On Writing

When I was undergoing my nine months pupillage two years ago, I remember my learned master under whom I read in chambers, Dato' Sukhdev Singh Randhawa, used to tell me that legal letters are not supposed to be written; they are supposed to be crafted – rather very carefully and skillfully – and for that I thank him with all my heart for having taught me a very useful and practical lesson.

I guess the same principle applies for fiction writing as well: that stories which are worth being told, if at all, they are not meant to be written; they should only be crafted. There's a distinction, of course, between writing and crafting, and this has to be made clear, very clear, from the very beginning. But after having said that all, it must also be borne in mind, that everything – literally everything and definitely without exception – would simply be utterly useless when the editor comes in and destroy it all with her hands, so powerful but mindless and ignorant and arrogant, guided by her reckless and lackadaisical attitude and lack of understanding on what literature really is.

Bloody fools, they are, I guess some people are simply that. No?

*The image above is credited to http://ubatmuda.blogspot.com.