I was dumbstruck when I have been informed that I would be giving a talk regarding literary writing to nursing students. So with a spark of sheer brilliance, I was able to compose this speech which had been inspired (very much inspired) by Meryl Streep and one of her commencement speeches.
Thank you everyone! Thank you, Madam Claudette Ceron-Estrada, RN, MAN and the NSA officers… Thank you so much for the invitation. It feels great to be once again in the portals of this university… Oh yeah. I bet you would understand what I am saying once you graduate and drift a little farther away from your academic life or start working. Oh my. You will miss college for every single day of your lives. Email me once you’ve felt that.
By the way they forgot to mention that I am now a commercial model… a promo endorser actually… Marhay na Aga Kapamilya promo ad? You haven’t watched it yet? No? VERY GOOD!
If you are all really really lucky and if you continue to work super super hard… and you diligently and obediently accomplish every task assigned to you… if you will be able to anticipate problems before they actually happen (paranoid lang)… if you manage to avoid trouble or disaster or survive accidents like being hit by a car or motorcycle along Santonja St., Peñafrancia Avenue or Ateneo Avenue (because you are visiting an Atenean)… if you happen to pass the board exams, NCLEX, IELTS, TOEFL, whatever exam necessary to get you there (which I have not taken… YET)… and you get into your dream high-paying 5-digits or more worth of paycheck job…
Or if you somehow miraculously juggle your academic stuff with a hefty extra-curricular responsibility and manage to qualify to join a regional or national competition and win these competitions. And after college, that much coveted success… shining, shimmering, splendid SUCCESS super amazingly comes your way… I guarantee you, somebody you love, adore… will send you an FB message and ask, “Can we invite you to be a speaker? It’s an activity of the NSA this last week of January.”
And so there you are in front of your laptop… thrilled… enchanted… entranced… that one of those people you really really look up to, consider as an inspiration, an icon of nursing education… but definitely not Florence Nightingale (Imagine the shivers you might have got if it was Florence Nightingale in the middle of a dark cold night)… And of course you’ll say, “Yes. I’d love too!” You’ll say yes… without asking about what topic would you talk about… as you were still in that trance, in that magic, under the influence of whatever magic because this lovely woman who you’ve always paid strict and close attention to while discussing the nitty-gritty of IMCI just invited you to be a part of such an exciting event. Then when you just realized that you’ve got to ask WHAT TOPIC… She says goodbye. Oh my God!!
Then you totally forget about asking… as you were also pre-occupied with many stuff… Then one day… one cloudy/sunny day… as you were about to exit your office, another very beautiful and enchanting girl would say hi or hello and tell you that the speaking commitment is TOMORROW and you’ll be discussing about LITERARY stuff. Again, Oh my God!!
Then you come to this point in your life when you would settle down… actually stare at your laptop and think… What I am I going to say?
I asked one of my esteemed colleagues or shall I say org mate… or more formally, a section editor of The USI Façade, the official student publication of Universidad de Sta. Isabel…
She said, “You may start about you… being an intrinsic part of the university publication when you were younger.”
But I told her, “Kym or somebody from NSA will already mention that. I’m shying away… Hehe.”
I asked another younger editor. She’s an associate editor now and really very promising. She talked about writing to BED students before.
So she told me, “I explained to them that I’m more of a writer than a speaker.”
Then I had this quirky idea at the back of my mind so I answered back, “So I’ll tell them that I’m more of an actress, a celebrity than a speaker?”
My girls laughed at me. Oh my… So allow me to just simply say…
Hello, I’m Jelreen Alcantara. I may not be as much a celebrity as Meryl Streep or even just Angel Locsin… but I am a proud graduate and I claim to be the proudest graduate of Universidad de Sta. Isabel… the College of Nursing in particular… and today I am really really honored and humbled to be here… to share something about the art of Literature…
No… no… no… I’m not going to talk about Shakespeare here or Baudelaire… We’re going to discuss about some details on literary writing.
So let’s begin by defining WRITING… Writing is the art of putting letters, symbols, numbers, or words on paper… or a computer screen… Writing is used to express and explain ideas.
Back in my elementary days, writing is almost synonymous to vandalism as far as expressing and explaining ideas… just kidding.
Writing is a form of communication that utilizes language to deliver an intended message to particular readers within a context.
