I would like to make a disclaimer. PinoyCopywriter.com is my blog. This is not a site where I’m offering writing services. Again, this is just a blog.

I mentioned that because I have received job offers and even applications for a writing position. I kindly turned them all down.

But there’s this one applicant that stood out from them all. He described himself, in his own words, as a ‘Professional Writer’.

Well, he was not. I pointed out some of the things why I don’t think he’s a professional writer:

1. He wrote in small cases! All the first words of all of his sentences were in small cases. That alone shouts that he’s not a writer.

2. Every paragraph he wrote contained three or more thoughts.

3. He called me ‘Ma’am’. A search on my name will show that I am a guy. Even more than that, just by reading my About page will give you that conclusion. A professional, whether a writer or not, will do a background check on the person or organization that he or she is seeking a job from.

Let me reiterate what my title says:

Please, think twice before you call yourself a writer. A lot of people work hard to gain that distinction.

I had dinner with my boss and co-workers at the C2 restaurant in Shangri-La Plaza in Mandaluyong. I fell in love with their laing and buko pandan shake. The latter was served in a bamboo-shaped glass. I had to remove the long pandan leaf that was placed there as a garnishing because the first time I tried to take a sip, the tip of the leaf hit my eye. Stupid me. But the food was great and I felt grateful that my friends took me there. I’ll invite my girlfriend to try out the place sometime. With me of course.

Photo courtesy of N. Arriola

I was rummaging through my old backup files when I came across this Pentel ad that I did years ago. I was working for Sterling Paper which was the distributor of Pentel products here in the country.

One day my boss asked me to come up with a simple ad, measuring 2 inches by 10 inches to be published in a major broadsheet. I asked him when would he want a study ad and he said within the day. I was naturally surprised because it was too quick; too short a deadline for a print ad.

He said we were given that free ad space as a bonus for the series of ads that had just published on that newspaper. But the thing was they required that extra ad to be submitted not later than the next day. And so I had no choice. I made use of our existing product images and with the help of Photoshop, I came up with this:

It’s a very simple ad that I was able to finish in less than an hour. But still it was fun doing it given the very rushed deadline.

Seldom do I admire a TV commercial, but this one from Camella Homes is truly amazing. I have nothing but praises to whoever thought of it. I wonder who is the copywriter behind this gem.

Aside from the very catchy “Bulilit” song, this ad also features one of the cutest kids to have graced the television.

Why do we write?

As a job? To earn a living? To express our thoughts and emotions? To share our knowledge? Or simply because we’re good at it?

I first started to write creatively when I read Jules Verne’s “A Journey to the Center of the Earth”. It was science fiction that got me mesmerized into reading a novel or any fiction for that matter. For years I’ve tried to duplicate that talent, trying my hand in fiction writing of the incredible, bizarre and simply outrageous. But alas, I admit I am not gifted that way.

Or is it I have not yet polished my craft?

I still keep on writing fiction although less frequently now. I somehow lost my zest as life turned more serious with all-new responsibilities and obligations mainly for my family. Suddenly life hit me hard. I have to earn a living and set aside my ambition to be a great writer.

But legends are born out of difficulties. Edgar Allan Poe died penniless and yet he crafted poems and stories that until now can send shivers down anybody’s spine. There are a lot of others like him who continued writing, perhaps because they knew they were good at it, and yet all the while not earning enough from it.

I have this long-standing dream to publish just one book before I die. A fiction. Right now all that I want is a children’s story book that will stand through the ages. Am I too ambitious? The way I see it, if you’re going to dream, dream big.

Am I making sense here? Forgive me if I do not. This is one of those times when I write while I think (or feel) and doesn’t bother much about conformity and the rules of good writing.

I’m in dreamland, everybody.