Why Did I Do It? A Case Study

Why Did I Do It? A Case Study

K S VENKATARAMAN

A few days back I posted a blog: Why Did You Do It? It was received fairly well by the readers.

It is a story of about 2600 words, published by Dynamic Youth Online Magazine as early as February 2008. The story revolves around two friends going on a pleasure trip. They are forced to seek shelter in a lady’s place. One of the two impersonates his friend and gains one-night stand with the lady and the story ends with a twist on the result of this betrayal.  I do not claim that this is my magnum opus. Now the episode of the story is not some epoch-making one. This is just a pastime story highlighting some peculiarities of human relationship.

Many readers here and from Sulekha had commented about the work and I was happy. On such occasions, sometimes, I request the reader to join my network and usually I move further on.

This story has elicited also some interesting response in Sulekha, giving rise to this article on Creative Writing based on a real case study involving myself.

A few days back, I received the following comment from a friend, who belongs to the category mentioned above.

Why did u do this to me, is a lovely story i loved it and i posted my comments on it.

I also loved yr other stories, yr previous blogs. You are very talented. But this latest blog of yours, is a copied blog, and i have the original. Why did u have to copy somebody else's work when u are so good at writing yrself, or is it that u are lifting the works of others and passing them on as yr own.

I think u owe an explanation to this.  (Emphasis mine)

Waiting to hear from u.

Regards

This kind of response shocked me, as I do not have any need for copying anybody’s work. I replied to this friend as follows.

I am really shocked to hear this, especially from you.

As you know it is the case of all writers, we read quite a lot and sometimes the ideas, episodes stay in our minds and come out when we write. But I can assure you, that each word, each character of the story has only come out from my mind and pen,

I am not at all in need of stealing somebody's work. You say you have the original. How can it be, when I have written every sentence, every word myself? Kindly share your information fully.

Your message has upset me greatly. I am eagerly waiting for full information from you. Till we are able to clarify this to ourselves, I would be unable to write anything. Please understand this and respond immediately.

If you are joking, please never do such things either to me or to any other writer. I am writing so much to you only because I value your work and friendship.

With kind regards

K S Venkataraman

To this letter of mine, I received a reply as follows:

Dear Mr. Venkatramanji,

Here are the attachments, pls go thru them. These are newspaper clippings from the Pioneer of 2002, some stories that i like, i cut and keep  as mementos, even to this day.

And strangely i was reading this a few days back, after a long long time, and there i see yr blog on the same subject, 

The two friends, widow, leaving inheritance, well u have to answer that. Waiting for yr answer. (Emphasis mine)

Regards

The following is the clipping.

The friend, who had talked about copying and lifting in his first letter, had now demanded an explanation for my having written on the same subject!

Two friends, widow, inheritance

Truly somebody has written on these three in 2002. I had not read this same write-up. Maybe I could have read some other version of such an episode somewhere else. Maybe somebody else might have written on the same subject even earlier to this clipping!

But the question is whether by any stretch of imagination, this write-up of about 300 words can be termed as the one which I have copied and lifted?

At first I thought that taking a decision on this was the job of Sulekha’s Member-relations. It does not seem to be so.

Writing is a passionate job. Ideas travel very fast. In newspapers, books, meetings and in so many other ways we keep on gathering ideas. A creative writer presents whatever he considers worthy of presentation, in his own way. The same idea or story he came to know about might have been presented by different people in their own ways, for their own purposes.

Sometimes we read a story in a language and think it fit to present in our own way or in some other language; here we are supposed to mention that our story is the modification, translation or adaptation of the earlier one.

Creative Writing is defined: Creative Writing, a form of artistic expression, draws on the imagination to convey meaning through the use of imagery, narrative and drama.

The elements of Creative Writing are mentioned as (1) Voice (Author’s unique style and way of saying things) (2) Characters (The imaginary persons, animals and circumstances the author creates and uses) (3) Point of View (Author’s perspective on the characters and occurrences)

Creative Writing is the exercise of creating imaginative drama, fiction, or poetry, esp. as a course of study.

Of course, the basic thing is the identification of a plot. While in conversation or study or even while walking or eating, a brief connected account occurs to you; which at the first meeting itself promises some interesting and useful story. Once the creative writer accepts this mentally, from that moment onwards he is helplessly busy giving shape to it.

The initial impregnation of the plot, i.e. the identification of a possibility, is not in any writer’s hands. Under some given circumstances it occurs to him. It is not part of writer’s imagination. It is a spur from within. Under the same or similar circumstances everybody may not see the same possibility or have the same experience. The same experience may give different ‘leads’ to different writers!

The imagination plays a role in developing the nebulous form into a real theme, in packing it with the substance of scenes and characters, in strengthening it by sidelights, in leading it to a stirring conclusion.

Land is given, rain is given, seed is given; you have to be there in the right place, on the right time, bringing things together and doing the right thing. If you want you are free to take the full credit for having produced. A creative writer shouldn’t do it.

Parents are given, brothers and sisters are given, body is given, mind is given; you should only make correct choices and keep going. If you want you may take credit for having been a self-made person. A  Creative writer shouldn’t do it.

World is given, life-situations are given, words are given, ideas are given; I should only know when I stumble across the right plot and grasp it, enrich it, dress and embellish it, and re-present it to the world. If you want you may claim to have made it. A Creative writer shouldn’t do it.

I do not know to whom the ‘two friends, a widow, inheritance’ originally belonged. Whoever it was, - I have no hesitation to acknowledge my indebtedness to him or her, for the plot.

But the fact remains, it does not belong to the ‘friend’; it does not necessarily belong to the writer of the clipping, sent by him; even if it does I did not get it from him or her.

All the characters, description of scenes, episodes, the story running to more than 2500 words are all the result of my thinking and effort.

If somebody says that ‘wife, kidnapping, war and the return of wife’ forms the whole of Ramayana, he may also say that Homer copied and lifted Valmiki!

Conclusion: I have learnt to take praises and criticisms as tools for widening understanding of the subject. As soon as I saw the second letter from the friend, I knew that the matter as he saw it, was not worthy of pursuing with him.

In general there seemed to be some good points on the subject of Creative Writing worthy of discussion. It is for you all the readers to evaluate my writing ability in the light of the clipping given above; for I do not expect anything more than what is rightfully due to me.

K S Venkataraman is the Associate Editor, Dynamic Youth Online Magazine. He may be reached through e-mail: dynamicyouth_development@yahoo.com

Dynamic Youth may be freely viewed in www.dynamicyouth.org