SINCE I was inducted to the Palanca Awards Hall of Fame in 2012, every year, without fail, I get many, many, many interviews from students all over the Philippines on my life as a writer.
I like interviews with young people.
Interviews give me a chance to share what I know, and they give the students new and challenging perspectives.
This is Part 2 of my latest interview by a student.
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Q: What skills, knowledge, abilities are needed to succeed as a writer?
ThePSN: Obviously, skills and knowledge related to language, words, and communication are of prime importance.
If language and words are the tools of the writer’s trade, the writer has to have a good command and mastery of these tools to become successful.
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But this is also the century of multitasking and stressful competitiveness.
Everybody is a celebrity.
Everybody is multitalented.
Everybody can do 52 things at the same time.
So, if you want to survive as a writer, you have to have other skills, especially those related to design, marketing, and even psychology.
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Can you write and design your own books?
Can you promote and advertise your work by yourself?
Can you self-publish?
Do you understand your market or target readers, and their changing needs?
Do you have people skills?
Can you spend time to answer interviews even if these interviews will not give you money?
Are you willing to compromise your core principles?
Do you know when to stand your ground, and not to sell out?
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I always say that our first calling is to be human.
To be good citizens of the world, guardians of the planet.
On top of that, to be a really great writer, you have to have love for humanity, and not just for your hungry and greedy ego.
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Q: How are you paid as a writer?
ThePSN: I am not paid very well as a writer.
I’m not a million-dollar author based on the sales of my books and other writings.
But I win literary prizes, grants, endowments, and such.
I earn some royalty from my books.
Not a lot, but they make me feel good about myself as a writer.
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As a “famous writer” though, I earn additionally, and much better, from my paid talks, my lectures and workshops.
And I get invitations and VIP treatment to events, parties, et cetera that are otherwise not given to ordinary mortals.
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So really, for me, writing pays off in the form of self-confidence, self-validation, self-assurance that I am doing something that people appreciate, and hopefully is helping some of them.
And that is priceless!
You cannot buy the honors and love and admiration given to me by my readers.
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And to be very honest, concerning my sex life, several people (who were otherwise unattainable to me) slept with me because they think I’m a smart and famous writer.
My late husband was always so proud of me because I am a big time writer.
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Q: Do you think that writing is an in-demand job?
ThePSN: For as long as the world needs words to communicate ideas, and needs people most talented with words to use them, writing will always be in great demand.
Now, whether they pay the writers or not, or how well, that’s a different matter.
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I remember being asked by friends to write love letters back in the day.
I mean, before sexting and all these online dating and hookup sites.
Back when people actually went through the process of courtship before they can even get a kiss.
I say, that’s an example of me being a writer in demand.
But did I get paid for that?
Not with money, that’s for sure.
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Newspapers will always need writers.
Television and movies will always need scripts.
Commercial ads will always need copies.
Books will never die.
They may evolve to ebooks and virtual books, but they would still need people to do the job of using words. (To be continued)/PN