More specifically, LITERARY WRITING is a type or branch of writing which entertains or amuses the reader, suggests the writer’s message, imparts a lesson and broadens a person’s outlook in life.
Literary writing basically manufactures… processes your words, thoughts and ideas so that they’ll become your poems, short stories, and novels which you will eventually submit to the Kaleidoscope.
By the way, the USI Façade is soliciting for literary articles from students for the Kaleidoscope…
Now, how do we define the person who does all these magic with words and phrases and sentences… then paragraphs and stories and novels?
We technically and generally call that person a WRITER…
Just so you know the aforementioned definitions are lifted from the World Wide Web… however, I’d like a more personal viewpoint in the definition of a writer.
So… while I was preparing my discussion outline, I was also surfing the net… browsing… hopping from one website to another… then to Facebook… then to Skype!
Yeah right… what am I doing with Skype if I should be preparing my materials for this event…
But guess whose name popped out in a chat box? Na-ah… my high school CRUSH! My super crush for… hmmm… eight years now… Hahaha! If this is what I get from surfing the net searching for the matters I have to discuss with you today, I’d love to do this everyday!
I super like this guy. He’s been the editor-in-chief of Trailblazer, our high school publication and he studied Geography at UP Diliman. Whew! And he’s still single… Anyway, I am not.
So he said, “Hi, Jel!”
And me… of course… having the shivers and all and the feeling of talking or communicating with him again after many many years… I had a really bad mental block…
I immediately asked him, “What is your definition of a writer?”
Then the screen showed this pencil as if saying that the other person is typing something… then it kept going… going… going… as if he’s forgetting that there’s a send button right there or he can just press enter.
Then the screen displayed his answer, “I realized that thoughts get crafted well in words when your heart is overflowing with emotions, but a writer doesn’t necessarily have to be in that state every time. I guess, a writer is someone who writes whenever there is a need, a necessity, an urge to express him or herself.”
Basically, the writer is the one writing these colorful literary pieces. He is the one putting together piece by piece each fragment of idea and building his wonderful story.
So how do we sew and put together this wonderful story…
We have the three basic parts of an article… the introduction, the body and the conclusion. You could also use these hints in constructing an award winning essay for the “essay” part of your exams.
The INTRODUCTION will give your readers a heads-up on what your article is about.
A good introduction will surely give the reader a good impression.
There are several types of introduction to start your article…
They are as follows:
Definition
According to the English dictionary, the Internet is a computer system that allows millions of computer users around the world to exchange information…
Question
Do you know that the invention of the Internet has revolutionized the business world? What are the pros and cons of the Internet? …
Fact
A recent survey on the Internet suggested that more than 60 per cent of the users receive spam emails daily…
Dialogue
“Son, can you please help me to pay the bills online?” The use of the Internet benefits not only the Internet-literates but also the illiterate ones…
Quotation
No man is an island. Everyone needs friends in his life…
The BODY constitutes the meat of your write up. It is what you are writing about. It is where you elaborate and substantiate your ideas.
A good paragraph structure is essential for a good article.
Include only one topic sentence which contains one main idea in one paragraph. Support the topic sentence with some elaborations, examples and further details or information.
Be specific and avoid generalization. A too general sentence will be hard to support. Maintain the right tone and coherence (simply means unity) in your essay. If a piece of writing is coherent, it is easy to understand because it is clear and reasonable.
Use logical connectors to join sentences and maintain coherence.
You may use the following conjunctions and phrases…
To add another related point:
and, also, too, besides, as well, in addition (to), furthermore
To add a similar point:
similarly
To connect two statements or phrases:
but, however, nevertheless, nonetheless, on the other hand, yet, whereas, while, except
To show connection between actions and consequences:
so, therefore, so that, as a result, consequently, then, thus
When a particular fact does not prevent something from happening:
although, though, in spite of, despite
The CONCLUSION brings closure to the reader… summing up your points or providing a final perspective on your topic.
All the conclusion needs is three or four strong sentences which do not need to follow any set formula. Simply review the main points (being careful not to restate them exactly) or briefly describe your feelings about the topic.
