Hello, members of the elite WB group, 

Greetings. 

We are in midweek,  following the middle of May. With the torrid weather engulfing us, with the sun heating the atmosphere, it is usual to be dull and out of sorts. Yet we need to spring into action, without any let-up, for life to flow along and for living to propel.

A healthy and engaging way is to Write. You might wonder why I'm harping on it and suggesting to the members of the group that are defacto writers.

Being a member of the group is one thing and forming the habit of writing is another. 

Doesn't it appeal to you to think, imagine, conceptualise and then concretise them to writing? Don't we all think about something or the other, on a recurrent basis? About issues and concerns, all and sundry? The Right to Freedom of Thought and Expression is Constitutional, nay our birthright. As human beings, we need to think about various aspects of an issue, before we form a concrete opinion. If our views are totalitarian, it is a state that is celebratory. Mature thinking is called for, sane thinking is needed.

We can write for a purpose and we need not have a purpose to write for. We can write freely, as a freelancer. Yet if some purpose is served by our writing, it is no small mercy.

Writers are born but they can be made too. With guidance and good practice sustainably, writers get moulded and shaped. Writing becomes a part and parcel of the persona of a person. It becomes the person's USP, the niche. Writing introduces the person to the world, it becomes his/her visiting card. As with all other life skills, writing becomes one too.

Well, writers are not shaped overnight, though. There is no one-size-fits-all arrangement in writing. Although the core principles of writing need to be conformed to, writing styles can vary. Each writer can adopt his/her style. One can be adept at writing a blog, technical writing, narrative writing, memoirs, philosophy, humour, travelogue, playwright, newspapers, magazines, tabloids, and so on. 

As compared to other hobbies and pastimes, writing might appear to be a thankless pursuit, a painstaking one, at that. Concerted efforts get put in, but results do not surface immediately. Writing might elicit a sneer or a disparaging comment from those close by. Eventually, writing will have its day, with accolades pouring in. A sense of fulfilment and gratification envelops the writer.

Writing can turn out to be lucrative too, with people having amassed wealth from it. Instances are aplenty where people earn royalties, long after the book is published and has become a bestseller in e-commerce domains and on the internet.

Like all other pursuits, writing has its ethics and moral standards. Writing needs to be unoffensive, non-malicious and should not generate heat, in place of light. As far as possible, writing should not involve an infringement of the Copyright Act, without the permission and consent of the original writers/from the original resources. It should not be plagiarised. Excerpts, quotes and adaptations are allowed, after duly acknowledging the authors and the sources from where they've been lifted.

Writing casts a deep influence on readers, leaving a deep impact on their minds. It is a double-edged tool and has to be used judiciously, as it can catapult a reader to celestial heights or drag him/her to bestial depths.

So, inspired to be a writer? I hope so. Do let me know how you feel about writing.

Until I bang on to you next, 

Yours, a kindler to the spark of writing, 

Ravi Ramkrishna