Wednesday, April 03, 2013

True Callings : Part II

For the benefit of my new reader (how I wish it was plural!) writing best-selling books for the Indian audience was what I thought a walk in the park and my erstwhile true calling. Trust me, I did my research, got feedback on character development from the other side (who wanted me to change the plot so that all the guys were bad and women were angels!) and had it all mapped out in my head. More than a year back I had started working on not one but two drafts but the sad truth is that they haven’t been touched in close to a year. I think the only way I will ever get to work on them is if I quit my job or get fired. Given that I don’t seem to possess any skills that will get me hired elsewhere I will be left with no option but to sit and write. But I digress once again.


My new reader(s?) is in part responsible for the recent enlightenment. Sometimes I suspect that Anony is actually the entire roster of the Indian Hockey team and players take turns commenting and putting up lyrics of their favourite songs. Sometimes I suspect Anony secretly has multiple personalities which would explain a lot. Sometimes I suspect Anony is a music director who only listens to music, eats and sleeps. Sometimes I think Anony is far far away from Indian shores and that my blog is a lighthouse of sorts. And sometimes I think Anony is an office colleague who has too much time on his / her hands. 


Irrespective of who Anony really is, it all started with my new reader posting the lyrics of the song by Zac Brown Band “As She’s Walking Away”. Which is a really good song and which also got me listening to more songs by ZBB. It also helped that ZBB plays a few songs which have also been covered by one of my fav artists of all time Jack Johnson.But the one song that converted me into a ZBB fan was Junkyard. I don’t know how to describe the effect that the song had on me but the closest I can get is to say that the depth of that song is absolutely mind blowing. And I’m a sucker for powerful songs.



Which got me thinking. I play the guitar fairly well for an amateur (yeah yeah nobody else had heard me play but that is totally irrelevant). I listen to a lot of songs so that takes care of the research bit. I am moderately creative (arise not in protest) but it comes in bits and pieces. Hence song writing is just perfect for me.


Ok so I haven’t really been blessed with a great voice (and that is an understatement of epic proportions) so humming is more my thing. But that isn’t going to stop me. I already have a few ideas in mind (long time readers are rolling their eyes by now thinking ‘here we go again’) and I should be able to come up with a few songs in a month’s time or so. Knowing myself, that’s just the sort of kick in the derriere that I require to reignite the currently dormant drafts. The sky is the limit, isn’t it? Songwriter. Hummer. Band member. Book writer. And a full time job as well. Looks like the following months are going to be rather tumultuous.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

I would be waiting for your book and a free copy too! Yes of course I would buy one,but I would want one autographed sent to me personally for being a loyal reader :P he he he
But well,all this once the book is published...
Anony is a girl,plus your colleague who worked hard for years for surplus hours and is now enjoying herself since past 3 months courtesy the release she is getting from the project she has been working since past 3 years...All KT done and I am relaxing...19 is the day she would step in new proj :| and everything will again be haphazard,crazy or as you said exhausting and you wouldn't realize how years passed by or perhaps the life in those years...She isn't having multiple personalities,coz if she would be then Neil is having double of whatever number of personalities she has...as he bragged :P he is a singer..writer...adventurer...blah blah blah...so is the lady too...

You are not alone and not the only one to have hobbies and passions you have ...plenty of them can be unique in themselves differing you from others but plethora can be same as that of others ...Afterall the human population is not tht less! :P :D

Some facts which might make you re think and rigorously putting ur plan in action of completing the book...

There are people working for Wipro who published their own books!
Example is Saptrishi Basu and Vineet Nag...I know only the latter personally and closely and he is in New Jersey right now...working hard as you do :P

Work will always be there..it is never going to stop...The point is how passionate are you about what you want to do..watching japanese wrestling for hours but not any time to write...or you are exhausted to write? Doesn't writing make you feel refreshed? Did you ever find it exhausting? I wonder...

Gosh! I just realised I rambled a lot...:|

P.S.: For you I was a flame...love is a losing game...

-Anony

Neil D'souza said...

Anony - Its official. For the first time ever, a comment on my blog is longer than the actual preceding post!

Good to hear you're getting a break from project work, I actually had all of two weekdays last year where I didnt have any work whatsoever. 2 days. In one calendar year. Sigh!

My problem is that my creativity spells very rarely coincide with my free time. I could be sitting in a meeting and my mind would be racing with ideas on story line progression & character development. I could get a couple of hours between phone calls in the evening but end up drawing a blank.

There was only one occasion when I found writing exhausting. I spent a complete Saturday writing the She series of posts on this blog, stopping only for lunch. The typing wasnt tiring but trying to keep my creativity in check was. To me, its my best work yet.

And why dont you have a blog? You certainly have a propensity for rambling! And that is a compliment.

Anonymous said...

Hmmm...I do understand that...I do have a blog...As I stated earlier but perhaps u read b/w the lines and missed :P I stumbled on ur blog from your comment on my blog ;)

Whenever ur creativity pangs strike you,try and make short notes of what is running in ur head..it helps for sure...just scribble a line or two...so that u hv an idea of wer ur mind was wandering...I did that at times...as I suffered with same problem... :)

I mean I am in a meeting or hell busy doing a task and a really nice idea will pop in my head...I wud hv all d words and depth to describe all the feelings and ideas but no time to scribble them and next day it's all gone...wiped out! :D

So I try write a few words on watever I get...a notepad, my fone...if something pops up out of a sudden :)

Hope this helps you as well :)

I read the She series...It was nice but from the beginning I kinda knew where all this is leading too...I expect more from you(plz pardon me for speaking like ur manager ;) ) But I really do felt it wasn't ur best but yes it was good :) (Sorry for being so rude,or opinionated :| )

Take care...Hoping to see a creative spell once more from you...perhaps another series or perhaps just a short story... :)

P.S.: You didn't know what you looking for...until you heard the voices in ur head...

-Anony

Neil D'souza said...

You stumbled my blog based on a comment I made on your blog? Ok now that has me scratching my head in confusion. Oh, the intrigue of it all...

To be honest, not too many of the millions and millions of readers of this blog anticipated the ending of the She series. Quite a few of them actually didnt get the ending.

Good to hear a readers perspective on my writing though. As the occasional reader of a few blogs I too have an opinion wrt what the best articles there are. Everyone views the same sunset through their own rose tinted eyes.

Will try the jotting down of ideas idea, not sure if it works with my kind of mind though. Even if I do recall its not the same. Its difficult to explain really.

P.S - if I might so shamelessly ask, could you share the link to your blog?

Anonymous said...

You are one of few who would be good at many many things. Don't give up. So what you love.
Start writing songs. Get a friends band to play them. Hey published. Why not!