Dan's Random Rants

IX: Aesthetic or Impact?

So ito, 'di ko alam kung rant chapter ba to. Pero gusto ko lang magbigay ng sarili kong pananaw. Kaya naman, all you salty bitches out there, don't push your luck on me.

Ok so kamakailan lang nabasa ko ang rant book ni ate Dj_Elsiebrande. Tungkol ata siya sa mga nagki-care na lang sa grammar at kahit maliit na mali sa punctuation pipintasan at nawawala na sense na kikilatisin mo ang mismong CONTENT ng story.

Aminin niyo marami na ang ganyan. Hindi naman sa sinasabi ko na hindi importante ang grammar at technical aspect in writing. I, myself,  am quite uptight when it comes to critiquing or judging a story. Pero hindi naman doon lang iyon umiikot. Focus on how to break down the progression of the story, the underlying statements given by the speaker. Alam niyo 'yon masyadong marami pang component sa isang kwento bukod sa kung ilang tuldok dapat at saan dapat ang comma.

Don't get me wrong. I love reading stories in wattpad na maganda at malinis. Alam niyo 'yon?  Iyong makikita mo na pinaglaanan ng oras at galing. Pero may mga nakikita rin naman akong mga stories na hindi kasing pulido. Minsan nga mga first draft ng mga famous wattpad stars jusko kung perfectionist ka lang. Pero binabasa ko kasi hindi naman ibig sabihin na kulang na siya sa apostrophe or may na miscapitalized lang siyang isang proper noun eh itatapon mo na.

I read for the substance. I read to learn. I read to travel. Kung pati pala isang period ay gagawin mo ng below passing ang judgement mo sa kanya aba. Hindi pala dapat writer ang pangarapin. Kasi sa lagay na 'yan parang thesis adviser ka eh.

Isa pa sa mga nakakabanas lang. Kasi para sa mga young writers at mga neophytes, you make it seem that the only thing they need to master is technical writing. Being great in technical writing is a skill anyone can learn. Litterally ANYONE.

Being a successful writer, takes more than skill. You need inclination towards literature. You need to work on your talent, improve it, gain some experience and most of all you need a thick skin. Seryoso.

Now I don't get it why some people would suggest that magfocus ka lang sa grammar at technical mo. Ito mga books at steps tungkol diyan.

Yes it would help. But it won't make you a better world builder. It won't make you expand your perspective on color, gender, age, sociocultural aspects. Ok magaling ka magdetermine na dapat may hyphen ako bago ng word determine. That won't guarantee your success.

Minsan may mga bagay lang na bihisan mo ng maganda ayusin mo ang itsura pero kapag nagkwento na...  parang recorded tape or parang oversused manga plot. Sabi nga nila beauty is great. It's just a bonus but it is also boring. You need something that could impact you, elicit an emotion, take you to places, introduce you to a variety of people. You need something more than just pretty.

Kapag may mga younger friends ako na nagtatanonh sa 'kin, "Paano ako makakapagsulat? Baka mali-mali ang English ko o baka hindi naman interesante ang ang story ko."

I would always say, "Read and observe."

Kung gusto mong mas mahasa ka, magbasa ka pa. Read great works, read lousy works, read some news, read some fiction. Just start by reading a lot. Then, if you want to develop some skills on how to be an effective storyteller, how to write, there are a lot of tips ang articles to make you focus on your CRAFT.

Pagkatapos no'n maglakas loob ka lang na isulat ang nasa isip mo. Don't worry about the technical first. Kasi p'wede mo maayos 'yan. P'wede mo mapag-aralan 'yan. Pero ang impact at content ng kwento mo mabilis lang lumipas kaya kung ako sayo isulat mo na lang.

Kasi nga kung talagang focus mo ng perfect and pretty manuscript grabe magpapasa ka ba agad sa pub house agad-agad? Writing pretty text on documents are for stenographers. Correcting a materials are for content-editors.

Building a world, creating ALIVE characters and events,  it takes more than just how to make a proper format and indention. You need to work on your craft.

Kaya 'wag kayong madiscourage kung may mahaderang nagsabi na mababa dapat ang rank mo dahil may iilang period na kulang.

Para rin sa mga plano magpa-contest or mag judge or wannabe expert critic guru, mga dzae... Alamin niyo muna ang laman ng kwento. Pinaghirapan 'yon ng tao. At responsibilidad mo na palawakin ang kaalaman mo sa literatura para mas MAKATULONG ka. Oki? Gets?

I hope so.

Iyon lang. Bye na.

-Love
Dyosa