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But words are things, and a small drop of ink,
Falling, like dew, upon a thought, produces
That which makes thousands, perhaps millions, think.
Falling, like dew, upon a thought, produces
That which makes thousands, perhaps millions, think.
- Lord Byron
Imagine how wonderful it would be when thoughts are easily converted into words, creating meanings that would influence people's minds. One no longer has to stare at a blank sheet of paper for over an hour, ignoring the crumpled ones all over the desk. A cup of coffee instead of two or three would probably be enough to finish a 10-page short story. No more calling upon the Muses and praying for an inspiration or worrying about pimples and eye bags caused by sleepless nights. Computer fees would cost less for those who choose to work on their papers the night before a designated deadline. No more solitaires or checking of one’s Friendster account or even chatting on-line while waiting for brilliant ideas to come.
Life as a Creative Writing student would be less difficult, or so I thought. For words don’t just come easily. Sometimes one has to grasp them from somewhere then double-check whether they express his thoughts well or not. They often linger at the tip of one’s tongue before they find their way out on the piece of paper. Just when the writer becomes satisfied with his work and develop a sense of pride or closeness to the material, the words reach the scrutinizing eyes of readers and critics. Three to four hours of sleep each night plus cups of coffee, not to mention the expenses on typing and printouts that are no less than a hundred peso, are down to bloody red marks, comments on overlooked grammatical errors and worst, taking out of one’s favorite lines.
***
He who does not expect a million readers should not write a line.
Imagine how wonderful it would be when thoughts are easily converted into words, creating meanings that would influence people's minds. One no longer has to stare at a blank sheet of paper for over an hour, ignoring the crumpled ones all over the desk. A cup of coffee instead of two or three would probably be enough to finish a 10-page short story. No more calling upon the Muses and praying for an inspiration or worrying about pimples and eye bags caused by sleepless nights. Computer fees would cost less for those who choose to work on their papers the night before a designated deadline. No more solitaires or checking of one’s Friendster account or even chatting on-line while waiting for brilliant ideas to come.
Life as a Creative Writing student would be less difficult, or so I thought. For words don’t just come easily. Sometimes one has to grasp them from somewhere then double-check whether they express his thoughts well or not. They often linger at the tip of one’s tongue before they find their way out on the piece of paper. Just when the writer becomes satisfied with his work and develop a sense of pride or closeness to the material, the words reach the scrutinizing eyes of readers and critics. Three to four hours of sleep each night plus cups of coffee, not to mention the expenses on typing and printouts that are no less than a hundred peso, are down to bloody red marks, comments on overlooked grammatical errors and worst, taking out of one’s favorite lines.
***
He who does not expect a million readers should not write a line.
- Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe
Finishing a degree in Creative Writing made me realize that writing is in truth, something intimate and personal. It is an outlet of one’s deepest thoughts, a reflection of one’s subconscious desires, and an emblem of courage. A noble act that it is, writing wouldn’t be as important when the purpose of informing the readers is removed. For this purpose, writing requires boldness for it takes guts to write down one’s thoughts especially when the writer has in mind the reactions and comments he will receive from his readers.
To write is to unveil. It is a form of exposure. The writer’s intimate ideas and desire to make them known are comparable to an unveiled woman’s beauty and her longing to be recognized. A writer is comparable to a Muslim woman in a strict Muslim community who dares to remove her veil, and takes the risk of being looked at or criticized the moment she exposes her aurat (or parts of her body that must be concealed from the opposite sex who’s not a member of her immediate family). However, while a writer has his words as weapons in exposing the truth according to his eyes, a woman has her veil to save herself from any exposure to evil glances.
I learned how to take these risks. Letting my teachers and fellow student writers read my works then hearing their comments and criticisms is like removing my veil before the class after swearing that I will never take it off.
Finishing a degree in Creative Writing made me realize that writing is in truth, something intimate and personal. It is an outlet of one’s deepest thoughts, a reflection of one’s subconscious desires, and an emblem of courage. A noble act that it is, writing wouldn’t be as important when the purpose of informing the readers is removed. For this purpose, writing requires boldness for it takes guts to write down one’s thoughts especially when the writer has in mind the reactions and comments he will receive from his readers.
To write is to unveil. It is a form of exposure. The writer’s intimate ideas and desire to make them known are comparable to an unveiled woman’s beauty and her longing to be recognized. A writer is comparable to a Muslim woman in a strict Muslim community who dares to remove her veil, and takes the risk of being looked at or criticized the moment she exposes her aurat (or parts of her body that must be concealed from the opposite sex who’s not a member of her immediate family). However, while a writer has his words as weapons in exposing the truth according to his eyes, a woman has her veil to save herself from any exposure to evil glances.
I learned how to take these risks. Letting my teachers and fellow student writers read my works then hearing their comments and criticisms is like removing my veil before the class after swearing that I will never take it off.
