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Excursions

On Notebooks, Words & Language

“We never sit anything out. We are cups, quietly and constantly being filled. The trick is knowing how to tip ourselves over and let the beautiful stuff out.” - Ray Bradbury

This short quote captures my process of writing so perfectly. I find that the words flow most freely when I let my heart spill the thoughts, the stories on to a paper without holding back. Being afraid that the words you pen would be read, would be judged binds them. Shackles them within one’s heart. I believe they get trampled there.

This issue features thoughts from some brilliant minds on what makes writing natural. Be it in a notebook to be relished privately. Or be it published to be critiqued openly.

On Keeping a Notebook →

In this short essay from the 1968 anthology Slouching Towards Bethlehem, Joan Didion describes why she writes in her notebook. It provides a nice insight into what compels and inspires us to record our lives, in notebooks or even online in public in today’s hyper-connected world.

“It is a good idea, then, to keep in touch, and I suppose that keeping in touch is what notebooks are all about. And we are all on our own when it comes to keeping those lines open to ourselves: your notebook will never help me, nor mine you.”

Kurt Vonnegut's Greatest Writing Advice →

Kurt Vonnegut was very open to share his thoughts on writing – and very generous in providing his advice on how to and especially how not to write. I shared one of his original lectures on The Shapes of Stories in the second issue. However, it is always welcome to revisit the abundance of advice that he has left behind as part of his multiple public appearances.

“I don’t praise plots as accurate representations of life, but as ways to keep readers reading. When I used to teach creative writing, I would tell the students to make their characters want something right away—even if it’s only a glass of water. Characters paralyzed by the meaninglessness of modern life still have to drink water from time to time.”

Reflections on Writing by Henry Miller →

I always find it fascinating to read about what keeps writers motivated to write. What makes them come back to their desks every day and pour all their thoughts and stories out on to a paper. Continuing the theme of the second issue, here’s another brilliant essay from Henry Miller (and its insightful interpretation by brainpickings) where he dwells on how creating literature can affect a writer’s life.

“I do not believe in words, no matter if strung together by the most skillful man: I believe in language, which is something beyond words, something which words give only an adequate illusion of. Words do not exist separately, except in the minds of scholars, etymologists, philologists, etc. Words divorced from language are dead things, and yield no secrets.”

Very few writers can blend multiple genres while writing fiction. For Jennifer, it seems to come naturally. The moment I read Jennifer detail the plot for her latest fiction in tweet-length, I was instantly engaged. It managed to weave the genres of history and science fiction so effortlessly that I had to get reading. She has a natural ability to keep the reader enthralled by her writing. You can also read some fine short stories on her website.

Nothing works better for the focus than some ambient noise in the background (this is backed by research). For writers, there is no ambient noise better than that of a café hustle (this must be backed by some research too). Coffitivity lessens the pain in those times when you are stuck at home by providing some of the best natural ambient café sounds. So, wherever you physically are, you can write away amidst the right “noise” that works for you.

One Final Inspiration

Postscript

Have any recommendations or feedback for me? I’d love to hear from you. Just hit reply, or you can even email me.

Thank you for reading and sharing.

-Amit

One of my dad's closest friend passed away today. Understandably, my dad was very sombre for the whole day. He told me he had spoken to his friend just yesterday when he was all fine.

Just last week, my aunt too had lost her father. She also told me she had spoken to her dad just a day before and even he was all fine.

They both died due to heart failure. They both shared one more truth, though. They both already had a weak heart and both said that all the news around COVID and the resultant lockdown were making them lonelier. They felt burdened -- even though they had their close family and friends always around them for support.

Will we also add these deaths to the this pandemic's toll? Because, of course, these aren't isolated cases. The psychological fallout is far-reaching than immediately noticeable symptoms.

We should. It has curtailed many more lives than those that get reported.

I'm not subscribing to HEY

I have finally made my mind. I am not going to pay for HEY. It is a wonderful service, no doubt. I love it. I just don't need it.

I have been using HEY for almost two weeks now and since last few days, I have hardly acted on any emails the way the team wants me to. Most emails have been filtered out. Tells me an email as a communication medium is already pretty worthless for me. I can't pay so much for something that's worth so little. Here's my state from yesterday as I responded to an ongoing conversation.

HEY makes my email even more worthless than it already is for me. I hardly see any emails getting filtered through to me. I'm yet to decide if it's a good thing or a bad one.

