And I have been selfish. How many of you, who are into professions even remotely related to the communications or media have known this selfish phase?
It happened some months ago that I began using the security of pen and paper instead of the instant online gratification of blogging. I began doing this after many great sentences and ideas vanished with the fumes of traffic for not having something to jot them down on.
With time, I had a huge collection of items 150-200 words each. These pieces, which I consider some of my best thoughts, now smell in the yellowing pages of a small little diary. Nothing wrong, some of you may say, the old-fashioned diary/letters is far more romantic. But I thought I am being selfish when I said, 'No, this is not for the blog, preserve this for better times.'
There are big minus points of saving your words like a squirrel who stores nuts for the winter. She can hope to relax like a queen in the future, but the present is incessant legwork, no?
A diary is alright when it comes to prose. But it is much more difficult to keep poems locked in bound pages. Most of the poems I have here on my blog are impromptu inspirations, thought and penned from start to the end on the blog itself — Why Do We, for example. With such fluid dialogue possible on the blog, accumulating my thoughts on paper and imposing an incommunicado on them is like having a stomachache due to a deep dark secret you have been burdened with.
I remember having written a post on why I blog. Apart from getting the pleasure to write and improve my skill, the biggest reason was having a readership that is open to a dialogue, is receptive of my ideas. When I wrote that post, I didn't even have half the readers I have now.
Today, some readers can gauge even the slightest of discomfort in my words. There are people who say beautiful deep words of promise without knowing that they lift me up. From my blog, I have known the joy of associating with frank, like-minded people who are not afraid to disagree.
So, being selective with my writing on this space, my blog that has nurtured and humbled me for more than four years now and with people who take time out for me, makes me wonder if I am being selfish.
Tell me, have you ever indulged in selective blogging?
9 comments:
Try using a smart phone. - I get many ideas,on my commute to work, jot down a few key words, and reflect upon it at lunch time, and write the post at night. !
Talking to yourself in mind initiates many ideas and better vocabularies leading to better thoughts. This can be shaped as a write-up if you start putting them on a paper randomely and after sometime sit and give a meaning to it.
Those with flair for writing maintain scrapbook - a turn of phrase you wish to use sometime; a thought process;celebrity quotes; historical trivia; snatches of conversation from a movie. I have over 15 ruled exercise-books.Used to keep pen and notebook handy while reading a book,watching a movie or Larry King Live on TV. No longer do - write scrapbook or watch LKL.
Some time back I thought of revisiting those notebooks with a view to sharing bits and pieces from there in a blog. http://mymysore500.blogspot.com/2007/03/scrapbook-jottings4.html
But after a few such posts I found re-tying from copy-book a bore. Reading your post, I feel I should revive copying work. Maybe we join hands to post our scrap-book jottings in a group blog, for those who care to read.
Interesting!
Sometimes, as in my case selective blogging is plainly due to inertia (laziness of typing so many words!)
Gyanban, Kohinoor and Nik-- A big welcome to the blog...
G- I don't have a smart phone and am basically a tech-phobic person :(.
K- Talking with oneself does initiate a thought process, but it ends up being jumbled up. As my prof Joseph Pinto thundered 'Write it down!' is the key to keeping your sanity intact. yes, writing randomely and making sense later does help a lot.
N- lazyness is the biggest block tht even i fall prey to quite often.
GVK-- I am fascinated just wondering what great experience and time must have been captured in 15 books!
Scrap-book jottings on the blog sound like fun. I will tell you when i am ready...
Hmmm...its ok to be selfish sometimes :) I have indulged in it myself.
I have done this kind of scrapbook writing years back... now a days it is copy and save. :)
Before I met the first computer I used to have note books for jotting down random thoughts.
Now I write and save drafts on the comp.
Being selfish is not always bad .
Selective blogging for me is mostly due to procrastination on some of the thoughts being shared and sometimes because a few ideas take time to shape up into a meaningful thought to be shared and be discussed on the blog.
Yes blogging give a lot of satisfaction in knowing how many people relate to your ideas and communicate without being judgmental.
A beautiful n meaningful post Gauri !!
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