Writing, Among Other Things

Category: Writing (Page 6 of 19)

The Arthur Conan Doyle Fallacy!

Most people today know who Arthur Conan Doyle was, even if they have not read any of his works. In Sherlock Holmes, he created one of the most celebrated fictional detectives of all time. Sherlock Holmes had become so famous that when, in 1893, A C Doyle killed the character of Sherlock Holmes, the Strand Magazine – which printed the Sherlock Holmes stories – lost thousands of subscribers.

One may, therefore, wonder, why did A C Doyle kill Sherlock Holmes –  the character that won him a place in the hearts of millions of people across the boundaries of space and time.

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Are Rules for Fools?

Look around you, and you are sure to find people who are breaking rules all the time, and, what is more, they are getting away with it. They are not just getting away with it, but are even appreciated for breaking the rules. Doesn’t that make you want to break some rules too?

When we see so many successful people around us happily breaking rules, we begin to think that rules are for fools, don’t we?

Writing is no different. Many famous authors are known for flirting with the rules; they live their writing lives on the brink – bending one rule, and breaking another. Not surprisingly, we think, “ If he could break the rule and get away with it, why can’t I?”

A few years back, I used to think on the same lines. I thought that the writing rules did not apply to me. All I had to do was convey my meaning. But rules, as much as we would like to believe otherwise, are not for fools.

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Write, to be Read!

When I started writing, I strongly believed that I was writing only for myself. I thought that it did not matter if anyone read what I wrote – as long as I continued to write. Naturally, for a long time, I was the only one reading what I wrote. But, I didn’t care.

Then, one day, I was in conversation with another writer who asked me a simple question: If I was writing only for myself, why was I even writing?

What he meant was that writing is essentially a way to communicate – a way to make others see what you see, and how you see it. If you are going to be the only one to read what you have written, then you need not write at all.

I realised, then, that I wanted to write because I wanted to be READ… and when I said, I did not care if anyone was reading what I wrote, I was wrong.

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Do You Believe in Yourself?

Whether you believe you can do a thing or not, you are right. – Henry Ford.

One thing without which it is impossible to achieve anything is a belief that the thing can be done. If you start with the premise that what you are about to do is something you can’t do, the possibility that you will be able to do the thing is quite low, if not zero.

For most people, belief in one’s ability springs from the things they have done in the past. But if you are aiming to do something that you have never done in the past, it is hard to believe that you will be able to do the thing. Without this belief, the chances of achieving your goals dwindle.

It thus becomes a vicious circle, which needs to be broken.

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Do you have the U-Factor?

In today’s fast paced world customisation has become a  key word. All companies are trying to modify their products to meet the needs of as many individual customers as they can. It is quite possible that one day we will have products that have been modified to meet the need of each individual customer. Dell, for example, is one company that has tried to customise its products since its inception.

But, why is there a need for customisation?

The needs arises because each human being is unique. In spite of the physical resemblance, each one of the six billion individuals on this earth is unique. If you think that isn’t the case, then consider finger prints – though we all have fingers that are alike, and perform almost the same tasks, yet everyone has a unique finger print.

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