I have always been a user of the free Gmail service until now. I have evaluated many email services over the years, but haven't paid for any. I do not run my livelihood over my personal email. Neither do I receive so many emails that managing them becomes a hassle of any sort. I could just sit down for a few minutes and handle all of them together. I hardly have to triage them -- snooze or reply later are all nice features. But I rarely need them.

If all the other emails services failed to pique any interest in me earlier, why did HEY even come so close? Well, because I do see how all the features they tout as game-changing can actually solve the problems many people face with their email. No wonder then that even I want to use all the features. But my current lifestyle just doesn't have any need for any of those.

But the screening and the feed and the paper trail?

Well, I spent the last couple of hours on Gmail to clean my filters -- and with that, I have now got a pretty similar workflow in place with the help of filters and customized priority inbox. Here's how my inbox looks.

Will I be able to maintain it? No idea. I have managed to sail through for so long. I had no clue about the sheer amount of emails even my current system was already "screening" out. So, I believe I would be fine.

Won't I love if a system did that for me? Well, sure I would love that. But you see Hey doesn't want to be that system. Here's an excerpt from their manifesto.

Email’s better with a human at the helm. That’s you. You’re better at deciding where things go, what your intentions are, and how you want things set up. The machines have a lot of learning to do before they'll be able to second-guess whether you actually wanted to see that email, whether it was a receipt or a newsletter, and even what you should be writing someone. At HEY, it's human intelligence over artificial intelligence.

The whole workflow in HEY begins with me screening the first time senders before they arrive at my inbox. Well, nice. However, am ok to take the same decision after it has reached my inbox -- I will create a filter. That's ugly, manual work sure. But it doesn't cost me $99/year worth of my time.

I have already created labels for feeds and paper trail. And many more. Because you see, my emails don't just fit in these two categories. I have a lot many more filters. And I have pretty simple rules for each.

  • I need this mail in my inbox, unread.
  • I need this to skip my inbox, but stay unread. I will get to it.
  • I need this to skip my inbox and get marked as read.
  • I need this to be deleted.

That's it. All my filters do just this. I will continue to do so manually. (I do wish though that the Gmail's Android app allowed creating simple filters in their app.)

And am ok to lose the email address I want?

Well, I've currently shared my Gmail address everywhere. Even if I shift to HEY, I have to change the email address registered with many of the services. I think if I am ever to go through all this trouble, it would be for one with my custom domain. In which case, it won't matter what email address I get on the service.

All in all, HEY is a brilliant service with a fresh perspective towards the way we use our emails. It can potentially enliven the email offerings from all the players, just the away Gmail did back in 2004. But I don't face the problem it is trying to solve; I have no use for all its groundbreaking features. So, I can in no way justify paying the price it asks for it.

I just watched Hamilton and am left breathless -- what an experience this was. I'm so glad that Disney decided to release it digitally worldwide so that the people world over can witness the extravaganza. There were so many moments when I was singing and swaying along or sitting stunned in my seat mesmerized. No doubt, the live experience would be many-fold grander. But there's no chance in hell I would get to see this show live ever. At least, I can appreciate now why it is praised so much by anyone who has been lucky to experience this live.

I never knew I would enjoy a Broadway Musical so much. This makes me wonder what else have I missed. Are there any such great shows that are available to stream? I do want to explore and watch more from this form of art too.

USA! USA! USA!

Give me liberty or give me death? In response, the Pandemic leans forward with a big grin full of rotting teeth. Why not both? Go out! Have some fun. You’ve been cooped up too long. You deserve this.

To all who hear me, you deserve something far better than a fun holiday weekend. You deserve a long and happy life. Tell the Pandemic to get bent. Stay close to home, and cheer our nation’s beginning from your backyard or living room.

I wish more people world around listened to Cheri Baker. I do not stay in the USA. But even when peeking from outside, the attitude of "I live my life on my terms, the world be damn" is pretty clearly evident among Americans.

It's not cute when you see a child struggling with a magazine because she thinks it's an iPad; it's sad. Give the kids books and magazines to play with before you give them a smartphone or an iPad. They will grow more better.

What else could I do?

I am making sure I stay sane, healthy. I am spending time on, for and with myself. I am taking care of myself to the extent that I never did before.

What else could I do?

