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Of Writing and Un-writing

I am such a moody writer. Everything I write has a direct effect on my emotions and my emotions dictate everything I write. Oh well, I don't really call myself a "writer". I just love to write. Most of the time though, I change subjects and I change styles in the middle of a lengthy article because I realize that what I am writing is not working. In the end, I could not finish. A lot of unfinished themes have been stuck in my laptop for months! Some of them have been there for years.

This one is an example. I have never planned of writing this. I just got the idea because I changed the subject too many times that I got tired of thinking what to write anymore. All I wanted to do was to post one article on this blog of mine and I didn't care what post it was. My only motive was to revive this old diary, which has long become dormant.

Writing is very easy to do when you are in an emotional high (and maybe low). Unlimited number of words pops out of your mind that your hand could no longer manage to write all the ideas down. And you sometimes become disappointed because you forget those brilliant phrases due to something that suddenly comes out. Amazing, isn't it? I've experienced that. And I love the feeling. But when you force yourself to write about someone or something, which you don't feel strongly about, you can't even write a single word.

When I was a student, I always had to fight the so-called "conditional writing." We were always required to have something to write with just about everything under the sun. So, I had to teach myself some techniques just so that I could meet the requirements. Let me share some of those. These might help you with your requirements too.

1. Work in a quiet environment. When your mind is already messed up, you don't need the littlest distractions. When you write, avoid the television, radio, internet, and even food. It is already difficult to do something you don't want to do. What more with distractions?

2. Look for an angle that might interest you. Any subject could only be too specific. There would always be an area that you might be interested in. Try to look for that angle that you can relate to. Maybe then, ideas would flow freely.

3. Don't be stuck in a sentence. The tendency is, when you don't know how to continue anymore and you get stuck in a sentence for a long time, you'll lose your interest in writing about that particular subject. Your mind will shut down and no more ideas would come. If possible, don't let this happen. If you don't know how to continue, write anything and everything that comes into your mind no matter how senseless it is. You will soon find your way back to the subject. And when your article is done, go back to the beginning and start un-writing the ones that don't fit.

4. "Speak your mind". Of course, it is not literal. Speak your mind by writing anything you can think about. It doesn't have to be special nor extraordinary. It just has to be you. You are the writer; that is your subject. Your write-up should reflect you and you alone.

5. Don't stop enjoying. It may seem to be difficult at the beginning but when you get the hang of it and you have achieved fluidity, don't stop enjoying. Don't stop enjoying while you are writing and don't stop writing while you are enjoying. It should always go both ways.

With that, I leave with my blog revived. Started as a senseless, incoherent entry, ended up really helpful for me. This is one of my favorite unwritten writings.

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