A Few Books I’m Reading

A few days ago, I wrote a post describing how books have helped me achieve many things in my personal and professional life. In that post, I also mentioned my goal of writing a novel. The ultimate aim is to continue writing and find a way to make it a sustainable task. Writing, in addition to being enjoyable, can be lucrative, but like anything worthwhile in life, it requires consistency and, well, writing a lot of words.

What to do? Should I continue to write even if the potential to make a living from it seems unlikely? For me, the answer is yes. Writing is something I enjoy because it helps me understand my life. Putting things down in writing helps me organize my thoughts and ideas.

The first novel I write will be a story about friendship, family, and migration. I am confident it will resonate with many people. I am not following any specific rules or formats; my writing will be as honest and straightforward as possible. I try to follow Stephen King’s advice on avoiding adverbs and staying honest — not as rules, but as helpful guidelines. I’m sure the first version won’t be perfect, but that’s what revisions and editing are for.

The story starts in the mid-nineties and focuses on a group of friends trying to find their way as young adults. This beginning is all I have for now; it’s where the story starts.

Before I delve deeper into my writing, I also have a few recently purchased books to finish. I chose these books not only for their stories but also to study their writing techniques and learn more about different styles. The more you read, the better your writing becomes. Writers are, in essence, professional readers.

“Writing comes from reading, and reading is the finest teacher of how to write.”
– Annie Proulx

For more quotes like this, check out this post by Austin Kleon.

Here are some of the books I recently bought and am reading:

• Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
  • I had never read this book before, but after watching the movie The Bookshop, where it was featured, I decided to give it a read.
• Trigger Warning by Neil Gaiman
  • As someone interested in short fiction, I picked this up because it’s a collection of short stories and poems by a writer I admire.
• Stay True by Hua Hsu
  • This memoir caught my attention. It’s a format I’m interested in, and I wasn’t expecting such a beautifully written book.

That’s all for now. Go read, and if you find the time, grab a good pen and a notebook, and write what you’re thinking.