I blame my mother. She read to me and my brother regularly and taught me to read at a very early age. She also bought us some very interesting children’s books that made it quite easy to fall in love with reading. Then there were the primary school teachers who encouraged short-story writing as part of our studies.
I wasn't always a shy child, but I was soft-spoken and introverted. There was so much in my head, so many things I wanted to say but didn’t quite know how to express myself. I eventually found that writing was the perfect avenue for me to convey my thoughts and feelings and to tell a story.
And this is why I write today. I write to be heard, but I don’t just write for myself. I write for my mother, my father, my brother, my close friends, my family, and the complete strangers who will read my books someday. I want to encourage someone to follow their dreams and their passions as I did. I write because when ink meets paper, anything is possible.
Over the years, as I’ve grown older, and as I’m finishing my first novel, I have learned so much. I have seen how my writing style and voice have changed with time. I have learned that writing a book is hard work, but staying dedicated is key. I have learned how the characters in a story can become as real as the people I’ve met, and of the curious ways a story begins to write itself. I love how when I start a chapter, I don’t know how it will end, but I write regardless and watch something beautiful and unexpected unfold before my eyes.
It may turn out that I’m not as good a writer as I think I am, but I will never stop writing, because this is what I love.
Do you write? What is your passion? Do you believe in yourself enough to follow your dreams? Feel free to comment below.