What Happened When I Was Fifteen?
Visited 476 Times Published by Rico January 26th, 2007 in Rico's Ramblings, What and Writing.When I was fifteen, I wrote a highly-regarded essay.
Up until then, I wrote to please the crowd. To fit the restrictions of class, and the expectations of the teacher. As a result, my writing was very formulaic, and I actually dreaded it as an inescapable commitment. Writing to express myself was long gone. I already learned that frivolity wouldn’t do me any good.
It was my senior year, and we were all applying for college. Our school helpfully provided all the major universities’ application forms. One of them required an essay detailing why they’d accept me.
For some reason, even though I was again working with a limitation (to fulfill the essay’s requirements). I had fun writing the essay, and finished it in one sitting. A year later, I learned it played a big role getting me in, lessening the impact of my generally poor High School grades. Modesty aside, the administrator said he never saw a better admission essay. Why did I do so well?
Maybe because I unconsciously embraced the restraint on my creativity. It served as a beacon to guide my writing skill, instead of something to fret over. That’s because for the first time in years, I was truly writing for myself. I thought: So what if it’s no good? I won’t fail anything!
There’s nothing wrong with writing for an audience; most of what’s written here is for you, dear readers. I just realized working with limitations and not fighting them allows true expression. That’s the irony of creativity. And the first real step of my journey as a creative writer.
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what did you in the essay? you still have it?
And how do you write now?
Well, as you know, part of the university’s mission is to create “men and women for others.” So I highlighted my helpful nature, and how Ateneo’s outlook and quality education would enhance it. Something like that. I don’t know where the essay is.
I like to think my writing is expressive, if somewhat technical and verbose. Is that true?
I will actually write about that and just came out my “analysis” of Sacha Chua’s blogging ways.
Now, if I could only find the time to do all the things I must.
’six questions, and then some…i love the blog entries! i’m from adnu too! see yah sa parteeh!
hm… so you’re a co-alumnus of that cool writer dude juan ekis, huh?
jun: When there’s a will, there’s a way. And I’m sure you have the will.
liz: Madi! Dikit lang ang aram kong Bicolano ha. Kita-kits kita sa Blog Parteeh! U-ex!
the jester-in-exile: Well if he’s from Ateneo de Manila, no. By 2000, I was already studying in Ateneo de Naga, where liz came from.