I am making sure my family stays safe. I am sharing stories, laughing a lot with them. I am playing with my daughter. All her games, without judging them. I go on an unplanned date with my wife right at home every now and then, spend a cosy morning with her in the balcony with a cup of hot tea. I am spending time with my family to the extent that I never did before.

What else could I do?

As I go outside, I always wear a mask. I do not have or present any justification to not wear one. There can't be one. I try to enlighten others, closed ones and those that aren't so, the importance of being responsible once outside of homes.

What else could I do?

Well, there is so much more that I could do. I do not openly express my anguish looking at the adverse situation the impoverished lots are going through. I do not stand for the rights of minorities world around as much as I should. Or contribute towards changing the clearly imbalanced societal status quo.

Or speak up openly when I see a gender bias in play. I haven't yet told that one guy to not keep saying "guys" in a meeting with many of my female colleagues. It is wrong. I cringe every time. But I could also speak up.

“Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love.” -- Mother Teresa

Change doesn't always need radical corrections. I could bring the minor shifts in my behaviour and make my surrounding a fair place for all.

So, what else could I do?

Well, I could not ask that question because I know there's so much that I do not do. Let me make an effort to be a better version of myself because there's no doubt that I can never be perfect.

I'm not going to write about...

  • Facebook and Zuckerberg. And I think even the big publications all round, the likes of Wired and NYTimes, need to stop writing about the issues inside Facebook. They call their edits "exclusive", tag them as an inside look at what transpired behind the tall walls. But that hardly matters - nothing ever changes at the crazy place. Because the people who can bring the change, don't want to. For some reason that is hard to fathom to outsiders, they all are conflicted within.
  • Apple and Google. Too much is said about everything big and small about these companies. It piques interests in readers and so every publication has something to report about them. I can't add anything more to what has already been said, that too by minds a lot smarter than mine. I don't want to add to the noise.
  • Politics. Talking about the doesn't help my morale. It rather makes me a lot angrier than I need to be. And to no avail.
  • Meta rants about Blog. Not my writing workflow. Not the minor tweaks I keep making every now and then. Not the struggles I go through to get things exactly right. Just write and edit what I wrote. Keep the place the way I like to see it. Hear what others have to say about the place, the workflow, tweak it if needed and forget.
  • Things I need to do. Announce them when ready. Instead of writing about it, start doing it. Get started.

The secret of getting ahead is getting started.

Mark Twain

You know, ultimately, we all have to believe things we haven't seen. As rational as we are, as committed to intellect as we are. Innovation, creativity, development come not from the ideas in our mind alone. They are also fueled by some conviction in our heart. And it's that mind-heart connection that I believe compels us to not just be attentive to all the bright and dazzly things, but also the dark and difficult things. Vaclav Havel, the great Czech leader, said, 'When we were in Eastern Europe and dealing with oppression, we wanted all kinds of things, but mostly what we needed was hope, an orientation of the spirit, a willingness to sometimes be in hopeless places and be a witness.'

Bryan Stevenson

Yesterday I managed to get all my subscriptions into a single place to check how much I was spending on services. Boy, I was in for a shock. My subscription for media services has grown two-fold. Lockdown is, of course, a cause. So, I will let it float around till normalcy returns outside.

I always had my media and productivity services balanced, of course, it was never intentional. But I guess the addition of a HEY subscription might bring things again in balance. I still have 5 days to decide.

Speaking of tracking subscriptions, I used an app called Bobby while I was on iOS and I sorely missed it since I shifted to Android. However, I've found a brilliant app called (of course) Subscriptions. The app has one job and it does perfectly.

The second issue of Slanting Nib & A Keyboard is out and should be in your inboxes if you'd subscribed. I hope it caught your interest and hopefully brought a smile to your face and some thoughts in your mind.

If you haven't subscribed, you can read it online. And if you do like it, please subscribe. I have also published a page that spells out why I started the newsletter and what you can expect from each issue.

I am pretty excited with this side project -- if nothing else, it has made me discover some gem of essays from minds way smarter than mine. I hope the zeal stays on.

Polaroid Snapshot and a Windowpane

“Words are a lens to focus one’s mind” - Ayn Rand

Words, being pre-eminent, have the potential to engross you for hours; beyond that, they have the power to mould your personality. Yet, they are ethereal when they come from the accomplished masters of the art form.

