By Fahd Ali Asif

A Standard dictionary describes writing as the representation of language in a textual medium through the use of signs or symbols. It is undoubtedly one of the most ancient means of conversation and communication of ideas. Over the years, writing has served numerous purposes for mankind. It has been the source of revolutions and uprisings, it has been the means of communication through bridging long distances, and it has been a key of the modern as well as contemporary literary settings. Writing is indeed a strange art; it seems so simple with a limited number of alphabets present. But at the same time, no one can claim to have gotten an absolute superiority over words. There has always been room for things to be said in a better manner, and no matter how far we go into time; the case won’t be any different.

If it is said that “nothing has influenced man more than pen” it won’t be wrong. Wars were won through swords but nations were won over by the power of pen. If we look into our own society, we find writers who have changed the fate of our people. Allama Iqbal, through his vibrant and influential verses was able to bring about a change in the lifestyle of an average Muslim, irrespective of them being educated of illiterates, which would have been otherwise impossible, who gave us a vision, a mission, a destination to work our ways to, hope in other words, to the lost nation.

While writing comes naturally to some, others have to develop and polish their skills over time. It’s indeed not something that should sound odd. Not everyone is born with the knowhow of a language. In fact no one is. It’s the society, our family and the people around us who influence us to be able to comprehend particular languages and later be able to communicate effectively. Other languages are learnt through personal efforts, perhaps through formal education, etc. Some people find it relatively easy to play with words and do amazing things with the same limited number of alphabets that have been there since years, if not centuries. While others feel, they can’t just do anything more than what has been done. It’s just the matter of approach that we take.

But everyone is born with a different brain, different set of ideas, different visions and most importantly, different perspectives towards the things around us. “No two people think alike” might not be true to the exact essence but it still holds importance, it tells us that most of the times, people take things in their own respective manners and derive their own conclusions to the circumstances they’re subject to.

In today’s world, which we live in. Writing has been done to serve various purposes, like it has always been done. When you’re writing for a broader audience and a purpose which is superior to a domestic use only. An important factor that needs to be considered is the extent to which “the personal self” of the author should overshadow the piece that he/she’s working on.

The personal opinion, the personal ideology and the personal perspective is undoubtedly the most celebrated traits of successful writers all over the world. The topics could be the same, but the way it is looked upon by one good writer is the thing that makes reading interesting. People take up pens to write after they are influenced and inspired by things they see and experience. When they feel they can actually present a different side of the story, or can describe the events in a more appropriate manner. And most importantly when the authors want people want to see things the way they do.

People have their own way of expressing thoughts. The personal opinion, ideas or inclination should not overlap with the theme of the write-up the lines should express the theme wholly without much sensitivity of writer’s thoughts. There must be a balance to include brevity in text that is being written.

People even in similar situations and circumstances develop their own distinct perspectives and see things in their own special manner. Like the saying goes “You could either see the glass as half empty, or half full”.

However some authors, I’ve experienced emphasis too much on their personal “SELF” while writing which actually annoys the readers in my humble opinion and perhaps reduces the impact it otherwise would have had. Recently, I happened to have read an article in Newsweek by an apparently Iranian Muslim lady who had moved to Europe. All throughout her article she kept mentioning her personal examples and experiences and drawing conclusions out of it. For an instance, she explained how SHE was mistreated, and then went on to generalize how the Iranian society was at fault. Its very important for writers to actually justify their personal experiences and personal perspectives with adequate logic and perhaps factual support to be able to influence the readers in general.

Another aspect of the involvement of the personal self of the writer is perhaps the status of the writer itself. People who are of very respectable and honorable social class are writers, who actually write to inspire the masses. Their personal experiences, their stories, and their perspectives are something which people look forward to. In that case, it’s just the level of the writer that matters. The things said in a text could go absolutely against known and established facts but just because it’s a perspective of a particular is important. And it could be equally honored as someone else’s piece who had kept the personal self.

In the end, I’d wrap up with the words that, indeed the involvement of the personal perspective and the feel of the personal self in a particular piece of writing are very important for it to be well received by the audience that it’s being written for. Because most of the times, in this fairly educated world, people already know about most matters that are being discussed and written. So saying it again and again without any addition or subtraction won’t make much difference to your case.
At the same the delicate balance between giving your personal opinion and being biased over a certain issue must be kept in mind.

But even after all this; the level of reception of a text can not be determined through a formula. Its entirely up to the writers to actually write the way they want to. Brining in the personal perspective right from the start, or blending it throughout or just give a little glimpse at the end. That’s the beauty of writing that you actually get to explore possibilities.