Santosh Bakaya
Yes, there is no gimmick that can make you a writer. You have to just put pen to paper and write. As Margaret Atwood says, “A word after a word after a word is power.” So, one need not wait for inspiration to strike, but just Begin Writing, and writing cannot be possible, unless we READ a lot. Remember, there is no such thing as perfection. Perfection is a myth.
I have often picked up my book published five years back, and found that it had great scope for perfection. If only I had written it this way, not that way…”
Let me quote Margaret Atwood again, “If I waited for perfection, I would never write a word.”
I have been reiterating that READING is very important. Reading stories and poems by different writers can give you new ideas. Let me cite an example.
First published on July 13, 1890, An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge by Ambrose Bierce, is one of the most famous stories in American literature. In the story, there is a very thin dividing line between fact and fiction.
It is about a thirty five- year old man who is about to be hanged for sabotage.
It was while reading this story that it hit me what if there is a torrential rain and the condemned man escapes! That set me thinking, and a new story was born on this premise. I am still in the process of editing it.
I find the poem “Shake the Dust” by Anis Mojgani, [13 June 1977], an American spoken word poet, and visual artist, always beating a tattoo at the back of my mind; this is such a powerful poem that I keep reading it all the time; it is a rallying cry for the marginalised, the invisibles, the overlooked, and the ridiculed. He tries to maintain that the everyday strugglers, the flawed and the ostracised can live a life full of vitality and zest, by not being bogged down by negativities and societal expectations. By grabbing the world and shaking it, and unleashing one’s inner power.
“This is for the benches and the people sitting upon them
For the bus drivers driving a million broken hymns
For the men who have to hold down three jobs to hold up their
children
For the night schoolers and for the midnight bike riders trying to fly
shake the dust.”
I love listening to this poem, and each line speaks to me in different tones and tenors. The refrain Shake the dust has myriad nuances, which you will have a great time unravelling -peeling back and exploring the finer details.
What I am trying to say is, that you should choose one poem or story, and give it your full attention. You will find this a great learning process- and shake off the metaphorical dust of societal labels, misgivings and inhibitions. Let not the mundanity and monotony of life allow you to settle down in comfort zones, and accept the labels thrust on you.
One needs to take control of one’s vital reality.
So friends, read the poem and tell me what you feel about it .
The author is an academician, poet, essayist, novelist, and TEDx speaker, with more than twenty published books to her credit.
