my love has unveiled.....

reading and writing are the best things in life for me. i do not know whether i am good at these things (do i have to be?) but i have the best of time doing these. i have been writing since i was about 10 (fiction). i only got into reading in secondary school ( J K Rowling's Harry Potter series do not count) after reading Matilda by Roald Dahl. that was the book that got me going.

i have travelled a lot in books. first i walked into the made-up world of Roald Dahl where Giants invaded the streets at midnight and there was a factory too cool to be described. slowly i ran into Kabul where Khaled Hosseini managed to get me hooked with the stunning storyline and plot. then i flew over, to india. Arundhathi Roy, Aravind Adiga, and Jhumpa Lahiri changed my idea of writing totally. the literary works with stunning prose and beautiful words had me dazzled off my feet. then came Malaysia, Preeta Samarasan had me on my knees worshiping her for the stunning debut, Evening is the Whole day. familiar scenes from malaysian life planted into her novel made me laugh like a made fool and cry like a baby. Jodi Picoult slowly transported me to America where i found out literary works can be contemporary.

all these are just a few examples of authors whom i love dearly. there are tens of others whom i did not state here who have influenced my reading style. now, i am hooked on Charles Dickens and Roald Dahl. who will be next? i don't know. i just keep going without a narrowed down list or genre, i discover authors almost every single week. reading these magnificent novels and writings, made me want to create pieces which are just as good. (whether i succeed in doing it or not is a totally different question all it's own).

nowadays, i love writing. short fiction are my favourite, i recently wrote one for MPH competition. writing the story, i realised that i wrote it because i loved doing it. (of course, i only realised it at the end, too late to change anything) creating characters, placing them in difficult situations, stepping into their shoes and seeing it from their point of view. i just loved it a lot. no words can truly describe the love i have for writing.

sure, i might not be the next Khaleed Hosseini or Aravind Adiga, but i will keep on writing. who knows i might actually improve in this craft that i love so much. now, you play the part. i really do need constructive criticism. i don't need people to fake OMG's or WOW. i want you guys to help me point out the flaws in my stories, so that these flaws would not follow up in my upcoming stories. be genuine, if you hated it, just say so. if you liked it, just say so. i want to get better and for that to happen i need people to point out the mistakes i am making. (don't be too harsh, though)

well, thats all i have to say. the choice is in your hands. leaving you to ponder on that, i end this very close to heart post.

Are You a Reader?

who is a reader? so, go on, tell me. who is a reader? some one who reads. hmmmm. lets see, a reader is some one who READS. define read. aha... that's where our opinions (or point of views )come in. reading something can be reading anything. the newspaper, magazines, newsletters. there are book-orientated reads too; fiction, fantasy, nonfiction, sci-fi, thriller. what makes someone who reads a reader?

well, i am a bit confused too. when i started this post, i was thinking to write HOW TO BE A GOOD READER, but then again, i got mixed up and ended up with this topic. it intrigues me too. what makes one a reader? is that by merely reading the sentences, paragraphs, short stories or novels that you become a reader. isn't there so much more to be a reader?

a reader is one that understands the writer, connects with the book, appreciates the style, admires the prose, and most importantly, loves reading. just reading a book does not make you a reader. (my teacher, would not agree on this, but what the heck) i mean seriously, if that is the case, then everyone can be a reader.

this lack of acknowledgement to the real readers make them one of the communities that are facing extinction. this reminds me of a post by Sharon bakar. here it is. according to the national literacy thrust which recently did a survey of 30000 pupils in UK, it proves that :

... children's reading habits slump dramatically after they start at
secondary school. The typical eight-year-old reads nearly 16 books a year but,
by the time they reach 15 or 16, this has dwindled to just over three books per
year. The big drop-off starts after the first year of secondary school, when the
number of books read falls from nearly 12 a year to just
six.

so people, don't just stand there watch readers extinct. go and grab a book (of a genre you like, of course) and start reading. a wise man (i forgot his name) once said, reading is the only tool that unlocks the world.