A few weeks ago, I attended a talk show “Penulisan Kreatif” which was organized by my office. It was a topic I was interested greatly. Despite the many tips provided during the presentation, there’s one remark I memorized the most: “to be able to write, you need to read a lot.” I have never considered myself a great reader. Yet, this statement without a doubt hit the nail on the head. It’s really a herculean task to write anything at all if we do not read. Reading offers us a constantly growing knowledge, builds a new world, and enriches our soul as well. The more you read, the more you know. It is a perfect weapon to sharpen your writing skills as reading and writing usually tend to go hand in hand.
I remember when I was a kid; my dad often brought me storybooks published by Balai Pustaka from the library. My dad was a teacher so naturally he always encouraged his children to read. I loved those stories he brought home back then. I read “Siti Nurbaya, Tenggelamnya Kapal Van Der Wijck, Hulubalang Raja, Salah Asuhan”, etc. Those were amazing classics with high literary attributes attached. Perhaps, that’s why I fell in love with literature. I wanted to to follow in my dad’s footsteps and became a teacher so that I could read and write a lot. Then, I took English Literature as my subject in college for practical reason only; I hated match! Later, I soon discovered that there’s no such complicated matrix and numbers calculation in the subject. It turned out that I loved it. It was due to the fact that I loved reading stories. Reading helps me to shape my imagination and accumulate knowledge, thus in turn providing some materials to write.
But as I grow older, I read less and less. The course of life had steered me to obtain another profession in a totally different work field. I abandoned my passion for writing and got totally absorbed in my official job in the office. The work becomes routine and monotonous. Glued to your desk at all times isn’t fun at all. It increasingly becomes a drag. It makes the brain to stay still, living in a dormant state of being. Somehow, there’s always a nagging inside me to write. It is an effective way to kill the monotony.
There are so many different reasons why people write. If you type the words “why I write” in Google search engine, you will find abundance of reasons ‘whys’. “To learn, to express, to kill boredom, to create” are a few reasons people given for why they write. As for myself, I find these simple reasons to write.
1. To exercise the mind
Reading and writing is like an exercise to the mind. The activity stimulates the brain to be active. I challenge the creativity of pouring an idea into a piece of writing. Since my main interest is in literature, mostly I create short stories and poems. It’s fun drowning in the spider webs of words.
If the line of work you are in does not provide any encouragement to write, don't let this stop you of doing it. It's an effective way to keep your mind sharp. It's like a whetstone for a sword to prevent its edge getting dull.
2. To kill boredom
Doing routine daily creates boredom. If you cannot get out of this situation, you will end up dragging your foot after another just to get to your workplace. It is more excruciating to get your work done. Life in office will be just another depressed routine. You will be dead of boredom before you know it.
Writing offers me an escapade from such devastating circumstances. The activity gives me joy and amusement. For me, it is almost as soothing as a piece of music. So, anytime I am on the verge of bumping my head on my desk (lol), I let my fingers dance on my keyboard for awhile… letting them capturing my imagination and ideas.
3. To deliver a protest or a critics and to express ideas
Having no access to say any words of protest to a certain policy that puts you into a losing end, often we are forced to utilize any means available. It is the only means of communication available in my position at the moment. It is an effective communication when you are never invited into any formal meetings. I don’t like getting entangled in a heated debate or arguing, so I choose to express my opinion in the forms of a piece of writing.
4. To get a satisfaction feeling
Well… I don’t get any money in writing at the moment but in the long run, I might be able to get some.... who knows... . I remember sending my short story into a contest, and I got money and some books as the prize. It's pretty awesome feeling. Anyway, writing offers you a kind of satisfaction, an elevated feeling of being recognized, when the readers love the works you’ve done. Having such readers is just so amazing.
5. To encourage reading more
In order to have an improved skill in composing your words, you need to read a lot. I love reading novels which in turns affect me greatly in the way I write.
