Writing journey
Why copyreading and headline-writing (still) matter” (Opinion, 3/16/18) brought back nostalgic memories of high school years when I was exposed to writing competitions and gatherings of budding writers—the much-coveted Regional/National Secondary Schools Press Conference, which is now the National Schools Press Conference (NSPC).
The NSPC is a good training ground for future writers. I agree with writer Hyacinth Tagupa, as she well explained, that copyreading and headline-writing still matter, today, hence should not be scrapped among the many writing contests in the NSPC.
On a personal note, being a student writer brought me to places, both literally and figuratively, as we, delegate representatives of our school, traveled as far as Olongapo City in 1985 and Barotac Nuevo, Iloilo, in 1986, after we qualified in the regional press conference in Region 8.
It was more than three decades, when as a budding writer, my school paper’s adviser painstakingly honed me and other fellow student journalists of Taft National High School in Eastern Samar. Yes, we lacked and were deprived of the necessary writing materials in journalism, especially with national dailies that were totally alien to us. However, we competed fair and well with those coming from urban schools, both public and private.
The rest is history, as they say. Writing has become part and parcel of my daily life as it helped me become a proactive member of our society by expressing my ideas through the written word. And I vow to write, never mind if it will cost my life, until my last breath.
BELEN DOCENA-ASUELO, [email protected]
