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Do writers come of age?

Can anyone become a writer? A seasoned writer might say, “Yes.” Someone who has never attempted to be a writer may say, “No.” The fact is that all the men and women who inhabit the planet earth do not want to be writers. They have their own targets, interests and ambitions. However, to someone who wants to be a writer, the path he has to take is not strewn with roses. He has to trudge miles and miles to reach the top of the mountain to pick the fruits of his labour.

Is such an attempt worth when our life itself is limited to 50, 70 or 100 years? But those who aspire to become writers do not think of their short lifespan or the transient nature of the world.

Then who wants to be writers? It is a difficult question to answer because people from different walks of life aspire to become writers. For instance, some people write books to impress others. Some write to earn money. Then there are well-placed men in different fields who write books for fame.

Good writers achieve fame automatically. However, if you write books to achieve fame, you will never get it. Today young and mature people write books and get them published, spending colossal sums of money. They spend heavily for publicity and book launches. But most of these books do not sell. Such authors are compelled to give free copies of their books to friends and well-wishers.

Half-baked products

There is no royal road to success as a writer. Writers do not come of age as they get old. Coming of age for a writer is a lifetime process. In this long process, all good writers write, rewrite, self-edit and finally send their manuscripts to the printer. What happens today in many parts of the world is that many writers send their first unedited manuscripts for printing. Third World writers are notorious for this practice. As a result, what comes out of the press are half-baked products.


J. Chute: None of us ever comes of age...

A writer who is worth his salt should never be in a hurry. He has to spend a long time ruminating what he has written. He should be endowed with infinite curiosity and enthusiasm to put out a book worth reading. For a writer, there are days when everything goes wrong. Then there are other days when he is full of inspiration. If there is no inspiration, nobody can write a book or even a love letter!

Some modern writers lack self-discipline. It does not mean you must sit at a particular desk and write a specific number of pages on a daily basis. No writer will try to follow that procedure. Any budding writer should spend some time to enjoy a little bit of daydreaming.

He should gaze at a brook babbling by, not forgetting the butterflies that flutter around him. How many of us observe how a snail moves up the parapet wall or the different patterns formed by floating clouds?

Grammar

Self-discipline includes brushing up your grammar. There may be people who think that grammar is not important to a writer. Give them a wide berth. If you do not have a solid grounding in grammar, do not attempt to be a writer.

Grammar is difficult and sometimes boring. However, a writer should generate some interest in learning the grammatical rules. When a writer makes grammatical mistakes, nobody will respect him. He will also put the reader in an awkward position.

Grammar is to a writer what anatomy is to a sculptor or the scales to a musician. When once you master the grammatical rules, it will support you like a rock. Those who shun grammar should be reminded that English deserves more respect.

Grammar alone will not help you to become a writer because there are some grammarians who cannot do any creative writing. Therefore, in addition to a knowledge of grammar, any writer should be familiar with idioms, proverbs, style and rhythm of the language. Although you cannot learn grammar by reading fiction, you can develop your style by doing so.

So, when can you call yourself a successful writer? It’s a tricky question. Writers will never arrive, they only travel. Success in writing is not a destination but a journey. Then how can you become a successful writer? For a writer, there is only one kind of success. It has nothing to do with money or fame. The only success worth having for a writer is the ability to put on paper what he wishes to write.

B. J. Chute, an eminent fiction writer, said, “None of us ever comes of age - not at twenty-one, not at fifty-one, not at ninety-one.” It is the journey that matters.

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