I had never been a reader until the age of … maybe 12/13 years old. In one English class, we had an assignment to write a poem based on an emotion of choice. I wrote mine on “Sorrow,” which (given the name) was very dark.

I was okay, of course, but beyond the formalities of concern, my English teacher was delighted, to say the least. According to her, I had talent, and as my teacher, that meant she had to ensure that I would hone it. She made me read books to start with, which is why I can now say I am a reader.

One literature degree later, I realised two things:

1. I am a very selective reader

2. I don’t write what I would read.

Luckily for me, there were no jobs in the market that needed a picky reader with an academically inflated vocabulary. And as much as I came to despise this line of work, copywriting saved me. It forced me to read my work like a reader. To not fall for flowery run-on sentences and try to steal attention rather than assume the abundance of it. And while I may not love that in theory, it allowed me to refine my vocabulary into a more accessible, visual language – something that tingles my left brain greatly.

I have since ventured into writing that takes on visual forms, which, as of now, is making crosswords for a mobile gaming app. And yes, it is exactly as fun as it sounds.