Khaled Hosseini said during one of his interviews, “there’s always something to be learned by reading another writer”. That is exactly what this second issue is about, some words of wisdom from authors well-renowned.

George Orwell: Why I Write →

Why I Write, the essay of George Orwell. First published: summer 1946. A fascinating look at Orwell’s early life and what made him the writer that he eventually became.

It is his [a writer’s] job, no doubt, to discipline his temperament and avoid getting stuck at some immature stage, in some perverse mood; but if he escapes from his early influences altogether, he will have killed his impulse to write. Putting aside the need to earn a living, I think there are four great motives for writing, at any rate for writing prose.
All writers are vain, selfish, and lazy, and at the very bottom of their motives there lies a mystery. Writing a book is a horrible, exhausting struggle, like a long bout of some painful illness. And yet it is also true that one can write nothing readable unless one constantly struggles to efface one’s own personality. Good prose is like a windowpane

On the Journals of Famous Writers →

Dustin Illingworth Eavesdrops on Flannery O'Connor, Susan Sontag, and More. “Few literary artifacts remain as consistently enigmatic as the author’s journal. It seems to me that the more we read of them, the more elusive their provenance”

Over the past few months, I have lived within the journals of heroes and strangers, compared daily word counts with Virginia Woolf, trembled before Alma Mahler’s social calendar, pitied Kafka’s lovers. I’ve read pages and pages with interest and empathy, with boredom and more than a little shame. But having traversed that stack of lives, what remains more than anything, tingling like a phantom limb, is a sensation of stillness: the journal as the eye of the writing life’s storm.
“In the journal,” Susan Sontag wrote, “I do not just express myself more openly than I could to any person; I create myself.”

My Life's Sentences - by Jhumpa Lahiri →

Jhumpa Lahiri recounts her relationship with her sentences. A fine way to look at how a story or a novel, what she refers to as forest, is conceived - “one in front of the other”.

Constructing a sentence is the equivalent of taking a Polaroid snapshot: pressing the button, and watching something emerge. To write one is to document and to develop at the same time. Sentences are the bricks as well as the mortar, the motor as well as the fuel. They are the cells, the individual stitches. Their nature is at once solitary and social.
Even printed, on pages that are bound, sentences remain unsettled organisms. Years later, I can always reach out to smooth a stray hair. And yet, at a certain point, I must walk away, trusting them to do their work. I am left looking over my shoulder, wondering if I might have structured one more effectively.

Cheri is an author with a brilliant mind. She has published some fine cosy mysteries that would be very valuable in these moments of isolation and social distancing. Besides, she is an astute reader of events going on around and shares her thoughts openly and regularly. Here’s an excerpt from a recent entry on her blog about her forced time in quarantine.

In a way, this moment feels like the morning after a storm. You go outside and check for damage, counting broken windows and dangling power lines, wondering how much it’s going to cost to put everything back together again. Only the thing that’s broken isn’t a house or a neighborhood, it’s the entire economy. And without a vaccine ready there are likely to be more storms rolling in. Still, even knowing that, I’m relieved to discover tiny moments of reprieve. Like a brief chat with a barista while they pull a shot of espresso, or twenty minutes sitting in the grass in a park.

Do purchase and read her books. And do follow her words.

You need a good word processor to begin writing; one powerful editor was featured in the last issue. But once you are staring at the blinking cursor inside that editor, it is staying focused, distraction-free that is absolutely necessary. Freedom helps you with exactly that. It blocks all the distractions for you to lend you a productive session of doing what you want to do. It can block apps, websites and even complete Internet access on your machine. It can sync sessions across all your devices, so you don’t go running to your smartphone when your laptop is locked down.

Freedom has saved me many hours from getting wasted. I am sure it can for every writer out there. Take it for a spin for the free trial run of 7 days.

One Final Inspiration…

Postscript

Have any recommendations or feedback for me? I’d love to hear from you. Just hit reply, or you can even email me.

Thank you for reading and sharing.

-Amit

The second issue of my weekly newsletter Slanting Nib & A Keyboard is ready and scheduled to be delivered in a few hours. I am completely humbled by the feedback and the response that the first issue received. I hope the second issue manages to keep the interest intact for the subscribers.

I am pretty excited with how this latest one has turned out too. Do check out the first issue and subscibe if you missed to do so earlier.

