Turning Pro

For a long time now, I’ve cherished a dream to become a writer. But, with no prior experience or skills, came self doubt. But, I wanted to try my hand at something and so in 2007 I started a blog. But, after the initial enthusiasm waned, I stopped writing. I knew I wanted to write, but suddenly it became a chore – the muse was no longer with me. I let the project go stale. But, after some soul searching, help from books, I understood muses don’t stay with anyone for long, and if we want to pursue our dream, we need to persevere with dicipline. I once again decided to write, this time even when I would not have any inclination. I closed the old blog, opened a new one, moved over all the old posts and continued to write. But, still doubts lingered in my heart: Do I have what it takes? Can I actually make it? Can I keep writing, not getting tired or running out of topics? What if history repeated itself? Will I quit like last time? I did not have any answers. But, I knew there was only one way to find out. Soon, blogging to me was not just passion at work, but, a test – do I have what it takes to be a writer? Will I perservere?

I had two options to choose from – a self hosted blog and a free hosted one (by some blogging platform). Since, I was not sure what the situation would be one year down the lane, I chose a free host – I opened a WordPress.com blog and started writing. It’s been a year now and ’haven’t quit. I initially followed the advice of the stalwarts of blogosphere and posted something or the other every week for page views and to maintain traffic to my blog. But, soon the hunt for numbers took priority over quality of what I was writing – all I was doing was parrotting what was already said. There was nothing new in what I offered. I did not give my readers a reason to come back. I decided to stop and refocus. I needed more quality not quantity. I cut down on the number of articles I wrote. Now, I question myself before committing – am I adding value? or is what I’m saying better than what’s already out there? I now write less, but what I write satisfies me more.

Doubts still linger in my heart if I’ve what it takes to become a writer and if I’ll continue blogging; but, I’ve learnt to live with that. And, I think it’s high time to turn pro – to say, yes, I’m a writer. And, today on my 30th birthday, I’m unveiling my own blog: saikrishnakorivi.com.

So why you should read my blog? Recurring themes of this blog, of what I write, have been – life & productivity. Life to me personally is all about experience. Todays experience becomes tomorrows memories and this is what makes life worthwhile. Here, I share my experiences, learnings and thoughts on how to improve the quality of life. Second topic I cover is ‘productivity’ – on making the best utilization of time. If life is all about experience then we need to manage time the best way to maximize the time we spend enjoying life. And, given the information overload and distractions all around us, it is very important to know how to find time to execute what’s important to us. Other than these, I’ve seen another theme emerge in my writing – my nostalgic experiences. Probably, I’ll write them enough to warrant a new category.

If you’ve been following my WordPress.com blog, you’ll automatically be directed to my new site, and if you have been following my blog via email, you’ll continue to receive updates. But, if you are a new reader, I encourage you to subscribe to my blog to receive notifications whenever I post a new article. Feedback is always welcome, just logon to my website and comment.