Never too late to pursue writing if you've got the talent

[Joe Carillo]

It’s never too late to pursue writing as a vocation if one belatedly discovers having the talent and the great reserves of energy to do it. Shirley A., who describes herself as “75 years old, living alone with almost nothing” (I’m withholding her surname to keep her privacy), makes this point with such disarming frankness in a recent e-mail that I thought I shouldn’t keep her sentiments all to myself. I am therefore sharing them with Forum members here, verbatim.

October 26, 2013

Dear Sir:
 
I am reading “English Plain and Simple” and I am gaining so much, including being entertained by it. When I am done with the 463 pages, I might be able to express well what I want to tell you: how grateful I am that I found you and how much I am indebted to you. You see, I have had no formal education (in writing or otherwise) so I am not very encouraged to write anything, but your book is helping me a lot. You have no idea how much you will be contributing to my future happiness. I am 75 years old, living alone with almost nothing, but I hope to be able to fend for myself when I have nothing more but written words to see me through.
 
I just had a few good laughs today, reading quotes from H.L. Mencken. I just asked my daughter to send me a Nook and to order for me all that you recommended in pages 96/97 to Jay [Some informal prescriptions for better writing in English (1 – One Man’s Meat)].
 
Meantime, know that you are so much appreciated; if not for you, life would be meaningless and useless for me now. For the first time in my life, I have something worthy of the time God has given me on earth. I will not waste it now.
 
Thank you very, very much.
 
Very truly yours,
Shirley A.

My reply:

October 27, 2013

Dear Shirley,

Just call me Joe.

Thank you so much for your compliment about my book. I want you to know that I greatly appreciate it.

You express yourself very well. I have no doubt that even without having come across my book, you already had the facility to write good, compelling English prose. Perhaps all that my book has really done was to perk up your imagination and give you some ideas on how to put your writing talent to good use. But at 75, having discovered that you have the power to do it, you can now pursue a worthy enterprise that definitely can see you through in the years ahead—write a volume of personal essays perhaps or, if you strongly feel it’s worth telling, even the story of your life. Mind you, Shirley, not everybody is blessed with the talent or the motivation or the energy to do what you can do at your age, so my advice is: Go for it!

About H. L. Mencken, I must say that he was a great influence during my formative years; in fact, I still get a thrill down my spine every time I’m rereading his overarching polemics. Which gives me an idea: While waiting for that Nook from your daughter, why not read Mencken’s In Defense of Women in the Project Gutenberg e-book right now? The beauty about Mencken is that even if you don’t agree with his strong views, it’s always a delight to savor his acerbic thoughts in his superb English.

To ensure no dull moment in between your bouts of writing, Shirley, I have another suggestion: join Jose Carillo’s Forum, my English-usage website. You can ask questions or share your views about English or whatever in its discussion boards. You can even use it as a sketch pad or sounding board for material intended for your essays or autobiography. Who knows, someone from among the Forum’s over 42,000 members worldwide just might give you invaluable feedback or, at the very least, simply brighten up a sullen day for you.

Sincerely yours,
Joe Carillo

(The e-mail conversation above originally appeared in the weekly column “English Plain and Simple” by Jose A. Carillo in The Manila Times, November 2, 2013 issue © 2013 by Manila Times Publishing. All rights reserved.)

Rejoinder by Shirley A.:

October 28, 2013

Dear Joe:
 
I am very honored and flattered that you replied to my email although, I just wanted to thank you and didn’t expect you to waste anymore of your precious time on me.
 
Certainly, you have my permission to use the email or any part of it as you please and, well, that makes me very happy. Your book will do a lot for me in acquiring more knowledge and skills, if not, boost my confidence, as well. For sure it will elevate my too-elementary-style of writing to a higher level that would satisfy me. I have read and studied so many books including “The Elements of Style” but I am still very poor in punctuations and grammar, too. I also have a copy of “The 10 Most Annoying English Grammar Errors.” What it is doing now though, is, I am so afraid you will find many annoying grammatical errors in my writing but please don’t mind me, after all, I haven’t finished your book yet.
 
My one great desire was to get a college degree but even 10 years ago, I was already too old to be out in the streets using public transportation so, that was out of the question but if there was a school across from where I live, I will, most assuredly, still try. I am very envious of people who have a Ph.D. but I just accept and am grateful for what God gives me. I had a nagging feeling that He didn’t really want me to go through all that, at my age, proving my instincts right because of the appearance and advantage of your book, giving me what I long for and yet, not having to go through a lot of hassles, as would have happened, had I gone back to school.
 