HEY has me conflicted

I paused at that last word in the title. I was so close to writing "hooked". But then I thought have they really sold the promise yet? No doubt, they are close. But, it's not a done deal yet.

Why is this service so enticing though? I mean it's just an email service. I don't even use the email that much. So why do I keep going back to HEY? It has got something to do with their promise. Of making me care even less for the email.

Every now and then I visit the "Screened Out" section to see all the mails I would have seen had I been using any other email app. And it is a mess in there. These emails never get filtered out with my existed setup. I am tired of setting all the filters in Gmail. It just doesn't work efficiently. Junk emails always end up reaching my inbox.

This hasn't been the case with HEY. Because they have decided on a sane default - everything screened out if not allowed earlier.

We ask every software to side with "opt-in" for every marginal aspect -- something that would split their users on whether they accept it or not. Why can't expect the same from our email service too?

And I haven't even gotten used to all the other features that I think are potential game-changers that many others have well documented.

  • I have merged and renamed the threads -- I like the cleaner workflow.
  • I have set aside the emails and marked them to be handled later. I like the idea.
  • I do not like the feed; in its current form, it is almost useless. Is it just there so that I can skim through and ignore?
  • I like the paper trail section. I don't want to see those emails, but want them handy.
  • I love sticky notes and notes that we can put on emails. Such a simple, but brilliant idea.

However, with all said, I am conflicted. Do I want the clean experience so bad that I am willing to pay the cost? Do the junk email that I have got into the habit of deleting without a second thought bother me so much that I am willing to pay the cost? Can't I just manually screen-out the emails?

I have about a week to decide.

My definition of magic in the human personality, in fiction and in poetry, is the ultimate level of attentiveness. Nearly everyone goes through life with the same potential perceptions and baggage, whether it’s marriage, children, education, or unhappy childhoods, whatever; and when I say attentiveness I don’t mean just to reality, but to what’s exponentially possible in reality. (...) Why are people incapable of ascribing to the natural world the kind of mystery that they think they are somehow deserving of but have never reached? This attentiveness is your main tool in life, and in fiction, or else you’re going to be boring.

Jim Harrison in The Art of Fiction

Finally, I have completed a pretty tricky exercise that I had started about a couple of weeks back. It wasn't tricky because I wanted to move my website to a different platform. It was tricky because I wanted to do it cleanly. I wanted to retain as many things that worked well for me as I could. I didn't want to break much that was core.

So, after days of experiments and trial runs, and notes and list of reviewed to-dos, I've managed to switch to WordPress. I will note down why someday - one short, but big reason though is editing. I am tired of working custom solutions with Blot -- it's a great service, no doubt. But you need to love your files a lot. I am currently not in that phase.

Anyway, as intended, the core is retained. The links are (hopefully 🤞) not broken. #IndieWeb support was a must, have stitched that in. The option to switch to a dark theme was a must. A simple reading experience was a must. I've managed to get good writing experience too. So, times now to sit back and relax.

Do let me know if see anything that's not working well. I won't mind if you also let me know if everything's working fine.

I am planning to roll out some changes to my blog. I fear there would be many things that would be broken. Most importantly, soon, the RSS feed may not work. So if you are following me via my RSS feed, you might miss my posts. If you do, please resubscribe in a few days.

I find it extremely interesting that I have most things going for it now. I do not know what's even missing. Why can't I just make this my new home? Sure if can't be bad, right?

Let's look at the pros and cons. Rather this is a thought dump of sorts. No pros and cons, just some quick thoughts to compare experiences.

  • My existing setup is a terrible writing experience. Every time I had to think where to post from. It is so terrible for instant posts. Not with the new setup.
  • With WordPress, I can post from which ever place that works now. I don't have to think to much about writing. Only focus on thought. Good for fixing too. Get things out and forget.
  • Theming is so easy with WordPress. No more struggling with files.
  • That reminds me. I am tired of working with files. Blot is good with files. But it wants to play with files. Not provide metadata as such. I provide metadata everytime. It defeats the purpose of the simplicity of Blot. Why mess around the frontmatter? I am tired of working that way. I want editor. Write and forget.
  • With WordPress though, I lose control and gain headache of managing instances again. Am I ok to sign up for that again? Can I trust myself with it? May be I need to. Let's give it a go.
  • Markdown is good but not always. Sometimes it is easier to work with WYSIWYG editors. Just write and forget. Sure markdown is more supported. It is again good when working in files. Not otherwise. Did I say am tired of files?

