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The Power of Pen


There is power in pen, and writing talent is a gift.  I am truly blessed that I have a big passion for writing. For me, it is one of the best ways to express myself -- what is in my mind, what my eyes can see, my ears can hear, and what every bit of my sense can respond to.

We have freedom of speech and we can write whatever topic under the sun we want to focus on. Nobody can stop us from doing that, so long as we know the boundaries of it.

I have been a writer since childhood. Writing runs in our family blood. My maternal grandfather's cousin was a linguist and author of some best-selling Filipino-English and English-Filipino dictionaries. My paternal uncle was an awardee of a famous literary award-giving body for his one-act play and more. I was the editor-in-chief of our high school and college publications. I edited a book written by a lawyer (rest in peace, Sir) and publisher of a long-running (half a century plus) local newspaper.

What we write leaves an impact on our readers. They indirectly go to the writer's world when they read his writings. It is an indirect transport to his private place.

Many times great writers play a vital role in changing the course of a nation's history. For one, Dr. Jose Rizal, the national hero of the Philippines, used the mighty power of his pen as a silent way of causing huge transformation of Filipinos, leading to the glorious freedom of the country.

You can kill a writer, but you cannot kill his works, his very legacy, that lives on and on.

Every writer has a story to tell. Every good writer is an observant of what's happening around him, and interested in human beings because the goal in writing is to leave a message that will help the readers get informed or enlightened on some subjects.

Today's writers are blessed with vast information through the internet. In our old days, I used to read many newspapers and books and conducted interviews with many people to write a very good article. This generation is privileged to have easy access to many sources of information as a basis for writing. The challenge is the overflow of fake news/articles and how to validate if they are true. The validation is always necessary so as not to mislead the readers as in a matter of seconds, a published article can go viral.

Written words can make or unmake a man. Black propaganda can destroy an honest and qualified election candidate. A very good write-up about one can help him win his bid for an electoral seat.

Sussex Duchess Meghan Markle in her childhood (11 years old then) wrote a letter to many influential people, including former US First Lady Hillary Clinton, that helped change a sexist TV commercial ad.

Some writers not only transform the lives of the readers, but they also make it in history as the richest among all in their field. According to SuccessStory.com, the top ten (10) authors who got rich in writing are --

1.  JK Rowling US$1B (UK, born 1965)
2.  Jim Davis - US$800M (US, born 1945)
3.  Candy Spelling - US$600M (US, born 1945)
4.  Stephen King - US$400M (US, born 1947)
5.  Danielle Steel - US$375M (US, born 1947)
6,  James Patterson - US$310 (Newburgh, born 1947)
7.  Tom Clancy - US$300M (US, born 1947)
8.  Olivia Harrison - US$275M (Mexico, born 1948)
9.  John Grisham - US$200M (US, born 1955)
10.  Jackie Collins - US$180M (US, born 1937)

Truly "a creative mind is worth priceless."  All great leaders are creative, and they are very good in writing. If you are creative and you have a passion for writing, unleash your talent now. Go to a place where you can have peace of mind and where positivity overflows. If in case you cannot find one, ignore the negativity and noises, and stay focused. It may take some days, weeks, months or years to finish it -- but just do it. Other people will think that you are doing nothing in isolation. They do not deserve your explanation. Just do it. You have the power in your beautiful mind that can be transported to the future readers through your hands, through your pen, and you cannot tell what it may bring not only to you but to others who will read your writings.

I am in the process of writing something, yes, long overdue. No matter what the challenge is, I will passionately make it happen. May the Supreme Creator's force be in me. Help me, God.

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Photo credits:  Pixabay

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