Today I am glad to take a step to the next level, writing.
Like many other individuals, the feel to write has always been alive inside me. I believe this is a common trait for avid readers. I was part of a large tribe for which "I love reading, and I would love writing as well!", and then I did not fall throw on my instinct to actually sit and write anything.
Where do I come from
My journey is not unusual, see if you recognize it. I have never read anything in the first 17 years of my life. What a waste. Then something (no one knows what) clicked and I started reading book after book. Reading became second nature. A day without reading was a waste.
Then it came to the phase "I want to read X books this year". I set my goal to one book per week in 2018. I hit the goal. 54 total. I was proud, I was officially a member of an elitè group of readers on the planet.
After that my rhythm plummeted, and for good reasons. I asked myself "What does it mean reading 54 books a year when the longest was 1100 pages and the shortest 50? It does not make sense!". So I came to the conclusion that reading just for scoring more pages is dumb. Do not fool yourself. In this new phase, reading became more involved and less urgent.
How did I come to writing
The last phase I entered is the "Where did I read this concept already?". Having many books under my belt (no-fiction especially) meant knowing many ideas by heart. I started recognizing a pattern. Many books tell you the same story. Every book is different, but the ideas at its core are often the same. Especially in the no-fiction world I was accustomed to.
And so my reading pace slowed down even further. I moved more heavily to fiction books. 500-1000 pages books. Trilogies or more. Counting my books read did not make any sense anymore. Now my joy came from the story. Knowing that sitting down to read meant entering a new world. Many authors are masters in the art of making you experience their fictional world to the fullest. What a great skill. How do they do it? They write.
And here I am now. I write. Why writing? There are many reasons (a Google search would teach you more on the topic pretty fast). Basically, it all comes down to opening the doors of your own thoughts. Learning how to express them in words. Learning how to be expressive. Learning what goes on in your own mind. And why not, sharing your ideas with people.
Here I am then. Writer. Like many other things, writing must be a habit to nurture. Having a consistent schedule. Not bothering overthinking about the words you write until the end of the session. But you know, if I can read 54 books in a year, writing consistently is not a problem at all.