Share five things you’re good at.
- Writing prose and poetry. Might have mentioned this gift on my site. Since high school, my composing has been my go-to talent. I’ve won contests, published books, and aced English exams. See also: Topher Wins. You need only look at my blog. Whether stories or verses, fiction or essays, I keep recalibrating my next hurdle. Coming soon: writing for the stage. I have some ideas for a play.
In terms of fiction, I’ve released a story collection. Nonfiction? One memoir. Poetry…is on the cards. Authors can’t be one trick ponies. We must adapt and grow. Kurt Vonnegut and Albert Camus were versatile. They published manuscripts across the board. Vonnegut never won the Pulitzer or Nobel Prize; Camus did. They remain popular decades after their demises. Incidentally, Vonnegut was deployed as a soldier overseas, like Ernest Hemingway and Jerome David Salinger. The former’s novel, Slaughterhouse Five, problematises this experience.
2. Editing. Of course together with writing is editing and proofing. They’re related but different. Both time consuming, the two require a certain skillset. You can be a plus writer but a subpar editor. You’ll be hard pressed to find a mediocre writer and gifted editor. If you’ve finished your book, there are licensed editors for hire. I’ve mobilised two in the past. Others work in offices around town. They sit poring over a range of works. Some are workmanlike while others are polished. Some writers deserve ‘constipated thinking’ comments; some are an A minus. They detest adverbs and verbosity. If I had my way, all sentences could be shortened. A nose for the news is essential in reporting. An eye for detail is paramount in editing.
I read my classmates’s work before.
‘Human beings have been talking about the third world for decades.’
Simplistic and not chiselled. Thus, I got a higher mark. Viewing these arguments honed my editing skills. Like spotting zebra stripes, you must master your grammar.
I was examining an unpublished novel. I told the author that I’d replace all the em dashes with single quotes. That’s the way it should be, I told him. Was one of the most sleep inducing proofing I did. I was surprised that I didn’t conk out while replacing hundreds of dashes.
3. Remembering. My long term memory is very good, if not excellent. I could recall conversations from fifteen years ago. I know the names of my classmates and advisors from primary school and beyond. On my Spotify, I’ve got the songs that I listened to while growing up. At times, I sing along. I can recall all the NBA champs from the eighties onward. I remember the price of my clothes and shoes, though purchased ages ago. Where I bought them as well. As a kid, I could replay, word for word, the tapes that I listened to. Once again, please refer to my eBook, Topher Wins. You can grab your copy here:
Topher Wins: How I notched up an 8.5 Overall Band Score in the IELTS Academic
4. Directions. While holidaying in Melbourne, my direction skills impressed my friend.
‘You’re better than Google Maps’, he told me.
We found our way to the Gold Mine in Bendigo. Had a few minutes before the tour started. I was wearing the wrong attire with suede Converse shoes and brown chinos. I had on a blue marle jacket. We went down twelve floors in a claustrophobic lift. The kid was annoying. His father asked this tourist where he was from. He said that the Tokyo trains were packed like our lift. There were two Japanese tourists. See? I remember the bits and pieces. In case you’re wondering, I did not refer to my blog post on Bendigo. This trip is going on nine years.
5. Mental math. I’ve impressed a few souls with my mad skills. In third year, the valedictorian was my seatmate. She asked me a complex calculation, which I answered promptly. Without using any calculators.
‘Ang galing mo naman sa mental math’ (You’re really good at mental math.)
‘Di naman masyado.’ (Not really.)
I routinely compute with my mind. Why bring out your phone when you could solve it yourself? Media devices have held us hostage. Technology, our first and last resort. Using track changes is sweet but nothing beats editing the printed word. Authors avail of proof copies for a reason. Before the typewriter and laptop, authors penned hundreds of pages by hand. They used Mongol pencils to sift through the manuscript. If they could inscribe and proof with rudimentary materials, then so can we. Analog technology is underrated. In an era of iPhones and smart watches, it pays to be open-minded.
