Rational Insanity
How far have you written?
The distance that one has gone in his/her life as a writer always becomes an issue for most writers. How far has one gone as a writer? Are the achievements one writer in his/her written work enough to induct him/her into the circle known as prestigious/awarded writers? When is a writer qualified enough? When has a writer gone the longest road?
These questions are always an issue for many young writers, when in truth and in fact, such questions should not be the basis for writing. Always, there is a question of why do we write? Do we write to win awards? Do we write for recognition? Do we write to earn? What is our reason for writing?
Many would claim that they write to contribute to the literary corpus – a noble reason, if I were to be asked. Some would say that they write because they want to experiment with the various genres of creative writing. For this, I would like to recall what a friend, Bevs Asenjo told young writers once, echoing what the great Leoncio Deriada once said, 'It is good to experiment with your work, but we should not get hooked with experimentation; once or twice is alright, but when experimentation becomes a habit, we will most likely end up writing our way into novelty (i.e. Lito Camo). Still others would say that they write for the simple passion for the craft, hence, the question, is passion enough for a writer to come up with time-worthy and quality work? For me, passion alone will create a monster out of an aspiring writer, because eventually that passion will eat into the ego of the aspiring writer allowing him/her to listen to no one else but to himself. In which case, growth as a writer becomes an impossibility. It is always wise to network with more skilled and more knowledgeable senior writers who could help us improve our craft. This brings us back to the issue of determining how far a certain writer has gone in his/her craft to validate whether that particular writer will be a worthy critique for our work.
I've always told myself that critiquing and writing are two very different things, but it is impossible for one to exist without the other. A critique who cannot or does not write has as much credibility as an empty water jug. For one to be able to critique the work of others, one has to be able to critique his/her work, first of all. Therefore, most of the time, the quality of the work that originates from good critiques reflect their skillfulness in the craft. Now, does a writer need to receive recognition for him/her to be considered good in his/her craft? Well, frankly, with the thousands of awards given all over the world for writers, it's very difficult to pin-point which of these award-giving bodies has credibility, integrity, and real passion for the craft. Quoting the literary virtuoso, Edith Tiempo during the 2006 Palanca Awards, 'Writers who write for the Palanca are not writers;' these words coming from a literary institution herself nails for young and aspiring writers the 'reason for writing'. It sums up and answers all the questions that young writers keep on asking themselves. If one writes for recognition, then he/she only writes not for the love of writing but for the prestige that writing can give; and therefore, has lost sight of the real reason for writing. Money and recognition cannot exist in the same wavelength with literature. Recognition and meager financial uplift are only fringe benefits of writing, but should not be the ultimate goals.
Judging from these, young writers today should re-think their objective for writing. Perhaps, the proper questions to ask oneself, as a writer would be: Have I written a poem that truly reflects my innermost thoughts? Has any of my writing made other people happy, sad, and sympathetic? Have my stories entertained any of those I shared them to? Have my essays influenced the society to which they are addressed? Has my pen really evolved into the fabled sword that it should be for me as a writer? Have I used my writing to influence communities to do what is best for others? Have my pieces touched anybody's life? And finally, Do I know why I write…? Sincere answers to these questions would eventually tell us where we are as writers; how far have we gone, need we go any further?
Be rational; be insane…every once in a while! TTFN!
Byers! I love you all!!!