Writatouille

The Ratatouille of writing, anyone can write.

Can anyone write?

Had I been asked this question two years ago, I would have quickly said a 'no'. When I found myself reading about a writing competition anywhere, I simply would have walked away. I could hear someone inside me saying, "Writing is a talent I don't have. How do these people write? They must be having some spark in them." And today, I feel it is easy to write. I am not here to lecture you guys about how to present an answer you know in your examination. Rather, I would like to speak on how to create an answer out of the key word you heard just before you entered the hall. Yes, anyone can write. Given, you have something you desperately want to tell about. And the misinterpretation of it would be, “I desperately want to express, but I don't have something to". Instead, "I desperately have to express this thing, don't know how" would do. Write.

When and where to write?

"Time and place don’t seem to matter, but in reality they are fatter. Write when and where you feel or know, for around the seeds the plants do grow." an amateur writer waits for the moment to take over, the right emotion blending in thoughts. And he upgrades into a professional then when he takes over the moment and changes his mood accordingly. You must have observed if you ever tried, that there is a defined period of time over which the spark inside you remains lit. A similar logic can show why you need your surroundings to support the situation. Write where you feel it, when you feel it. A calm chilling night serves most of the ideas, given that your emotions are right.

How to write?

This question needed a precise answer when I started writing. You don't need Wren & Martin or the Oxford beasts to be on your table always. Given the audience, a work is expected to be written in a way so that the writer's message is easily and aptly conveyed. It is not about writing great words or long paragraphs, it is about writing exactly in a way your reader likes it. Much like not offering a great recipe to Mr. Ego but giving him the dish he was most connected to. And more important, write it in a way you like, because that is when the imprints of a given thought can be made clearly on a reader's mind. The choice of vocabulary and the expression of a thought prove influential in succeeding as a writer, next only to the fact that your dear reader is feeling, knowing and understanding what you want him to.

What to write about?

"The simple blue sky, the crushed blue tie, everything has a right, if you wish to write." it depends on what you want to convey, what is to be said to the audience, what you want them to feel as they read your work. To start with, choose something that is really close to you, choose your experiences. Then in stages, you can feel yourself moving on to write what you want your dear readers to know, then writing what your audiences want to know, and so on. The emotion is the mother of all writing. Write what you rightly feel and there you end up penning the greatest works. Often, it so happens that what to write gets decided when you experience it. And to be more precise, you need to feel something to your heart when you put it on a paper.

More things you need to know...

Being biased is humane. If you are speaking about anything socially active and common, make sure you will be comforted reading your thing even after years your write. And that you won't regret your choice today.

Critics are always there, anywhere and probably everywhere. So, be ready for them. There are people who say you don't deserve to be one, or that what you say is wrong. Just sing "haters gonna hate" loud.

What I write is my wish. For whom I do is my wish again. It's my life, my writing, my rules. Never care about what someone thinks, not even the one whom you are commenting about even.

It is the same for any art of expression, not just to write. Sing your notes, write your words, act your skits. Like no two people are alike, so are your expressions and ways of putting them. You are unique and so is your art.

Understand that you write what you wish to read. And make sure it happens. Have a happy write.

YRK Srivatsa,
3rd year,
Mech.