“I run this blog purely out of
leisure and passion – for writing of course.”
They say that in life,
there are 2 groups of people - the early bloomers and the late bloomers. I
guess I’m under the category of the late bloomers. When I was in primary
school, I never understood why the library existed. Why would anyone visit the
library during his or her precious 30-minute recess break? I hated the library,
I avoided books, and I couldn’t be bothered with reading.
In secondary school, I,
along with everyone else, was forced to study literature. It was a torture. I
wished Shakespeare never existed, I
could never read past the first page of Macbeth,
and I dropped the subject as soon as I could. I wish I hadn’t.
During my stint in
Basic Military Training, I wrote a heartfelt narrative on my defining moment as
a recruit. It was a mere personal reflection. Yet, to my surprise, my humble
piece of writing managed to attain the title of best essay of School 3.
Somehow, the affirmation that I received from my commanders and peers fuelled a
subtle inclination towards writing.
For the first time, I
picked up my pristine copy of Macbeth
and finished the entire book in one sitting. I was eager to explore new writing
styles. With “Notes” on my iPhone, I started penning down my frivolous attempts
of crafting poems and prose. It was not sustainable. At the (accelerating) rate
that I was going, I needed a greater platform for me to store my writings. Blogger, of course! I remember how I
used to blabber on and on about Korean boy bands on blogger. It was perfect.
“I run this blog purely out of
leisure and passion – for writing of course.” That was exactly a year ago, on the 4th of
April 2014. The day that I created the blog. The day that I pondered about my
manifesto - the “About Me” section that proclaims my impetus for the blog. I
was filled with anticipation, eager to share my passion with my friends, to
tell the world that I LOVE WRITING.
And I did.
As my blog grew in
reach, I started joining communities and networks on social media. I met groups
of like-minded people who had similar aims – to become better writers. We
shared our works, we encouraged and we critiqued. I also met groups of people
who had different aims – to monetize their blogs, to go viral, to become virtual
public figures. I was intrigued when I first met them. “I want my
writing to be known!”
Innocently, I clicked
on a link that was shared in the group. “How to make your post go viral?” The
advice given seemed pretty straightforward! Netizens love (Buzzfeed-ish) lists
(10 ways to…), sensationalised gossip, and #icanrelate topics. Immediately, I
went on to embark on my first ever list with an #icanrelate topic. “6 ways to
tell if your friend is a closet mugger.” I replaced words with GIFs. Everyone
loves GIFs, don’t they?
Closet mugger/Snaek as defined by Urban Dictionary.
Finally, after an hour
of researching and editing, researching and editing, I was satisfied with my
personalised list. It was just like the ones on Buzzfeed – the ones that go
viral. I was about to press the “Publish” button when I felt a profound tugging
in my heart. I was compelled to do a final check on the post. I read it (not
that there were many words to read) over again.
It was as though
someone had poured a bucket of ice water over my head. It was as though I was
slapped out of a reverie. I was appalled, disgusted and horrified at what I was
seeing on the screen of my Macbook. “I did NOT just write this piece of crap.”
Instantaneously, I spammed the “delete” button in frenzy.
Embarrassed. Ashamed. Disappointed.
“I run this blog purely out of
leisure and passion – for writing of course.”
“I want my
writing to be known!”
That was clearly not
my writing. I was overwhelmed by the intonation of “viral”, that I was becoming
one of those “Like” chasers. I had allowed the voice of the public to overpower
my own voice. I had allowed my passion for writing to morph into the lust of
fame.
It was an awakening
reminder. Fame is momentary, but passion lasts for a lifetime.
It doesn’t go viral? Whatever!
It doesn’t go viral? Whatever!

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