I have a confession to make. I introduce myself as a book lover, and post bookreviews regularly on Steemit, but I'm not a bookaholic. There are many classics and best-sellers that I haven't read, and I prefer novels to non-fictions. Now that I'm reading books in English (which is not my mother tongue), it takes much more time to read than I do in Korean. Naturally, I have become selective in reading, and that makes me a picky book reader.
Since I'm a picky book reader, I can't quite answer to this popular question "What books do you recommend?" or "What is the best book you've ever read?" I don't think I have read enough books to make a "100 books you must read before you die". And it's very likely that the best book I'd like to recommend is the next book I'll be reading. (Meaning, there are lots and lots of books for me to read, so I think I'll always be able to find the best book among my 'to read list'.) So I just want to talk about books that have some meaning to me. And today, I want to tell you about the book that gave me unlikely dream.
That's what my friend said, when I told her I wanted to be a writer in English. She was right. It looked like a difficult path. I was born and raised in Korea. I'd never been abroad in my life, not for studying nor for traveling. I was an average Korean who studied English only at school and private institutions, with the help of educational TV programs. So it must have seemed odd for her that I, who had struggled to read only ten or so books in English at the time, who had never been abroad let alone America, wanted to be a writer in English.
Why have a new dream that you have to start from the scratch? Why English when you're not that good at English in the first place? Why now, especially when you're in your mid 20s, the age that people start thinking about landing a solid job and settling down?
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
Source: Goodreads
The reason why I had such an absurd dream is because of this book, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.
I liked English. I liked books. So it was very natural for me to start reading books in English. I wanted to improve my English skills and to enjoy books at the same time. Reading a whole book in English was not an easy task for me, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. It was when I had just finished The Client that one of my friend recommended Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.
I was hesitant at first. Children's book? Wizard and witch? Sorcerer? But I gave in and picked up the book, and I was glad that I did. The moment I started reading it, I instantly fell in love with it.
The story was entertaining and stimulated my imagination. I really enjoyed it, loved it. And finally it got me thinking, I want to write a book in English! I'm not saying I want to write fantasy novels. I meant I want to write something in English.
Up until that moment, I thought I could only express my thoughts, opinions and feelings in Korean. After reading Harry Potter, however, I realized I could express them in English, too.
I loved English. I loved the way English sentences bear the subtle meaning of the situation and how they describe details of people and places. It's not that Harry Potter was filled with particularly fantastic sentences. It happened to be the first book that made me see the beauty of English. Just like a mathematician finds numbers beautiful, just like some people find symmetries and fractals amazing, I thought English sentences were amazing. Beautiful, even.
(Now don't get me wrong. I'm not saying English is better than Korean or any other language. It's just my preference. Just because somebody likes ballet better than break dance doesn't mean ballet is better than break dance.)
And I too wanted to write things in English like that. I wanted to write funny, gripping, wonderful, and witty articles and novels in English. Is it possible? I didn't major in English. I couldn't afford to go back to school again let alone studying abroad. Can I write a good book or even an okay book in English just by self-study? I had a full time job so it was not like I could spare much time to study anyway.
Oddly enough, though, I thought that was possible. I thought I could do it. I wanted to do it.
Only if I tried hard enough, only if I put much effort into it.
15 years has passed since that time. Now I'm living in America, self-studying English. Even though my English has improved a lot, it doesn't seem to be enough to write a book. Not yet, anyway.
Oddly enough, though, I still think I can do it. I still think I can write some wonderful books in English. It's okay if it'll take a few more years. I've been happily following my dream steadily and that's what counts in the end.
