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.

Forrester's advice

I caught up Finding Forrester at TV5 many days ago. I think it's a must-see for a novice writer and even for those who have been writing for so long a time but whose well of creativity has now dried up. For it's replete with lines on how to go about writing, and indeed living. But the one line that has stuck in my mind is that which William Forrester (Sean Connery) told to Jamal Wallace (Rob Brown):

No thinking - that comes later. You must write your first draft with your heart. You rewrite with your head. The first key to writing is... to write, not to think!

I don't know how many writers have tried it and came out successful. But since I'm a sucker for writing tips and wouldn't let one pass without trying it, I tried Forrester's advice. I tried to write the first draft with my heart; the second draft with my head.

The result: a 2,000 plus-word essay chronicling my first foray into writing and blogging. Then on the second draft, I cut it down to about 1,600 words.

I will publish it soon. Maybe tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow.

The benefits of reading bad writing

"Every book you pick up has its own lesson or lessons," wrote Stephen King in On Writing: A Memoir of the Craft, "and quite often the bad books have more to teach than the good ones."

Indeed, reading bad prose is sometimes better than reading a good one---it boosts your confidence and also makes you feel superior. That's what I felt when some months back I was reading the school paper of a nursing college in Davao City.

I've really made the right choice when I picked up that paper. I know now how not to write well.

Which is which

I am no poet. But I don’t hate poetry at all. Though I shun the way poets obscure their message, I still like the way they weave the words to produce so beautiful a sound like only a poem can.

I’m just a tepid fan of poetry. That perhaps explains my short list of favorite poems. One such favorite of mine is “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost—partly because it’s easy to read and decipher its meaning, but mainly because it resonates with me:

'When writers speak'

I admire Paul Krugman. Which is why I read his columns in New York Times and his blog, although some of them are hardly understandable, as far as my unlettered economic mind is concerned.

I admire Krugman's eloquence and the richness and power of his prose. But when I listen to him, I wonder if he's the same Krugman who writes the columns. When he talks, he stammers. Sometimes it takes him a long time to get his message across.



Still, Krugman has my admiration. After all, "writers don’t have to be brilliant conversationalists; it’s not their job to be smart except, of course, when they write," argues Arthur Krystal in his essay, "When Writers Speak."

Thanks for Sir Jose Carillo for the pointer.

'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.

Why we need to weed out wordiness?

Wordiness, Robert Hartwell Fiske argues, is not only an obstacle to effective communication. It also impedes:

• Success --- Almost all professional people know that success in business partly depends on good communication skills, on writing and speaking clearly and persuasively. Businesspeople who cannot express well are often at a disadvantage in the corporate world.


• Companionship --- Few of us enjoy being with someone who speaks incessantly or incoherently...We lose interest in what a person says and, ultimately, in who a person is.


• Self-knowledge --- A superfluity of words conceals more than it reveals. We need time to be silent and still, time to reflect on the past and think about the future; without it, no one is knowable.

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?