Thanks, Mr. Zinsser

Last year, I won. Won where? In the Best Humorous Essay Writing Contest sponsored by Crossroads, the official student publication of our school, HCDC.

Of course, I must---nobody else joined the contest. Nobody, nobody but me. Therefore my winning essay, I told the folks at Crossroads, is not the best choice. It's the only choice.

I suspect the reason no one dared to join the contest, besides me, is not that I can write; the rest cannot. It's more basic than that: Nobody knows just what humor is.

I, for one, grappled with its meaning, so that I have to ask Rowell, the editorial consultant of Crossroads, what do they mean by humor. He isn't of much help either. Did you get me?

Then I remembered I have a copy of William Zinsser's On Writing Well, which has a chapter devoted entirely to humor.

And so, the prize went to me, although until now, I haven't received it yet.

One year of writing and blogging—and beyond

(Here's the result of following Forrester's advice. I'm not sure if I pulled it off well, so you be judge.)

It all started with a deceptively simple question, this passion for writing.

“Why do you want to be a teacher?” our professor in Principles of Teaching asked us at the first meeting of the class. We were turn in the essay, she told us, by next meeting. It meant, of course, that we only had one day to write what we think was the reason why we enrolled in Education.

The question got me thinking. Indeed, what is it that compelled me to want to be a teacher? For a while I thought of many reasons. Money? Definitely not. Fame? Only few teachers became famous. Some, who lived an epic life, died unsung. Prestige? Other professions such as medicine and law are far more prestigious than teaching.

After mulling over the question, I was able to fashion out a fairly decent essay. As I was about to read it in front of my classmates, I felt anxious. Would they like it? Would I be able to deliver it without stammering? But my anxieties turned out to be worse than the result. After I read my work, my classmates applauded me. My professor thought it was inspiring. “If Arvin’s essay did not inspire you,” she said, “I don’t know what will.”

However faint that praise was, an idea struck me. If this essay were inspiring, I thought, why not send it to Youngblood, a section in the Philippine Daily Inquirer where young people can send their essays. If the essay’s good enough, it will be published. I’ve been meaning to send to Youngblood, but never did attempt to do so. Or was it because I didn’t have some sensible things to say? But now, bolstered by my professor’s comment, I’ve finally mustered the courage to try to send an essay, hoping that it would inspire others the way it inspired my classmates.

'Just get on the plane'

When I opened my FB account (Facebook for the uninitiated) early this morning, this was the message that greeted me:

Hi, arvin!

Good thing ur online...

would just like to ask some favor from you, that is if ur not that busy..

would u mind making an article for a publication intended for the first year and transferee students?

its about how it is being a first year college student in holy cross. a short page will... of course, we will be giving you an honorarium for this undertaking..

please say yes....

I read the message over and over. Then suddenly I remembered what William Zinsser said in On Writing Well. If there's a writing assignment, he said, just get on the plane. (I don't exactly know if those were the exact words because I'm quoting from memory.)

So without spending too much time thinking over the matter, I accepted the project. "Just get on the plane," I told my self.

Everyone should learn to write well

Judging from the book card---it's usually found at the back of the book---of On Writing Well, I am, at least in our school, what you might consider its most frequent borrower. Written by William Zinsser, it's a valuable book for people who want to learn to write well, with lessons ranging from the principles of writing to the methods of writing a memoir, an interview article, a travel article, a science article, etc. In fact, I have borrowed it for four times already, while some borrowed it only once. And still others haven't heard of the book.

My female friend once noticed my fondness for the book. She wondered why I always borrow it. Then she asked me, "Do you want to be a writer because you seemed hell-bent on learning to write well?" I didn't know then what to say. It wasn't until several months after my friend asked me that I came up with an answer.

Yes, I want to learn to write well. But no, I don't want to be a writer. That is to say, I don't want to earn my living just by writing though I want to write just like professional writers do.

It's true that to learn to write well is what professional writers badly need. Their very survival depends on their ability to write lucid and readable product---either in the form of a newspaper article, or a feature story, or a short story, or a novel. Otherwise, they'll find it increasingly difficult to survive---financially and professionally. But it doesn’t mean other professionals should be exempted from learning to write well.

But, one might ask, is there a need for others to learn to write well?