Blogger Interview # 52: PURBA RAY

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You have been blogging for nearly one and a half years now – how has your journey been so far.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Oh my gray cells have been in turmoil, I have them working non-stop.  Thinking of interesting topics to write on, doing all the spade work, writing and rewriting to get the perfect lines….And I when I finally publish them… waiting with baited breath for the feedback.   The entire cycle is addictive.  And what’s more I get to read a lot - opinions, thoughts of great minds, literary masterpieces.  Of course I come across a lot of sub standard stuff but that’s an experience as well.  You know exactly what you don’t want to project to your readers.

I’d like to believe blogging helped me grow as a person and a writer.  It is through this medium I discovered my ability to communicate, reach out and also poke a little fun at myself. It has helped me connect with people beyond the realm of my usual relatives-friends-colleagues circle. My canvas of awareness is much wider. I also take interest in other writers’ works in blogosphere and love soaking in perspectives and points of view so different from mine.

My Blog : http://purba-ray.blogspot.com

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Is there a story behind your blog? What made you think, yes I need to write.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Creative writing was always a long cherished dream of mine. Strangely for a long time it remained just that, a dream.  It’s only after I took a hiatus from my job did I find time to muse and pen down my thoughts.   It was as if someone had opened the floodgate of my memories, there’s no way I could stop it.  I would dredge out memories from long ago and pen them down.  Soon I was writing news spoofs, articulating my views on social issues and taking pot shots at our much beloved politicians.

And my blog was born out of desperation.  Initially I was writing for other forums – Drishtikone, a Houston based news blog and Desicritics.org. It’s only when Desicritics put the spotlight on me, I realized to my utter horror that I had no record of my published work.   A-Musing was born on February 2010 and since then there has been no looking back.  

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If someone was interested in blogging, what would be a few things you would suggest?

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

· Typos and grammatical errors are major put offs. Please get your language right before you proceed to publish your post. Text lingo is a big NO.

· I find huge blocks of texts without paragraph breaks very intimidating. I can’t make myself read such posts.  Please take care of formatting.

· Difficult language does not translate into good English. Keep it simple and sharp.

· Write from your heart, about things you feel strongly about. And please don’t post forwarded jokes  with a “thought I would share it with my readers”. Be original.

· Never be afraid to admit you don’t know. I constantly pester my blogger acquaintances for technical tips. I am always on the lookout for helpful widgets. A word of caution though, too many widgets spoil the show.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

How do you build a community around a blog and social media?

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Whenever someone comments on my blog, I try to reciprocate.  I may not always comment but I make it a point to visit the blog.  I take personal interest in most of my readers. They are more like a family now.  They are the first to deride me if I write something objectionable or if my writing has disappointed them.

Have I consciously gone around building a community? Not really.  It is a mutual feeling of love and respect. 

But after much persuasion, I did build a fan page for A-musing.  Of course I was embarrassed as hell to create my own page. I see it more as a platform where I interact with my readers.

What are your three favorite blogs to read? What makes those blogs special?

I love too many to be able to name just a few and they all feature in my reading list on my blog. 

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Which one plugin would you suggest all bloggers to have?

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

A must have plugin is the talent to express, the rest will follow later.