YOU CANNOT write what you don’t read.
Philippine Daily Inquirer (PDI) columnist Conrado de Quiros reminded Thomasians to read regularly to gain ideas on what to write and to learn the different writing styles of writers.
“If you do not read, you would not be able to write,” De Quiros said in his “The Rub on Writing” lecture organized by Journalese, the official newsletter of the Journalism Society, last Aug. 23 at the audio-visual room in St. Raymund’s Bldg.
De Quiros said it is important for journalists to write things they know very well than to write on an issue that is seemingly important yet they have little knowledge about it. De Quiros is known for his trenchment political commentaries in his column “There’s the Rub”. He published collection of his columns titled Dead Aim in 1997.
“If you do not know the issue that well then do not even think of writing about it, much less coming out with an entire issue devoted to the subject because the ignorance of the writer will show if he does not know what he is talking about,” he said.
He stressed that a writer should always write on what he is most inclined to, as writing such would help him build a relationship with his readers and arouse their interests at the same time.
“When a writer writes what he likes, he becomes enthusiastic,“ he said. “And when the writer is enthusiastic with something, it will reflect on what he writes. Therefore, he will be able to communicate well with people.”
De Quiros also pointed out that one should write regularly and learn how to articulate one’s thoughts well in order to master the craft of writing as first-time writers have a tendency to run out of words. De Quiros has been writing columns in the PDI since 1991.
“If it is possible, keep a diary,” he said. “The purpose of writing regularly is that it is practice that makes writing perfect.”
He said it is impossible for a person not to come up with a story since everyone always has new ideas and experiences to share.
“Most days, when a person wakes up in the morning or before he goes to bed, he will find something to write about,” De Quiros said. “A person will never run out of stories even if he writes on a daily basis.” Leonard James D. Postrado
