COVER STORY

It's only words…

Every secret of a writer's soul, every experience of his life, every quality of his mind, is written large in his works ~ Virginia Woolf

What, exactly, does writing mean to wordsmiths? To some writers it is a painting of one's vision in the form of words, while others write out of habit. To me, writing is just like air, water and food; I can't survive without writing. Us has been singularly lucky with its writers; they make Us, and this is what some of them had to say when asked what writing is to them…

 

Sameen Amer

At its core, writing is, of course, a way of expression, but what's magical about it is the range of things you can achieve and emotions you can evoke with your words. Writing lets you give readers a glimpse into your world, your mind. You can go as far as your imagination will take you, and you can invite lots of people along for the ride. You can embrace reality, escape reality, and do everything in between, from making sense of the world around you to taking a reprieve from it. You can inform, persuade, amuse, entertain. And it feels so awesome that you can convey your thoughts to others or even just let them venture out of their own world for a while and enjoy themselves.

Writing for Us Magazine, in particular, means a lot to me. It's where I got my start, and even though I've also been writing for several other publications since then, Us still holds a very special place in my heart. Not only is it a terrific youth platform, but, as an added bonus, the magazine has given me the chance to get to know some of its terrific staff members. I think there is a clause in their employment agreement that everyone who works for the magazine must be super nice. The editors - the lovely Asfiya who gave me my first writing opportunity (and then spent years patiently listening to me whine about everything under the sun) and the wonderful Lubna who is an absolute gem - have been great. The sub-editors that I've had the chance to get to know - Rahma, Javeria, Saba, and now Shermeen - have all been remarkable. How lucky can you be to get to do what you love and to do it in the company of nice, caring people?

 

Awais Aftab

My relationship with writing has changed over the course of my life, serving different functions at different points. There has been a distinct romantic thread to it, poetry and short fiction, written in my late teenage and early adult years, which provided a creative emotional outlet. There has been a philosophical thread, the expression and elucidation of my evolving worldview. Most of what I wrote was intended for publication on platforms such as Us magazine or my blog, and my relationship with the readers was something I deeply cherished. This connection contributed to my intellectual development in ways I could not have anticipated. In the recent years I have written for professional (psychiatric) journals but writing for general audience has been exceedingly scarce. I still write occasionally, but these writings are private, intended for myself, entries in a diary of sorts. It delivers catharsis and clarification in the form of a dialogue with self. I am curious as to what shape it will take for me later in my life.

 

Naeema Akram

Writing, they say, is cathartic. For me, however, it is an escape. Escape from the mundanity of life. When the world and its affairs tire me out I take refuge in writing. I pour down the burdens of my heart onto a paper and feel light. Then I look at the words written before me and those words give me a sense of empowerment. Words are a precious commodity. Everybody cannot own them. To those whom words come naturally are privileged beings. One must, however, be very careful with words. They have the power to make or break you. I consider words sacred and writing, therefore, is an act of sanctity. A prized, sacred possession, I always hold the ability to write very dear to me.

 

Muhammad Asif Nawaz 

As enticing as it is, I will not dive into a philosophical pursuit and claim writing to be my life's sole purpose or something to that effect. In the beginning, it was just the trial of a hobby. It then progressed to something that paid me those few extra bucks. It was later on, when readership grew and feedback started pouring in, it emerged as a responsibility. With the habit of seeing my name in print and being asked for my write-ups, it became a compulsion. And while I was done through those stages, I saw it for something else: a respite. A sanctuary. A vessel. And maybe, a power. There are things I cannot make sense of unless I've written about them. There are issues that their take toll on me, forcing me to address them. It became a mode of catharsis, humour and serious stuff being just as indispensable for me as they might have been for my readers. My travelogues became a source of remembrance for me as they were a means of acquainting others to the immense beauty and secrets of our country. I guess it's only now that I've realised what writing essentially is for me: it's my mode of relevance. Writing helps me connect to things that otherwise I can never form a link with. And for that alone, it's a supreme blessing!

 

Ali Suleman

To me, writing is the oldest form of immortality known to man. When I write, I have the feeling of embarking upon a journey undertaken by many mortals before me who discovered the secret to eternal life. The ancients whose names we know today just because they wrote and defied complete obliteration from the face of the earth, unlike others around them, taught us the art of using language to weave the kaleidoscopic fabric we call literature. Starting from Enheduanna of Sumeria (the first author known by name), the world has seen millions who continue to live on through the spells cast by their words.

A behavioral psychologist would disagree, but I think there is something divine in human feelings and emotions. God created man in his image, and clearly let us have some of His attributes. Following John Locke's philosophy of annexation of physical events to mental states for ‘God's good pleasure’, I believe if human feelings have a divine element attached to them, their expression in words is nothing mundane either. Or as Ghalib puts it:

Aatay hain ghaib se ye mazameen kheyaal mein

Ghalib, sareer e khaama nawa e sarosh hay

So the next time you are writing, you can safely assume that you are actually standing on the shoulders of giants and the feelings you are putting in letters are God's gift, so try doing justice to it.

