Monday, July 24, 2006

Let me be 'myself'!

Two of my stories were published in a leading Indian magazine but double the number were rejected including ‘Striking Roots’ that I had earlier posted in this blog. In fact, I had twice posted a story based on my childless aunt on this blog and I ended up deleting it, the reason being a comment from my daughter.

“ Your stories are unbelievable mummy” she says “ far too idealistic. The magazine has to draw readers, right? Your stories have an overdose of goodness in them.”

I do not deny that my stories tend to harp on the good side of human nature rather than the evil. It is not as if I haven’t had a brush with evil. I’ve had more than my fair share of disappointments and disillusions. I’ve tried to learn from them and I’ve not always been successful. Their effect on my mind has come to be manifested permanently in my body as hypertension and high blood sugar. However, much as evil affects my body, I have no intention of letting it permanently affect my mind! I have met so many wonderful people and had such wonderful experiences that I have no need to waste precious space writing about mean and petty minded people. Don’t we have enough of them in the junk we call soap operas? I prefer to report through my writings the goodness that still prevails in the universe – the servant maid who worked 22 years for me and had never asked for a salary raise and trusted me to do it at the appropriate time, the washer man who brought home my laundry at ten in the evening (or should I say night) because I had to board a train early next morning and so many others who have treated me with affection – believe me the list is long! It is these that need a mention. They are the ones that do not realize their worth and need to be told how much I appreciate having been in their contact.

Bear with me if I tend to repeat. Forgive me if I sound like a preacher on the pulpit. My accounts are true to the best of my knowledge and my stories are drawn from events that happen around me.I tried writing about evil forces but I've failed to create the 'right' impression. Let me be what I've wanted to be - Just 'MYSELF'

Passerby55: I love being called Preeta but my real name is something else. I assume the name in my stories and I have a reason for it. Continue to call me Preeta. I'd like to be Preeta to you and others like you!

12 comments:

starry said...

mAY i CALL YOU Preeta?I enjoy reading your posts and nothing like real life experiences.Continue being yourself.

Kishore said...

Agree with ur point. :)
Thanks for dropping by Gmom, hope to see you more often.

(And would be grateful if u can enable anonymous comments so non-blogspot kids like me (http://dayswork.wordpress.com) would also have the privilege of posting comments without using our now depleted blogger IDs. Thanks)
:)

Hip Grandma said...

starrynights: you may call me Preeta I like the name a lot.

Kishore: thanks for visiting.i like your writing and you may find it difficult to get me off your back.

Usha said...

Have you noticed how memory and time have a way of filtering out the bad and we usually end up rememebring the nicer things more.
I totally agree with you - we cannot avoid the bad experiences but what we CAN do is NOT allow them to affect us and hold on to the positive experiences.

Neer said...

Hello!!! i agree... be yourself! :)

Movie Mazaa said...

If u started being someone else, i guess ur writing might turn out be forced and contrived. not just with u, its the same with everyone, perhaps?

Unknown said...

Go a head and preach Preeta. You're on the right track with your thoughts and writing about what is good in man. We get the bad stuff with the so called news on tv. They give a whole new meaning to No news is good news. Here in St. Louis and I suppose that its true around the country, the local tv news always have something about stealing and killing to start their broadcast off with and it just get to me that I only watch it when I want to check on the weather for the next day. While as a poet I feel that we as writers need to cover all of human knowdgle; the good and the bad that man do to each other, it is alway uplifting to read about the good.

Hip Grandma said...

usha:my accounts sound like wishful thinking.Teue to some extent.you are right.If we let evil forces bog us down would it be an unconditional surrender?

magik:welcome!hope to hear more from you.

Neers:I'll try my best.

Velu:You are right.We can never be someone else.

David:you should know you are a poet yourself.

passerby55 said...

hi there!

"but double the number were rejected"

haha... you are so honest.

PReeta, YOUr daughter says it is an overdose... i think she knows to even deliver "goodness" in today's world you need to add a pinch of evil to it.

how logically have you justified yourself...
"much as evil affects my body, I have no intention of letting it permanently affect my mind!"

that answers everything.

Preeta, if i even know your real name, i would always call u Preeta because some names you get to know but a few get CARVED!(where i really dont know)

PS: please read USHA's comment on my post Born_Anew. NO one could have been so beautiful in words to praise the REAL BEauty.


bye

Hip Grandma said...

passerby55:laughing at myself comes naturally to me.my dad taught me that!maybe i've inherited it from him.i have no hesitation in admitting that my stories were rejected.
yes i did read usha's comments in your blog.very nice of her.i felt elated!the way a kid feels when he is praised by his teacher.

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