The Art of Writing


By Ashutosh Ghildiyal


Words are a writer's tools as the brush and the chisel of a painter and a sculptor.

Words are the essence of thought for all thought is but verbalization. Words are man's invention for communication. Words which are the labels meant to be indicative of objects or feelings or illusions are shared by man, where the same language is involved. Symbols and images take place of words, where the language is not the same. It is this tool that a writer wields to paint the picture of his own imagination and to convey it to the readers.

A good writer is one whose words can be as faithful as possible to his thoughts and the best writer is one whose thoughts are as faithful as possible to his impressions and perceptions.

Writing is a serious business. Serious in the sense of the responsibility involved, towards oneself and towards the reader. Serious, not in the traditional sense but in the sense of being dedicated to one's art. True seriousness can include humor, just as silence can include sound.

Writing can also be a dangerous art. The writer must confront whatever he comes across in the course of delving into his own consciousness. Consciousness, which is shared by the entire humanity includes racial memories, the pains and sorrows of main, fleeting joys and pleasures and all the accumulated experiences of man. This book of life, which is the consciousness of man must be read by the writer with care. And it is in reading this book, and the use of his own imagination and capacities that he is able to bring about the expression which he seeks to convey. Writing can be a dangerous art because it may lead the writer out of the established patterns of his own mind and he may enter an unknown territory. He must face whatever he comes across in his exploration and not be afraid. He must face his own fears and avoid being entangled in his own established patterns. A good writer is one who is not afraid of the intimations of his own mind and is able to look at them and bring them to life through words.

A good writer is one who writes with freedom and not from knowledge. He writes out of freedom, which comes from an emptiness rather than preconceived notions and his own prejudices. He must be free to allow the free movement of his own expression take place through his words.

Expression is an arduous task. Not only it requires slow, deliberate thought but also good knowledge of the tool - the words. Apart from the objective things, words may have different significance for different people. A good writer is one whose expression delicately balances the meaning of the words and the content and significance they seek to convey.

A good writer is concerned only with his art - the expression, and not with anything else. He is not concerned with the reward and punishment. He is free from all commercial and self-centered motives. Without absolute freedom from all sense of reward, true expression is not possible.

There must be a meditative quality of mind for perception to take place. The mind must be empty and still for creation to take place. Out of that emptiness, our out of that uncalculated silence, expression takes place. And then it is acute, faithful and honest.

A good writer is not conscious of his writing.He has no style but his expression creates its own style. When he reads his own work, he reads it in the same way as he reads another's work.

A good writer doesn't identify himself as a writer. He is a human being first and last and lives his life fully He is no - thing, and because he is no - thing, he is everything.

His art is not divorced from his life. He doesnt keep his art and his personal life in compartments.He doesn't separate himself from his writing and his writing is but an extension of his life.

His life itself is his art.

Ashutosh Ghildiyal is a salaried professional based in Mumbai, India. He was born in Lucknow in 1984, where he completed his schooling. He completed his graduate studies in New Delhi and his post-graduate education in Mumbai. He is the author of "To Think or Not to Think and Other stories" (Book), various blogs, articles, and short stories.


More Resources

Unable to open RSS Feed $XMLfilename with error HTTP ERROR: 404, exiting

More Writing Information:

Related Articles


Get An Attitude About Your Writing
(This excerpt is taken from my new writing workshop Writing To Sell In the Internet Age.)Writer John Clausen, in his excellent book about freelance writing: Too Lazy To Work, Too Nervous To Steal, recommends that you get an attitude about your work.
A Series of Articles on Autobiography
ESSAYS ON AUTOBIOGRAPHY: NUMBER 1Preamble:Nearly seven years ago I wrote my first essay on the nature of autobiography. It was some two years after completing my initial draft, the first edition of my own autobiography.
Writing with a Sense of Adventure
We've all been told that we need to use all five senses to bring our fiction to life. Sight, sound, smell, taste and touch all need to be invoked.
5 Easy Steps To Writing Your Appealing Letter
You must write a hypnotic persuasion letter to help you achieve all your goals! Get the boss to give your a raise, induce that beautiful blue-eyed girl to be your lover and persuade your mother to buy a BMW Z3 for you this summer.Give me twenty minutes and I'll teach you step-by-step my secret writing your own success system.
Retail Margin, Trade Discount, and What it Means for the Author
DEFINITIONSRetail margin is basically the difference between your book's wholesale price and your book's retail price. For example, a book with a cover price of $10 and a wholesale price of $5 has a 50% retail margin.
Why Every Freelance Writer Needs A Website
What do you mean, you don't have a website yet? Websites these days aren't just for businesses and people who want to share their obsession with Buffy the Vampire Slayer with the world. These days, websites are one of the most important tools for writers.
The Self-indulgent Writier
A writer can never be self indulgent whether writing fiction, non-fiction, or poetry. If one writes only to please one's self, the likelihood of publication becomes remote.
Self-Examination
Self-examination sheds light on a writers motives, goals, and aspirations, while self indulgence hide the obvious and absorbs any illumination before it occurs.When a writer exams his motives, goals, and aspirations, he opens up new viewpoints because he or she sees other avenues to writing; perhaps the short story writer can see a novel develop from the theme of a short story, or an article to clarify that subject matter.
Do You Know What A Plot Is?
Creative Writing Tips -What a plot is and what a story is can be sometimes confusing. If you think they are the same? They are not.
Plotting By Personality - Work With Your Natural Instincts
What's the best way to plot?Quick answer: the best way to plot is whatever works best for you. After all, we're all different.
How NOT to Get a Freelance Writing Job
In the business of freelance writing, it's not enough to be good at writing. You also have to be good at finding work - and selling yourself when you do.
Sell More Books With a Powerful Back Cover
Did you know that your back cover information is, after the cover, the best way to sell more books? And, that most authors, emerging and experienced, miss this opportunity to engage more potential buyers?Your book's front cover and sizzling title must impress your buyers in four-eight seconds. If they like it, they will spend ten or so seconds on your back cover-a great opportunity to convince them that your book is necessary for their success.
Dig Deeper to Reveal Character
He ran up the steps and knocked on the door. After a few moments, it was opened by a woman with dark curly hair and a strained expression.
8 Great Journaling Tips
Mix a martini, don't forget the olives, or pour yourself atea, relax and enjoy!There are no hard-set rules for keeping a journal. How oftenyou write, time you spend, and how rigorously you maintain aregular journaling schedule are matters of personal choiceand circumstance.
Writing Tips for your Journey
Tips for your writing journeySo, you'd like to be a writer? Congrats! Writing not only is a great way to express yourself, but can provide an income. Keep in mind not all writers make a fortune, some still cant quit their day job.
Should You Do a Writing Course?
First, let's tackle the question that is uppermost in many aspiring writers' minds: "Do I need to do a writing course to sell my writing?"No. Absolutely not.
And What Do You Do? ... How To Know When Youre a Writer!
It's the funniest thing. When someone asks me what I do for a living, I tell them, "I'm a writer.
A Few Brief Tips to Deal with Writing Rejection
What to do when you get rejected.You've just finished your book, sent out query letters and was rejected.
Keeping a Journal - One of the Three Treasures to Leave Behind
(excerpted from the "How to Use a Journal" audio series by Jim Rohn)If you're serious about becoming a wealthy, powerful, sophisticated, healthy, influential, cultured and unique individual, keep a journal. Don't trust your memory.
Writing Helpful Help - A Minimalism Checklist
User documentation is all too often written by programmers for programmers. It tends to focus on the product's features, rather than the user's tasks.