Blog Update: Writing

Applying to reputable universities, writing CVs and resumes, making corporate reports, doing assignments and projects, answering final exam questions, and even creating attractive and easy-to-read blogs require excellent writing skills.

What is your impression when reading newspaper articles, columnist's journals, or even novels? "no idea, I only read the headings and look at the pictures", or "yea, understandable, the plot is good, so what?"

Hey, wake up, pals!! Try to make your own story, or at least write a page of whatever you want, if you do not end up just staring at that blank page for an hour or two. Just now I read a guide on 'Rules for Writers' the fifth edition, I must say that reading even less than twenty pages had made my eyes wide open of the complicated, intriguing zone a writer ought to face; starting from the planning (i.e. choosing and determining your topic, subtopics, target audience, and finding supporting documentations) to the drafting--the second part, which is, well, the furthest I could read so far. ouch...

Some of you might wonder why on earth I am reading such a book. Believe me, though, before I read an action-thriller novel written by 'the best selling novelist'--as the book quotes--and 3 pages to go to the end of chapter one, I have found myself nodding up and down sleeping, without even understanding what I have read (or should I say, stared?? hmm..). First factor, the novel is the continuation of previous 3 novels and I never read them; second, my very minimum English proficiency; or third, maybe I am not the correct target reader (read: the writing is just not suitable for me). Hence, pre-determining the target reader would heavily conclude the success of the writing.

I am not a big fan of thriller stories so reading such words as non-human, prey, and other nonsense made me bored and less interested. On the other hand, I have long wanting to enhance my writing skills thus reading that guidebook made me think of what I should do in the future to make my writing more well readable. But as a formula projects, 'theory-practice=0' then excessive theories must be balanced again with excessive practice. This is what triggers me to reactivate my long-hibernated blog (despite there is no winter time in Jakarta ;p).

As such, warm welcome to all existing and, hopefully, new readers!!! Nevertheless, I do not bother determining my target reader as I know perfectly clear that the loyal reader would be... ME; thus, I write the way I like, all the things that pass my brain, and this technique is called--FREE-WRITING (Hacker 2004). cheers ^^