I open a blank page while not being sure what I should say. I am starting to type.
A sentence appears. Then another. Somewhere between the two, I spotted a thought I had not clearly understood before. That is one of the strange things about Writing.
Most of us believe we cannot write until we have an idea. Sometimes, though, the concept becomes evident just as we start.
And “Reading” plays a secret part in that Process.
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What I realised?
When I read something that stays with me. I don’t always remember the Exact Words.But, I remember what it made me think about.
A line in a book could remind me of an Old Conversation. A personal essay could cause me to doubt something I had grown to accept for years. Even a sentence I disagree with can set off a Mental Argument.
That Reaction Matters.
It means Reading isn’t always Passive.
Sometimes, another Person’s words give us a Reason to examine our own.
Ideas are usually messier than we expect
I used to believe that before they began writing, authors had definite ideas. Many ideas, now, start as “Fragments”.
A query, memories, or observation made by someone. An emotion for which there is no appropriate term yet.
For example, I may sit down with the intention of Writing about Success. After reading a few Paragraphs, I realize that comparison is a real worry of mine.
There was truth to the first idea. It just didn’t give the whole story.
Writing helped me find the better question.
What didn’t help?
Waiting for the perfect idea.
I have done that more times than I would like to admit.
I would open my laptop, stare at the screen, and wait for something brilliant to arrive.
Nothing did.
Apparently, my brilliant ideas were not particularly punctual.
The problem was that I treated writing as the final step of thinking instead of part of thinking itself.
What actually helped?
I began compiling little notes for reading. Not provide detailed summaries.
Just things that drew my eye:
An inquiry I couldn’t address.
An concept I disagreed with.
One sentence made me think of something personal.
An observation I felt worth investigating.
An idea surfaced once I closed the book.
Most of these notes never developed into anything.
That’s alright.
They were not necessary.
Others evolved into paragraphs. A few grew to be whole compositions. Others just guided me in clarifying my ideas.
Reading changes the questions we ask:
Possibly the most helpful section is this one.
Reading provides us more than just answers. It can help us formulate better questions.
You start considering a decision in your own life after reading about someone having to make a tough one. You wonder why you stopped creating after reading about imagination.
You come suddenly to consider what home means to you after reading a poem about it. The page’s topic might not be exactly your subject.
But it can open a door to one.
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Writing is where I meet that thought:
Some things I know only once I write about them.
Not because writing fixes everything magically.
It not does. Sometimes I write words and find that I have confused myself even more.
Still, at least the uncertainty is clearly visible now. I’m able to see it.
Challenge it.
alter it.
That is quite helpful.
Inside your head, a thought can seem quite powerful. Put it on a page; occasionally, it turns out to be something you could really work with.
What I am learning?
I am gradually losing interest in having something impressive to say. I am more interested in noticing something.
Have a read. Pause. And, Consider why you kept thinking about it.
Record the thought before it vanishes. You do not have to turn every thought into an article.
You do not even have to share it. Writing can be a way for you to hear yourself think. Perhaps this is why Reading and writing go hand in hand. One offers something for us to think about. The other guides our “Perspective” on it.
What then have you lately read that answers a question you were already considering?
Note: This Article was Originally Published On Medium and Cross-Posted Here.