Writing has always been one of my passions. As a child, I was an avid fan of books and magazines. I was always fascinated of the world the different stories each book would hold. I would admire the way how good their authors have written them. It was like I was part of every conflict they face, every place they visit, and every journey they partake. Being a lover of books, my love for writing grew stronger. I admired anyone who could string words beautifully together.
I remembered when someone once told me that only poets can write poems. This led me to thinking that only writers, good ones, can write well. I dreamt of being a good writer. I strived harder; I trained more through competitions, press conferences and school activities. But then I felt I was never good enough. I felt that there was always something missing in my essays – some sort of element I cannot really decipher. So I tried to find the answer. Fortunately, the answer was waiting to be found in the form of a school project. I grabbed the opportunity and aimed for my target.
I found the answer to my prayers at the Manila Bulletin office in Intramuros, Manila. The angel in disguise was Mr. Paul Marc Rañon, a writer from the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) staff of the newspaper. This messenger from the Kingdom of Essays was the key to the relentlessly confusing questions occupying my head.
“Writing is expressing one’s self. It is a flow of ideas. Nilalabas mo dito ang mga saloobin mo. It is a manifestation of the writer’s thoughts,” he says while smiling. I smile at him back while I think to myself; I’ve heard that stuff before. Tell me something I don’t know. He further on tells me his thoughts about writing in general. I agree with him when he said that the pen is indeed mightier than the sword. Words can cause bigger impacts and effects than any weapon of mass destruction can. He further explains how writing continues to evolve as the times are changing. With the advent of technology, writers from any side of the world can share their compositions with another person from the other end of the globe. Some writers cannot even afford to publish their own works; so they resort to online blogging. Some good writers are even discovered online, he tells me. “I was a blogger, too,” he jokes around and we laugh.
Like me, Mr. Rañon also started writing during his high school years. He loved writing as much as I did. I assumed that it was the job he really wanted but he surprised me with his answer, “Passion, yes. As a job? I would rather take it (writing) as a hobby.” He likes field reporting because being an in-house writer sometimes bores him. “The action is not here. It is out there. I prefer to haunt for news outside,” he explains. Regardless, he claims that he is very happy as a writer. “Happy? Yes, of course! As long as you have the enthusiasm and passion to write, as long as you have that drive, tuloy-tuloy yan,” I nod in agreement when he said this. I feel that drive running through my veins whenever I write an essay. But how long would this drive fuel my desire for writing? Will I continue to be as happy as him in the future?
Mr. Rañon writes articles on news, technological, human interest and animal-related topics. He loves writing human interest compositions. He exclaims that this type of writing tackles “the humanity of being human.” It shows emotion, reality and consequences in daily events. He does not have a specific style in writing. He describes his work as spontaneous. I tell him I do not have a specific style in writing, too. I write according to what and how I feel.
We move on to a more serious topic. I asked him about the factors that make writing efficient. He answered that writing should be direct and straight to the point. It must also educate and inform readers. It must also be of interest to attract readers. “Do not exaggerate,” He repeatedly tells him. He also told me that writing becomes inefficient when the writer is under great stress. I laugh in agreement. I remember my sleepless nights with my keyboard and coffee. Stress is the number one factor that triggers creation of bad compositions. Deadlines, on the other hand, take the second place. When a writer is pressured to meet a specific deadline, words seem to escape his vocabulary at the time he needs them the most. Mr. Rañon tells me, “Yan yung mga panahon na kahit iuntog mo ang ulo mo sa pader, wala talagang lalabas.” Scarcity of information also leads to poor performance. A good writer must be also be good at research. In the same way, too much information is also bad in writing.
We discuss later on the advantages and disadvantages that come with his profession. He said that every writer will agree with him when he says that being a writer will give you many freebies, free food and free everything, “Walang makakatanggi na writer niyan. Lahat ng pwede mong mahawakan, lahat ng pwede mong amuyin, yung abot ng 5 senses mo, makukuha mo yan.” He further on explains that with these benefits, come also the downside of being a writer. “Andiyan yung limitation as a group, eh. Yung nakita mo noon, sila din makikita mo ngayon. Kayo lang nagkikita-kita sa press conferences. Nagiging boring. Parang walang bago,” he said with a dull face.
Being a writer is hard, he says, especially during the early years. It was the time when his editor seemed to reject every article he submitted. His editor would tell him the two words he dreaded the most – recheck and rewrite. I asked him then if he ever thought of quitting the job. He laughed and said yes. If he were not a writer now, he would be working in the US Navy. I wondered if I would ever want something else to do besides writing. Well, I probably would, but I would write and do another thing, not do that thing and not write at all.
Mr. Rañon gave tips for aspiring writers, like me, on how to create good compositions, “There are 5Rs in writing. They are Reading, Research, Reliability, Responsibility and Relations.” Even before he explained why these 5Rs are important, I already had the answer inside my head. A good writer must also be a wide reader because it is through reading materials he can gather new and more information, improve his vocabulary and learn from ideas of other authors. To be able to make a reliable essay, one must go beyond the subject and dig deeper through various resources like libraries and the internet. Reliability is important; a writer must be credible enough so that his readers will believe in him. With reliability comes responsibility. If one is reliable, he carries the responsibility of telling only the truth and nothing else. Lastly, good relations are important because a writer can learn so much from other writers, as well. He gets inspiration from his loved ones and other people in his life to continue writing.
Our discussion ended with a few jokes and smiles. I left Manila Bulletin that day with a clearer perspective in writing. Looking through the eyes of an expert, I gained new and vital knowledge that I knew I would need someday. Good writers like Mr. Rañon inspire budding writers like me to pursue the burning passion for writing and keep training to produce masterpieces we will be proud of someday.
