My journey of becoming a Content Writer
‘I want that whistle now’ shouting and crying the naughty child sat in the middle of the road. ‘Such a monkey’ the old woman commented, ‘Mummy I want to become like the traffic police, I want that whistle’ Showing more tantrums the child went on crying.
You must be wondering who is the naughty child in this story. Well, Hi readers! This is me Preeti Yatan a content writer by profession, and a storyteller by heart and soul. And the naughty child is me. Here I will tell you about my journey of being a content writer, traveling through the lanes of my life’s journey.
So, going back to where I started the story, let me tell you that I have been very demanding throughout my childhood. Messy and runny, I got to do what I got to do. That was my motto then.
We are conditioned in a society where we are always being told to behave and act a certain way, wrongs and rights are their privileges. And I never followed them, maybe because I was different from them. At least I thought so. However, one cannot be cut off from the society completely. Somewhere or the other we are connected with them directly or indirectly. A lot of things in our lives are decided by looking at society’s perspective. I might sound like a rotten head orthodox aunty but this is the fact many people will refute. And choosing your career is one of them. At least as per my knowledge and experience, I would say that confidently.
I have always been the spoiled kid; the one who gets scolded for everything she does, and also for the ones she is unaware of. Since the time I remember what is freedom I never listened to other’s voices. I knew what it meant to do things you like. I know the feeling of being called the worst in the group for just doing what she likes to do.
I remember an incident as a 4-year-old when I was traveling to Kolkata for my summer vacation to my grandparent’s house with my mother, father, and younger brother. Stuck in traffic we were irritated because of the humid summer, suddenly my eyes went on to a man who was standing in the middle of the road, dressed in a white uniform, whistling and moving his hands here and there. I was amazed to watch how everyone followed him and moved when said. I cried for no reason but just to get that whistle in the middle of the road. Later, when I asked what do I want to become? ‘A traffic police’, was my answer for a long time. Funny right?
However, my career dreams always kept on changing from time to time as I grew up. There was a time when I also wanted to be a vegetable vendor, and you asked me why. Because my mother was the sweetest to her, and I thought this would be the best I could become. Some other days I wished to become a doctor and sometimes a teacher, but I kept on tossing my choices unless I understood the meaning of a ‘career’.
As a growing up I realized, that maybe I wanted to be all of them. Different characters and people excited me, I was attracted to the variety of roles they played in real life. At one point in time, even my parents understood that I would do what I had to do. They just wanted me to do the best in whatever I chose.
However, I played every role a good student could perform in school from playing sports to participating in the elocution competition, debate to dance, I was everywhere. Academically I was the third ranker in my class. In my senior school days, I developed another habit, which was enjoying reading different novels, lost in the world of fantasy and stories, then and there between the pages I read through, a writer in me emerged, craving to be read by others. Since then, I started journaling and my inner writer was unknowingly being watered every day.
From Shakespeare, John Keats, and Nicholas Sparks to Jane Austen I tried my hands on everyone. When and how my reading habits became a hobby and then a passion I barely realized. Times passed by with reading, writing, and playing in my hometown. Finally, the day came when all of us were supposed to fly to other cities for higher education. However, I was moving to a new city for my career, and I was still indecisive about my career plans.
Even then I was not sure about writing, born and brought up in the steel city of Jamshedpur, a beautiful town full of greenery and a clean environment. I enjoyed being there, my love for nature and serenity romanticized even more. Unless I moved to Delhi for my higher education. The city brought a drastic change in me, maybe because that was the first time I moved out of home. But something was changing inside me, and I was no longer the same spoiled kid. Maybe because of the city I left, the friends I lost, and the world of fantasy forgotten.
The quietness and hesitation in me always felt the need to be shared, and I had only one friend there my ‘diary’. My habit of journaling kept me busy and in solitude, I found my peace.
It took me almost a year to gulp down the fear of change. Slowly and gradually the city that seemed unknown to me was my city now, the old lost friends were transformed into new faces, and became a part of my new life. My world of fantasy and books evolved and took a new place in my room of mind. Just a matter of time and everything was back on track.
Amidst all this, what always stayed with me was my journal, my own space, and my books. Life was smooth now, college was fun. I looked forward to new challenges in life. I was happy again but less spoiled this time.
I remember one day I was freaking late to college when my HOD of the department called me as I was the class representative then, she informed me that she has given my name for the academic writing paper presentation on Women’s Day. Hearing this I got numbed, How, why, and when all started coming to my thoughts. Why me? That was my first question to myself. “I am not ready for this”, mummed to myself. The stage was not my friend anymore, I feared sharing my thoughts openly, writing was just for me, never thought of showcasing it to hundreds of people around. Even the thought of doing all this chilled my nerves. However, I had no choice but to say yes.
All week I focused on good writing although I was pretty sure of the other students who had already done remarkably well in these kinds of presentations before, but this was my first time in college and I was not at all comfortable and confident. I knew that I would spoil this presentation and that people would present publicly, I was in complete self-doubt.
Finally, the day came and I was way too nervous, I had no other way but to perform. As my name was announced and I stepped on the stage everything was blurred for a second, I choked seeing so many people’s eyes glued on me. Suddenly, I felt a moment of silence inside me that said ‘Yes you can do it too’. What else then, I don’t have any answers to it but those thirty minutes were mine. I talked like I had done it before, no more fear of being laughed at. At that moment I was just into it bothering nothing just performing. As my presentation was over the sound of the clapping was itself a reward for me. Everyone clapped just the way they did for other students. The fear of change inside me was so huge that it blanketed my confidence and never let me get out of my comfort zone. However, I did it and was happy.
Wait are you expecting some big drama here? Let me share one thing with you all. Life is not a one-day drama, it is a process of those moments that someday pop up as magic to us. Nothing great is done or achieved in one day, we all are aware of it. It is the process that completes to form a magic in life. The same has happened to me. Writing was always in the process, and I barely remember any days where I purposely sat and thought to become a writer, no, I didn’t. Everything was in the process.
After the paper presentation day my confidence was at a better degree than before, things were better for me. Everything else was the same at a normal pace. However, a good thing happened, I was selected as the editor of our college magazine. I accepted the new challenge that life has thrown at me as a gift I would say. This not only improved my writing skills but also helped me to identify myself with my other interests in the writing field where I realized that story writing and storytelling were something I loved by heart. Hearing people talk, watching them do stuff, observing them, and jotting them into a form of story is a real fun.
As deeper I delved, the more I realized that content writing is an ocean and the deeper you will dig the farther you will reach.
Content writing is a huge field, and we all know that. Writing is a great career for people like me, who just not only enjoy reading but also know how to put their words into a magical piece for others to read. I have come a long way learning and experiencing a lot of things about writing.
Never purposely planned to become a content writer, but writing has given me a purpose in life. From a long journey toward a long journey yet to be experienced. A lot to learn and a lot to write.
So, here I am a content writer open to all kinds of learning opportunities. As I believe here in this field the more you learn the better.
The thrill of the mind needs to be extracted in the form of writing to give it a real meaning.
So, this was my journey of becoming a content writer. What is yours?
P.S: Until on paper it’s vapor.
Contact:
Name – Preeti Yatan
Email – preetiyatan@gmail.com
LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/in/preeti-yatan-382228245