Towards An Understanding of The Writing Process ~ Paul Liam
Writers
approach the writing process differently. What works for Writer A might not
work for Writer B, therefore, it is important for the aspiring writer to
understand that what defines a writer is style, what is often referred to as
the writer’s voice. However, style in writing is influenced by certain factors
such as genre or subgenre preferences and the kind of books a writer reads. Those
who love crime fiction are certainly going to be better at writing crime
fiction, those who read poetry are already setting themselves up to becoming
poets and those who love to read essays about criticism are already defining
their paths of becoming critics and book reviewers albeit subconsciously. What
the beginning writer needs to do primarily is to know which of the genre he or
she wants to be known for, this identification creates a sense of focus and
direction in the writer who then sets about learning the rudiments of the
selected genre. Of course, after attaining some level of proficiency in a genre
the writer can switch or try other genres, but it is better to master the art
of writing in a particular genre before moving to another one in order to avoid
becoming the doer of everything and master of none.
The place
of reading in the life of a writer cannot be quantified. Many young writers
have difficulties in understanding the direction of their writing because they
are limited, they are scared kind of, but there has never been a writer who
didn’t read. Reading is the number one goal of a writer who wishes to become
successful and there is no shortcut to achieving that. I know that some face
the challenges of access to books, but you can always borrow from your
teachers, school libraries or uncles or friends. Today, the internet is at the
tip of our fingers, we can access millions of books via a simple Google search.
Reading, for the aspiring writer should not be limited to materials in his or
her area of interest alone because at the early stage the interest is to amass
knowledge and any knowledge is important to the writer. In the future, this
knowledge forms part of what becomes the writer’s experiences and often makes the
writing process a lot easier.
If you ask
two students a question, the one who reads is always the one who has a lot to
say about everything whether right or wrong because such student is always in
possession of knowledge which they can learn to appropriate as they grow older.
But the one who does not read is often shy, unsure and unwilling to risk their
reputation by even trying to guess an attempt. The point is that an aspiring
writer’s first assignment is to conquer the fear of reading. Dear aspiring
writer, please, read, read, read, read and read until you can read no more. It
is the only sure way of acquiring the requisite skills that you need for the
betterment of your art. I use to trek a long distance to the Niger State
library just so I could read, for those of you familiar with Minna, I use to
trek from Tunga to 1,2,3 quarters through railway. I knew my life depended on
the books I could find in the library. That was how much I desired knowledge
and wanted to better my skills.
The job of
a writer is to write, after reading as many books as possible the aspiring
writer begins to experiment with different styles of writing, it is from that
experimentation that she or he then begins to develop a concrete sense of
artistic direction. This takes time, it is a gradual process. I have observed
that those who shortchanged themselves by trying to be smart by boycotting the
process end up having difficulties in writing; they are mostly the people who
abandon writing after a few attempts at publishing. But those who truly have
sacrificed their time to learning the rudiments never leave writing no matter
what the challenges are because to them it is more than just becoming known as
an author, it is about building a formidable writing career that almost often
pays in the end.
The
aspiring writer must have the patience to acquire the basic knowledge and
skills about writing and this include understanding the characteristics
inherent in a particular genre. If one is interested in poetry for example, it
is important to study the figures of speech and understand their significance
to the beauty of a poem. Those interested in fiction must study the
characteristics of a story or fiction as understanding the elements and how
they work helps you to have basic background knowledge that you need to start experimenting
as a writer. What you know about writing determines to a great extent what you
are going to accomplish as a writer.
Writing is
about patience and hard work. It takes time for anyone to become a really good writer;
it often comes from active practice and years of learning. Any great writer you
see around was or is still a great reader of books. Books are the fuel of
writing, without it the brain will malfunction. In other words, to be a writer
is to be a reader! Don’t say I know this already that is the spirit of a man
who will not go far in life, sometimes we all need to be reminded of what we
already know. It is life’s wisdom, learn it and keep it in your heart. A
budding writer must be open to new and old knowledge accordingly.
Note: This short essay was originally
written for the consumption of members of the Paul Liam Creative Writing Class,
a WhatsApp group.
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Paul Liam is a Nigerian poet, writer and literary critic. He is an
Associate Editor at The Arts-Muse Fair.
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