So, if you want to write well, my piece of advice is “keep reading more and more”. It is important that you write your own idea. It provides the chance to practice structuring and elaborating your train of thoughts into an orderly piece of work. In time, if you keep doing this, you will find writing a piece of cake thing to do. Don't just copy paste other's articles without citing the source. It's like bringing other's cake into the party and claiming it as yours. It's like cheating during an exam. In the end, you will lose the chance to practice. No matter how trivial your ideas might seem, it is always all right just to scribble it down in your writing. Remember "practice makes perfect."
I remember when I was a kid; my dad often brought me storybooks published by Balai Pustaka from the library. My dad was a teacher so naturally he always encouraged his children to read. I loved those stories he brought home back then. I read “Siti Nurbaya, Tenggelamnya Kapal Van Der Wijck, Hulubalang Raja, Salah Asuhan”, etc. Those were amazing classics with high literary attributes attached. Perhaps, that’s why I fell in love with literature. I wanted to to follow in my dad’s footsteps and became a teacher so that I could read and write a lot. Then, I took English Literature as my subject in college for practical reason only; I hated match! Later, I soon discovered that there’s no such complicated matrix and numbers calculation in the subject. It turned out that I loved it. It was due to the fact that I loved reading stories. Reading helps me to shape my imagination and accumulate knowledge, thus in turn providing some materials to write.
But as I grow older, I read less and less. The course of life had steered me to obtain another profession in a totally different work field. I abandoned my passion for writing and got totally absorbed in my official job in the office. The work becomes routine and monotonous. Glued to your desk at all times isn’t fun at all. It increasingly becomes a drag. It makes the brain to stay still, living in a dormant state of being. Somehow, there’s always a nagging inside me to write. It is an effective way to kill the monotony.
There are so many different reasons why people write. If you type the words “why I write” in Google search engine, you will find abundance of reasons ‘whys’. “To learn, to express, to kill boredom, to create” are a few reasons people given for why they write. As for myself, I find these simple reasons to write.
1. To exercise the mind
Reading and writing is like an exercise to the mind. The activity stimulates the brain to be active. I challenge the creativity of pouring an idea into a piece of writing. Since my main interest is in literature, mostly I create short stories and poems. It’s fun drowning in the spider webs of words.
If the line of work you are in does not provide any encouragement to write, don't let this stop you of doing it. It's an effective way to keep your mind sharp. It's like a whetstone for a sword to prevent its edge getting dull.
2. To kill boredom
Doing routine daily creates boredom. If you cannot get out of this situation, you will end up dragging your foot after another just to get to your workplace. It is more excruciating to get your work done. Life in office will be just another depressed routine. You will be dead of boredom before you know it.
Writing offers me an escapade from such devastating circumstances. The activity gives me joy and amusement. For me, it is almost as soothing as a piece of music. So, anytime I am on the verge of bumping my head on my desk (lol), I let my fingers dance on my keyboard for awhile… letting them capturing my imagination and ideas.
3. To deliver a protest or a critics and to express ideas
Having no access to say any words of protest to a certain policy that puts you into a losing end, often we are forced to utilize any means available. It is the only means of communication available in my position at the moment. It is an effective communication when you are never invited into any formal meetings. I don’t like getting entangled in a heated debate or arguing, so I choose to express my opinion in the forms of a piece of writing.
4. To get a satisfaction feeling
Well… I don’t get any money in writing at the moment but in the long run, I might be able to get some.... who knows... . I remember sending my short story into a contest, and I got money and some books as the prize. It's pretty awesome feeling. Anyway, writing offers you a kind of satisfaction, an elevated feeling of being recognized, when the readers love the works you’ve done. Having such readers is just so amazing.
5. To encourage reading more
In order to have an improved skill in composing your words, you need to read a lot. I love reading novels which in turns affect me greatly in the way I write.
So, if you want to write well, my piece of advice is “keep reading more and more”. It is important that you write your own idea. It provides the chance to practice structuring and elaborating your train of thoughts into an orderly piece of work. In time, if you keep doing this, you will find writing a piece of cake thing to do. Don't just copy paste other's articles without citing the source. It's like bringing other's cake into the party and claiming it as yours. It's like cheating during an exam. In the end, you will lose the chance to practice. No matter how trivial your ideas might seem, it is always all right just to scribble it down in your writing. Remember "practice makes perfect."
No comments:
Post a Comment