Writer dictates

By Naguib Mahfouz

---

I am dictating my thoughts now. This is not something you get used to overnight. I never imagined I would be able to work without a pen. My pen, in a manner of speaking, was my sixth finger. But since my injury in 1994, I haven't been able to hold the pen for any considerable length of time. So, when I am actually writing, it's mostly to make quick notes or sign some papers.

What I discovered is that dictation changes the style of writing. It changes the mood and tempo of my short stories. The creative process is very susceptible to form, to the way you work, to the manner in which you register your thoughts. I can see how the method of dictation is affecting my short story collection, the Dreams of Convalescence.

Parts of this collection have been published in the magazine Nisf Al- Dunya. These are the parts I wrote with my own hand. The parts I have dictated are yet to be published, and they have a distinct flavour. Writing has two aspects, one conscience and the other sub-conscience. When I dictate, I feel that the conscience part is taking over. I will leave the rest for you to judge.

Based on an interview by Mohamed Salmawy.