Enhancing writing skills
July 5, 2021
Many of my readers have been pretty keen on publishing their writings. They send their pieces to me for publications, and I feel sorry telling them that I have no influence on my editor to get their writings published. Then there are requests to give them feedback on their compositions.
Some have even sent me their MPhil or doctoral theses for advice and editing. For a columnist – or any writer, for that matter – it is a hard task to refuse such requests; so, most such emails go unacknowledged. There is also a burning desire in our youth to compose poetry in English or write short stories and novels. It becomes challenging to tell them that their attempts are still unripe, and it will take a long time before they can produce something worth appreciation. Many readers consider such comments as discouraging and unhelpful.
Not many people read books in Pakistan. How then are the bookshops coping with the pandemic?
Paradoxically, however, the small market for books may actually have been growing before the virus struck. Liberty Books, Lahore.
I hoard books like old desi aunties hoard bobby pins. A visit to any of Pakistan’s top bookstores – whether it is Reading’s, Liberty, The Last Word, Vanguard or Variety – ends with me walking to the check-out counter with a heap of books, heavier than a boulder and more expensive than a week’s groceries.
My daughter, on the other hand, is all about minimalism. Her stock usually comes from Reading’s online store and then she only buys what she’s sure to read. She stares at my receipt at the bookstore check-out counter and rolls her eyes at me. “Liberty Books is 30% off for the World Book Day sale online.” She says.