Desi Train

Somewhere between Sunday night and early Monday morning, Desi Train crossed the 200,000 mark. I know it is a small figure compared to others who achieve that mark in a single day, yet for a virtually unknown blogger it is an important milestone.

I started counting readers since August 2005. In May 2006 we reached the magical figure of 100,000. In 8 months!!!

And now another 100,000 has been added in just half the time!!! Amazing!!!

Thank you dear readers ^:)^ Thank you for being so gracious. Thank you for visiting this train, each day, every day. Thank you for letting me know that you enjoy the ride on this train. Thank you for your love, pranks, cracks, jacks, insults, threats and everything else you have showered on this train.

Thank you.

Before I tell those who are currently blogging and wish to increase their own readership, it’s essential to start the journey from the beginning. (Plus it gives me the opportunity to massage my own back… ahem… if there is something like that)

I started to blog in late 2004 on Rediff. The intent was to share my life’s diary with a select few. Yeah, I had no idea I would be writing articles about movies, events, current affairs and fiction.

There was an abrupt stop in blogging in December 2004, when many a “caustic reader” left “those” kind of comments which are meant to hurt and anger the blogger. (As you can see I’ve come a long way. The art of tackling such commenter/s is put in below)

But a month later, in Jan 2005, Amrish Puri passed away. I had to write about him. I grew up watching his movies and respect the guy both as an actor and as a person in real life - through the stories I heard about him. And without a clue, I ended up writing my first post on Bollywood.

This time, I chose Sulekha to blog. And there was a rule for myself. I would not get affected by the comments of my readers. However good or bad they may be. So the blogging journey took off. Again. Slow and steady.

Until. 7 days later. Sitting in my office on an early morning I started writing about my adventures in browsing Desi matrimonial sites. I used to talk about these with my friends and it would always turn out to be a good laugh. So I blogged about it.

And within an hour of posting, life changed. I was stamped with “You are now a confirmed blogger”

More than 300 people viewed and many commented on that post within 3-4 hours of the post being published.

And in another 10 days I realized what I like to write. It was Bollywood. The realization dawned when I wrote about these 6 directors who showed potential when they began their movie career, and three days later, I had officially become a reviewer when I published my first review on Ab Tumhare Hawale Watan Saathiyon.

The move from Sulekha to Blospot happened in August 2005, when Sulekha simply shut down their blog section and made no announcement or gave no notice to the various bloggers blogging on its site. Various emails went unanswered. It was hell. We were all enjoying our new found hobby and Sulekha most unprofessionally killed it. It’s a different story that their blog site is now up and I get emails each day to re-start blogging on their site again.

By December 2005, it was time for Desi Train to go solo. There were many things I wanted to implement which the free services of Blogspot could not provide. And Desitrain.com was born.

And here’s the railway tracks of writing that the Desi train runs on. They may not be the best, so don’t just blind-folded follow them for your own blogging purposes. It’s still a learning process for me, as it should be for you if you aspire to attract people to your blog. Lastly, none of these principles have been read, memorized and applied from any Writing 101 book. It’s been a self learning journey, the principles of which were formed from observation, talking to readers, writers and in the end - gut instinct.

The Writing principles of oz on Desi Train

Why the fuck do I wanna blog?

Unless and until you answer this question in very clear words and understanding, you will be a car without a steering wheel.

Do you want to write online (a) Because it naturally comes to you eg. you are passionate about writing (b) Approval. eg. your life become all pumped up and exciting once you hear the claps, whistling and get those pats on the back (c) You have goals in life that writing online can provide a much larger platform for. eg. NGOs, Organizations, Social service messages etc. (d) Any other.

For me it started with simply “a” and over time is now a mix of “a” and “b”. “c” comes in my writing life here and there when I blog about issues I feel passionate about.

What does answering this do?

It sub consciously and consciously guides you to the topics that you will write about that will find an instant - yes, instant - audience.

As far as possible, to achieve the true zen in writing, try moving away from “b”. To obtain true moksha in writing, there should be no particle in your foundation that leans/rests on “b”

This does not mean cutting yourself off from readers’ reactions and suggestions. More on that later.

What the hell am I going to write about?

This is a loaded question. Marketing wise it makes sense to stick to one subject and keep writing about it. Niche. It could be a topic or the reader. For example there are blogs on just cheap airplane tickets, to guide for housewives to earn at home to even how to make money in blogging amongst the thousands of other blogging topics.

For Desi Train, the niche is the Desi reader. But many times in the past, I did seriously think of only blogging about Bollywood or just fiction and even going back to the original reason of my blogging - an open diary.

If you are new to blogging, write about each and every subject that interests you. The path will only get clearer from here.

But I don’t have a degree in “Architecture”

When Anurag Kashyap was asked the question “What’s the structure/fundamentals to base your writing on?” at the Indian Film Festival in L.A. he simply said “Just write” - which has been my basic principle in writing.

Just write. Forget structure. Forget the dictionary (Important: Stay away from the dictionary. If you are trying to find a heavyweighted word which you don’t understand, many of your readers won’t either). Forget everything else. Write write and write.

And then read read read whatever you write. A clear pattern will emerge on the design and structure.

I tend to visualize things before I write. Every idea immediately finds its way into my drafts. At any given moment there will be about 30 to 50 drafts on various subjects that my hyperactive imagination came up with.

Write write write.

