Fame, fortune and the Filipino writer
The Philippine Star|November 25, 2024
Creative writers don't earn much in this country, unless they lend their talents to someone else, for far less literary reasons than writing a novel or a collection of poems.
JOSE DALISAY
Fame, fortune and the Filipino writer

A senator might need to deliver an important speech to an international audience; a taipan might be marking a milestone like a 75th birthday and fancy having his biography written; a conglomerate might want to have its history written and published, to trumpet its accomplishments and contributions to society.

For all these, many novelists, poets and essayists will drop their pens and exchange their metaphors for the plainer but more remunerative prose of public relations. I know I have; I'm one of these people for whom writing isn't just an art but a profession, a means of livelihood, a trade I'm grateful to be able to ply instead of hauling gravel or fixing carburetors.

I've been writing for a living since I dropped out of college and became a newspaper reporter at 18, and I've been at it ever since, even throughout my whole other life as an academic (yes, I went back to school and got all the right degrees just so I could teach).

At 70, I'm still working on three or four simultaneous book projects for clients, with my own third novel in the back burner. (I've already drawn the line at 70; after these, no more, so I can focus on my own work and live modestly off my professor's pension.)

I daresay, however, that most Filipino writers don't operate like this, either because they can't (you have to park your ego at the door and be extremely adaptable) or they won't (for some, writing for money is selling your soul, although you can always say no to jobs and clients you don't like, as I have). So creative writers have to keep day jobs like teaching or lawyering or newswriting and editing, and tap away at their magnum opuses on the side.

This story is from the November 25, 2024 edition of The Philippine Star.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the November 25, 2024 edition of The Philippine Star.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM THE PHILIPPINE STARView All
The Philippine Star

Pope Prays: Be Pilgrims of Hope

Vatican City - Pope Francis said yesterday the Jubilee year should be a time for \"every individual, and all peoples and nations to become pilgrims of hope, to silence the sound of arms and overcome divisions.\"

time-read
2 mins  |
December 26, 2024
The Philippine Star

Pinoys Thankful for Good Health – SWS Poll

As in previous years, Filipinos remain most thankful for good health this holiday season, a Social Weather Stations (SWS) poll showed.

time-read
2 mins  |
December 26, 2024
Zia Dantes is Breakthrough Child Performer at 37th Aliw Awards
The Philippine Star

Zia Dantes is Breakthrough Child Performer at 37th Aliw Awards

Zia Dantes, the eldest child of Kapuso couple Dingdong Dantes and Marian Rivera, has gained a new milestone in her young but promising career, after winning the Breakthrough Child Performer of the Year award at the 37th Aliw Awards.

time-read
1 min  |
December 25, 2024
Why the future looks bright for The Brut Collective
The Philippine Star

Why the future looks bright for The Brut Collective

Andy Warhol, an American visual artist and prominent figure in the pop art movement, once remarked, \"Don't think about making art, just get it done.

time-read
2 mins  |
December 25, 2024
JULIA BARRETTO: CONTROVERSIES DON'T DEFINE WHO WE ARE
The Philippine Star

JULIA BARRETTO: CONTROVERSIES DON'T DEFINE WHO WE ARE

THE PRECIOUS INSIGHTS THAT Julia Barretto has gained from both successes and challenges over the years in the entertainment business, starting from her childhood, have shaped the person she is today.

time-read
2 mins  |
December 25, 2024
ROLLING STONE PHILIPPINES WILL COVER STORIES BEYOND MUSIC
The Philippine Star

ROLLING STONE PHILIPPINES WILL COVER STORIES BEYOND MUSIC

Last Dec. 12, Rolling Stone Philippines finally launched at Salon De Ning, The Peninsula Manila.

time-read
2 mins  |
December 25, 2024
A CHRISTMAS STRATEGY: HOW TO SURVIVE THE HOLIDAYS
The Philippine Star

A CHRISTMAS STRATEGY: HOW TO SURVIVE THE HOLIDAYS

I change my strategy on how to navigate the holidays every so often. Mainly, it's to avoid stress.

time-read
4 mins  |
December 25, 2024
A merry birthday for Ching Cruz
The Philippine Star

A merry birthday for Ching Cruz

To celebrate her birthday, lovely Ching Cruz decided to have a festive gathering for her good friends with a request that each guest bring an exchange gift so that everyone would be able to bring home a special gift.

time-read
1 min  |
December 25, 2024
Kimono: An evolving icon of fashion
The Philippine Star

Kimono: An evolving icon of fashion

The kimono is one of the most recognizable forms of national dress, wielding its influence in fashion, art and media.

time-read
3 mins  |
December 25, 2024
The Philippine Star

Golden MV gets stockholders' nod for corporate name change

Listed Golden MV Holdings Inc. of tycoon Manuel Villar Jr. is all set for its corporate name change after obtaining the approval of the company's stockholders.

time-read
1 min  |
December 25, 2024