Rather, why should you read.

Around 3 years ago, I decided to become a writer. Not a conscious decision, it was a pretty unconscious one. I decided to do something that came most easily to me. I knew I wasn’t cut out for advertising, I hate writing one-liners and I am not witty enough to do them, either. I am not cut out for PR. I am not an engineer or a doctor. What I can do is –

Write long pieces about issues I want to write about.

So, I decided to become a writer.

Unfortunately, deciding to become a writer and becoming one are two completely different things.

Writing is a field which is taxing, difficult and feeds you hand-to-mouth. If you have big dreams about a car and a bungalow, then writing is not for you. It is for people who want to dedicate a lifetime to just finding themselves. My blog was my first step in that direction – jumping headlong into that pit whose length and breadth was unmeasurable for the naked eye.

My first writing job was a disaster. I took up an editor’s job, hoping to write occasionally on topics of my interest. But editing took up most of my time and I ended up editing and correcting the grammar of articles I wish I could write. My boss liked overworking people, my personal life sucked and I was earning enough to just buy myself a beer at the end of the month after paying all my rent and bills.

I hated it, honestly. I kept thinking for the longest time that I had a skill that was easily ‘replaceable’. When you try to make a career out of writing, you usually end up as a measly content writer. At least that’s how writers with a creative streak are defined in today’s trade- centered world.

I began to think that my hold on the language was loosening. I began to lose my confidence and love for writing. A writer’s block wasn’t that uncommon. My blog began to lose its sheen. The confidence with which I had embarked on my journey now seemed to fade into the oblivion.

But, my blog never left my side. Stories about life and career evolved into talks about depression and writing helped. I used my blog to talk about things I could never talk about out loud, it became my respite – my go to place for a chat with the world on topics that affected other people like me.

I realised I wasn’t alone. When you go through a lot, you begin thinking you are alone in this world, and no one is like you. The truth is – most people are facing what you are facing, but many don’t have the courage to approach others.

That’s why you should read.

Today, a writer like me is reaching out to you through her thoughts. I don’t want to change your opinion, I don’t want to create a “social impact”. I just want to reach out to people like me, who understand the life of a writer, the travails of a person who has fought depression, or just a person who wants a simple life without complications.

My thoughts range from feminism to caste, and my love for my readers keeps me going every single day. I am still a writer, and haven’t lost my way. I hope you don’t, too.

Welcome to Fortunate Musings. A place where we are fortunate to muse on thoughts that affect us, because, lets face it – how many of us actually have access to a laptop and WordPress in the first place?