#Essay1
I was sitting idle with no thoughts on anything whatsoever. Then it clicked: "Can I be the next Paul Graham of essays?" The answer? Come on, be serious!
Well, I began writing just for the sake of writing. I wanted to see—can we write essays on anything? Or do we really need a niche topic to do so?
Let me begin with why writing essays is important. I've heard scientists say manifesting begins by writing it down. I really don't know if they were real scientists or not—I watched a bunch of podcasts, so like everyone else, I'm assuming they were legitimate. What is manifesting anyway? Being completely delusional and asking the almighty to fulfill your wishes? Not a fan, clearly.
So I was reading an article that said if you want to grow as a writer, you must write at least 250-300 words daily to improve your writing. I don't know if I agree with the word limit, but I believe that to improve your writing, you need to just write about any possible thing.
"You're boiling your egg—write about it. You're walking down the street—write about it. Matter of fact, you're sneezing—write about it!"
If only I had done this in school, I definitely would have achieved an A+ in English. Nevertheless, I want to encourage all aspiring writers like me: don't wait to find the perfect story, don't try to imagine elaborate scenes, and don't pressure yourself to be creative while writing. Just dump your thoughts and start writing in any language you know or feel comfortable with.
Coming back to this essay—there you go, you've got an essay with no particular topic to speak about. So yes, essays really aren't that hard. Just be real and speak your mind.
The truth is, we overthink writing because we think it needs to be profound or polished. But some of the best essays come from the most ordinary moments. Paul Graham didn't become famous because he only wrote about groundbreaking topics—he became famous because he wrote clearly about what he was actually thinking.
Maybe the real skill isn't finding the perfect topic. Maybe it's finding something worth saying in whatever's right in front of you.
Having said that, wait up for my next essay. I'll be posting regularly in this segment: "What's in My Mind?"
Write up,
Akshatha Kulkarni
More messy thoughts coming in my 'What's in My Mind?' series. Subscribe if you're tired of perfect content and want something real. Drop your essays or write-ups in the comments - I'll respond to each one of them…