You can of course do away with “I therefore conclude…” and simply say “Therefore,”
Now… how can we expand your article into a story? with a theme and a stream of thoughts…
Writers actually follow various formulae in building their short stories, novels and saga (as for Stephenie Meyer’s Twighlight Saga).
Writing your story necessitates planning. And I believe that we, nurses and student nurses, have an edge on planning things out as we have been taught and required to make a Nursing Care Plan.
I personally list these things down when I’m writing…
You may begin with identifying your SETTING. Where and when would you want your story to take place? In USI? At ABS-CBN? In Manila? Paris? New York? Las Vegas? China? The Moon, Sun, Pluto? Would you like it to happen in the past, present or future?
Then, you have to identify your CHARACTERS. Who would be the protagonists and the antagonists? Your love team perhaps… villains… wicked witches, fairy godmothers… whoever you would like to include in your story. Of course, you have to identify their roles. And the best part is you get to pick their names… MARIA and LUIS? KATARINA and DANIEL? JELREEN and GARY?
Planning for a short story or novel also includes PLOT BUILDING. This is basically what your story is all about and how would you like it to flow or run.
The structure of a short story or novel follows a pattern with a beginning, middle, and end. Each of the three parts of the story fulfills a distinct purpose… the beginning, the middle and the end…
THE BEGINNING
Here the writer hooks the reader by introducing the main characters and their goals, the setting, and the main conflict. The mood and tone are set at the beginning, and should be consistent throughout the story. The tension will fluctuate, but overall the tone should be suspenseful, romantic, or whatever, from start to finish.
THE MIDDLE
A series of events or complications occur, leading to an increase in the tension. This is also where the characters change and grow as they deal with the conflicts they face. Some of the minor crises are temporarily resolved, but the story continues in the direction of a major crisis, or climax.
THE END
The main conflict is resolved, and the loose ends are tied up. Tension falls quickly, and a good ending leaves the readers satisfied—even if they aren’t happy with the way things turned out.
This pattern is called the story arc; it can be visualized as an inverted check mark, with tension building to the climax, then abruptly declining.
Depending on the type of story, the rise may be gradual or sharp, but the ending almost always comes shortly after the main climax. After all, the desire to see how the story ends is what keeps a reader turning the pages. Once they know how it works out, there is not much to hold their interest.
Then when you have all these… carefully planned and synergized… you may be the next J.K. Rowling, Stephenie Meyer, Dan Brown, Stephen King, Danielle Steel, Nora Roberts, Bob Ong or Jelreen Alcantara.
Just kidding… on the Jelreen Alcantara part.
However, as writers are carried away by their writing and enveloped by the sensation they created in their own worlds, there are simple and basic things which are overlooked very so often by young and aspiring writers.
Allow me to share a few basic and obvious points…
USE OF COMMAS
Compound sentences, most modifying clauses and many phrases *require* commas. You may find it necessary to break the rules from time to time, but you can’t delete commas just because you don’t like the pause they bring to a sentence or just because you want to add tension.
“Bob ran up the stairs and looking down he realized his shoelace was untied but he couldn’t stop because they were after him so he decided to get to the roof where he’d retie it.” This is what happens when an author believes that omitting commas can make the narrative sound breathless and racy. Instead it sounds the reverse – it’s heavy and garbled.
Entire books have been written about punctuation. Get one. If you don’t know yet what the rules are for, your writing will show it.
But don’t worry… even the best writers make these mistakes, but you can’t afford to.
REPETITION
Even if the word is unusual, and even if you use it differently when you repeat it, just don’t. Set a higher standard for yourself even if readers won’t notice.
This is why writers are encouraged to broaden their vocabularies.
Again, we have an edge on vocabulary! Not everyone knows the meaning of “synovial fluid” or “deoxyribonucleic acid” or even just “hematoma”. I’ll tell you they are already epistaxis terms in my workplace.
Oh my God! I miss those medical terms!
SHOW, DON’T TELL
If you say, “She was stunning and powerful,” you’re *TELLING* us. But if you say, “I was stunned by her elegant carriage as she strode past the jury – shoulders erect, elbows back, her eyes wide and watchful,” you’re *SHOWING* us. The moment we can visualize the picture you’re trying to paint, you’re showing us, not telling us what we *SHOULD* see.
