Saturday, April 2, 2016

The Unbreakable Vow

"The sky shone bright with stars, while the half-moon glowed faintly. Apart from the occasional wisps of the cloud, nothing obstructed the clear sky. For a while, the loud singing and music, the laughter and the hullabaloo followed him, but slowly, they grew faint, and ultimately died." -Emergence, book 2 of the Avaasya Trilogy.

 I have oft been told that I write like a dream, and not in the conventional sense of the word; but the kind of writing where you forget a mere 16-year-old has written what you’re reading. I have also been told more than enough that I am terribly vain when it comes to my writing. But I suppose that’s okay? If you’re good at something, might as well be proud of it. After all, they say, ‘rule the words; rule the World.

A lot of people have wondered how a guy studying in class 10th could come up with a plot as complex and write details as vivid as what makes up The Avaasya Trilogy.

I think a major reason for my success- howsoever small it might be- is the fact that I was a voracious reader growing up. I would read anything and everything I could get my hands on and would get so overwhelmed by the ability of the words to transport the reader to another world all together that I always knew writing stories is the only way forward. I was 11 when I decided I’ll surpass JK Rowling one day. I was 19 when I decided I want to be the Rajesh Khanna of Publishing Industry. 

Obviously, the fact that I am smooth with words is true not just for The Avaasya Trilogy or my Blog, but also extends to my conversations and interactions with people in my personal life. The kind of person who knows how to say the perfect things at the perfect time-? Who can smoothly put the most scandalous of questions to you in the most nonchalant manner ever. The kind of guy who gets his way around things every time. You get the gist, I’m sure?

The question is, why am I writing all this on my blog?

Because, the reality is, I haven’t written anything new in the last four years apart from a handful of blogposts (I finished writing Emergence in two months after I got done with Equilibrium. I was 17 at that time. I’ll turn 23 this July.) Every time I have to add something to Emergence during the edits, life suddenly becomes a real struggle. Whenever I have tried to sit down and write a new short story or something… anything, words and imagination have failed me alike. A few days ago, my editor and I decided to add another chapter towards the end of Emergence. I thought it’d take me a couple of days at the most to write the 7-8 pages I thought we needed. I eventually mailed her 2 pages at the end of the week. Right now, I’ve managed to type in 500 words, having been at it for almost an hour. And this is how it has been for the last so many months. Years.

Where words once flowed freely, all there is nowadays is a blank piece of paper, and a pen. And a lot of people won’t understand what’s the big deal. But imagine waking up one day and discovering you can no longer breathe on your own. Or walk without support. Or run. Or swallow food. Drink water. Ride a bicycle, drive a car.

Imagine the struggle. The helplessness. The restlessness. And imagine living with it day in and day out.

 And I have only myself to blame for it. They say power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. As I grew up and started realizing the ease with which I could get anything I want simply because my words were smooth and the magic never waned, I started losing focus. You know the drill, I’m sure? The thrill of a new hunt, the charm of a new game?

And somewhere in the middle of all this, I forgot to read. And more importantly, I forgot to imagine. The way I look at it, the only way out of this fall is to be honest with myself. And the only way I can get back to writing the way I used to is if I have something to prove. To myself, more than anyone else.

So beginning today, I’ll try and post a new short story on the blog at least twice a month. That’s my Unbreakable Vow. For where’s the fun in the game if there’s no challenge?

Rajesh Khanna, the biggest Superstar there can ever be, had the most remarkable of falls because he refused to be honest with himself.

I don’t intend to be the Dark Star.

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