Posted by What does it take to be a writer? Some talent with words, a penchant for reading so you can constantly keep improving your craft, and access to pen and paper – or in today’s world, digital versions of those. So, not much really. Does this mean everyone is and can be a writer? I don’t believe so. I think in order to be called a writer with any degree of seriousness attached to the term, you have to be so passionate and so fastidious about your love of writing that it overpowers most other things in life. There are no two ways about it – writing has to be a passion and a way of life.
I consider myself fortunate that I have been able to make a vocation of my passion for writing. Blogging began as a hobby, but it paved the path for lifestyle journalism, which allowed me to express myself through words while also earning a living. Having waxed lyrical on what writing means to me thus far, now I’ll proceed to the subject I have chosen for this blog post. This is my entry for ‘The Write Path Blog Hop’ themed on the subject of writing. Having published 484 blog posts and hundreds, if not thousands, of articles since I began writing on my present website in 2017, I feel there’s not much more I can contribute to this subject in particular. However, I have written a number of articles related to this subject in the past. So, I would like to round those up and share them with you. Here is a collection of some of my musings on writing over the years.
5 Writing Secrets I Hide from the World
This post was written when I used to participate in the Insecure Writer’s Support Group monthly blog prompts a few years back. This community is a great place to discover other excellent writers and learn how to hone your craft. This prompt came fairly easy to me, and I am sure if I really put my mind to it, I would be able to come up with even more writing secrets. For now, however, I am just sharing these with you:
How Writing Helps me Deal with Emotional Turmoil
Technically, this post isn’t focussed on writing specifically, but writing is an important step in how I personally deal with my emotional turmoil. Hence, I’m including it in this list. This post, in an edited format, was later included in an anthology on how women deal with their emotions in different situations. You can buy a copy of that book here:
Brave Inked EmotionsAnd read the post below:
A Moment of Pride as I was Included in the List of Best 40 Under 40 English Language Journalists in India
Being recognised as the best 40 under the age of 40 in any category is prestigious, but to win this accolade for writing is truly wonderful. I won this honour back in 2022 at the age of 34. Here’s my post recounting that memorable win:
The Secret to my Prolific Writing Skills
As mentioned above, I have written and published thousands of articles in the last few years. In 2023, I had an article published every single day – that’s 365 articles! A lot of journalists would reach out to ask me how I manage to write so much, so I penned this insightful guide into my writing process. Here, after attending just one event, I was able to write and sell six different articles with different angles to different publications:
A Rant About Editors in General
I love writing but not everything is always perfect about the things you love! As a journalist, I am always at the mercy of my editor. Since, I am a freelancer, that means multiple different editors with multiple different editing styles! In this post, I recount my experiences with editors and how I deal with them, so perhaps you can learn from them too:
The Benefits of Being Part of a Blogging Community
Most of you participating in this blog hop are regular bloggers, so you already know the numerous benefits of participating in the various activities of a thriving blogging community. However, if you are a newbie, this post will prove very useful to you:
SEO Principles to Help Your Blog Grow
In my long blogging journey, I have done tremendous amounts of research to help me grow. At one point, I was even teaching SEO principles and blogging basics to help people grow their online businesses / websites organically. That information is available in this post:
With that I will wrap up my blog post on a collection of my musings on writing over the years. Do let me know if something shared here, resonated with you. And if you ever have any queries related to writing, journalism or earning a living through writing, feel free to reach out to me. Here’s to a long and fruitful writing journey.
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This post is part of the ‘The Write Path’ blog hop hosted by The Blissful Storyteller. We are a bunch of 22 writers who have joined hands to celebrate our reason for choosing the write path.
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*This is not a sponsored post.
**Copyright in pictures and content belongs to nooranandchawla.com and cannot be republished or repurposed without express permission of the author. As I am a copyright lawyer by profession, infringement of any kind will invite strict legal action.
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Noor, I knew you from 2020 and since then, I have been inspired by your writing journey so far. It’s always a treat to read your posts. The way you have summed up your journey and shared these wonderful moments from your life, it shows how far you have come and also how far you will go. Thank you for joining us in the blog hop and sharing your write-up with us. Gratitude😇
Thank you!
