Our writing ages, just as we do

In short, I’d re-write the book to match my current sensitivities. For, I have come to realise that our writing ages, just as we do.

I’ve been writing daily ever since I was ten, which means I’ve now been writing for more than two decades, which also means that if I were to talk about my passion for words in the weather department jargon, I am living through the third season; fourth being the last and final. I’ll come to the seasons in a bit. My writing has changed over the course, just as I have. I pretty much both laugh and give myself credit for the pieces of love poetry I penned down ten years ago; from dreamy to pragmatic, we’ve romanced it all. If I were given a chance to re-do my debut book, which is now three years old, I’d probably end up disagreeing with many characters, I’d also move a few paragraphs, just as I’d add some new words, and delete many. In short, I’d re-write the book to match my current sensitivities. For, I have come to realise that our writing ages, just as we do.

I believe each of us writers’ lives could be divided into seasons and probably explain why we wrote what we did, or will. In the spring of my life, which was probably the first 15 years of my existence, I shared my words with only dear dairy. I wrote because I was amazed by the magical effect of words. I’d scribble purely for the joy it brought me. As I moved into the summer, I must have become familiar with the need to write (and communicate) effectively for the sake of doing well at examinations and building friendships. In those young adult years, I’d tell everyone I wrote for myself, which also meant that my raw feelings were too personal, and also that I was not ready to share them with the world at large, not yet. I was only exploring the realms of the field, feeling amazed at how everything that I felt, observed, reacted to…could be put down in words.

Unbothered by technique, I wrote into late-night hours, simply to discover the many ways I could narrate a story, express an emotion, list the pros and cons in a debate and more. These words didn’t necessarily have a beginning or an end, I wrote without necessarily seeking approval or aspiring to build a following of readers. I wrote not because it was a job, but because writing was a beautiful way of collecting my thoughts about the world I inhabited.

I am in the fall of my life, and it’s in this season that I’ve begun to write with a real purpose. Now, I write to bring about a difference. This year, I started an initiative, #storieswithpg, to share and tell stories that matter. Living under the impression that I’ve now mastered a few things about bringing a pen to paper or clicking on the keyboard, I’ve now also become conscious and aware of the impact of words. My readers love is encouraging and their approval is important, but at the same time, I’ve found the courage to accept that every story has its readers, and they may not necessarily be easy to reach to. If you write as a profession, which I do, you, of course, try to find the balance between your beliefs and the goals laid down for you.

I am almost excited to be in the winter of this lifetime of writing as well, just as I am curious to see how I’d hop between my youthful enthusiasm and my cause-oriented/technically sound words. It’s said that as writers when we reach the finale, we do end up writing once again with abundance, for we know we still have unlimited stories to share, but just limited time life before it’s The End.

— purva@khaleejtimes.com