Practice

 

 

Not so long ago, I used to feel that the best way to write is, well...to actually write -with a pen on a paper. But then, typing the thoughts out in a laptop became a lot more convenient. I was trying to post regularly this year and was pretty happy with my consistency. I guess I should have been quietly happy, instead of unleashing a wave of pride, because my laptop promptly conked off.  A moment of silence to remember all the struggles that I had with the 2006 model Acer, to just get it started. Many times, I would have typed out a whole paragraph, before the first word of the sentence appeared on the screen. And one fine day, the laptop refused to even turn on.

 

So I shoved the laptop in the bottom of my draw and pulled out all the fancy diaries my clients had given for new year. Brought some black and blue pens and cozied myself up in the bed, cradling the diary in my lap...and I just sat there staring at the blank page. I just could not write. Not a single word! So I tried my favourite trick to get myself in the flow of writing.. I tried to describe about a beautiful sunrise. But sadly, the sun was already raising in the horizon, but my hand was still struggling to decipher the pre dawn darkness. And I could barely make out all the squiggles and scribbles in the paper.

 

I then tried to calm myself down and tried it all a bit slower, attempting to write about a mellow sunset to suit the mood. I had hardly begun to describe the golden hue of the dusk, when my hand started cramping. Talk about being totally out of practice. By this time, the all elusive mood to write just waltzed out of the room, poking its tongue out at me.

 

After that, things just spiraled downwards. Writing is so much like running. When you practice regularly, you can run a 16k and call it an easy jog. But stop running for a couple of weeks, an actually easy 5K will feel like half marathon. You are out of rhythm, your pace falters and you gasp for breath. You feel like a blundering buffalo trying to compete in a catwalk, when you must actually be able to waltz the distance with the grace of a gazelle. Similarly, when the thoughts are not put into words, you become less articulate, your grammar sucks, your spelling becomes horrible that you can't even convince yourself that they are typos. Even while sending whatsapp messages, I cringe at the pathetic sentence construction of my texts.

 

But now, I have got a brand new laptop, thanks to my uncle. So I am all set to get on with my regular practice. Excited!