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Writing, Among Other Things

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The Bank Robbery -III

October 24, 2007 / / 0 Comments

(This is the third part of the series that began here . If you like it,  and would want to be updated whenever I post the subsequent parts, you might want to subscribe to the posts via email) 

“Ok I think I should go now”. It was Ramesh who said that. Rahul and Vikas were in no hurry, they had a whole night in front of them, and usually they remained together till it was time to sleep.

“Ok!” both Rahul and Vikas said in unison.

“He is a nice guy, a bit empty in the head, but not bad,” Vikas said as Ramesh left.

“Yes that’s right, but any company is good company in a  place like this.’

“I could not agree more.”

“What do you think of the bank?” Vikas said, all of a sudden.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, a crore of rupees is not much but if we get a chance to get our hands on that money, and in a way that no one will think it was us, it won’t be bad at all.”

Rahul  laughed. He did not think that Vikas was being serious.

“I am serious” Vikas said, “Maybe  you and me being here at the same time is destiny, and our one chance to haul in some cash.”

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The Bank Robbery- II

October 22, 2007 / / 0 Comments

(This is the second part of the series that began here . If you like it,  and would want to be updated whenever I post the subsequent parts, you might want to subscribe to the posts via email) 

All of this I did not learn only by observing them, but also by listening to their talk that ranged from religion to philosophy to studies. But, now, my reader, I think I have told you enough about them, so let us get into the story mode, where it gets interesting.

My interest in them had began to wane, for they were nothing but two city born youth living the village life , not out of choice but by force. Most of the time they would be cursing their luck for bringing them into this sleepy village, while people their age were having fun in the cities. At times though they did  thank their stars for giving them a learning experience like no other, not only professionally but as an individual. Being among the few well educated people in the village they were respected and no one passed them by without wishing them. Both of them liked this, though they never admitted it to each other, nor even to themselves.

So, as one day as I was thinking about moving on their conversation got interesting.

That day it was Rahul, Vikas and Ramesh, the bank clerk, sitting in the evening sun and just talking over a cup of tea. As usual it was Vikas who started the conversation:

“Wow…how peaceful and silent this place is. We could never get to see that in the city.”

“True, but after two years this tends to get a little bit boring,” Rahul replied.

“I never found it interesting in the first place,” said Ramesh.

Vikas looked at them with a frown on his face.

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The Bank Robbery – I

October 17, 2007 / / 6 Comments

(Here, I begin another  story in a series  of about 750 words each. If you like it,  and would want to be updated whenever I post the subsequent parts, you might want to subscribe to the posts via email)

During my ( the story is being told by Loktak) wanderings through the various small towns and cities, I was fascinated by strange things and, then, sometimes, I stopped by to observe the quirks of human nature. Once passing through a very small village, I was surprised to see two well dressed guys taking a walk on the dusty village road. They seemed so out of place on that road, that I had no other option but to stop by and, see what they were about.

“It’s so boring here” the taller guy was saying.

“Tell me about it, I have been here for two years now… and for one and a half I was all alone,” the fair guy said.

“Yea, what did you do… before I came here, Doctor.

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Writer’s Block – A Systems Approach

October 14, 2007 / / 5 Comments

Often, we, bloggers, as well as writers, complain about writer’s block. I don’t know about others but I have often complained about it in the past. That was until I realized that there was no point complaining about it. One either has to overcome it or, allow oneself to be beaten by it.

While I was thinking about it, I thought of another thing. The whole process of writing can be be seen as a system.

Writing as a system

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The mask of a Blogger – the Answer

October 10, 2007 / / 11 Comments

From the comments on my last post, and the talks I had with some friends, the consensus seems to be that if a blogger wants to blog wearing a mask, then that is purely his choice. But I disagree wholeheartedly. If you are blogging for yourself only, then maybe you can afford to blog anonymously, but if you hope, like most bloggers, to be read and get a lot of traffic, then you have to take off that mask. And here is why:

  • There is no such thing as anonymity on the internet. Any thing you do on the internet can easily be traced to you, one way or the other. So, as soon as you start your blog you have become just a little bit less anonymous. As you progress on your blogging journey, you leave behind traces that others can follow without much hard work on their part.
  • Neck-in-sand. When we blog anonymously, sometimes we become too safe in the knowledge that no one will ever know, and we end up saying and writing things that we regret later. We even delete that stuff later, but sometimes it can be too late by then. A great example of what I am trying to say here is the Alexa way back machine, which has this snapshot of what my blog looked like, way back in February. Mind you, the post that is on display in the snapshot is no longer a part of this blog.
  • Sooner or later, you will tell someone. A blog has many functions, but most of them involve a reader-blogger relationship. And however secretive you try to be, there will be times when you will want to share something you wrote with someone- a co-worker, an acquaintance. a friend, someone. And as soon as you do that your cover is blown, and the secret is out. Maybe, you had forgotten what you had written about that person on your blog sometime back, or about someone you both know and now you will always be worried about him telling that person about it. So, it is always a better idea to be blog as yourself, so that you don’t have to eat your own words some day. As they say, better safe than sorry.
  • The Reader’s right. The last thing that I would say is that knowing about you is, to an extent, the reader’s right. A visitor to your blog spends some time reading your posts; time that he could have spend doing something else, or reading another blogger’s blog. But, he is reading your post, and in return you could always let him know the person behind the writing. You don’t have to tell anything personal, but just enough for your reader to trust you and return to your blog.

I am sure there are exceptional cases where blogging anonymously makes more sense than using your own name, but exceptions have never proved a rule. In general, the blog, the blogger and the visitor, all will be better off if the mask is taken off, and the true face is revealed.

What do you think?

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