Skip to main content

Writing away to glory - Part I

People have such profound misconceptions about themselves. Mine is/was that I can write. And recent developments (such as the one below) have further fueled that carnal desire within me.

Ever since the Rs. 5 crore cheque was presented to Amish Tripathi as an advance for his 'yet to be titled' book on a 'yet to be thought of' topic to be published in an 'open time frame', wannabe writers like yours truly have been truly inspired.

It does not help that his holiness Lord Shri Krishna in a highly divine moment has tried to show us the path to enlightenment by preaching - "You have a right to perform your prescribed duty, but you are not entitled to the fruits of action" (Bhagwat Gita: Chapter Two verse 47). Lesser mortals like us however, have found our inspiration in the following verses - "That Aston Martin is the reason why Thou was born and no SOB can deprive your holiness from owning her. Go slog it out now!"

But as much scorn you might want to pour at the materialistic intent of Philosophy - II, it also motivates you to act (albeit in a slightly unconventional way - through associating an above average reward and using some impact words). Shall we quickly then democratize this and leave it at - "to each his own (Philosophy)"?

So I realized that Rs. 5 crores can create enough angular velocity to propel me out of my existential living. Consequently, one needed to disturb the inertia and 'act'. Here is a proposed plan -

  1. Plan a 3 book series. You can always keep adding more later. Anything less and you don't make enough money on the brand you created.
  2. Un-employ yourself. Meaning 'get yourself fired' - just for that added drama. Sounds so sexy to read in a write-up that "Mr. Amish Tripathi - the author left his high flying job for creative pursuits." The by-product is that you create the time to write the goddamn book(s)!
  3. Shut up and write!
  4. Everything else - right from begging the publishers to take a look at your manuscripts, getting them published to persuading prospective buyers - are challenges that you can think of later. For now, it is still back to 1, 2 and 3. Please don't think so far ahead!!
  5. Might involve selling your kidneys. So in the interests of your health - DON'T think anymore and focus on 1,2 and 3.
  6. I say NO thinking....SLAP SLAP!

I will detail out the choice of topics in my next blog. Keep reading.

Comments

  1. Lethargic Intellect20 August 2013 at 07:26

    #6 means u r more than half way there to be a famous writer. All the best.... :-)

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Back to IIMK - Part II

PART II Houston - we have a problem Now if you have not been to the IIM-K campus, you will mistake it to be a resort. It is located atop a hill with snaking roads leading you up to the campus or guest houses - depending upon your destination. The clouds add an element of mystic that is often seen in hill stations while also producing enough rains to keep the surroundings clean and nourish the innumerable trees that adorn the landscape. The design and architecture of the campus is so stunning that it makes you forget academics and immediately infuses a vacation like feeling. But I am not documenting a travelogue here, so I will stop romancing it all. Back to my lecture. I was led to the main entrance of the campus where two things caught my attention. One, there was an large and impressive statue of Arjun. Although the extremely well sculpted body of Arjun makes him seem more like Bheem - but that is not the point. Arjun stands for focus (among other virtues),...
4 comments
Read more

The ecstasies and obscurities of an MRI scan

"Mr Mitra - your turn. Do you have any metallic objects with you? Anything like a gold chain, belt, wallet etc.?" "No" I said. "Then please remove your slippers and lie down." The consulting radiologist pointed to the patient table. "So how long will this take?" I asked trying to be brave. "About 30 minutes." The reply was extremely business like. Before I knew, the assistant had finished padding my head and strapping my feet - all of this before I could exhale. "This is the nurse calling switch - just in case you need to summon us." Flashback. Couple of weeks back, tired of a persistent headache (caused by daily doses of Arnab Goswami, playing stick tennis, text mining the Facebook and a nagging migraine) I went to see a general physician. It seemed safe for him to recommend a CT scan originally, but which was later 'upgraded' to a MRI scan upon further consideration. I did go through some bouts of depression a...
Post a Comment
Read more

Of childhood memories and first love

Last week, an event took me back in time. Decades actually - when I was probably around 10 years or so (standard IV at best). Looking through those Sepia-tinted times, I remember the humble lives we led. Walking to schools, getting a ride on dad's cycle, playing cricket with plastic balls and makeshift bats, and watching Chitrahaar on portable B&W TVs - mostly at a friendly neighbour's house. For the uninitiated, Chitrahaar was a bouquet of songs that was telecast semi weekly on Wednesdays and Fridays. 6 songs over 30 minutes. This was also where impressionable minds would receive their first lessons in love (not used as a euphemism for birds and bees). Oh that feeling of excitement and mystery surrounding the subject. How could I not be baptised? Every time that the song "Aa ja aayi Bahar, dil hai bekarar" would show up on Chitrahaar, it would set my heart into motion. Let me justify. The song portrayed the yearnings of a princess, stepping into adulthoo...
Post a Comment
Read more