According to Old Chinese proverb, there is a correct mood for the art of writing. “Now then”…According to other Old Chinese proverbs, there are in fact correct moods for every pleasurable activity possible to man. For drinking tea. For listening to music. For conversation among friends. And so on.
But we are here to talk about the art of writing. And let us not digress from that.
If we were to dissect the procedure of writing a piece into its’ various constituent parts, we would end up with some of the following –
Event 1: Idea ‘creeps into/overwhelms faculties of’ the writer’s mind.
Event 2: The idea crawls out of mental confines into tangible reality of words.
Event 3: Slash-slash, Cut-cut, Swish and swoosh… Editing.
Event 4: Writer makes someone read it.
Now the question is: Which one of these parts is the most important part of the writing procedure?
Of course, I have absolutely no answer to that question. So why the long premise, one might ask. Well, recently, I experienced a good-writing-mood day. And to best explain the dynamics of this writer’s mind at that time, a sequential dissection of the writing procedure was essential.
On that opportune day, I was in the middle of enacting ‘Act 2’ (or lamely, ‘Event 2’) of the writing procedure. What was the mood in which I was doing that?
(1.) Tired… Extremely so.
(2.) Lonely… Having rejected an offer of going out with some friends.
(3.) Looking for something worthwhile to do.
As it turns out, it wasn’t a good mood that I was in. Yet turned out to be a wise choice to keep writing at that time.
And what was the location of the enactment? Balcony facing South. Sitting on Plastic chair. Looking up to wide expanse of sky to East and West (i.e. when not writing).
Hence the writing continued. Words were being strung together to exhibit an idea whose advent in my mind had occurred previously. Words having the power of uplifting one’s spirit – I felt the meter of my soul rising Up… Up…Up.
And that was the moment when ideas kept coming to my mind. Subjects for future writing, usually so elusive to find, kept presenting themselves. I looked up once and was presented with a sight of immense beauty. A mental note followed – “Must write about this.” Then, a few moments later… another sight. Would I, on another day, and in another mood, have given thought to it? No. But that day I did.
I realized that this was the mood for creation – for the first Act of the great theater of writing. When one’s mood is uplifted, only then, one can appreciate the true beauty of life – of the life that is presented to us on a platter – every day, and at every moment. One but has to know how to spot it.
And what were the two sights, you might ask? Dear friend, let that be reserved for another occasion.
[Image Credits].
PS: [9/22/08] Have managed to pen down one of them.
Here.
[10/11/08] The second one is penned down
here
