From pages to pen: I read because I want to write
Reading and writing are intertwined in a profound way. Writing is a formidable art that demands extensive contemplation, meticulous planning, careful word selection, and skilful sequencing to convey one’s message effectively. But, above all, it requires unwavering patience.
Writers put pen to paper intending to share their message or communicate with an audience. While spoken words have long been used to convey messages, the enduring impact of the written word surpasses that of spoken communication.
Although readers come from diverse backgrounds and often have little in common, writers share a fundamental trait — they are all readers. No respectable writer embarks on their writing journey without undertaking a monumental reading exercise. In fact, there is a concept known as “reading to write” or studying to write.
While it may seem logical that extensive and effective reading is essential to achieving competent writing, it is reasonable to question whether all writers reproduce what they read. My answer to this question is a resounding no. What one writes is not necessarily a reflection of their reading material; rather, it is inspired or shaped by what they have read.
Consider an original writer who delves into social issues like poverty or inequality. This writer may draw inspiration from other works in the field or incorporate elements from existing writings to frame and structure their own writings. While the tone and sequencing of thoughts belong to the writer, this amalgamation is what we consider original. However, the style, framework, and initial writing inspiration often originate from external sources. This is where the significance of reading, or effective reading before writing, becomes essential.
My writing journey began through a friend who was two years my senior. We attended the same secondary school, and he possessed a natural gift for academics, effortlessly excelling in his studies. However, he had a reserved demeanour in public, preferring to express himself with minimal words, yet his presence commanded attention.
I was fortunate enough to be one of the few friends who had access to his writings, which, at the time, seemed incomprehensible to me. He kept a small red writing book to himself, filled with short stories that were often satirical or comic. But, as he was interested in journalism, he would also craft news articles, pretending to be pieces for then-popular outlets such as the BBC Somali Service.
I relished reading his pseudo-reportage, written in the language he felt most comfortable expressing himself — Somali. Moreover, his writing extended beyond news articles, encompassing short stories about romance, travel, and loneliness. Now, with the benefit of hindsight, all of these pieces make perfect sense to me.
Simply by reading his prose, I fell in love with writing, even without attempting it myself. Many years later, however, I finally began to write my own thoughts, expressing my emotions and observations about the world around me.
Like my old friend, I found the social and natural realms captivating, as a constant source of inspiration for coherent written expression. Yet, despite producing good essays and theses during my university education, my personal writing remained rudimentary for several years. It took time for it to develop into something meaningful and coherent. Eventually, I discovered the impediment to my progress was not a lack of effort or talent but rather a deficiency in my reading habits.
I realised that reading is the foundation of writing; the absence of writing is synonymous with the absence of reading. While it is possible to read without writing, writing without reading is impossible. Every writer is a reader, but not every reader becomes a writer.
My writing journey is an ongoing process that continues to evolve, and one constant throughout is my commitment to reading in order to write.
