Publisher's Note

Publisher’s Note
by CK May is the month of flowers not just in the Philippines but also here in Calgary. A lot of my neighbors have done their spring cleaning and unfortunately I cannot cope up with them. I remember that during this time of the year my husband, Hank gets busier day by day. He takes care [...]
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THE BUSINESS OF WRITING

R. Encarnacion

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One interested observer came to us and opened a timely but touchy issue. “What is the most difficult part in setting up a magazine?” he asked. “Getting contributions from friends and acquaintances,” was our quick reply. It is common knowledge that most people hate to write just as they hate the dentist’s drill, even though, very likely, it will make them feel good later on.

The popular excuses we often hear are: “We are too busy to write”. “We just don’t have the talent”. “We don’t know what to write”. “Besides, we’re technical people, we’re not supposed to be good at writing”. “Writing is such a punishment, we’d rather watch TV.”

We beg to disagree on all these excuses for the simple reason that they are reflections of negative thinking. Our feeling is that writing is far from being a punishment and, contrary to popular belief, it does not require a special talent for one to express himself.

The fact is we have been writing since our early days in school. We write letters to our loved ones and friends. We write emails in the office. When we converse with others and articulate our ideas, we are expressing ourselves through another medium which parallels writing. With very few exceptions, most literate people in this world have written notes and letters at one time or another in their lives in their own personal, individual ways.

“What shall I write about?” There are a multitude of things to write about. Even the most boring subject matter such as yawning and scratching one’s back can be developed into an interesting piece of composition if one will only put his heart out to write about them. Of course, nobody can write about the subjects he does not know. Attempting to write about something which one hasn’t a thing to say is a waste of time.

“We are too busy to write.” We refuse to believe in this. Anybody who wishes to write can always find time to write. It’s purely a matter of disciplining one’s self. If one is really determined to write, he can make it happen, no matter how busy he is. All he has to do is sit down and put his pen to paper. Obviously, no one can possibly write while he is playing golf, lying in bed or watching TV. The magic words here are discipline and determination, never mind motivation.

“Besides, we’re technical people, we’re not supposed to be good at writing!” We simply disagree. On the contrary, we think technical people should be good, effective writers. To be able to explain the laws of physics, the theorems in math or the working principle of a machine, a technical person must have a modicum command of words to accurately and clearly put his ideas across. Any technical man who doesn’t know how to express himself is like a book which nobody can read.

THE BUSINESS OF WRITING

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