Good writers are clearly good — thoughts (19)

Lately, I’ve been reading the works of Cyprian Ekwensi alongside those of a few other literary legends, and the more I read them, the more I understand why they are regarded as great writers.

This morning, I revisited Burning Grass, a relatively small book, and once again it struck me how writers like Ekwensi possess a rare mastery of language. There is a texture to their writing that makes it effortless to read and difficult to forget.

If I recall correctly, the first time I read Burning Grass was in secondary school. Over the years, I forgot many of the details of the story, but one thing remained with me, the spell “Sokugo.” The name of the affliction stayed lodged somewhere in my memory all these years. Even more than that, I remembered how the story made me feel. The dread of being affected by something so mysterious while remaining unaware of it yourself.

Rereading it now, older and more attentive to the use of language as a writer, I find myself appreciating different things. I am paying attention to the craftsmanship behind it. The choice of words, the delivery of the sentences, the ability to create feeling and make it linger long after the page is turned. It is a reminder of what great writing can do.

All of this is to say that I aspire to become that kind of writer, to master language in a way that is both purposeful and poetic. Perhaps with enough time, enough reading, and enough practice, I will get there. For now, I recognize that I still have much work to do.