Noor there is no doubt that you are indeed a talented persona not just as a writer, journalist but also at multitasking and that too with immense perfection. You craved the path of success with your hardwork and that’s why you got rewarded because you deserve it. Regarding the secret of the writing skills – I am quite habituated with this process because of being in the content development industry (excluding blogging) for more than 10 years now. We get orders from clients for writing on a same topic with same ingredients multiple times for featuring the same thing in multiple platforms for promotion. Over there we need to think in multiple angles on same topic and so I can really understand the pain that you need to take to draft those 6 articles on the same event and delivered successfully to 6 different clients. That showcases your talent as a writer who can write in multiple ways. Kudos to you and keep inking for all and I love reading you too.
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An absolutely insightful and helpful post touching the numerous aspects of ‘Writing’ as a whole. Learning about your professional accomplishments thought this post was extremely encouraging, your love for writing reflected in your post.
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Writing has so many shades. Each person brings their own colour to the world and shares it with the rest. It was good to see your path and the way you chartered your own course with this art.
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Noor, good to see your entry after so long. I have always admired your writing. Your unique style brings a freshness in your writing pieces. Happy to see your growth and I am glad that you live your passion and making progress each day.
Thanks Alpana! I rarely participate in other blog hops because Cindy and I are so busy organising our own Blogaberry Dazzle throughout the year – it’s easy – no restrictive themes, no ban on sponsored posts and pretty hefty cash prizes for the best posts. If you’re ever up for it, do join us!
Great post Noor and good to know about your achievement of being recognized as best 40 under 40 English journalist. it is great honor. keep writing and keep inspiring us.
Thank you!
First of all congratulations of the amazing consistency. You really inspired me with your words and writing style and thanks for compiling your best blogs.. there’s so much to learn from you!
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I agree – we can all write, but not all of us are writers. It takes a special degree of madness to be considered a writer, in my opinion. I loved your post on 5 secrets and editor pet peeves. Giving feedback is an art I feel not everyone understands. Also, while the fear of not being published is absolutely valid, you should write a novel in any case 😀
Thanks Suchita! Hopefully I will 🙂
Being on such a prestigious list of the best 40 journalists is a victorious win so happy for you and congratulations. Writing helps manage difficult times. Seo principles I have to check that out to learn and improve. 😊
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Congratulations on your wonderful writing achievements. And one article per day sounds great; it reflects your discipline and dedication. The topics you have covered are interesting and insightful. I wish you all the best.
Thank you. I wish you all the best in your endeavours too.
Wow, Noor. I’ve always lived your writing but this post takes the cake. You have summed up your journey so well and also added so much information by linking your pervious posts. No wonder you were counted among the top journalists last year. Congratulations and best wishes.
Thank you!
Marking a peronal space with your art in the writing industry is truly hard work. I love your event coverage posts on IG and blog and how beautifully you capture minute details. I admire your dressing sense too.
Thank you 🙂
I loved ‘5 Writing Secrets I Hide From the World – IWSG June 2020’ and ‘How I Wrote Six Articles from Attending Just One Fashion Week’. The second one was so motivating, pushing us as content creators to do so much from just one experience. Your journey teaches all those reading this, so much about life as a writer. Thanks for sharing that with us.
P.S: Write that novel please.
Thank you 🙂 Hopefully I will!
Your blogging journey is inspirational, Noor. I am impressed by your dedication, your craft, and how you’ve brilliantly turned it into a vocation. Your research and choice of subjects is equally impressive. I agree with you, writing has to be a passion and a way of life.
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Nice to meet you virtually, Noor! You are so passionate and devoted to writing. I am so inspired by the level of your consistency to write 365 blog posts in a year, that’s something for me to learn from you apart from a lot of other things. I hope to read and learn more from your writing styles.
I wrote 365 articles that were published in newspapers, magazines, websites and my blog. Only about 20-25 were blog posts.
365 articles in 365 days! That’s incredible Noor! You are a well established journalist at this point, so I guess there’s no surprise here. You have evidently put in a lot of thought into writing as a passion and a profession. Loved reading your accumulation of musings.
Thank you!
Noor, it is a pleasure to go through your blog posts about writing. I have always admired your writing and have read your articles in newspapers as well. Congratulations on being one of the top 40 journalists! Having freelanced myself, and having enjoyed every moment of it despite the tight deadlines, I can only say Kudos to you for having written so many pieces on varied subjects. You are a true literary rockstar! Keep dreaming and keep achieving!
Thank you so much 🙂
Its amazing how you have evolved in the writing filed. I would love to read a few of them. Growing in this field or any field that you love is a bliss
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