I am not yet sure how can I live without the quick draft. I need this option so bad. When I have a thought, I want to put it out.

Let's Dwell in Writing History

“Inspiration is hard to come by. You have to take it where you find it.” – Bob Dylan

Such a simple thought, yet so apt for the creative people all over. There are times when we get stuck and look for inspiration. There are times when we wish that finding help was simpler. With this newsletter, I intend to lend exactly that to the writers, a helping hand of sorts.

With every update, I will publish a curated list of the articles and tools that I believe every writer would find interesting and helpful. I will also feature one writer that inspires me to write more, along with some of their writing.

So, here’s the first update that dwells into a bit of writing history.

The Evolution of Writing →

The evolution of writing from tokens to pictography, syllabary and alphabet illustrates the development of information processing to deal with larger amounts of data in ever greater abstraction.

A Brief History of Writing →

Fascinating to learn about the evolution of the writing instruments, of the ways we share our thoughts through writing words. From Pictographs to Alphabets.

How and When Pencils, Markers, Gel Pens, and Erasers Were Invented →

Did you know Pencils got their name from the English word meaning ‘brush’, breadcrumbs were first used as erasers and early highlighters were just “a glass bottle that held ink and a wool-felt wick”?

When I was actively writing fiction at Medium, I had read a few short stories from Lizella, and I’ve been a big fan of her imagination since then. In Lizella’s own words, her writing is “mostly free fiction, mostly female protagonists, and twisty endings”. And she absolutely nails it every single time. As a short excerpt of her thoughts, here’s how she describes humour.

Humor means different things to different people. For some, it’s a hearty belly laugh. For others, it’s slowly understanding that things are not what they seem in a way that makes you smile.

A Swiss-knife of a word processor. Google Docs has all the writing and organization features that any word editor, especially Microsoft Word, would have. But it excels at being an extremely well thought of online word processor. Save it in your Google Drive, have it accessible on every device. Find meanings of the words or even explore their usage right where you write. Finally, there is the unmatched collaboration functionality - shared drafts, get feedback.

One Final Inspiration…

I am about to start an exciting project. I plan to publish a newsletter for writers — a writing toolkit, of sorts. With each short update, I will post a set of helpful/interesting links and tools to get you inspired to write more. I would love to get some feedback on what works and what doesn’t.

“Do one thing every day that scares you,” said Mary Schmich. I am shit-scared of getting myself into another side project. But the concept of this newsletter excites me and I want to take a go at it. So, do let me know if you would be ok to help me with your early and frank opinion.

The first issue of Slanting Nib & A Keyboard is ready and scheduled for delivery!

Another test post, from the WordPress editor. Things look absolutely fine from here. They aren't wrong.

Why does it matter how they look on the inside? Will I ever want to look there? Possibly not. Then why does it matter? Why can't I use this as my editor of choice?

Every Pixar Movie Ranked *

Pixar Animation Studios

Vox Media has an updating list of all the Pixar movies, ranked by their Culture team from worst to best. They have been doing this since last year. So it is interesting to see the list updated with every Pixar release.

Since the release of its very first feature film, Toy Story, in 1995, Pixar has become one of Hollywood’s most celebrated animation studios. Ranging from superhero adventures to tales of a lonely robot on a post-apocalyptic Earth, the studio’s 22 movies to date have earned plaudits for being artistically adventurous and telling stories ostensibly aimed at kids that have just as many adult fans. 

Yep, absolutely. I whole-heartedly agree. I and my family had recently watched Onward and had thoroughly enjoyed it. So when Vox says lets ” take a look back at the high highs and low-ish lows of the acclaimed animation studio”, even I want to attempt that. I do not agree with Vox Culture team’s ranking. So I want to put my own rankings out there.

* Nope, not gonna do that. I can’t rank all of them. There are 22 — how can you ever say if The Bug’s Life is worse than Cars 2. So, I will just give out my top ten; this is not a commentary in any sense. I am not a film critic. I can’t explain why one is artistically better than the other. What I can say is why I like, nah, love each movie in here.

10. Cars (2006)

As far as I can recall, this was one of the early movies I saw from the Pixar studio and I was left completely mesmerized. It was also the first time I realized how emotional an animated movie can leave you. The story was wonderful, made me emotional at many moments. And it wove the same magic for my daughter. So this remains a special movie, to this day; doesn’t matter if it is actually a good movie or not.