 

Iqra Asad

How should I tell you about something so central to my being? Writing is just what I do. Not necessarily for a living, or as a pastime, or because I have to. I just do it. My writing comes from a happy place. That doesn't mean that I always write about funny or cheerful things, however. It just means that when I sit down at the keyboard (usually) or with a pen and paper (not so usually), and words flow, I feel good about it. From start to finish, writing something makes me feel truly alive. Yes, it is a frustrating process at times. Yes, it is a challenge to find your own writing voice in the middle of all the noise. Yes, it hurts when people who hear that you write, answer with a careless, ‘Oh, how cute.’ That doesn't matter. I aim to just keep calm and write on.

 

Nabeel Naqvi

Writing, essentially, is a reflection of a person’s thoughts. For me it’s a way to express how I feel about something, something that I want to share with the world, something that I want everyone to see!

I have scribbled on the virtual notepad so many times during the last 10 years or so, but the fun and excitement that writing on sports brings to me is just inexpressible. It takes you back in time and you can almost relive the moments, the retrospective view of events fills you up with excitement. Writing to me is like telling a story to a massive audience!

 

FD. Sheikh

I think, writing is the best way to explore yourself and to mend society inaudibly. I am extremely impressed with Jack Dann's saying: ‘For me, writing is exploration; and most of the time, I'm surprised where the journey takes me’. I believe this journey discovers new horizons for you on every turn. At times, I am surprised the way writing disentangles roving thoughts in mind! Talking about the sensitivity of this field, I believe whatever writers put in writing directly impact the mindset and the notions of readers. Eventually, a good writer becomes the voice of the society. Writing is my hobby and passion but at the same time it imparts a grave level of responsibility on my shoulder. I have to think about every perspective before penning down my thoughts. I believe one should direct one's pen towards thought provoking issues, carefully and in a manner which may not divert the attention of the readers or make the reading tiresome. Happy writing, happy reading! :)

 

Vaheid Khizer

I'm leading an ordinary life. I happen to go through a routine that follows almost a set pattern. From my wake-up alarm till the bookmark in my bedtime book which explicitly ends my day; I observe many things, walk past a lot of people, attend different gatherings, eat, pass a handful of smiles, etc. And on the other hand, a small reservoir keeps on collecting the perspectives I want to see, the meanings I want to deduce, the moments of life I could've lived, and most importantly, the words I could've spoken. Thanks to Almighty, for defining the capacity of this reservoir; and to keep the reservoir at its brim, I resort to an unusual mechanism, i.e. writing. The words and phrases which I jot may altogether seem uneven, insane or incomprehensible to a person who is equally following an ordinary way of life like mine, but these phrases definitely make a difference. Because within the same day, which may require sacrifice of many things from my dear wish-list; at least, I breathe, and that too, happily.

 

Arsh Azim

Writing to me is like meditation. I can write for hours and without even realizing it. Sometimes, it calms me down, sometimes it's like confiding in a friend who knows what's going on. I've taken writing so deep to heart that no matter how bad certain it turns out to be at times, I love it. I laugh at it though, but it's precious to me. I can't throw even a single page that I write, can't delete a single document no matter how lame it is. When I write something, it is mine and it stays with me, really close! Writing is something close to my heart; it's my passion, dream, work and inspiration!

 

Fatima Zakir

When I was a kid, I used to write stories. Silly stories but nonetheless I did. I wanted to become a writer when I grew up. Reading books was the most interesting thing I did in my entire day. Growing up, I started writing less and over time, I realised it’s just not my thing.

All my writings were limited to class projects. In university, I was offered a job from The News and it was then I started writing once again. Of course, it was my job but I took it a little too seriously. I understood, finally, there is no escaping; writing is a part of me.

It helped me from breaking down in times of intense emotional turmoil. It helped me relax when frustration hit my nerves. It proved to be my best friend as it has been there to listen to me when I had no friends left. I usually don’t write, I talk. For a person who has fluctuating emotions, writing kept me sane and that’s what has kept me attached to it.

Do I believe I write well? No, I never have. It’s just my editors have been too kind to me, especially the Us editor. For rest, it was mostly my job but with Us, it was more of having a conversation. Thank you Us for still listening. Thank you Us for keeping me sane.

 

Usama Rasheed

Writing to me is like conquering the world. It allows us to express our thoughts and ideas freely - even those we would otherwise never share with anyone in person. At the same time, it enables us to further hone our skills and get better with each piece written.

To be very honest, I don’t think I am nearly good enough as a writer.  But this drives me to get my hands on as many books as I can and become a voracious reader. Reading helps me reach unfamiliar and mind-boggling territories I had never heard of; it lets me experience riveting tales and take my imagination to a whole new level. The more you read, the more you improve as a writer.

When you write, you get inside the heads of your readers and can play a pivotal role in bringing about a constructive change in them.

Being a sports journalist, most of my writings are related to sports. It’s imperative that you have a complete grasp of the topic you have chosen. Good writers may not necessarily be good thinkers and vice versa. If you don’t understand the game of football, you cannot generate an article on it. So, it’s better to be yourself and know your strength when you decide to write about something. Writing doesn’t judge you; it gives you innumerable chances and provides room for improvement with every piece drafted.

I read and write for pleasure and I have never drawn inspiration from anyone. I believe each writer possesses a unique flair, and they capture the attention of their readers in their own special way.