Grandpa, I am still doing it
When I was a kid, my grandpa taught us that we should write a page everyday. He was my mentor and teacher and the most wonderful human being, I ever encountered in my life.
Initially, it was writing in a copy writing notebook to improve our handwriting. Later it was on a ruled page to write in straight lines. And then, it was on blank paper to imagine the lines and write perfectly horizontal. Those were important qualities then. With the advent of computers, the writing is replaced by typing.
In each one of these exercises, we were supposed to write something from memory. We had speed tests - how fast we can write, correctness checking - grammar and spelling since these were qualities required for test taking too. I did not realize it at that time, but this made us grow more and more comfortable with writing, as time went on. I wrote journals for a few years to just keep in shape, but never really wrote publicly. I felt that my writing was not good enough after reading some really good writers. I though, if you write, should write like an RK Lakshman or a P.G. Wodehouse and other great writers., it is not really worth writing.
Blogs changed all that. It is true that bloggers who write well, have a better sense of humor, are more popular. But blogging is more than just writing. It is sharing. It is informing. And it is interacting. So after a gap of few years, I am back to writing, at least one page a day.
Grandpa, not sure where you are (and don't know whether you can read blogs from heaven), but I am still doing what you told me when I was a kid. It may not be the kind of material you wanted me to write, but that is a different story. Will always be thankful for helping me get started.
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