A 'novel' idea

While traveling in the bus yesterday towards Koramangala (which took us little more than two hours to reach), I was wondering what to write in my blog. Thought for the day was written for more than 30 days which I am planning to turn it into a book in Kannada. Now should I continue writing the same or should I try something else? This question went on going rounds and rounds in my mind. It is easy to start anything. But sustenance is a problem. If I continue writing the thought for the day, somewhere I am bound to repeat. But whatever I write should not be boring to me at least!           

So I churned many ideas in my head (Mana Manthana is my blog’s name. Remember!!). First I thought I will continue writing the thought for the day (easy thing because not much of change in writing style!!). Then the second idea struck me. I have had so many interesting incidents in my life. Why not chronicle the incidents, if not in order, just write whichever is the most interesting and then come to the others and so on and so forth. Then I shot the idea off because, when it is from my own life, I have to take names. The incidents which I generally write could be the ones where I am the winner. This would definitely make the other person mentioned in the article feel bad. There was one more angle to this also. After all, I have not told many people that I write a blog. When that is the case, the person whom I mention in my article reading it would be the most unlikely thing. But remember, I don’t like to write with fictitious names when they are pages from my own book of life.

Then it struck me. Why not write a series of short stories? It could be a very small story which is running into 600+ words which would generally fit into my one day’s blog. Suppose the story is more than 600+ words, then make it into two day blog story. If it is more interesting? Then make it into more days. Once the story is completed, I could make it into a small novella. If the blog pages run more than 100 pages, then it is a novel!

All I have to do then is to re-write the same in Kannada language. The market for English language novels written by a non - Englishman is not very big. Only a few Rushdies, Roys, Lahiris and Adigas  make it. I am a small fry. I started writing my blog only to improve my English language. There is another selfish motive. My self-objective!

Funny, right? Self-objective and selfish motive. They sound alike. But have very different meanings in the opposite directions.

The best help I have got by writing the blog is the regularity which has come into my writing. I was reading a book on Writer’s therapy and also a book called Creative writing for Dummies. The books suggest one thing in common. Writing means real writing. Thinking of writing, plotting in the head are not writing. Each day 500 words before 11 am is what one of the books says.

But before 11 am is not possible for me. I do write whenever I feel like. Otherwise I do it by the end of the day by hook or crook!

Why not try the short stories? This question is bothering me from the past 24 hours. There are so many ideas in my head which I can’t bring it out as a novel. But they can become short stories and novellas.

Hope I can do justice! Wish me luck please!!