Note: This post is outdated. I have since moved to a newer domain yet again.
I was reading through the blog posts of one of my favorite writers today and I realized I will never be as good. Not in a million years. This is not a hotshot, famous writer I am talking about, this is someone who is still struggling to make a name and probably requires additional jobs to stay afloat. Just goes to remind us that success in careers are determined through the law of supply and demand, and the demand side is pretty abysmal when it comes to writing. No one has the time to read anymore; this is the era of fast-paced entertainment. There’s nothing particularly wrong with that, but it’s just a little sad.
Which brings me to this site. I started Scintilla with the sole purpose of improving as a writer so that I can publish a book someday. I had created my previous blogs for the same reason. But as days pass by, I’m beginning to realize – this is it. This is where it ends.
One doesn’t need to be a great writer to get published. There’s the way of marketing – writing books specifically targeted to sell in volumes. But here’s the thing: for me, a book isn’t a commodity that should be aligned to popular demand. It is not a path to money. The satisfaction would come only when people read something I write on their own accord because it’s a good read, and not when it has been strategically marketed to them. So yeah, writing as a business endeavor is not something I would pursue even though it might be comparatively more feasible.
This means, in a way, Scintilla is not a means to something anymore, but the something itself. I’ve probably mentioned this before, but I’m really proud of it. This is its sixth year and is probably the longest running venture that I have ever taken up. Six years is an eternity for a person with fickle hobbies.
I’ve always maintained that the content here is not written keeping readers in mind. It’s just a place I come to when I feel like writing. Nevertheless, there’s no denying the fact that readers provide some much-needed motivation sometimes, and I’m happy that people do visit occasionally.
Scintilla is no longer maintaining its previous exponential growth, though, and will probably wrap up 2016 with a lower number of reads than last year.
The reason is IIMA. Most of my posts used to be takeaways from books/movies and documentations of contemplative moments. These are products of free time – something I’m currently lacking.
Anyway, WordPress recently launched the .blog domains, and I bought one! A little monetary investment increases commitment, eh?