Creative Writing? :)

Creative writing! HA! Actually, it ought to be a guffaw - HA HA HA! Before you think I’ve lost my mind or maybe just kept it aside (did I hear you say “If it exists in the first place”?), let me clarify. I love creativity. I love writing. So much so, that my sentences can be longer than acceptable. So, what’s it about the two together that makes me go ‘HA’ing? Err…shall we say that it’s all about my previous attempts to get creative while writing? The first ever time I was given an opportunity to put pencil to paper and get creative was at school. (You’d rather ask my teachers to narrate the story of how they fought the urge to get me hanged to death. And I can’t help wondering if they ever went back to giving students this kind of an opportunity after seeing my work.) There was no turning back for me since then, literally. I’d hate to show my face in school now. From those good old school days to the not-so-good office days– a huge jump in the story but the in between phase is better left unsaid – my job has given me plenty of opportunities to kill. Wait. With my creative writing abilities, that is.

Well, okay, let’s get serious. ;) Let me cut the faint jokes out and get down to reality. Here’s the truth, only the truth and nothing but the truth. I write to express myself. I write to communicate. I write to connect. I write to make people smile (if not laugh). I write to change minds. I write to influence. I write to coax. I write to motivate. I write to inspire. I write to help people share. I write to help people innovate. And sometimes - I write to exist. I write for myself.

PLUM (P.G Wodehouse) has been the most inspiring force in my life when it comes to writing (as well as humor). I might worship the ground he walked on if given the opportunity. I’ll probably have to be born again to reach his levels of writing and mastery over the language. But then, I also believe that he is inimitable! The simple philosophy that I have when it comes to writing is to have a unique style and keep it simple and easy-going rather than complex and verbose. There are some excellent writers who do have what it takes. But then, it also takes a dictionary to understand them. Not a human. I am, admittedly, in awe of writers who seem to know just about every word in the English language and more (don’t ask me how) and dole them out in no small measure in their writing. But it’s anybody’s guess as to whether that kind of writing just happens to be a show of vocabulary or touch hearts & evoke emotions! It’s okay to brush up the vocabulary and make use of it in every possible situation, but not at the cost of losing one’s audience. Having said that; let me now introduce a paradox. Bill Watterson (The creator of Calvin and Hobbes) is another favorite of mine though he uses up most of the vocabulary in the language. Maybe, he’s a rare example of how a writer can capture one’s audience despite the complexity of the language. And, what probably helps him is the fact that he is a cartoonist and not a storyteller. His artistic abilities (the pictures) and his extremely good sense of humor provide the necessary fun quotient and minimize the stress on the reader due to frequent dictionary-references.
Okay. Enough of the rambling. Let me jump back to my style of writing (whatever that is!?). So, what do I want anyways? I want to capitalize on my passion for writing and help address cultural issues. I want to use it to change things for the better. I want, in short, to change the world through my writing. Like it is said, the pen is mightier than the sword and I’d like to wield it better. Blogging, I hope, will help me pursue these dreams.