Write to Read

As far back as I could remember, I loved to write. But of course, it stemmed from a love of reading.

I started reading the Hardy Boys back in grade 2. My dad had one lying around the house... "The Mystery of the Spiral Bridge". I must have read almost all of the adventures of Frank and Joe Hardy on hardback edition. The school library had a huge collection of them, and I think I would finish two of them per week. Of course, I cannot remember even a single plot of these books. All I can remember was reading them instead of reviewing for the quarterly exams. No matter; according to my guidance counselor I was in the top 3 of my class (Or so she said, at least)!

Speaking of quarterly exams, I must have been such a nerd in grade school. For each good grade that I got each quarter, I got to buy a book of my choice. A book! Where some would probably choose He Man figures or Transformers, I chose my own adventures. What a gimmick that was for some time... being able to star in your own story and make your own choices! Do you want to take the high road? Turn to page 87. To take the low road, turn to page 45. The seemingly endless possibilities! I used to mark my choices with each of my fingers, hoping that I would reach an ending before my ten fingers were used up. I wanted to reach each and every one of the 28 endings!

I'm not sure when or how I outgrew those novels. I think it was when it got too complicated, when I needed a paper, pen, and a set of dice to fight through monsters and track my health and inventory. It was fun while it lasted but got tiresome in the end. I needed stimulant for my brain. So I moved on to some 'grown up' material. Inspired by book to movie adaptations, I started reading Tom Clancy, John Grisham, and Michael Crichton. Admittedly, some of these were way over my head, especially the Tom Clancy books.

Today, my appetite for reading has diminished greatly. I still read books, but just the occasional popular novel or self help book or two. I rarely read a book without reading a glowing glowing recommendation first. The last book I read on impulse was "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time" simply because the cover looked interesting. It was one of the worst books I have ever read (and I know at least one other person who agrees with me)!

What I read the most these days though, are my own little essays. They are a reminder to myself of who I am, my philosophies, my thoughts, my beliefs. Reading about good memories makes me smile; reading about bad ones makes me think of what I did to get myself out of it. Its incredibly good therapy to read back and recall how I felt in the past. I can see how mature I have grown (or not!) since then. And reading simply about myself helps unearth even more memories, such as the ones mentioned above.

In other words, I inspire myself. This is why I love to write.

A bit narcissistic maybe, but who cares? I used to write for just one person, but now I write for everyone.