‘Some are born great, some achieve greatness and some have greatness thrust upon them’ said the Bard famously in his comedy ‘Twelfth Night’. As is our wont, we apply such quotes to people of different crafts but what about writers ? ‘Can they be born great, is the question’. Several legendary authors achieved international acclaim and penned timeless classics while still in their teens or early twenties, proving that profound artistic depth is not reserved for old age. Anne Frank who wrote her ‘Diary’ at the age of thirteen was an example of writing spurred by confronting grave dangers.
However, like an ‘epilogue’, today we find a host of talented writers coming into their own in the later stages of their careers, shifting gears and taking up ‘writing’ as full time pros. They often carry a wealth of ground-level practical knowledge and ‘slice of life’ experiences apart from the human interface and shared learning gained from seniors, trainers, co-workers, clients, competitors and critics & so on in their work-life.
Noted writer Chetan Bhagat once shared that his own experience as a banker became so mundane that he channeled all his creativity and genius into writing stories that became best selling novels, some of which went on to become the scripts for super-hit films. Illustrious people from different fields – doctors, scientists, politicians, diplomats, bureaucrats, actors, artists, singers and homemakers too go on to author fascinating stories, memoirs, autobiographies, chronicles from personal history to weave inspiring tales !
There are also some who get the ‘writing ‘bug’ through some source of inspiration. As a blogger, I’m asked what makes me constantly hit the keyboard with ideas – ‘prolific’ is the word they indulge me with. But I’m just an accidental writer, like many others are. I worked as a PSU banker for forty years preparing ‘Credit Proposals’, doing SWOT analysis and putting together ‘Executive Summaries’ for busy Bosses. All far from any literary output. It was after retirement a decade ago, that I felt I’d share engrossing ‘human interest’ stories that mirrored gleanings from life events & understanding of human emotions and imbibed values like loyalty, camaraderie, empathy and ethics !
The great writer Earnest Hemingway had said ‘My aim is to put down on paper what I see and what I feel in the best and simplest way.’ I sincerely believe that writing should be more ‘from the heart’ than getting ‘words’ strung together. Though digital forms are rapidly replacing the trusted old hardcopy, a true story-teller will not stop penning his thoughts on paper. Remember what Toni Morrison beautifully said “If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it yourself.”
Working on Living 