NeoBluePanther

Writing, Among Other Things

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Does knowing things make you smarter?

May 24, 2012 / / 0 Comments

Today’s generation is an educated lot. The literacy rate is increasing all across the globe, and so, by default, it should be expected that we have more smarter people today, than we had, say, 50 years ago.

While it would be difficult to decide one way or another, it can be safely said that today we have more knowledgeable people than 50 years ago.

But, does having more knowledge make you smarter?

I don’t think so. Having knowledge is a necessary, but not a sufficient condition for smartness is what I say.

Here is a little story from the great Indian epic, Mahabharat, to illustrate what I mean:

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How to Post Regularly on your Blog…

May 19, 2012 / / 0 Comments

It has been about a month since I wrote anything on the blog. This is in sharp contrast to my goal, which is to post at least one post on the blog every week.

I know I am not alone. 

There are numerous bloggers out there who, like me, set goals for themselves but soon find that they are not able to meet the stiff targets they had set up.

Why does that happen?

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When was the last time you used a Typewriter?

April 18, 2012 / / 1 Comment

When I was a child, the thing I wanted to buy most was a typewriter. I used to write poems (or at least what I thought were poems) and short stories on paper, and wondered when I would be able to type them out on a typewriter. The typewriter, to me, was that one thing that would complete my life. Of course, I had no idea about soulmates back then.

It was by mere chance that one day I got a chance to use a typewriter in my father’s office. Typing my first poem on that machine was one of the happiest moments of my life. But, I never bought a typewriter of my own, because by the time I had enough money to buy a typewriter, no one was buying one.

The typewriter had been replaced by the computer.

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Are you waiting for a Big Idea?

March 2, 2012 / / 1 Comment

Yesterday, a friend said a strange thing to me. He said that he had read many of my blog posts, and some of my short stories,  but – before I could thank him – he added that he felt most of them were quite simple, as they were based on events and incidents that happened in my daily life.

My first reaction, naturally, was one of indignation. I felt that my friend was accusing me of lacking imagination and creativity. But, at the time, I decided to mull over the whole thing before reacting to what he said.

Eventually, I came to the conclusion that he was right. My ideas did originate in the events that were happening all around me. All I did was take these little, ordinary, incidents and weave a web of words around them.

But, isn’t that exactly what writing and creativity is all about?

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Four Tips to Reading Like a Writer!

February 24, 2012 / / 4 Comments

They always say that writers should read. “They,” of course, referring to the infinitely famous and notoriously vague entity that determines what should and should not be done. Pronouns aside, the advice is solid. Reading enables writers to learn more about their craft by seeing what was successful for others. At the beginning, many writers start off their projects by imitating the styles of successful writers before they develop their own–imitation stemmed from reading the works of authors they admire. Along the way, writers can gain inspiration through reading the works of others in their genre, or gain insight into a new genre that writer is considering branching into.

I feel it’s safe to say that reading and writing go hand in hand. Hell, half of us were inspired to go into writing through our passion for reading. However, I would not say that “simply reading” is always enough. In order for a writer to truly gain anything (other than the enjoyment of a good story) from reading, she must read not like a reader, but like a writer.

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