FUCK MAN I wanna say it my way

Honesty. First and foremost whatever you have chosen as your reason for writing, the first basic and most important principle to adhere to is - you first write for yourself. No reader, no friend, no family no nothing. It is about you.

And once this principle sinks in, you there on stop thinking about what readers will think, how they will react, will they get mad or be entertained… it is all BULLSHIT. STOP

Write for yourself first. Write write write. But first for yourself.

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I tend to use a lot of fuck, chutiye, bhenchod and other words in real life (of course amongst close friends and not infront of my boss). The one thing I was very clear when I started blogging is - I would not be two faced. I wanted my character (what I am) and my personality (what people think I am) to clearly reflect on Desi Train.

Fear. Fear of negative reaction. Fear of Disapproval is one of the strongest reasons that prevents many a talented writer from writing truly and honestly (and we are not talking about the subject you are writing on, but how you are going to write about it)

Remember it is a blog. No one is forcing readers to come and read it. First, get the reason for “Approval” (point b) out of your head. That will lead you to being free from this fear. It’s all Golden from there on.

With honesty, you lead. Your readers follow. You establish your niche. And readers get what they came to your blog for. Be it knowledge or entertainment.

So don’t hold back. Let your natural self into the pages of your blog.

Journey to the edge of this f-ing Universe

You most probably know you are a creative writer. But how many times do you push the creative limits you bind yourself in?

Mind you, creative in your eyes may be shit to others. Does that prevent you from testing the limits and pushing it further and further till the seams are about to burst open?

The answer to defining limits in blogging is that there are NO LIMITS. Loss of readership. Perhaps. So what’s it gonna be - No Limits or Fewer but Staunch Readers? Choose one.

I test myself more often than many may realize. A recent example would be to include the character of “my twin” who ends each sentence with “in your auntie’s panties” for the review of Lage Raho Munnabhai.

Did I get crap from readers? Yes, from some. So does it stop me from pushing the limits again? No Fucking Way.

What’s happening Dude!

Keep an eye on what goes on around you. Stay abreast of the latest news, events, current affairs et. all.

Though your blogging subject may have no use of this, but trust me… you’ll be amazed in the number of unthinkable ways that staying atop on the currents news and events, seeps back into your blog, enriching it multiple times over.

Mama, My readers are kicking my Ass!!!

Two words. Fuck them. You don’t need readers who can’t respect you. Fuck them. And the best way to do that is I G N O R E. Simply delete their comments and move on. Ban their IPs.

You are pursuing a passion of yours. No asshole should be allowed to come in your way and your passion.

At the same time, do notice trends in your comments. Are readers reacting negatively more on a particular post? Why? If it’s because of the subject, your views and opinions then… screw them. You are entitled to your opinion. It is YOUR Blog and these pinheaded morons have no right to tell you what you should say or not say on YOUR blog.

But if the negative reactions point to the writing style, structure, balance - then they are your golden readers. Go ahead and establish a healthy communication channel with them. I would even advise you to adopt them.

I’m received some of the worst comments since I started blogging. I’m unfazed and try to remain untouched by it. Remember that vicious & evil commenters are the byproduct scum of the internet. Don’t dirty your hands by rubbing it back into them. It simply takes away a lot of time and energy which could be used to write your next 10 posts.

My policy is Ignore. Sometimes though, if the situation demands it, I do end up kicking their ass – by commenting ONCE and end it.

Do not be afraid to slap a reader back even if it means losing a reader. But don’t end up entangling yourself in a fight or a stupid debate.

Again, your reason to write should be YOU in the first place and then any other person in this world. And secondly, the more you detach yourself from the “want of approval” the more readers will flock to your blog. Try it out. I can’t explain it. But it works.

Shit! My head’s on the dreaded Writer’s block

Every writer faces this one day or the other. Take a break - is what many may advice.

I don’t. I switch gears, slow or fasten my pace, simply poke into my bank - that is - my drafts containing 30 odd posts at any given time and voila! The advantages of writing all the time open many doors at times like these. But it has other advantages too as explained in the next point…

O Boy! I have no motivation or interest in writing TODAY

This is the moment where NOW you MUST think about YOUR readers. You may not be interested, but they are consistently hitting your blog to check for your new posts. Don’t deny them the freshness.

Keep writing. For it first takes out all the crappiness in your creative writing, making room for the gems you will display on your blog. This was told to me by a friend, I believe who heard this at a screenwriters workshop in LA. And I’ve embraced this philosophy.

Yes there are times, when I am in no mood for writing. But I write. And a lot of crap comes out in those articles. But shocking as it may sound, the very next posts written the very next day or so have turned out to be the most viewed and appreciated posts on Desi Train.

Puke the crap out. Make room for the gems to float over onto the surface.

Mirror Mirror on the Wall…

Get yourself people who read your blog and put in an effort to let you know in a very straightforward manner of what they think about your posts, on a regular basis. Open a healthy communication channel with them.

These are your critics. Don’t go around making the whole f-ing world your bouncing board. Choose with care. Select with sensitivity. Get honest straightforward readers who love your writing but don’t hesitate to let you know when you go off track.

Keep your blog close to you, but keep these trustworthy staunch readers of yours… closer.

 

And though there are a few more things that I could put in here… perhaps it’s time to wait for 300,000 before I leak out more of my secrets…

Once again… Thank you from the bottom of my heart for making the journey on this train a thumping success.

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This entry was posted on Monday, September 4th, 2006 at 1:49 pm
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