The Return of eLf ideas

ideas of an eLven being in Canada

Monday, November 03, 2008

I remain a lit'terariat.

November 3, 2008
Monday


This week is a week-off from my work at Riverview Health Centre, but I picked up an extra shift today, doing the morning shift. As soon as I got home, I ate lunch and then logged on to finish the articles for my columns in Filipino Journal. In the middle of researching and polishing the articles, a spark of inspiration to visit this blogspot of mine suddenly ignited.

Never did abandon
As I wrote in a recent entry, I have not totally abandoned this precious blogspot of mine, especially that this blogspot contains the bulk of my writings during the toughest years of my life in Canada (2003 - 2006).

I remain a lit'terariat.

Many people might think that, just because I no longer write actively on this blogspot (reduced to, at least, one entry per month) that I have long ago rested my literary pen. That is not the case. I may be currently inactive on my eLf ideas blogspot, but I never ceased to write. I simply turned to and focused my literary energy on other venues.

In February 2006, Filipino Journal--the leading Filipino newspaper here in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada--published my first article in its column "In Dis Korner," a column reserved for guest writers and contributors. After several articles, I was given my own column, "Sa Madaling Salita," in which I've been writing consistently ever since. In June 2006, in time for the celebration of Philippine Independence, I started my second column in Filipino Journal, "Engkanto Series," which serializes the Philippine Mythology / Fantasy Fiction book that I am hoping to finish. Late that year, the newspaper's publisher asked my assistance in editing portions of the newspaper, which I gladly accepted. When publisher Tita Linda Cantiveros died last March 2008, the husband, Tito Rod Cantiveros, asked me to be one of the two associate editors. I have been editing the newspaper since, while maintaining my columns. Last month, I started my third column, "Sa Ugoy ng Musika," in which I am tackling music genres, bands, songs, and album releases.

Also in 2006, I have joined the Multiply site, on which, aside from sharing some of my favorite music albums (with personal background stories) to fellow music enthusiasts, I've also been blogging there once in a while.

So, you see, my literary pen has not run out of ink after all.

In view of all these, and since that I feel at-home the most when writing on my eLf ideas blogspot, I have thought of being active here once more. I said it a number of times already, but I will try. Again.

Also, since that I feel that articles I post on this blogspot tend to have more readers compared with those I post on Multiply, I will start posting here the articles that I wrote for Filipino Journal and those that I posted on my Multiply site, in addition to my regular and usual postings.


Back again
Okay, I now have to go back to where I started today--finish my articles for the forthcoming issue of Filipino Journal.

P.S.:
My friend and former bandmate in Half Life Half Death 5'11'' Bb. Pilipinas '95 Carol Pobre, the female voice in our song "High School (Life)," who also became a professional ramp model and worked as a flight stewardess, and who have long been working at Shell in the Philippines, who to this day remains a hardcore Punk Rocker at heart--whew!--is one of those who keep on bugging me to reactivate this blogspot of mine.

Lorac, thank you! As Rain said, the thought that there is one person who reads what you write should be enough reason to keep you writing. A spark is a spark, enough to ignite a million inspirational goosebumps.

3 Comments:

  • At Tuesday, November 04, 2008 1:50:00 AM, Anonymous Anonymous said…

    Is "lit'terariat" an accepted English term? There doesn't seem to be any word like it in any dictionary. Something you came up with on your own, perhaps?

     
  • At Wednesday, November 05, 2008 2:29:00 PM, Blogger eLf ideas said…

    Dear Anonymous,

    No, 'lit'terariat' is not an accepted English word. I just coined it.

    Several years ago, prior to my having become a professional academic textbook editor, dealing also with English Grammar and World Literature, I was fond of inventing words. However, when I finally got to 'study' English in a deeper context, I realized that inventing words--although this is fun--most of the times just convolute language. I learned that there's an unwritten rule which says: Never coin a word to mean something when there's already a word for it. And you will realize that most of the words we need already exist. That's why from then on, I avoided coining words, unless it's a proper noun which I want to use for my Fantasy Fiction writings.

    'Lit'terariat' was one of those words which I originally coined back in 1998 for a fantasy fiction novel--'Visionata Grandiosa'--which I have been writing since. The word means "a writer whose specialty is to document his adventures with a focus on the culture of the places he's been to and his analysis of such cultures."

    That word stuck on me, so I've bee using it eversince to describe myself as a writer.

    Thanks for the interest.

    Now, I seldom coin words anymore, because English language (or any other language for that matter) is already composed of perhaps millions of words no single person can even memorize. So, why add more? Why, only for self-fulfilment? There are other better ways to satisfy oneself as a writer.

     
  • At Wednesday, November 05, 2008 2:31:00 PM, Blogger eLf ideas said…

    Missing 'n'.

     

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