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A Decade Of LOL

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Ten years ago, I was in one of the most toughest phases of my life. I had just started working and while I had to deal with the pressures of corporate, my relationship of three years also ended at the same time. Emotionally, I was a lost cause. That is when I turned to writing. It helped me heal to a large extent. I was just penning down thoughts and poems in a book and it helped me feel light. Words somehow understood me and I was glad to have a space to vent. A good friend then suggested that I start a blog as she thought I was good at poetry. That's how LOL was born and my first post saw the light of day on this day in 2009. This space was started with the intention of healing a broken heart, but over time it has become one of the most important aspects of my life. LOL has seen my journey from a brokenhearted cynic to the happily married independent woman that I am today.

I never knew that I could write until this blog happened. Else, this is definitely what I would have pursued in college and taken up as a profession and been a better writer today. Writing only turned into a passion after it started helping my mental space. I felt better with time and having a small number of readers who always came back to read my posts gave me the motivation to continue writing. Today, when I look back at my older posts, I definitely cringe at the writing. The use of language, the punctuation, the style used, the random content - it all feels so puerile. But, I don't go back to remove it because all of them came straight from my heart. Every post had been written with utmost honesty and that is how I continue to write till date. There is no other way I know to write. People often say that I write the way I speak. Yeah, it's the same person, how else would it be?

While I have a lot many readers today, most of them have also turned into lifelong friends. This is what I'll be indebted to forever from the blogging community. It has given me a large number of friends who are an inspiration to me in more ways than one. My readers and friends know the kind of person that I am and they appreciate me and my posts for what they are. They know that I am not the one to prevaricate or sugarcoat stuff, that clearly reflects in my posts, and that is why they like what I write and come back for more. Blogging has given me the freedom to express myself in the way I know best - unabashedly. My posts, thoughts and opinions come straight from my heart and that is exactly how I pen it down. There is no other way I'd go about it. I just have a very simple thought when it comes to my blog. If you like what I write and how I write, please come back for more. If you don't, then please stay away.

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Writing exactly what you feel without making it look and feel beautiful definitely does come with its share of flak. When I write posts on feminism, women usually message or email me saying that I'm doing it wrong. They say that I blame women for not standing up for themselves or not helping each other. They say that I should write about how men do not give women enough importance. I find this incredulous. As always, I stand by what I write. I sincerely believe that woman first need to start treating themselves and other women better before anyone else can. I blithely ignore such comments as I do not want to justify my posts to anyone.

I know there are a group of people out there reading and dissecting every post of mine and sharing it with the world. Honestly, I do not mind it one bit. If my posts are getting people to talk about what I have written, it is a victory for me. If it is taken in the right sense, then I'm glad. Else, if people are conjuring up new meanings to my words and looking at it the way they want to, I'm glad too. I know that my thoughts and posts are not labile and that's enough for me. All my posts here have been written without compunction. I do not regret even a single post of mine. I can only control what I write. I cannot control how anyone perceives it. I get traction to my blog and it increases my page views. It always is a win-win for me. I'll continue to write what I want, when I want, how I want.

Blogging has given me enough recognition to last a lifetime. From being counted among the top Indian blogs for six years in a row to being the top five blogs in the country for creative writing, I have seen it all and it makes me more humble than happy. Writing is not something I do for money, so it feels good to see your passion recognized. Yes, I do take up sponsored posts and write for various brands outside the realm of my blog, but that is not the sole reason I write. Ten years is a long time to focus on one space, especially since I am someone who gets bored easily. LOL that way has been a constant companion for me in so many ways, never letting me get tired of her (Duh! My blog is obviously female). It definitely is not easy to have a demanding job, manage a home and yet continue to write and follow other passions, but when something is very important to you, you go all out to make time for it.

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I have learnt so much ever since I ventured into this writing space. Earlier, poetry and fiction used to be my forte, but of late I'm enjoying writing about anything that I want to. It is very important to talk about something you believe in, something that you have a lot to say about, something that warrants an opinion from you and that's what I do. Holding back from what I have to say is something I have never learnt and never will. I'll continue to write the way I write for as long as I can. A huge thanks and lots of love to my readers over the years and to my friends who continue to support me day after day.

So, a decade has passed since I started writing. Well, I'd like to continue for a few more decades.

Comments

  1. Congratulations on 10
    Years of writing!

    I love the honesty of your posts.

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  2. Yay!! More love to you for sharing this in the status. Heartiest Congratulations LOL and Sou. Such a marvel to read your blog. I had earlier mentioned that I lost touch with your blog since it felt too hot for me to read way back in time. Somehow now I feel close to those posts too. I think it's all about time and what we go through. Now, I am nodding my head to most you write and I feel how much you have survived. Here's wishing you more power and let the lovely writing continue forever.

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    1. Thank you so much, my dear Jay! You found my posts too hot earlier? :D

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    2. Too hot to handle, yes, In the actual sense of too much sadness. Unless someone goes through that phase on her own, I think the depth of it is hard to accept. Now, it feels different, real. I salute the pain we all go through and to the changes that make us better.