9. Onward (2020)

We watched the one the most recently as we were stuck at home for more than 3 months. And the fun we had as a family throughout was completely unforgettable. It made us laugh, made us cry and at times even terrified. It made us forget about all the terrible news that was spread through the world outside — makes it a very special movie for me.

8. Monsters Inc. (2001)

Again, another of the early movies from Pixar. I wasn’t a parent then, but it made me aware for the first time what parenting would be. As I watched Sulley and Mike struggle to keep Boo safe, at the same time growing closer to her, it made me worried and equally excited for the parent that I was one day going to be. I fell in love with Boo as she expressed myriad of expressions through her toddler face.

7. Inside Out (2015)

This has to be one of the smartest and most creative animated movies ever made. Such a creative story stitched into a brilliant movie. The colours, the characters, their journeys alone and together. How they drove the central human character was fascinating. This was again a movie that made me realize what I need not do around my daughter as she reaches adolescence one day. The story was clever, the execution was top-notch and the emotional attachment was to the point.

6. Wall-E (2008)

Another clever movie from Pixar. The first half without any spoken words was absolutely brilliant. I still can’t fathom how the studio made us fall in love with a squarish droid. He doesn’t speak, he doesn’t have any human features. But he expressed so many emotions that many of the well-paid actors fail to do. Wall-E’s struggle to express his love for Eve had me root for this lovely droid throughout the movie. Wish humans didn’t arrive later in the movie to spoil what could have been the finest movie of all times.

5. Toy Story (1995)

Another movie that I watched way back in my teens when I had started to believe I had become too grown up to watch animated movies any more. Pixar prove me wrong — boy what a masterpiece this one is. A movie with a brilliant story that also teaches you so much. Still being so much fun at the same time. Toy Story completely defined the roadmap for future animated films — they had to cater to the kids and the adults with a kid within at the same time. This movie did it so perfectly.

4. Coco (2017)

I love music. And I love getting emotional while watching a movie. Especially if it weaves stories around families. So Coco fit just the right spots for me. Boy, oh boy. Such a wonderful ride it was. Those mesmerizing colours. The peppy, moving music. The story that has you gripped throughout. Coco was an experience of a kind. Again, such a meaningful movie that teaches you the importance of a family. I had a tear rolling down my cheek during the final reunion song.

3. Finding Nemo (2003)

Another film that touched my yet-to-be-a-parent’s heart. I was rooting for the worried, clown-fish dad throughout his transformation. And I can’t recall how many more times have I rooted for this guy since then. I watch this movie every now and then with my daughter. She loves it; she asks me many questions about what plays out in the movie. I pull her close to me into a hug and answer her to the best of my abilities. Knowing very well, that soon she too would want to explore more and I would have to stop being overprotective and let her do that. Anyway, see that’s what even thinking about this movie does to me.

2. Toy Story 3 (2010)

There’s just so much to love about this movie. The friendship, the bond that we’ve seen grow over the 3 movies, comes so close to a culmination here. Full of laughter. Full of life-lessons. Full of heartbreaks. This is one hell of a movie - not just an animated one. Period. As Woody looks at Andy walking away while sitting close to Bonny towards the end, am sobbing away with joy. There are so many plots here and each one betters the last. This one is a string of masterclass at film making, one after another.

1. Up (2009)

Just with that masterful opening montage, this one enters my top ten list any day. I had a lump in my throat right at the beginning. The movie follows it up with weaving such a beautiful story about Carl and his relation with Russel and the many friends he makes over their journey to Paradise Falls. I loved each character in this movie. Russel. Kevin. Dug. Even Muntz for that matter. The movie had me empathize with this antagonist too before he goes all bat-shit crazy, that is. And of course, finally Carl. I loved Carl so much that I had one character based on him in my fictional short story series. Up will always remain a very special movie for me.

Best Moments from other movies

There are of course many other movies from Pixar that didn’t make the list but have some brilliant scenes. When She Loved Me song from Toy Story 2. All the action sequence from The Incredibles. Speech on criticism and creativity in the finale from Ratatouille. These movies could very well have made the list, just for these scenes. But, for me, the others on the list are just very close. So these remain the honourable mentions.