I had an unrequited love to English writing before. I loved writing, but writing seemed
never love me. Countless of times my compositions were given a "fair", if not "below
satisfactory", grade by my English teachers way back during my elementary and high
school days.
But such misfortune didn't get in my way to woo English writing. Instead of watching
cartoons on TV and reading comics, I shifted my interest into reading more serious
articles and books and watching non-fiction films on a variety of subjects, like history,
literature, business, economics, current events, technology, among others. Moreover, I
attended some free seminars and workshops about creative writing and journalism.
It was a long and tedious process, indeed. I could say that making myself become an
effective English writer was more arduous than courting a girl. I had to stay awake most
of the time, writing and reading and reading and writing, to maintain the momentum
going and keep my train of thought flowing.
Those hardships paid off as I've seen the progress of my romance with English writing
improved a lot. I finally made the upper hand when I entered my sophomore years in
college. I remembered the first time that I attained a grade equivalent to "very good"-and that was so motivating and a euphoric experience. I felt that I wanted to do more.
My creative juice was overflowing, filled to the brim. The next good thing that had
happened to me was that I was accepted as a member of the literary staff in our
college's school organ, The Benildean.
After my graduation from the De La Salle University - College of Saint Benilde with a
degree in business administration, I had an opportunity working with several big and
reputable companies, performing various capacities in management. My writing skills
were honed all the more--composing business correspondences every day, preparing
reports and press releases, and contributing write-ups to the company's newsletter.
My biggest break in commercial writing, however, came when I tried my luck to flirt into
copywriting. That was a perplexing experience to me since I didn't have any formal
study in advertising. I just learned the field through osmosis.
Armed with empirical knowledge and sheer determination to succeed, this bold move to
do copywriting for an industry advertiser had opened the door for me to enter the realm
of publishing. I became a regular contributor of the real estate magazine, Space+. Then,
I leveled up to become an editor of an architecture magazine─the same position which
I'm still holding presently.
Being the editor of Archikonst is daunting but quite fulfilling for me. It came to me as a
surprise; thus, I considered myself as an "accidental editor" of the Philippines' longestrunning architecture and construction magazine. I was able to bag the highest position
in the said publication for being at the right place and at the right time.
In spite of this achievement, this won't stop me from learning more to master the craft of
writing. For me, the quest for knowledge must be never-ending. Like an app, a writer
must always "upgrade to the latest version" to enhance his or her performance and "fix
the bugs".
I’ve been writing for more than seven years now, and my perseverance and patience
have made the waiting all the more worthwhile. I've no regrets pursuing to master
English writing. In fact, I feel like tying a knot with it for writing occupies most of my
precious and spare times. And this is the only marriage that requires never-ending
courtship for I need to always please and entertain my audience. Much more that it is
the only marriage that allows "flirtation" and "extracurricular affairs". I can still do other
work stuffs with no conflict at all.
As a writer/editor, I've already flirted with so many subjects and toyed with a lot of
topics. Until now, I'm still entertaining the thoughts of having an unusual, or should I say
"kinky", and out-of-the-box compositions. I would always get a natural high whenever I
would finish a good composition.
Moreover, I been together with writing through thick and thin. I write for a living. I write
as a hobby or past time. I use to write my happy moments as well as my sad
experiences. Or simply, I write to while away my time.
When I'm very angry, I will resort to writing as my outlet to express my anger. After a
while, I would feel my anger would subside. Writing, in a way, controls my emotion. It is
my punching bag, my shock absorber, and my cushion.
Hence, my love for writing will never dissipate. That's why I consider my affinity to it as a
perfect union. This is a kind of marriage that can never be divorced or put asunder. This
magical affinity will stay with me forever... till kingdom come.