My last blog was on November 4. Starting to write over 58 years ago and soon making the printed (or written) word my livelihood, I thought blogging was easy. It is not. Especially if you are used to writing 1000-word articles or ‘stories’ with a catchy ‘intro’ and a punchy conclusion.
After the last blog I began umpteen times. And gave up more times than that as some did not go beyond intention.
Delaying action or procrastination has been written about scores of times — sometimes as an ‘art’, often as a problem. Recently a scinetific psychological study linked it to the process of evolution of human beings. The study has found that procratination has a ‘genetic component’ and is related to “traits like impulsivity and goal management”. Procrastination, it is revealed, is the result of “psychological factors” and “failure of mood regulation”.
This is as good as ‘discovering’ that putting a fingrer in fire can cause burns and it hurts. Everyone knows the causes. What they need to know is how to prevent it.
The Daily Post suggests a word on which the blog can be based. I found many blogs which try to fit that word in whatever was already in the blogger’s mind. Often it is so contrived and laboured that it is not spontaneous or natural.
Failure can be the foundation of a new effort, many inspirational speakers and writers say.So I thought of another method: Think of a title and write around it.
Some titles are so appealing that they will remain in memory for all time to come, like Richard Llewellyn’s ‘How Green Was My Valley‘ and ‘None But the Lonely Heart‘ or ‘Beyond the Darkness‘ by Samira Bellissimo. ‘I Will Cry Tomorow‘, a film on the life of an alcoholic, Lilian Roth, is another example.
The title, many writers feel, is what makes people read.
This is not true. I chose a title for a book 57 years ago – ‘A Town Called Penury‘ – published it last year and found that none of the 5000-odd ‘connected’ people had even their curiosity aroused by it -leave aside buying it to read.
Titles don’t sell. Only the status of the writer as a celebrity does. And (s)he does not get that status till the book sells. The viscious circle is broken only by luck – or good maketing. Both eluded me.
Even then I thought a catchy title will inspire me to write — if not the reader to read.
So I thought of one: ‘I Will Blog tomorrow‘.
Good job sir and innovative too!