Handsome, attractive, momentous, embarrassing, fabulous, powerful, hilarious, fascinating are all words that “TELL” us in a conventional and arbitrary way of what to think. They don’t reveal, don’t open up, don’t describe in specifics what is unique to the person or event described.
The difference between telling and showing usually boils down to the physical senses. Visual, aural aromatic words take us out of our skin and place us in the scene you’ve created.
Granted, context is everything, as writing experts say, and certainly that’s true of the sweltering West African heat in Graham Greene’s The Heart of the Matter: “Her face had the ivory tinge of atabrine; her hair which had once been the color of bottled honey was dark and stringy with sweat.” Except for “atabrine” (a medicine for malaria), the words aren’t all that distinctive, but they quietly do the job – they don’t tell us; they show us.
Well… As I was preparing this piece, my dear friend, Sheila Basbas reminded me with this nugget of advice. She said, “Most of us write to impress… Sometimes, we try to impress people by using high falutin words. However, it defeats our purpose to be understood. We should write everything simply so our readers can understand us.”
So what does WRITING have to do with NURSING? I was actually asked with this question by many many many people when I was still a nursing student.
Well… Nurses write a lot… Of course as nursing students, we started writing our novel like notes in volumes of giant log books. And then we were dutifully entrusted with our patient’s chart and then write the nurses’ notes!
Seriously speaking… writing as we have been discussing… is a vehicle to convey our emotions, ideas, thoughts… explain our sides, principles, beliefs… express our creativity.
However, writing is not only about publishing a book to be famous like J.K. Rowling, Stephenie Meyer, Dan Brown, Stephen King, Danielle Steel, Nora Roberts, Bob Ong or Jelreen Alcantara.
Again… I’m kidding on the Jelreen Alcantara part.
It can be more of discovering your God-given gifts and developing your passion… Writing can also be about inspiring other people through the power of your words.
I have known and met (in my imagination though) simple people with extraordinary dreams and intensive enthusiasm to share, impart their ideas and viewpoints… and inspired a lot of people through their creative stories.
We have Aibelene Clark, a house help who stood up for the rights of the colored when racial discrimination had been very rampant in the United States. She discovered that she has the power to influence others through writing.
Julie Powell, an ordinary government employee who had the knack and passion for writing but was never given a break until she decided to blog about Julia Child’s fabulous cook book.
Julia Child, a wife who unleashed her passion for cooking and deciphered her talent in writing and eventually revolutionized the meal pattern of the Americans.
Of course we have our very own Jose Rizal who used the power of the pen for his own way of peaceful revolution.
Nurses are also bestowed with this special talent… Well aside from Kozhier, Taylor, and Pilliteri who authored our Fundamentals in Nursing and Maternal and Child Health Nursing books… Thank God for them!!!
In my research, I’ve virtually met a nurse-writer named Terry Ratner.
Terry Ratner is a freelance writer, registered nurse, and writing instructor in Phoenix, Arizona. In June of 2004, she graduated with a Master of Fine Arts degree in creative nonfiction from Antioch University, Los Angeles.
Writing has always served a purpose in her life, but it wasn’t until her son died in a motorcycle accident in March, 1999, that she began to publish her works. What’s unique about Terry is the way she balances the life of a nurse with the life of a writer.
She says, “Nursing allows me to give back to the community and then write about those experiences.”
What I am trying to say is, they are not actually writers by profession, but they have become story-tellers, novelists, WRITERS by passion. These people possess the power of writing and utilized it to inspire, empower people… and in our chosen profession our patients or clients…
I do believe that every person in this hall has his or her own talent to hone, to develop and to share… Your talent may involve writing, speaking, singing, dancing… you may have a knack in sports or photography perhaps. Each one of you may have this burning passion within and some may believe that this passion might have died or disappeared or went on leave went away when you decided to take up nursing… Some may ask, “How can I still write if I’ll have so many things to do in the ward? How can I still dance if I am going to attend to my patients the whole day? How can I use my talent as a nurse?”
Meryl Streep said, “Integrate what you believe… in every single area of your life. Take your heart to work and ask the most and best of everybody too.”
Ladies and gentlemen, we have an entire hall full of talented and extraordinarily gifted people… discover your power, integrate it with your chosen profession… collaborate with your colleagues… ACT. LEAD. INSPIRE.
Sources: YOUTUBE, the Internet
