Writing Story
28th Feb '22 onwards...
This week, I'll complete one year of "Transcribing Self". I still can't believe I showed up every week, but I'm glad I did.
However, my writing history goes way back.
To set the context, my father was a writer and poet. He used to publish his poems in a local Urdu newspaper—I faintly remember reading them as a child.
I started writing about 8 years ago, back when I was in 8th grade.
It was an Urdu class, the teacher was checking notes or homework or something, and I never had any notes/homework complete, so I was terrified of her. So much so that I started praying that I don't get scolded or hit. I couldn't move from my place to dissipate all this pent-up energy generated by the adrenaline, so I had to find a way to channelise it.
That is when I picked up my pen and started writing.
My first piece of work was a Hamd. The format was simple. I'd write a line in praise of god and then a prayer, wish, or something along those lines.
I went on to write my send piece in 9th standard and refined it during 10th—also in Urdu.
I continued writing in intermediate, but this time, in English. It is the first piece I shared publicly and is called "You". It is one of the pieces I consider special to me.
Things took a dark turn sometime after You, and I wrote a poem that terrifies even me. I deleted all traces of it, but it lingers in my head and gives me chills whenever I think about it.
Then, I stopped writing entirely, partly because of everything I got involved in until one of my friends at LIET who found and liked "You" asked me to continue writing. A friend asked, so I pulled back the mood & memories and started writing "Next". Although I wrote it on request from another friend—like Jaun Elia said,
"Yun to apne qaseedan-e-dil ke paas,
Jaane kis kis ke liye paeghaam hain...
Par likhe hain maene jo aouron ke naam,
Mere wo khat bhi tumhare naam hain."
After all this, my curiosity led me to some great resources and resourceful people who taught me novel stuff and new ways of thinking and flooded my brain with ideas.
I started writing down these thoughts, ideas and learnings in my Google notes. They stayed there for about 3 years until one day, one of my juniors in college read one of them and asked me to post it online.
That was the beginning of "Transcribing Self", which was "Outcomes of Overthinking" at the time.
On the 28th of February 2022, I posted my first blog, and this is the 53rd edition. I'm grateful for all the support and encouragement, and I hope to continue writing.
Recently, my friend SuhailRoushan.com asked me, "Siraj, what is the secret behind your consistency?"
I said, "Keep learning, Keep Writing."
But it's not that simple.
In a previous blog, I wrote about the categories of value creators—Gallants, Empathisers and Artists.
Not that these are core personality traits, although they could be for some people, they are distinct modes in which we can operate and create value.
Sometimes we do something because we want to resolve a personal pain; other times, we do it for someone else; we also do things just for the sake of doing it.
It's something similar for my blogs—sometimes I witness or listen to someone's experience and discover some insight, so I want to talk about that; other times, I learn something new and helpful, so I want to share that; at times, I share a story or something like that because I feel like it.
Having these different modes of writing helps me keep a check on my state of mind, steer it in the desired direction and continue writing without breaks.
One of my readers recently asked me, “What are the benefits of having your newsletter? How did that help you?”
This was my reply: “Noting down your ideas will help you never forget them. It also gives you exceptional clarity. Giving time to my blog is like multiplying it for everyone who would want to know about it at any time in the future. The ideas never fade, and I never forget. It is always there, untouched and original.”
I wish the best for everyone who wants to start writing blogs, and I look forward to reading your story!