A caution before reading ahead: this post is derived from several Twitter, Facebook and email discussions concerning the nature of writing. I felt the increasing need for me to write this post and so here I am.
There seems to be a misconception between the nature of plot and stylistic concerns particularly in young Pakistani writers, where the common problem I face when reading material, is that it's more like an essay. If you're going to be an essayist then be an essayist, but if you're going to be a writer, realize that it's also about the words: it has to be about the words. An essayist is about substance almost primarily and it just needs to be marginally well presented, but if you're going to be a writer, you have to love words, you have to breathe them, you have to ache over them, you have to enjoy formulating them, striking out entire lines because they're not working. They're saying what you want them to say, sure, but not how you want to say it. The how's must never be underestimated.
When I first started writing, it was a natural assimilation of the two prompted perhaps by the diversity of education, a love for reading bred into me at a young age, or having the right teachers guiding me and finding a place where my love for words was acknowledged and understood. At one point, once I knew I had the words in control, it was all about plot and then it switched back to the aesthetics. Aesthetics shouldn't be underestimated and if that isn't the sort of writer you want to be, go be a journalist, although if you've ever read anything by Martin Amis, Martha Gelhorn, John Pilger or Robert Fisk, you'll see how powerfully they use language without sounding like political essayists. Read widely, study form and language, see why it impacts you so much. It's like watching a movie: you can have the best actors in the world but if the script they've been given is lacking, all the direction in the world won't save it. Similarly, the reverse holds true: the script could be brilliant but if the actors invoke no feeling in you, your mind turns off. The right film is the right blend of the two.
And then it's important to understand how subjective writing really is. It's an art form--it's going to be open to interpretation--one person's style might not be another's. For instance, although I initially struggled with Virginia Woolf's Mrs Dalloway, I enjoyed the style tremendously and even attempted to pull off something similar, obviously mine was a mere attempt but I experimented. Imitation is the greatest praise and it isn't a loss to your creativity if you're inspired by other writers; creativity inspires creativity so keep reading and keep writing and you'll find your voice.
It should be noted that the reason so many Pakistani writers write like essayists is because they're encouraged to write that way, to treat a work of creative art like an analytical project. Belabor yourselves out of that sort of thinking and read more contemporary books.
If I had a penny for the work of young Pakistani writers with diamond in the rough qualities, but without the appropriate mentor to guide them...I'd be living very, very well.
Disagree with any of the above? That's what the comments are for, :)
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