SANTOSH BAKAYA
You must be wondering where I had disappeared. Yes, I had really disappeared- into myself. I was hibernating. I was introspecting. Infact, I had my fingers in many pies, couldn’t disentangle my fingers from those pies. Well, such a thing happens when one is driven by an intense passion. One cannot succeed in life without having a particular passion. I have many passions, and I keep disappearing into whatever passion catches my fancy, and whenever it suits me.
What is the sort of piece that appeals to one, and that which doesn’t?
The style in which the piece is written is very important. A lackadaisical style can never be captivating. Some stories fail to stir us, others do. Some are very shoddily written, grammatically and syntactically challenged, the characters are not well delineated, and the piece appears very verbose.
Hence, it is very important for one to decide the style which one can best write in, and whatever style one follows, it has to be characterized by:
CLARITY and COHERENCE,
CRAFT,
CRISP CONTENT.
Clarity and Coherence:
Sometimes while one is reading something, nothing seems to make sense, and one goes over it again and again to get the hang of things. That is maybe because of the lack of clarity in the writing style.
So, all the budding writers need to be clear in what they want to say. Verbosity can really put off the readers. Sometimes one uses words, only because one loves the sound of those words, or maybe because one thinks that the words will impress the reader. So, avoid such temptations.
We need to be clear in what we are trying to write. Sometimes in an effort to use impressive words, one falls a victim to Malapropism.
For example: 1) Punitive action is a detergent to mischief, instead of deterrent.
2) When I related the spooky event to her, she was putrefied, instead of petrified.
Coherence: Many times one comes across a person who is apparently talking, but actually merely babbling incoherently, because nothing seems to make any sense. Similarly, sometimes one reads pages and pages without understanding anything that is because of the lack of coherence. When disconnected ideas are bridged logically through sentences, words and paragraphs, coherence is the result. Smooth and seamless flow is important in any writing, the lack of which will prove a deterrent to reading and comprehension. If there is no coherence, there will be nothing but confusion, and a weird jumble of words gaping at you. Alas, the reader will be in a pathetic state, unable to understand the train of thoughts.
CONTENT: One needs to have a clear grasp of the content one is writing on, otherwise, the piece that one is penning will go haywire.
Does one know the topic one is writing about?
Does one know what tone and tenor to adopt while crafting the narrative?
Does one want to break stereotypes and experiment with form and structure of the content?
If one hops from topic to topic, like a grasshopper gone berserk, the reader is likely to forget the main thread. In order to increase the engagement of the reader, the writer needs to have a clear grasp of the subject, and not be distracted by other issues. If the writing is convoluted, and contrived, the reader will soon lose interest- hence simplicity and coherence are very important in one’s content.
The CRAFT of every writer is different. But unless it has something fresh to offer, it will not appeal to the reader. Even boring and mundane things can become exciting in a deft wordsmith’s hand. Whether one is writing about the unfaltering luminescence of the years gone by, the fragrance of memories, the parakeets’ prattle, traffic snarls, a roadside fight, a description of the Dal Lake against the backdrop of the majestic Zabarwan Hills, or about the almond harvesting season in Kashmir, there should definitely be something in one’s craft that the reader finds riveting. In my column, Morning Meanderings in Learning and creativity. Com, I write about the ordinary occurrences, but readers find them extraordinary. Maybe because I write about the simple things of life, which often go unnoticed by us. So, let’s get hold of that unique voice, and keep giving vent to our thoughts in that unique voice, without brazen imitation, clichés or hackneyed phrases.
More in my next piece.
The author is an academician, poet, essayist, novelist, and TEDx speaker, with more than twenty published books to her credit.
