There was a time that writing had never been on my list. Words were all Greek to me. There were no easy ways for me to pick up my pen and put down my thoughts in paragraphs. I hated writing. I bet most of you are not fans of writing either, seriously. Until I reached my senior school years, things turned out to be better than I had ever expected.

Everything started with reading. I randomly picked a book from the shelf beside me during Mr Kum’s lesson. It doesn’t sound very nice to say, but frankly speaking the lesson was quite boring. I got to amuse myself without distracting others, so I decided to go with a book. Thanks to that first attempt I kind of made it a habit to sit near a bookshelf every time when I came to his class. Sooner or later, I began taking my own books in. However, this was only temporary. The habit was not yet settled until I got the Daily Posts from Mr Kum. After that I received a freshly delivered South China Morning Post on a regular basis. Here is one thing, I really hated newspapers. Keep in mind that I had never been a bookworm and was just reading, my new interest, to evade reality. But when life gives you a lemon with no better choices, you have to go for it! So, the process went like this: current affairs – pass not for me; local headlines – pass; economic issues – pass. The only articles I took were about international news and lifestyle. If time allowed, the editorials would be on my spare list. I then had a great time enjoying myself with those stacks of papers near my desk. My fingertips were always black stained with coal ink but it never bothered me.

After my graduation from secondary school, reading news has been a part of my daily ritual. What’s more, I have become an official bookworm. Reading is now my essential to do thing. A novel is definitely my go-to object in my pack. Reading is my soothing pill. It is my fantasy world to keep me entertained. The length may scare you away, but the content will get you out of the maze. It depends on the genre you pick, but I’m sure one of them will be your sidekick.

It is fun to play around with words, and it actually not that difficult. The more you get yourself immersed in it, the more habitual it will become. Ever since my reading habit developed, I have conquered the fear of writing. Despite the requirement of term papers every semester urging us to write more, the credits are all on reading. Once you expose yourself to a sea of words, you can relate to them and create patterns. It brings you inspiration, and a peek into the writers’ thoughts. You can find out how intriguing it is when you read through pages and pages. You may wonder how people think in such different ways and how come they can manipulate words so emotionally and sensationally that the readers empathise the way the writers describe, even if they were written in a totally different era of time.

There is no secret to good writing. Just read as much as you can. You have to know some words so that you can write more words. Last but not least, it is better to start as soon as possible .I am thankful to my English lessons and the teacher who subscribed to the SCMP.