Blogger Session with Sam Sahana

              

 

                    It’s another beautiful day and another interview with a wonderful blogger. You really should go read some of her write ups here
https://samblogsonline.wordpress.com/

 

How did you discover your love for writing?

By the time I was 11, I’d read a lot of fiction by a lot of different authors, which augmented my imagination and gave me a wider world view. That’s when I realised that I should start writing a story of my own and have it published. Thus, “Nick and Puck”, a book I planned to turn into a series was in the making. Unfortunately, I lost my manuscript while in the midst of the 1st book. I was dejected and rather discouraged. A year later, I was writing articles on important issues, winning competitions and earning my name as a writer at school. That revived the budding writer in me to try a hand at another book, which also didn’t come to be due to several reasons. It was only after I turned 15 that I developed a definite style of writing and published my first book, lights camera Auschwitz.

 

Why did you start blogging and what is your blog about?

Oh, an interesting question! You may have heard of Anne Frank. The girl who famously said “I want to go on living after my death” and lived up to her word. After she was gone prematurely, all that was left of her was her written legacy. Her diary and some of her less renown written works from her time in hiding inspired me a great deal to leave behind my own share of written legacy. Hence, I began writing in large volumes in a fancy little notebook. Soon enough, the book was filled with imaginative stories, proses, poetry and other pieces that I decided it’d be such a waste to have them to myself. I wanted to share my thoughts on a larger platform and present them to a larger audience. While I haven’t shared anything from that notebook in my blog so far, I decided I could be Anne Frank in the modern world- someone who feels strongly about certain issues, has powerful opinions and has no fear to voice them. I did not want my thoughts to be secret anymore. Thus, my blog began. My blog contains very random write-ups. Serious social issues, light-hearted pieces, poetry, stories, you name them! It’s an extension of my notebook. I’m an adolescent, so you will find a lot of maturity and a lot of puerile silliness at the same time.

 

How would you describe your blogging journey so far?

I’ve been blogging for 4 months now and it’s been terrific! I’m really enjoying it and I’ve learned that it is DEFINITELY my cup of tea. I’ve met some wonderful people here who make this journey even more amazing, exactly why I wanted to begin a blog in the first place.

How has blogging impacted your life?

On more than one occasion, my blog has acted as my virtual diary. I’ve been able to talk to people about my mental well-being and vent about trivial matters whenever required. Writing about your problems is therapeutic. Being heard and having people to tell you “Been there, done that” is even more therapeutic. It’s divinely cathartic! One must experience it to feel it. When you are on the receiving end of overwhelming love from people, you tend to feel extremely blissful. When your work gets validated and appreciated, you feel that you’ve earned it. Blogging has improved my confidence and mental wellness.

 

What’s the craziest thing you’ve experienced in the blogosphere?

There are two kinds of crazy- a good kind of crazy and a bad kind of crazy. I’ll start with the bad kind so we may finish this question on a positive note.

The bad kind of crazy is when people mass-like all your posts without even reading them in order to gain attention to their own blogs. I have about 29 posts in my blog so far and I recently received 29 likes (1 like in each post) in 29 seconds! That’s 1 like per second! The good kind of crazy is this- you realise many people are exactly like you even when you see something about yourself as absolutely quirky! Apparently, there are people as crazy and queer as yourself around the world. There have interesting anecdotes to share and diverse notions on the same issue.

 

What’s the story behind your blog name?

Oh, you’ll be entirely unimpressed. I’m usually very good with titles, names, captions and the like, but I really couldn’t think of a name for my blog (relatable?). I named my blog after writing my first post. My first post was about bribery. I decided I would write a lot about the dirty side of politics and that I shall influence people against malpractices. I named my blog “Diary of a reformer.” Later on, I realised that a blog is not like Twitter. You cannot be an “influencer” as you would be in Twitter or if you were a celebrity. Recently, I had an epiphany about how random the content in my blog is. So I decided to give it a more suitable name “Diary of a Dreamer.”

 

What are the things you dislike about blogging?

Sometimes, people might have a shallow knowledge on a certain subject but decide nevertheless, to share their limited knowledge on the said subject for the world to read. Some blogs may be manipulated and may spread misinformation. This is not pertaining to any blog I’ve read on WordPress, but it’s always a possibility. The internet is a small space and the number of brainwashed views are ever so many. I dislike fake propaganda and incorrect ideas shared through blogs. Research is important. Statistics should not be faked. Regarding creating blog posts, there is nothing I particularly dislike as I enjoy the process of researching, analysing and putting my thoughts out.

 

Do you ever experience writer’s block and what do you do on such occasions?

When writing blogs, not really. I only write when I feel like it and don’t have a particular schedule to do so, which is why I don’t need to overwhelm myself at a promised time or day even when my head is not full with ideas. When inspiration strikes, I pen it. I don’t wait for it. Writer’s block is more common in bloggers who post everyday or many times a day as they tend to burn out faster. However, it is very common and every writer has that phase. They emerge out of it better than they were before. I’ve experienced it before, but not particularly while blogging, perhaps because I haven’t been blogging for a substantial period yet. However, everyone will experience a writer’s block at some point and so will I. What I do on such occasions: take a break from writing and read a lot to open my mind to new ideas and welcome creative energy.

 

What are your thoughts on turning 18?

 Turning 18 entails a lot of new legal responsibilities. That’s it. Legal. The law looks at you as an adult but you do you. Grow at your own pace and don’t let the world hasten your growth. Those trees which bear fruits too soon never become full-fledged trees. At 18, you’re old enough to not fall prey to peer pressure, but not old enough to be out of your hormone slavery period. You’re still very much enslaved to your hormones and your prefrontal cortex is still maturing, meaning you aren’t good enough at making decisions yet. Your decisions may not always be the best. I’m not saying it, neurology says so. So if you want to take help from actual adults to meet important decisions, don’t let your ego hold you back. At 18, your ego is bigger than your prefrontal cortex.

 

What do you hope to achieve with your blog?

From something as simple as entertainment to something as big as change. The written word has that power. You and I can write our way to victory!

 

Is there anything else you would like to say to the readers?

Never let blogging tire you to the point of quitting! When it starts getting to you, take a vacation. When the blogosphere loses a blogger, it’s a loss to the entire ecosystem (blogosystem?) we have here. Keep spreading your thoughts respectfully without deeming your belief to be the ultimate. That ensures a healthy “blogological” balance. Be open to different points of view and be ready to accept ideas that are wildly different from your own, because diversity is the very beauty of existence…


And that’s it guys! Why I love having these interviews is because you get to see writing from different people and in different perspectives. Go ahead and check out Sam’s blog, you’ll be very impressed! https://samblogsonline.wordpress.com/