Blame it on the year

It's time to remove the calender from its place, dust its surroundings and put a new one in its place. Practically, the same feeling exists with 2008. It has not been a good year particularly for the techies like me. Markets world wide nose-dived into recession. Job markets are in disarray. Companies slowed down the hiring processes, sped up the cost-cutting measures, gave delta-increments, got rid of the bad/excess baggage, emphasised on the "Quality" of the work, brought out the norms that were safely preserved in the cup boards since the previous slow-down.

It has been a terrible year for the country as well, lots of things to ponder about for the policy makers and law protectors. Last few months have really been torrid with unfortunate incidents taking place more often. And after all this, we have a "neighbour", who doesn't waste a chance of rubbing salt into our wounds.

Were there no positives at all in 2008?? Well, there are few, our sports persons made us proud, our countrymen got recognised by the world, few important deals were made by the country, democracy won elsewhere in the nation, many things are still the same as they were and the year will end in few hours, which in itself is the biggest positive of all.

On this positive note, let's say "Good bye 2008. Welcome 2009".

How do they do it??

I always wonder how novel writers, manage to write tens of chapters, hundreds of pages and thousands of paras. What makes them write so much? What inspires them? What creates thought in them? How do they start their work? How do they go about their work? Well, for a novice like me these are certainly huge questions.

I often read that they take months, sometimes years together to complete a work. It must have been quite an effort, but well worth when it is completed. No wonder they call it "the art of writing". Also a small incident such as dog barking on the road, wind blowing through the half-open window, sound of a pin drop inspires them. Wonderful ways to get inspired isn't it?

There are two kinds of writers; people who write on or about the incidents and the others who stir up their imagination and create a world around the reader and make him a part of it, make him understand it, take him for a ride in it, make him forget about his surroundings. I can only imagine how difficult and how wonderful the latter is.

Although, I am not an avid reader of books, I admire the feeling that gets generated when I bury my head into the book. Imagine how satisfied a writer would have felt after the completion of a work.

Having written this much on writing itself......I am actually feeling very good.

అతిరపల్లి & వళాచల్