If you are reading this, welcome back to my blog. We are meeting after ages, I'm guessing. The last post that I published here was on May 14, 2022 – that’s more than a year ago.
Picture Credit: Unsplash
I am thrilled to resume blogging. Firstly, because I was almost ready to give up this space, thinking that I would not blog again – not anytime soon. The proof of this, I let my website domain expire on June 25, 2023, i.e., the day before yesterday. But then, I changed my mind (and renewed the domain, of course!). Here's how:
I happened to watch the beautiful movie "Julie and Julia" on Netflix, which appeared on my recommendation list. The movie is based on a true story that parallels the lives of two American women, Julia Child and Julie Powell.
Julia Child was a renowned American chef who spent 8 years writing her first cookbook, "Mastering the Art of French Cooking." Forty years after the release of Child's book, Julie Powell, who greatly admired Julia Child, decided to cook all 524 recipes from Child's book within 365 days.
After cooking nearly every day, Powell shared her experience behind her ambitious challenge on a blog she created called "The Julie/Julia Project." She did all this seemingly enormous work while balancing her day job, which she hated.
The point is, I was fascinated by Powell’s idea of cooking and blogging about it almost every day, and I was also inspired by the dedication of both women – Child and Powell – and how passionately they pursued what they wanted to do at that time.
So, here I am, embarking on a similar project myself – 'The Passion Project.' I didn't think much about the project’s title because it really doesn't matter. What matters to me the most is to take another shot at my novel (for the umpteenth time!) and this time, finish it with a flourish, like a stylish sixer in cricket.
I'm giving myself 6 months, from July to the end of December, and I challenge myself to overcome all my self-doubts regarding my novel, to break free from any limiting beliefs I've burdened myself with, and just keep writing.
Since you're here, reading about my experience, let me give you a little background you deserve to know. I began working on this novel in 2017, during the monsoons, if I remember correctly. It's been a whole 6 years. My, oh my! This is a shocking realization that just hit me – I've been assuming it's only been 4 years since I started writing my book. Six years? (I tally the years on my fingers again to confirm) Yeah, six years have passed!
Well, I don't know what to say about the time. (I pause for a few moments) Okay, I think I'm happy that despite six years having passed, the idea of writing my novel still clings to my mind like an indelible bond of Fevi Kwik glue. Great.
So, what I haven't been able to finish in the past six years, I believe I'll accomplish in the next six months. It's going to be a journey. I might fail again, or this time, I might succeed. Only time will tell. Stay tuned!
Signing off for the day,
Pooja Kakde