I will follow all of your suggestions and advices and thank you so much for the link. I did want to read “In Defense of Women.” We seem to think along the same lines because last night, I was wishing I had a copy of it when I saw it among his books in the internet.
 
I can’t thank you enough, and I hope one day I can tell you that I had written an autobiography and a book on essays. I don’t have the resources to add The Manila Times to my daily read but if you send me the link you will get more appreciation and thanks from me.
 
Very sincerely,
Shirley

[Joe Carillo]

November 2, 2013

Dear Shirley,

I owe you an apology for this much delayed reply. Due to a very urgent personal project of mine (it will continue to occupy me for the next several days or week), I hardly had time to do anything else until now. At this very moment though, I am enjoying a brief hiatus from the work so I’m taking the opportunity to write this e-mail.

That first e-mail of yours definitely wasn’t a waste of my time. On the contrary, Shirley, it was a great pleasure to hear from you and to know that somehow, a book that I wrote almost a decade ago has proven providentially useful to someone in a way that I had never really imagined. In fact, as I mentioned in my previous e-mail, I was so taken by your disarming frankness and decided to publish your e-mail verbatim and my reply in my English-usage column in The Manila Times. It came out this morning, Saturday (November 2), and you can check it out by clicking this link to “Never too late to pursue writing if you’ve got the talent.” I also posted it in Jose Carillo’s English Forum and you can check it out by clicking this link.

As to your writing style and English grammar and usage, Shirley, you absolutely have no reason to apologize for them; they are very good and they hardly have any notable flaw in them. In fact, you write much better—vocabulary, grammar, structure, syntax and all—than many writers who get their feature articles and commentaries published these days in Philippine newspapers and magazines. And your two e-mails to me are actually so grammatically airtight that they are among the very few that I’ve ever published verbatim in my column and in the Forum without fear of embarrassing the writer or myself. I daresay that at this stage in your development as a writer, you already have the creative resources and language facility within yourself, so all you really have to do is to find subjects, themes, and projects you will find worthy of writing about.

When you are done reading English Plain and Simple, I suggest you find time to read my third book, Give Your English the Winning Edge. It’s some sort of advanced course in English grammar and usage, focusing as it does on how to construct clear, lively, and readable sentences and how to fashion them into interesting and compelling expositions. I understand that the book has gone out of stock in most of the Metro Manila bookstore chains, but you still might chance upon a copy from a neighborhood outlet. Do let me know if you are able to get one.

To append a PhD to your name would be great, for that would strongly enhance your stature in degree-conscious social circles. But a PhD is really no guarantee for clear thinking and good writing, and I must tell you that you are much better off than some PhDs I know in your creative energy level, in the felicity of your thoughts, and in the cogency of your English. At this time of your life, I do think that you really couldn’t ask God for a much greater blessing than that!

Enjoy the rest of the long weekend!

Sincerely yours,
Joe Carillo

P.S. You can access the online edition of The Manila Times for free. Just log on to the site by clicking the indicated link. The online edition updates to the next day’s issue a little before or a little after midnight daily.

[Joe Carillo]

November 5, 2013

Dear Joe,
 
I should also apologize. I couldn’t get back to you because the battery of my netbook expired and I had to go search for a new one. A friend told me today that I should just remove the battery unit and plug direct to the power source. I never knew that could be done. Thank you for allocating some time for me. How can I ever repay your kindness to me?
 
I checked The Manila Times and I am very inspired that an authority in English language usage, like you, would consider an e-mail of mine worthy of publication in a prestigious newspaper at that. I am also thrilled to death that you would say such nice things about my writing style. I am very grateful for the time and attention you are giving me.
 
One day, if I would be able to come up with a noteworthy book or two, I will have to mention that you were the person who inspired me to reach heights I can presently, only, dream about.
 
Normally, I prefer to stay home but tomorrow I am making a special trip to Greenbelt One to look for your third book. I am so excited; I hope I find it. I plan to go to National Book Store and to the other book stores in the area, as well as, those in Glorietta.
 
Thank you very much for this information. Had you not mentioned it, I would never have known about it. I will let you know for sure when I find a copy. So, again, I am very grateful. I owe you a lot already, have you noticed?
 
I think I should stop frustrating myself about getting a PhD and just listen to you and read your books and your other recommendations. I am reading The Elements of Style again for the umpteenth time. I think what would enhance my stature more; if only for the sake of leverage, though, I should published a book or two.
 
And I fully agree with you: God has already given me so much, but maybe, I could ask Him for more time on earth to enjoy writing some more.
 
Thanks so much for The Manila Times link and for everything else.
 
Shirley