I loved Chemistry as a subject. The feeling of accomplishments when you get those azure coloured Cuppor Sulphate Crystals to the slow diffusion of the purple colour of the Potassium Permanagnate in the solution gave me immense happiness in the lab. The curiosity with which we conduct the experiment is something that we carry in the later parts of our lives. But have we ever noticed that, during those practical exams the same exercises that used to give us joy during regular hours, become a matter of tension and stress suddenly? I used to be so focused on getting the result so proper that, there was a sign of irritation during the entire time the exam was conducted. I remember, the days when we had practical classes used to be extra long and it used to be late in the evening while returning from class. Other days , I would anxiously wait for my practical classes but during such exam days, it was like a burden.

I never understood the reason then, but as I am advancing in life, I see life a little better may be. Not to mention, that life does feel like a puzzle to me many a times. I feel lost many a times, try and find my way again and move ahead. If anything has kept me sane it is the creative pursuit . It used to be a solo affair since a long time , but lately I am connecting with many wonderful personalities, having unique and commendable thought processes and all this becomes a little overwhelming sometimes. There is a need for me to organize my reading and writing is what I feel personally. But in the process, I had realized that I had become a little tensed to understand what is the so called right thing to do. I know we all have limited time, priorities in time and even though I want to engage as much as with everyone, somedays it just becomes next to impossible and I also understand that same is the case with all.

So, I have decided to take a back step and rather than worrying about writing that most read post or drafting that perfect fiction or paint the perfect picture , limiting myself in a particular niche etc, I think I will focus more on experimenting with my writing and not be afraid to fail. Is there even a particular ‘right’ style of creative writing , us what I often wonder ! We can assume that the best selling authors write in the right manner. I think, they just have their writing style that is accepted. Did they always have that or did they experiment, fail and then understood their target audience? Though I personally do not have any evidence regarding this , I would like to believe that they too evolved as they continued to write and go forward in their respective journey. Experimentation when coupled with the right amount of curiosity can yield the best result.

Some of the famous writers who had it difficult are as below:

1)Agatha Christie: Agatha Christie had to wait four years for her first book to be published.

2) Sylvia Plath: Sylvia Plath had several rejected poem titles.

3)Rudyard Kipling: In one rejection letter, Mr. Kipling was told he doesn’t know how to use the English language.

4) J.K. Rowling: J.K. Rowling submitted Harry Potter to 12 publishing houses, all of which rejected it.

5) Anne Frank: One of the most famous people to live in an attic, Anne Frank’s diary had 15 rejections.

The list is very long but I will stop here and take a moment to realize that it is okay to fail and keep faith in ourselves, in our endeavors and to focus on enjoying while learning the techniques. Sometimes , I feel it is a race out there and then I feel nervous and anxious. I think this will only make things difficult for any kind of experimentation. So , keeping an open mind and not getting anxious about right is probably the way ahead.

This post is a part of Blogchatter Half Marathon.’ 

Love,

Chinmayee