When I started off this section named ‘quotables’, I had two reasons to do it. One because there is only one way of retaining all the words that I want to remember, that I write them somewhere. The more I use them, the more fresh they stay in my mind and lend their effectiveness to writing. Another reason was that I needed to keep pushing content on those days when I was not blogging. Essentially to drive organic traffic to the site, rather than the referral traffic which flows from blogger pals. It was supposed to be easy, quick job.
It is funny that my mind always starts with an exploiting attitude. I started a blog because someone told me one could make easy money by Adsense. I thought why not, I could do with some extra money. Though I have no idea how I would spend that extra money in case I got it. But then when I actually started to blog, it was a transforming experience on a more selfish level. It was when the covetous jerk in me was taken over by the learner. I enjoyed writing, I experienced emotions in words that I didn’t find elsewhere. It was beautiful. But then, I also looked for validation, for acceptance and to be read, isn’t that every writers dream? To be read and read more? Fortunately, I am no writer and am a self-centered egotist at the same time (but not an egoist, mind the difference, and also mind that I reserve the right to call me such to myself only). So, I read more and more, and I read sincerely, for I solemnly believe that if I am to get genuine readers if I am any good, I’ve got to read with integrity and sincerity. But that is hard work, but doesn’t hurt if you like doing it. The comment count increased, number of visits per day increased and I was happy, even without that money. And I made no money, I did not pursue it and liked what I did, I wrote aimlessly.
Eventually, I got interested in knowing it all, and that is one of the reasons of the tagline, ‘a million little things’. But not everyone wants to read everything and I needed that differentiation, and orderliness in my brain and in the place where I’d stash it all up. Result? We’re here!
So while this section also started as an attempt to boost readership from the internet, people looking for stuff, and hopefully increasing the RPM, it soon started to get interesting. I have many quotes saved in drafts, in text pads and files here and there, and I remember many of them. But I don’t just open them up, and copy paste them from there. I believe that each quote also needs an image to go along with it, which is a kind of allegory for the quote. That is hard work, finding the best picture is just as difficult as finding the right word ‘Le mote juste’ as they call it. You keep on tinkering with the search query, alter the pattern, think of a new perspective; it is tiring but I refuse to put up a mediocre image with a good quote.
In the course of finding these images, I discover new people every day. Because most of the time, I find these images on blog sites, or artist portals and if someone uses a beautiful image, there is no harm in assuming that they’ve used it to portray a beautiful emotion, or support it? So, that is one good experience.
Second is the authors of the quotes. I compulsorily link them to a Wiki page or a relevant page, just in case someone wants to know more. But I also try to read that page myself, because it is always a new experience, you keep discovering new literature. It is all very interesting. Maybe someday it will pay off financially too, but if it stops being enjoyable, it shouldn’t be pursued. I will shut it down, until I find a gratifying inspiration again.