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  3. Hearty congratulations Soumya. So glad to have met you during this blogging journey. I have always appreciated your writing for being fearless and honest. Love your feminist posts and book reviews, your not a movie review are superb too. Keep shining and stay just the way you are. We have to meet soon.

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    1. Thank you so much, Rachna. I'm glad to have met you too. Let us meet sometime soon.

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  4. And what a decade it has been It brought me face to face with one of the most wonderful women I've had the chance to know. The kind who will stick by you in times of joy and sadness. For that I am most grateful to the blog and you. Happy 10th Soumya and here's to many many more decades of writing exactly what you feel. :)

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    1. You are one of the best things blogging has given me, thank you for being by my side always :)

      Love!

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  5. I still remember your first comment on my blog - it was related to love in our lives. I am glad you started writing and commenting 😄
    I have sooo much to say but I can't. I am holding it all back! You can't imagine what a gift it is to be able to write what you feel.
    Keep inspiring us; maybe one day I shall too write what is in my heart 🙂

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    1. Hahaha, oh yeah! Weren't we so immature back then? :P

      Write it and let it out, Nisha! There is no other better feeling.

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  6. Happy ten years! It's always interesting to go back to the old posts and see how we wrote back then. I cringe too at some of my earlier ones, especially those that were diary entries or just a rant about my day! :P But it's also a great way of seeing how much you have grown and matured. I've followed you from the very early days and have always enjoyed reading your posts even though I may not always comment on them. Here's to many more years of blogging!!

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    1. Thank you, Sanch!

      Hahaha, I have posted enough rants too. I don't even want to go back to check it now :P

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  7. Happy Ten Years!! May you have many more, many more. :D I do not remember how did I hop on to your blog, but I have been reading you since many years now.

    I have no words for how amazing blogging community is! People here can actually decipher the true meaning behind the written words.


    Once again, Congratulations.

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    1. Thank you so much! Thank you for coming back to read and comment all the time.

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  8. Yay!!! Congratulations on completing a decade. I am glad that I found your blog and follow it. I can't wait to someday meet you in real life. Here is 10 more!!!

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    1. Thank you, I'm sure we'll meet sometime soon.

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  9. Congratulations on 10 years of blogging, Soumya. I love to read your honest posts. And it's inspiring to see you writing with the same passion every day. I mean to say that I have seen many bloggers leaving this space over time, venturing into other paths, but you are here writing with a spark and passion, inspiring your readers. Reading my old posts leaves me with such a mixed feeling. But I like the old posts as a mark of where I was, who I was, and how I was. Some perks of having a blog, I guess. :)
    Here's to many more decades of blogging and writing, Sooumya. <3

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    1. Thank you so much for this kind comment, Vinitha :)

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  10. Happy Anniversary, Soumya.
    And so happy that blogging led me to you.
    The best thing about your posts and blog is that it's you, unabridged version of you and I love that. No pretense and it's hard to get that today.

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    1. Ditto with me, Naba. I feel so good that blogging introduced me to such wonderful people.

      Thank you so much.

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  11. It is great to know someone who is blogging for similar reasons as I do and that is for the love of expressing oneself and being part of the great community of bloggers. I really enjoy your not a movie review series and my favourite one till date is the Karan Johar's post. I find it strange to know women contacting you to tell you are doing wrong with your feminist posts by focussing on women to change themselves. Do they not know in their hearts that to change the world first we, the women, have to stand up for ourselves?
    Congratulations, Soumya, for staying true to yourself in the last 10 years and wish you you many more decades of making a difference with your voice.

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    1. That was quite some post I agree, Anamika :D

      Some women just don't get that the change they wish to see needs to come from them. I guess it is easier to place the blame on someone else than do something about it.

      Thank you so much!

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  12. Many many congratulations, dear Soumya! 10 years is such a huge and fantastic milestone! And I wish you many more such decades of fulfilling writing and blogging.

    I did not realize you started the blog for mostly writing poetry and fiction, but I am glad you started writing on other topics that you feel passionately about. Because as much as I love your poetry, I love the other posts too, as they are the ones I feel like I've gotten to know you through. They reflect your personality and all things that make you uniquely you, and so very awesome!

    Hugs, love, and best wishes for many more such fulfilling decades of LOL!

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  13. A huge applause and congratulations on completing a decade of writing. I have always loved your style of writing... unapologetic and bold. You make a strong statement girl and I completely admire that about you.
    I wish you many more wonderful decades of blogging :)

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    1. Thank you so much, Raj. This comment makes me feel so good :)

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  14. Hey, congratulations for your blog's 10th anniversary!

    I have always found your writing not only interesting and relatable,but also inspirational. I see you as my hero, the kind of person I wish I was. It does take courage to go through what you have, to speak your mind and to stick to your opinion without crumbling under pressure. Keep writing and inspiring us, dear Soumya! Your blog is one of the blogs I love to visit!
    Much love! <3

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    1. Thank you so much, Shilpa! Your words always make me feel so good. You are my hero too, a crusader! Love you for that.

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