I've always wanted to do this, not to boast but to share my skills and knowledge on writing. Many have asked me throughout my literary journey, "How do you write so well?", or "How can you write like this?", or "It's too complicated to understand, you write so well."
Haha, yes, I got that last remark one too many times, too.
And I'll tell you what I told all of them -
"Anybody can write."
Yes, anybody can write. There's nothing special about being able to write. And so, I can't comprehend why there's too much a big deal made of it. Of course, if one can write profoundly like Shakespeare, or Tolstoy, or Rowling, then that's something! But me, I'm a mere nobody. I like to be a nobody when I write. But there's also a sense of temporary satisfaction, that I enjoy, in hearing from others that I write well, and so I move on from a nobody to a somebody.
Anyway, let's cut to the chase. Like I said, I've always wanted to do this. I'm going to assume questions in my head connected with my writing, and pour out the answers here, without the questions. Like a questionless interview.
1. My most cherished literary instruments
Or as you would call them FIGURES OF SPEECH. I'll go in order :
i. Personification
I love to personify everything. I do it without any planning. I can give life to just anything. And I don't just capitalise the first letter of a word to personify it. I actually give things and places 'character'. I give them 'emotions'. I give them all the attributes of a 'person'. And you might observe that I sexualise everything too. Because when you give attributes, you tend to leave this aspect out. Don't. It's a part of a person too, so everything you personify SHOULD be completely and truly personified.
ii. Imagery
I simply love to describe. Like how I give life to lifeless things, I give intangible things with no form, some form. A very vivid form, in fact. For example, I will give a feeling or emotion some shape, some color, some characteristics that will with ease allow the reader to visualise. Imagery is vital to ever kind of writing. Don't just stop to describe what can be described. Go buying and describe what cannot be described. And, I'll share something more with you. When you describe, be sure to trigger the senses of the reader - sight, hearing, touch/feel, taste. Again, don't stop there. Create such Imagery that will have an effect on the reader from his/her within. Trigger emotions like fear, ecstacy, sorrow, attachment, etc. through your Imagery.
iii. Oxymoron
This is my recent favourite. I've always been in admiration of this literary instrument. But I have never been skilled, until lately, to equip it in my writings. And so, it's a recent favourite. An oxymoron can enhance your writing, deepen your Imagery. My recent Oxymoron is "sharp like a feather" and I used it to describe a woman's heart.
2. Vocabulary
Now, I'm not a big fan of Vocabulary. I only expand my vocabulary naturally. I don't pick up a dictionary or Google words to learn something new everyday or every month. No, I don't do that. Every one of us has a niche, I believe (you just have to discover it). And so, when you come across a million words, a million books, just about one word or a few words, or maybe 10, 000 words from the million, will catch you from within. Some words will have shape and others won't, to you. And that will differ from person to person. Writing is not a spell bee competition! So don't make it one. I'm not a voracious reader, so I don't know many words. Yet, I stick to what I know and what I find beautiful, because I can use it well and do justice to the word. Don't sophisticate your writing because, you'd want to have a larger audience and if everyone should understand you, you've got to learn to be simple. That's who I am when I write, and don't worry about sounding too amateur. I've done this for years and still got termed as a really good writer.
3. If at all you must explore...
Then explore your area of interest. And not the dictionary! For example, I have been interested in poetry. I have this goal to learn the various types of poems and write at least and few of each kind. (It's not that I don't expand my Vocabulary. I do, but at the right time when a word does magic to me, I'll trace the word and it's history, it's beauty). Again, if something seems a little too much for you, don't go for it until you're sure. Because you do not want to end up making a fool of yourself.
4. Know your timeline
I have a timeline. Every fifteen or twenty days, my brain or my mind, or my heart will become numb, and I will not be able to produce good writing. That is when I take it as my cue to discover some magical words, or ways of expression. But I don't overdo it. I go little at all time (very little at a time). Because, I'll flush out really good stuff in twenty days, and after that I'll need to brainstorm to write something which is not crap. So, take your break, get inspired, seek inspiration in outdoor visits, silence, observations, etc. So, know your timeline.
5. Fall in love and get your heart broken
Haha. But really, I'm serious. When I said anybody can write, I said it because love visits all of us at some point in our lives. And it's not love that can bring out the best writer in you, but the heartbreak that follows it. Only the deepest sorrow can give you beautiful feelings and ways of expression. It can be any form of love. It may be romantic love, it may be your pet dog whom you immensely loved before he or she died (I hate it when dogs die 😟), it may be your mother...anybody. but remember, losing them should have broken your heart deeply.
Like I always say, "Whilst a fool speaketh in words, a fool in love speaketh in verse."
There! Simple enough? Nothing complicated right? So believe me I say that anybody, and everybody CAN write. Try it out, and let me know how it goes :)
