember me that I died as somebody.”

The court was absolutely silent for few seconds and then he added.

“Most people die and they are forgotten. For me, death is a small price to pay for immortality. People read my story even after few centuries, and they know that a man risked his life to become somebody. I will not be a nobody anymore!”

***

Isn’t that what we crave for? Immorality! We want to be remembered even after we are no more physically.

We want to be important and immortal. We crave for the attention of the people around us. We want people to notice our existence.

People who cannot create something beautiful and meaningful, go the other way by creating trouble. History shows us enough examples of the latter.

Often we see in the news that someone is trying to get publicity by announcing that so and so celebrity agreed to marry him/her. Many of them are like that man who demolished the idols.

Art is one of the best known forms to become immortal. We remember all the great painters, musicians, writers and so on, even a few hundred years after they died.

Similarly, we remember Napoleons, Hitlers, Gandhis, Che Guevaras, to name a few. Extreme trouble and extreme goodness is always remembered in the history forever.

The desire to be remembered and noticeable is a fundamental necessity in our lives which different people chose different forms and ways to express. Someone wants to create an immortal painting, someone wants to create an immortal novel and someone wants to create immortal music. Fortunately, these days we have enough technology to make sure our work remains longer than it used to be a few hundred years ago.

Pinky’s mother Nidhi was in kitchen, preparing evening snack for Pinky. Pinky forgot to leave her shoes, in the excitement to talk to her mother about the happenings of the day at school and to ask that question.

“Mom, what did you want to become when you were a child like me, studying in seventh standard?” Pinky asked, with plain and innocent enthusiasm that we find only in children.

“Why are you asking that question now?” Nidhi asked, sensing the enthusiasm that was there all over her daughter’s face while gesturing Pinky to remove shoes.

“Today,” Pinky said, while she stepped out of kitchen and removed her shoes and put them in the stand, “Rosy Madam, our Mathematics teacher, asked everyone in our class about what do we want to become in the future.”

“Good! So what was it like? What did the class say?” Nidhi asked, stepped out of the kitchen, sat beside Pinky on the sofa, and gave Pinky the snack she just prepared.

With a spoonful of snack in her mouth, Pinky said, “Most of the students told that they want to become engineers or doctors. Why everyone wants to be an engineer or doctor?”

“Pinky, it is not that they want to become engineers or doctors, but their parents want,” Nidhi told as if it will answer Pinky’s questions.

But, Pinky had more questions.

“Why parents want their kids to become engineers or doctors?  Tell me, what do you want me to become?” Pinky asked and sipped the fruit juice her mother gave.

“Because, they think engineers and doctors earn more money than others. What did you say you want to become?”

“Tell me, do we study to earn more money or do we study to gain more knowledge?” Pinky asked.

“To learn more knowledge,” was the answer from Nidhi and she knew that, that was an ideal answer in an ideal world.

“Mom… then… that means only engineers and doctors have more knowledge.”

“It is not like that. But most of the parents want their children to be either doctors or engineers, so that they earn more money.”

“What do you want me to become then? Are you also one of those parents?”

“Tell me, what you said you want to become,” asked Nidhi, eager to know about her daughter’s answer.

“First, you tell me what do you want me to become.”

“I have never thought about it. Do whatever you want to do and just read well.”

“Really! I told I want to become a teacher: a science teacher. I loved the science teacher who taught us last year. I want to become like her and teach students like she did.”

“That is really good Pinky,” Nidhi said.

“Maa, you did not tell me what you wanted to become when you were a kid like me at school,” Pinky insisted to get an answer.

“I wanted to become a Singer when I was a kid like you.”

“Then why didn’t you become one?”

“Because, your grandfather wanted to see me as a doctor.”

“Then why didn’t you become a doctor?”

“I never wanted to be a doctor. I sometimes regret why my father never allowed me to continue my singing classes even though the teacher said I really sang very well during my first week of classes.”

“But, you can learn singing now Maa…” Pinky said these words in a plain tone. At her age, nothing seems impossible except getting hundred percent marks in every exam.

Pinky finished the snack and ran to the park in front of the house, where she plays every evening with few other kids from the neighborhood.

