In Pursuit of Writing

I would say that my affinity with writing is by no means by chance. Since young, I have realized that I have this “thing” for visiting bookshops and libaries. Don’t get me wrong, I was never a bookworm. I don’t borrow piles of books and I don’t read like some obsessive reader who simply can’t put down a book and had to finish a book in one seating. No, it’s otherwise for me.

If I were to read a book, I need to spend days reading it. Know why? I tend to pause a lot during my reading, go grab a bite or something, and then I go back to my book. Sometimes, I just pause and thought for a moment. Sure, I enjoy the perks of reading, and the widely celebrated notion of “reading a book is like going on an adventure”. But then, I have never considered myself an avid reader. At least not for now, since I’ve got other priorities to attend to. Well, I could probably be called an avid “bookshop visitor” since I really do spend some time in a bookshop whenever I’m out in town hanging out with my mates, not to mention when I’m alone.

Here’s the surprise catch. I might not read extensively, but I write. Yes! You got it right, I write! I have always been a strong believer that you don’t have to follow a straight set of rules before you can accomplish something. In this case, I thought you don’t have to read all the books in the world to be a good writer.

I might not have read a lot of books, but I certainly have enough knowledge to know what’s the hype on the latest books now. Who’s writing what? I could almost name you at least a famous author from each genre without having to think twice.

I write a lot of poetry. But I couldn’t remember myself reading extensive poetry books of famous poets. And yet, I write poetry. That’s not to say I’m a damn fine poet. I’m pretty sure I’m not, at least for now. Then again, to me, writing a poem is a form of expression for me. When I feel like I need to express some deep thoughts or some emotions to let loose, I let words take over. And no, I have not taken song composition lessons at all but I like to write songs.

To me, I find that the number one rule to writing is that it must be an expression. The number two rule is that don’t forget that it is an expression. And so, no restrictions!

Of course, restrictions come in when there is copyright issues, or issues that might cross the lines of sensitive and controversial issues. These are what I would say the “commonsense” boundaries in writing. If you do write on a controversial issue like say racism of some sort, you need to be prepared to face the consequences.

Just like how you have probably heard of successful entrepreneurs not making past college, writers need not be proficient English lecturers. There are certainly ways you can polish your language skills.

For me, I do learn a lot through other sources like magazines, or even watching television shows or movies. Chinese movies provide English subtitles and you can even learn how words are used in the translation if you understand both.

Though I haven’t been writing much fiction, I like reading blurbs behind books. For the thrifty ones, this might save you some time and money. At a glance, you usually have an idea of what the book is about. Plotwise, you certainly wouldn’t run out of ideas should you think of writing one.

Also, it is good to check out reviews on books before buying them. Personally, I check out http://www.goodreads.com for reviews on books. It is good to see how other readers have their say on the books they read. You might be surprised to find that there are reviewers who write very well.

Until now, I am still honing my skills in writing. Besides still being an avid “bookshop visitor”, I try to read a bit more, and write as well. Triond is a good platform to start with.

I am sure everyone has a story to tell regarding their pursuit of writing. Just remember to keep those stories running!