Want to write better? Read better writers
Think journalists. Think people who write on politics, activists.
I have always been consuming content — since before I knew I could write as well. Words on paper, they always fascinated me. I read everything — ranging from Mythology to history to politics to articles on business. I even read the gossip columns in newspapers. I just kept on consuming content.
The content you consume, shapes up how you think. You don’t even need to intend for it to happen; it just does. Reading is conditioning your brain to think a certain way.
During adolescence, I went through a phase where I was reading a lot of mystery novels. The first long form story that I ever tried writing was actually a mystery. I wrote it in a notebook I kept hidden. I kept it hidden because I was afraid it wasn’t good enough. Anyway. I soon realised that wasn’t who I really was. It wasn’t what the voice in my head wanted to write about. I was essentially recreating what I was reading in the novels. It wasn’t original work. So I stopped. But I was still fascinated by how the stories were pieced together — keeping the audience hooked from the get go. So I kept on consuming that content.
I gradually started reading things that had more gravitas. Started reading editorials in newspapers, magazines, on media websites. And I found something. I discovered a whole new segment of writers who could write about topics of importance, whose writings commanded authority and respect. Who knew how to make words matter.
I am quite apolitical. But I consume political content. A lot. First, it helps me stay informed. Second, it helps my brain get conditioned on how to think better. How to put together words and sentences cohesively, for them to make sense and impact. I consume all kinds of content. And many-a-times I find a random article written by a political activist to be much better crafted than some of the popular creative writers around. There is just something about it — about journalism, about politics.
You want to write better? You’ll need to think better first. And to do that, you will need to consume a lot of content. Read political pieces, read newspaper editorials, read writings by people who used to be captains of their highschool debate teams. Read the voices that make you focus on just the now; everything else becomes white noise.
On a side note, I really need to stop going all crazy on the nights. He drinks like a fish is not a status to aspire to. I hate the next mornings. All I crave is coffee. My throat feels parched. And worst of all? My mind is all numb. Not a single intelligent thought in there. I love the evenings. I detest the mornings that follow.
Today is one such morning. Time for another cup of joe.
