Rational Insanity
By Bryan Mari Argos

Writers should know these

Last week I was texted by one of my readers saying that my writing style was familiar and it was almost like the style of one of the more prominent writers in Iloilo City . I beg to disagree. The writer my reader was talking about is a respected and accomplished writer and I don't deserve to be likened to him. He has his own style, and me, mine. More so, what would copying the style of other writers make me? A copycat? Sorry, but I have my own style and this style is one I have developed for years on end already. On the lighter side, should I be asked if the prominent writer I am talking about here is truly a good writer (although such a question needs no asking anymore), I would readily say that he is. Now, for writer wannabes out there, I have this to say: Writing is the most unrewarding craft in the field of arts, and if you are not sensitive enough to appreciate the subtle graces that writing gives you, then you are meant for other things. As one who writes, let me help you out; here are some things we should all remember should we choose the lonely route of the writer one of these days:

1. Writers are jealous. Note that jealousy is not the same with selfishness. Writers are very generous people, but when it comes to their written pieces, they will usually defend these things to the death. For writers who want to better themselves, on the other hand, critiquing is critical. Writers who want to improve themselves better themselves by bowing to the seniors.

2. Writers write – they don't ask other people to ghost write for them. I ghost write for some politicians because they cannot write. In other words, people who ask other people to write for them CANNOT WRITE, and should not pass themselves off as writers if they do not have the capacity to write. A written piece is a writer's dignity. What dignity do you get from claiming something that you wrote no single word of?

3. Accomplished writers do not talk about the work of other fellow writers behind their backs unless for purposes of education and critique. This is a sign of inferiority. Why talk about the work of other writers with hostility when one is confident enough with his/her capacities, unless of course one really does not know how to write in the first place.

4. Writers do not copy anything from other writers because they are fully capable of writing new and original pieces themselves.

5. Writers never use the craft for ulterior motives. Writers write because of the love of it and not for any financial or commercial reason. Writers do not write to satisfy other people, they write for themselves. The appreciation that comes from others is simply a fringe benefit, but the craft itself is not designed for self-glorification.

6. Writers are zealous guarders of the craft. They look down upon people who corrupt literature and writing by the surface appreciation of such because writing is a “deep art”. It is not for shallow people, much less, people who only desire to be able to write because they are motivated by the possibility of exposure.

7. Writers are subtle antagonists. Mud slinging is a no-no for writers. If writers attack you, it will be in a way you wouldn't notice.

8. Writers believe in their power to change and sparingly use this power for the greater good.

9. Writers have their own opinions of things. Their reactions are usually first hand.

10. Writers are blind. They are blind to the glare of fame, fortune, and glory. This is what makes them able to introspect into the more important things in life.

Now, if you want to be a writer, take all these into consideration and try to consider the asceticism involved in writing. Are you truly cut-up for a writer's life? Or are you just a wannabe. If you are just a wannabe, then it's about time that you reconsidered your options before you fall deeper into the writers web that West Visayas is known for and you get a bitter note from each one of the senior writers here in our region today. Trust me, you wouldn't want this to happen – it devastates you to the point of not ever wanting to write again, unless of course you are a true writer and writing is your passion, then you will have nowhere else to go but rise up from the ashes, take your pen, and write again, and again, and again, until finally you become the best. Be rational; be insane…every once in a while! TTFN. Next week naman ang greetings ha! I love you all! Byers! Now you won't have any reason to miss Rational Insanity because TNT is online, check us out at www.thenewstoday.info, text me at (0920)9254269, or email me at prague@eudoramail.com .