The other day I was going through the folder containing the list of my published articles since the publication of my first article in the April 2011 issue of Eves Touch. I was happy to note that more than 350 of my articles have appeared in 27 newspapers and magazines, both national and local, including a few e-magazines. Taking into account the articles that were published only on my blog and shared on my FB page the number exceeds 400.
Many of my readers
ask me how I choose the subject of my articles, which are general and deal with
daily happenings in life. I get ideas any time of the day. While walking,
attending a function, reading a newspaper or magazine, talking to friends, an
unforgettable incident, and sometimes even the death of a person I have known
closely. Very often I also get ideas early in the morning when I am awake but
roll in the bed before I get up and get started with my morning chores.
Whenever an idea comes to my mind, I immediately record a catchword or a line
that will trigger my memory, in the `Evernote` app on my mobile. Anytime the
Evernote reminder section on my mobile has nearly 15 topics on which I can
write articles. I don`t write every day. Whenever I feel like writing a new
article I go through the Evernote list and choose the topic for writing.
Until I got invited
to write my column `Rajan`s Random Reflections` in Adyar Times my articles used
to exceed 1000 words. However, the 600-word restriction imposed by Adyar Times
helped me master the art of writing shorter articles that a reader can read in
less than 5 minutes. This word discipline has certainly helped me get more
readers over the years.
I am a person who
believes in the `Early to bed, early to rise `policy. I get up at 4. a.m. and I
am at my work desk by 4.30 a.m. I find that I am at my creative best during
4.30-6.00 am considered the ‘Brahma muhurtham’ time. I go for my morning walk
only after this.
Until I got used to
keying my articles directly on my PC/laptop I was writing the articles by hand
and then typing them on the PC. It was a painful process because very often I
could not decipher my own handwriting. As long as I was employed and had a
secretary who could decipher 90% of my handwriting I had no problem. She would
give me the typed article as a Word document on which I would make my
corrections. Even after I retired, the secretary was kind enough to type from
the scanned copy of my handwritten articles which I would send her.
I must confess that
since I started keying my articles directly on my PC, I have been able to make
corrections as I am typing, resulting in a reasonably well-written draft. The
draft then goes through several revisions before I am sure that it meets the
expectations of my readers. I consult Google Knowledge whenever I have doubts.
Since I have never been confident in my grammar, I would share the draft with
my brother and daughter whose knowledge of English grammar is better than mine.
These days I use an app called `Grammarly` to correct my draft. It is good at
pointing out not only grammatical mistakes but also punctuation marks, spacing,
use of caps, etc. It is really a boon for any writer in English who is not
confident in his English.
I believe everyone
has a writer in him/her. Whenever a friend tells me that he cannot write I ask
`Did you not write essays in your school/college days?” It is only a question
of discovering one`s hidden talents. Start with going down memory lane and
record interesting anecdotes from your life. I assure you it is a fascinating
experience and therapeutic. Age is no barrier to starting writing. Don`t forget
I started writing only after my retirement at the age of 65. If I can do it,
you can too!
No comments:
Post a Comment