Conversations one does not forget

I had been doing most of the talking in that work related discussion, when my new boss suddenly asked 'Do you write?”. The question had caught me unawares.

It had been just a few months since I had joined a pioneering retail chain at a senior position. I was yet to find my sweet spot in an organisation that was twenty years old with a good number of employees who had been around since inception. I was eager to prove myself. The boss – subordinate relationship was still very formal and guarded.

I didn't know what he was referring to. I drew a blank. The lines of bewilderment and confusion on my forehead must have spoken a language of their own. So he elaborated. “Do you write? I mean, apart from work emails, operational procedures and policy documents?”

“No” I had said. It had never ever occurred to me to write anything else. Well, grocery lists and the like -  I was sure that was not what he meant. That was the end of that conversation.

A few months later, it played out again. And ended the same way. 'Why?” I asked this time, since a little more familiarity had set in. He smiled and said “You talk so much! You speak so easily, you are articulate. You should write. I am surprised you haven't tried to.”

“Write about what?”

Visibly amused, he laughed and asked me “Do you ask yourself  'what do I talk about?' before you speak?” “Everything you can speak about, you can write about!”.  I think I had a weak kind of smile on my face. Thankfully he left it at that.

What did he know? His blog posts were much awaited by the industry. He was a natural.

Essay writing at school was about the most daunting task I was faced with as a kid. I couldn't write. I just couldn't write. I distinctly remember being envious of everyone else in the class who could. When I read others' work, what occurred to me was 'I could have written that'. But I couldn't write that. Over the years, I had accepted it as God ordained 'lack of skill'.

Work life necessitated writing. But when one knew the subject matter, it was not so difficult to state it in a matter of fact manner.  And thank God for bullet points! It was perfectly acceptable to make half sentences and crisp statements after every bullet, as long as the text made sense, fit the context  and rounded up to be a coherent whole!

Shortly after, an email requesting a contribution for an online magazine pertaining to my area of work, popped up in my inbox. “Give it a shot” said the boss. I really had no choice.

The following weekend saw me trying to write. There ought to be a word stronger than 'frustrating' to describe 'frustration', I had thought. I put together something and showed it to him the next day. He read through it, grim-faced. “You are trying to 'write'!???! Try writing it the way you 'think', the way you 'speak'".

I did. I don't remember how many times I would have written and rewritten the same piece. The final cut made it to the magazine. The editor's email accepting the article said 'That's interesting! :)'. The article was work related, but on the softer aspects of making processes more acceptable within an organisation. This was a high!

It has been some years since. Having opted out of corporate life, I recently attempted writing. ‘Passing Thoughts’ is what I would call the content. And it doesn’t seem much of an effort. Surprise! I could write! I have my own blog now.

“ Such an easy read!”

“oh! This is me!”

“ My thoughts exactly!”

“I've feel that way too!”

Responses from my readers tell me that I must be getting it right.

Its been a breeze. I love it. And I am venturing into penning short stories too!

It began when someone asked me: “Do you write?” I had said “No”.

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Originally published in 2014