Sunday, December 6, 2009

I am a Writer, not a Journalist

The four weeks of my on-the-job training dawned a realisation in me. The realisation that I am not a journalist but a writer trying to be a journalist. The reasons-

  • A journalist writes to sell, a writer writes to express.
  • A journalist writes for people, a writer writes for herself/himself.
  • A journalist does not have the freedom to write anything and everything. A writer has the creative freedom to write anything.
  • A journalist writes what is acceptable, a writer does not care about the acceptability quotient.
  • A journalist needs facts, a writer needs inspiration.
  • A journalist has to think to write, a writer's account is free flowing.
  • A journalist tries to find a 'peg' in everything. A writer just observes.
Hence, I am a writer, not a journalist.

4 comments:

Naman Saraiya said...

But, change is essential.
Money makes the world go round. So, hang on to the peg, to swing round. Once you've gone around enough, get down to looking for the inspiration.

I'm saying this, because I realized it too.
:)

Kannagi Khanna said...

Lovely...

I know u are a writer....

Dipen said...

"A journalist writes to sell, a writer writes to express.
A journalist writes what is acceptable, a writer does not care about the acceptability quotient.
A journalist has to think to write, a writer's account is free flowing."

Not true... u cannot insult the good journalists no matter how few there are by calling them sellouts.

Nor does a journalist always write wat is acceptable... its usually a journalist who changes the norms... not writers...

There are as many commercial writers, as many sell outs who are writers as there are journalist...

and as for free flowing... a commercial writer too thinks to write... and a lot at that...

Anonymous said...

Just a shallow moral upheavel.

Wait a minute, You are a writer? not a journalist?

Who gives a fuck about it? Ask yourself!


Unless you create something genuine? But I doubt over a WOMAN doing that. Just can write some sobbing love stories!