By Mutalib Jibril
Consistency is powerful, not only in writing but in all aspects of life. The more you write, the better you become. Similarly, the more you read, the more ideas flow. I resonate with these statements. Revisiting past writing often brings a bittersweet feeling.
Noticing mistakes and areas for improvement can be challenging, as will always see things you tend to correct. However, there’s this moment of fulfillment that you’ve improved. The ability to spot errors indicates you have learned and progressed. I don’t usually change these old works unless they contain obvious typographical errors or glaring mistakes in grammar or tense usage.
In my last write-up, I decided to write it as soon as the idea came to me, despite being very busy at the time. I ended up making several typographical errors and other glaring errors, which I didn’t notice before posting because I didn’t have time to proofread it.
My brother noticed these mistakes and tried calling several times. He called repeatedly to no avail. My phone wasn’t with me at that time. When we eventually spoke, he pointed out the mistakes, and I corrected them as soon as I could. I had anticipated that this might happen.
I share this just to make us realize that some errors must be corrected when noticed or pointed out.
However, there are also subtler mistakes that become apparent as you read and learn more. I don’t hassle about fixing types of errors because they serve as evidence of my growth and journey as a writer.
In the world of writing, the more you write, the better you become. The more you read, the more ideas tend to flow. You can’t draw water from a dry well.
I might wake up tomorrow and notice errors in this very post. It is bound to happen. I won’t change them as long as the message is clear because if I do, I might revisit this same write-up a few days later and still be tempted to change one thing or another. The cycle will just continue.
No one is perfect—even the best writers in the world make mistakes. We just need to be consistent. We just need to learn from these mistakes and correct them in our subsequent write-ups.