Before she realized, Nidhi was sitting in front of the computer, searching on Google to look out for ads for singing classes that are available in Mumbai, near to the area where she lives. She thought, “Google always helped me, with recipes, with emails and with what not, and now with singing classes.”

The way Pinky told her mother that she can learn singing now, moved Nidhi. She is a house-wife and has enough time and resources to pursue her childhood-hobby now. She thought, “May be, I cannot become a great singer; at least I can realize one of my childhood dreams in some way.”

While searching through the ads on the web, she remembered her childhood which was simply books, books and more books; exams, exams and more exams; marks, marks and more marks.

* * *

This is a short story – if it can be called as one – which I finally published after four months in the draft mode, with occasional edits and re-edits.

As kids, we had many dreams; dreams as big as they can be. But in the process of growing up, by the time we become adults, most of our dreams fade. Practically, many of them can’t be realized now. But, we can realize few of them, if only we are willing to do that.

In a way, my childhood was similar to that of Nidhi. I wanted to become a cricketer at some point; I wanted to learn painting; I wanted to learn many other things which fascinated me as a child. But, at the end of the day I became a software engineer in 2005, at the age of twenty-two. I mean no offense to my parents and no regrets about my upbringing. I know, they did what best they can and I owe a lot to them in many ways for what I am today.

When I see little kids singing, dancing or performing any other arts in TV shows, I sometimes feel sad and desperately wish I could go back to my childhood and do something different than studying. I bet, there are many who think like me. Are you in the same boat?

At the risk of sounding arrogant, I can say that Indian middle class upbringing never allows children to think about anything but studies and exams. From the day a child joins school, its all about exams and marks; even before a child can understand what an exam is.

‘Born to study’ seems to be the way for most of the children in India. At least, that is the case with the families that are not financially well-off.

In the State where I live in India, education is a huge business; I am not aware of the situation in other states of India. Here, there are two options after you pass out from High school: study for medical entrance exam or study for engineering entrance exam. Most of the parents are unaware of other courses, like Commerce, Economics and so on.

I am not saying engineers and doctors are not good. It’s just that most of the parents select one of these two options, being completely blind to other options available.

I have seen my friends and relatives who messed up their studies because they never wanted to study what they are studying. For example, a wrong branch of study in Engineering enforced by parents. “I LOVE to be a mechanical engineer, but my dad wants me to be a computers science engineer,” one guy said who screwed his engineering studies badly because he never liked computers and was always fascinated by automobiles.

I think, I should stop it here, otherwise this article will never see light of the day as the adding, deleting and editing process seems to be endless.

Please share your thoughts using the comments section. I would love to hear what you have to say about this post.

On the results day of this year, he woke up in the morning and as usual prayed to God and went to see the results. These are Internet days, so he went to a near by Internet cafe and started entering his hall ticket number and of course chanting God’s name continuously and praying. To his surprise he failed even this time. Then he got frustrated and yelled at God and abused for not succeeding in passing him. Suddenly God appeared on the computer screen, looking frustrated, yes, even Gods can get frustrated. Then this guy out of anger asked God “why are you failing me every time?”. Then God opened his mouth and told him “with my power I can pass you even if you don’t write a single answer, but I cannot do anything if you write the hall ticket number wrong every time”.

Asking for help from God or higher power or whatever you call it, without doing the right things at the first step is a futile effort. We have to do the right things to get the right results. I know I am not that great to write all these self-help stuff, but many of us just fall into the comfort zones and expect something to happen without doing the basics correct. I feel no shame to confess here that I have done it many a times. And writing here makes this idea get deeper into my mind and helps me in finding when I do the basics wrong.

So next time when you write any exam make sure you enter the hall ticket number correctly.

Hope you liked it and do comment.

This is based on a story I heard from Sadhguru. I have varied it a little bit and written it here.

Today was yesterday’s tomorrow,

Today will be tomorrow’s yesterday,

There is only one day that you can live, that is ‘TODAY’.

Live it fully.

This is the first quotation I have ever written. Its an amateur attempt at putting down my thoughts into words.

Hope you liked it. Let me know.