If you were to ask a novelist for tips on good writing, he might be kind enough to reveal the four sacred and best kept secrets.The first secret: Read. The second secret: Read. The third secret: Read. The fourth secret: Write.
If you were to ask National Laureate, Datuk A. Samad Said, he would tell you the very same thing. It is a known fact that he is an avid reader, as much as he is a prolific writer.
A good writer (novelist, poet etc) can always be seen reading books, newspapers, magazines, blogs and the list goes on.
You don’t have to be a famous novelist or a published writer to be a passionate reader. You should keep in mind that when you are writing an essay in class or during the exam, you are a writer.
So, if a well-known novelist like Datuk A. Samad Said is an enthusiastic reader, shouldn’t you be one too?
The more you read, the more knowledge and experience you would gain. Later, when you are writing an essay, everything would come to you real easily.
Let’s say you read newspapers on a regular basis. Therefore you would know what is happening around you. If you were to discuss current news with your friends, you’d have no problem at all.
Later, when you are writing an essay on certain topic, whatever you have read in the newspapers would definitely come handy. May it be related to music, arts, literature, politic, foreign news, disaster, education, sports or whatsoever, everything is already at your finger tips.
When you read magazines, your idea and attention would be more focused on the topic. Being an ardent reader, you would be able to grasp the points, idea and arguments in the magazine articles easily.
Not to mention that all the idea and points you have read and understood in the articles could be used to enrich your school essays. Always keep a notebook handy to take notes of all the new things you learn through reading the newspapers, magazines and books.
At your level as a PMR/SPM candidate, you do not have to worry about plagiarism, footnote, citation and copyright issues when you lift ideas, points and sentences from the articles you have read in the newspapers and magazines.
When you read books (novels, short stories, fiction etc), you let your imagination and creativity grow. Fiction is never a waste of time!
Imagine all the ideas, sentences, vocabulary, expressions, creativity, art of writing, grammar and so much more you could learn from these novels, short stories and fiction while enjoying a good story.
Now imagine what great essays you would be writing by following these simple steps. So, what are you waiting? Think like a writer!