Not Writing by Anu Venugopal

This is my version of Anne Boyer’s Not Writing

When I am not writing I am not writing a love story of an interracial couple who goes against the odds (and their parents) to have their own happily ever after. Nor am I writing a poem about my nieces, having tea parties in their makeshift tent, made out of blankets and bed sheets. I am not writing about my Christmas list for the year end or my ideal day at Pantai Cenang, Langkawi, just chillin’, having a few cocktails, watching the waves and clouds drift by. I am not writing a script about (some say), a crazy girl, who decided to quit her job and go to Spain and let the Universe invent her itinerary.

I am not writing a novel based on Paulo Coelho’s bestseller The Alchemist. I am not writing a poem about my late father’s obsession with vitamins, nor am I writing about 10 sure fire ways to escape a Narcissist mom. I am not even writing my to-do list on my discounted 2019 diary, a gift from my sister. I am not writing about the pros-and-cons of being a Non-Muslim in Malaysia after 62 years of Independence or a list of 20 Must-Try dishes when in Malaysia. I am not writing about the secret love life of Bruno, the German Shepard, who has inexplicably fallen for the Poodle, Penny Girl.

When I am not writing, I am not writing a traveler’s account of Istanbul, where the protagonist discovers heaven in the form of Turkish coffee. I am not writing about the weird guys I’ve met on online dating sites over the past 20 years nor I am writing about Pedro, who decided to become a monk after getting his heart broken by the love of his life, Elisa. I am not writing Anu: The Story So Far, the most riveting autobiography on the planet so far. I am not writing a tale about bumping into a tall, dark, handsome sailor in a random bar in the heart of the Lion City.