Jul 31, 2010

100 Probable Blog Topic Guidelines.

*edit - I wrote this post on July 31, 2010. Many of these topics might be done, but you can always give your take on them. Enjoy!
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Just on a whim, just to prove a point to myself, just to remove at least one of your excuses to write, I wrote 100 probable blog topic guidelines. These are guidelines, not verbatim post titles. If you write a post on any of these titles or related subject matters and you'd like me to send some reader your way, leave a link in the comments are i'll update the post. I agree that some of these ideas might have been explored before, but hey, you can't have everything. Oh, and i wrote these topics in some 40 mins, cuz i got a call in between. Enjoy, or not. Some of these topic might be offensive, you're free to get offended in that case, and I am free to completely ignore your offensedness.





1 Leave your cellphone at home you don't need it
2 Why aliens shouldn't come to india
3 The benefits of being Indian
4 There is no spoon
5 Five reasons why bollywood is a fail
6 Five reasons why hollywood is a fail
7 Stop reading newspapers
8 How to create an atmosphere to write
9 Taking care of fish is a tough job
10 Living without tv
11 Become a better liar
12 Stop talking on the phone, text instead
13 Saving power by avoiding bath in winter
14 My hostel days were the best
15 My hostel days were the worst
16 My Dad is stronger than your dad
17 Food cooked by Mom's hand
18 You can't get taller
19 Good things come in good packages, not small.
20 The world will make you its slave
21 Is life all about doing a job?
22 Leave a mark when you die
23 Death is but another journey
24 Nostalgia about old music
25 Black White movies were awesome, why?
26 There are no pretty female leads in bollywood today
27 Why you should watch a movie every weekend
28 How to break free of the society's clutches
29 Why having a moral code is important
30 Six people I want to kill
31 Tears taste awesome
32 What is blood tasted sweet
33 Why vampires should not sparkle
34 Getting a dog is better than making babies, discuss.
35 Why AIDS is good for human population
36 Ten ways to act like an utter asshole
37 Seven people you never wanna meet
38 Stereotypes In Cities
39 The Universe is a big ball of shit
40 Anger issues and dealing with them creatively
41 How to fund your cocaine habit
42 Ten reasons why fish are awesome pets
43 How to start a black metal band
44 Face paint is the new black
45 Men are stupid
46 Women are stupid
47 Children are stupid
48 Dogs are very stupid
49 Why cats don't give a damn about humans
50 Rap is music? Discuss
51 How to kill Wolverine
52 Comics are the new novels
53 Building a cheaper tomorrow
54 How to be less of a burden on the planet
55 Why cycling to work will not be successful in India
56 Kill your car
57 Apple Products are overrated? Discuss.
58 Gay people are attention hungry.
59 Social activism is dead, they're in it for the limelight
60 Staying silent is best for you
61 How to fire your boss
62 True Zen is NO ZEN
63 There is not path to peace, STFU.
64 People are problem. Why?
65 They just want my money, they don't love me.
66 If Predators had a 9to5 job.
67 Chilling out : Xtreme Sessions
68 Voluntarily Slowing down Internet can Help you Focus
69 YouTube is waste of time
70 Superman In India: Success of Suck?
71 How to live with less attention
72 Some people should be shot dead
73 Some get medals for living, some for dying
74 Fat people are good liars. How?
75 Leg pulling on twitter. Is it justified?
76 Biting Back when you are bitten. Doing it gracefully.
77 A six pack is a sign that you're wasting your life.
78 We're all gonna die, so why bother?
79 Simplification is overrated.
80 Iphone vs Blackberry. Touchscreen or buttons?
81 Would the planet's end be warm or frozen? Imagine.
82 Smoking is not sexy.
83 9 Ways to have sexy sex.
84 10 things men do wrong when dating
85 Why do women expect so much from men and vice versa
86 I killed a unicorn and I liked it.
87 Babies are evil. Explain.
88 How to get over downloader's guilt
89 Eating Meat is wrong because animals are cute.
90 Would you eat a human baby?
91 What if you are attacked by cute but rabid human babies?
92 Why you should have a moral code
93 What mark will you leave on the face of the planet?
94 Live slow, die old. Do you agree?
95 Anger as a motivating force. How?
96 Alternate uses of empty water bottles.
97 Creating an idea dump is necessary
98 What if mermaids were truth.
99 Is the FBI/CIA really watching you?
100 Names are important. How?

On The Problem Of Creating

Now that we've discussed the problem of distractions, let's fight the syndrome "I Don't Know What To Write On My Blog" or the Lack Of Creativity.

Most of the blogposts start with some kind of apology, "Sorry I've not posted in a long time, blah and blah and I promise to be regular from now on" but this never happens. Many times people are on a creative low, because creativity is not like a fountain, you can't be creative 24/7/365, no one can. Even the masters take some time out and do uncreative things, like wasting time in watching tv. (I hate tv, that might be the next post)

So, what is creativity like? Well, for me it's like a wave in an ocean and you and me, my dear friend, those of us who "think" ourselves to be creative, are like surfers! We are the writer surfers, you might be a drawling surfer or a composing surfer, but you are a surfer, so am I. All of us are surfers!

Ok, so, you are the surfer, and the creativity is the wave. Right. When the right wave comes, you lie there in anticipation, after the lull in the sea, you know a wave is coming, oh by god, you KNOW it! You can feel it in your creative bones, and you tense up, on your surfboard, ready to tackle the wave, ready to ride it out, whether you fall in the ocean, drown or get eaten by the shark, you HAVE to ride the wave. Oh yeah, that's when magic happens my friend. That's when magic happens. And creating something is magic. It's more magic than what you see on the stage, more magical than the iPods or David Blaine.

Fuck David Blaine, if you've made something out of nothing in your life, YOU are the magician.

And the best part, you can do this magic again and again. Sometimes, it will be good, sometimes it won't, but if you're a magician, a surfer, a creator, that's what you'll do.

So, wtf are you waiting for? Go create. You don't need anyone's permission
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Jul 28, 2010

Dealing With Distractions

Any creative person will always have this one problem. They are too easily distracted. Why does the distraction happen? Because, creation is an act of observation and at the same time being disassociated enough to focus on the creation. It's like a loop, or a vicious circle.

Let's take an example. Of me writing a story. Because that's the closest thing I have as the means of a specimen. Me. A specimen. For your entertainment and understanding.

I get distracted easy. There is very less present to keep my attention to a task. And even now I see the twitter tab has three new tweets but I am writing in this window. And I am wondering if gmail has any new emails for me. And I have this bowl of noodles on my table and I am hungry. The fish in the bowl on my table are looking at me. I just stared back at them and they dispersed.

So there. Lot of distractions. But I am still writing. How?

SPEED. MOMENTUM. KEEP THE BALL ROLLING. DON'T STOP.

There, that's in capital letters, you can write them on your hand, or on your notebook.

The trick is to not stop when you start something. That's the best hack i know to keep distractions at bay. Yeah, you might need to go to loo to pee when you're writing a very long story but even then, when back at the keyboard, it means no fucking around.

If it's a long job, divide and rule. If it's still big, divide more.

But don't get distracted.

Twitter tab tells 18 tweets. I'll now tweet the link to this post.

More, tomorrow. About characters in stories.