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My Writing Woes

The book store, with its rack of new, wonderful smelling books awaiting their destiny to be read or trashed, has always been a part of my life. Thanks to my dad, who is a voracious reader and introduced me to the world of books.

The moment I walk into a book store, I feel such joy wrap itself around me that I feel a little drunk with happiness. What inspires me about these books is that all their makers, the authors, had the infinite patience and courage to face the scary white page and weave stories from the scratch. Trust me, I'm still struggling with the scary white page and so, the result is that I've been writing and erasing whatever I've penned. I'm not proud of this cowardice but thats the truth.

My instinct is to write but then I freak out and delete the file because I'm not happy with it. I start a new story and the same thing happens and then I just feel so tempted to sit down, cry my guts out and start again. Whatever I've written languish in my Recycle Bin and that thought of what is pending there drives my stress levels and dries up my dreams of writing THE book.

When I read a lot of books that have been written, I am sure what I wrote and deleted would have read so much better but I just freak out and not persist in polishing what I've written. Clearly this is a real problem. I want your suggestions to be able to change this. To be more accountable and committed to writing. Tell me, please, what can I do better?

Comments

Ruby said…
omg.... y do u think so less of urself????? if u wudnt have had d heart of a writer hw cum u write so well in ur blog..... u shud totally continue chasing n acheivin ur dream of being a successful writer....
bcoz u are gud at it...... keep bloggin n writin.... all d best...
July 19, 2009 at 5:07 PM
Swapna Raghu Sanand said…
Hey Ruby, you made me feel so much better. Yes, my very purpose of blogging was to pursue my dream, learn from feedback and comments from wonderful readers like you and make my writing journey move forward. Keep sending me your suggestions and feedback. That would really help me more than anythingelse. Thanks a ton for your loving words. God bless.
July 20, 2009 at 6:36 PM
Krithika said…
u actually mirror my thoughts on this. i face the same problem. actually i am thankful that the concept of blogging has taken place - at least the drive doesnt die down.
July 22, 2009 at 8:34 PM
Swapna Raghu Sanand said…
Thanks, Krithika. You are right. Blogging is a great way for us to overcome a lot of our writing fears and move forward with more confidence. This becomes possible because of the constructive feedback and comments that are shared with us by those who read our blogs. This way, the 'virtual' relationship becomes truly symbiotic.
July 24, 2009 at 6:36 PM
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