EAPP ACTIVITY GETTING MARRIED TO WRITING.docx

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1. Getting Married to Writing
Surviving a marriage may perhaps be one of the most laudable feats in the world. Before a person
marries, he or she experiences mostly jubilation and excitement whenever he or she imagines himself
or herself basking in the promise of a life with a significant other. But at the moment a person recites
the marital vows, he or she becomes forever bound with his or her spouse in a relationship
accompanied by innumerable ordeals. In effect, surviving a marriage may sometimes feel like
walking on a tightrope located a hundred feet or more above the ground. Despite this, it can be very
fulfilling especially in moments when debacles are triumphantly hurdled, leading both spouses to a
higher level of maturity.
For this reason, I guess that married life, in all its ups and downs is the best metaphor to describe my
experience with writing. In my innocent mind, I had always romanticized the idea of being a writer. I
used to think that writers are inexhaustible fountains of knowledge who thrive in the comforts of
their air-conditioned offices, wielding knowledge at their fingertips. It was only recently that I
realized that excellent writing can often be an excruciating endeavor, for it requires an
unquestionable commitment and an indefatigable spirit, the very elements required for a marriage to
succeed.
Episode 1: The infatuation and courtship stage (ages 4-16)
As a young boy, I had always been fascinated with printed materials I used to think that regardless of
their genre and font size, printed materials are authoritative and infallible, almost set-in stone. This
was probably because my lola-tita (my grandfather’s sister) would read story books to me almost
every day and explain them to me as if they were hard core facts. Thus, in my young mind, I
wondered, “Could I write something like this in the future? An article or book, perhaps, which
contains statements which all others would yield to?” It is at this point when I started to fall in-love
with writing.
My desire to write and admiration for writers even grew stronger when I reach third grade. It was at
that time that R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps, a quasi-horror paperback series for kids, became so popular
that a TV series carrying its title was even produced. Not wanting to be left out, I cajoled my lola-tita
to buy me Goosebumps books and thinking that my developing interest in reading was good for my
education, she did. When I started reading the series, I was mesmerized at the artistry of the use of
the words. I got so hooked to it that there were even times that I couldn’t do my assignments if I
hadn’t read Goosebumps book yet.
The crucial thing about Goosebumps is that it was the kickoff that I needed to start my so-called
writing career. Aspiring to become an accomplished writer like R.L. Stine, I joined the school organ
of my elementary school and competed in several writing contests. After just a year or two, I was
appointed as the literary editor of our paper, which gave me leeway to publish whatever crazy piece I
have come up with. I also started collecting medals as a result of my writing exploits. This trend went
on until I graduated from high school in which I experienced the peak of my early writing endeavors.
In 2002, I won first place in a national essay writing contest sponsored by a prestigious university. As
a result, I firmly resolved in my heart to make writing my lifelong career. At that point of my life,
little did I know the hardships I would face as a result of committing my life to this profession.
Episode 2: The engagement stage (Ages 17-20)
In a relationship with a significant other, it is during the engagement stage when one experiences a
foretaste of the rigidity of the commitment that is married life. The same thing can be said about my
relationship with writing during my college days. At that time, I had a foretaste of a career in writing,
especially so that I took Communication as my major. My freshman English class where I learned a
principled approach to writing as well as my journalism classes exposed me to different styles and
approaches to writing. I realized that the demands of a research paper greatly vary from those of the
news article and, more so, a feature article, and even more so, an advertisement. What was really
challenging about this is that I have to adjust from one style to another every now and then, and there
were times when it seemed that my brain was not up to the task.
I was really glad, however, to have gone through such a phase. It was in college that I realized that
writing was more than fun and games, that one had to be flexible and punctual enough to meet the
demands of the market. Thus, I became a more disciplined writer, first analyzing what my writing
assignment demanded from me and then instinctively employing prewriting and post-writing
strategies to make sure that the materials I produce are of professional quality.

2. Episode 3: Married life (Ages 20 onwards)
Finally, I have graduated from college, and right after I marched across the stage, I realized that I am
now forever tied to writing, my best weapon in the battle I call the professional world. This time, I
wrote not because it was a course requirement, but because I found it to be lucrative endeavor. It was
something that could augment my income from teaching. Thus, I wrote press releases, scripts, and
even edited a novel to make a decent living. When I got to graduate school, I had to do a lot of
writing as part of my professional development. Yes, whether I like it or not, I had to write, neither
for fun nor to address my school requirements, but to survive in this all too competitive world.
But the greatest challenge I met in my professional life was not really the immensity of the writing
tasks laid before me, but how I would teach others how to write. More than writing, teaching became
my bread-and-butter, for it was something regular, not project based. I still remember the agony of
my first year of teaching writing. I tried every ingenious technique I could think of just to help my
students become better writers, but to no avail, or so I thought. During the first few months, I didn’t
notice any significant difference in my students’ outputs; there were the same grammar errors, messy
organization, and shallow content. To my delight, however, as if through some sort of miracle, my
students’ writing transformed just after a few months of being in my class. Amazing! How it
happened remains a wonder to across certain theories that would explain such a phenomenon. Still, it
was a miracle for me to see my students’ writing improve. And, not long after I began teaching, I
noticed that this trend would reoccur year after year.
Conclusion: ‘Till death do us part. At this point, I know that my relationship with writing will grow
even more as I embark on a new professional challenge. The key to a successful life in writing,
however, doesn’t lie in talent alone, but more so in commitment. I have experienced lots of ups and
downs in my so-called writing career, and had I given up along the way, I wouldn’t be where I am
now nor get to where I want to in the future. If one were to work really hard on improving his or her
writing, then he would reap the rewards that it has to offer in due time.
Summary: In Getting Married to Writing, an anonymous author recounts his writing experiences
from childhood until adulthood which he compared to the process of getting married. Just like a
typical romantic relationship, its onset, which he termed as the Infatuation and Courtship Stage, is
usually characterized by feelings of jubilance; in the case of the author, his encounter with a youth-
oriented book inspired him to consider writing a profession. And then, upon reaching the
Engagement Stage, he experienced a foretaste of the rigors of writing he was about to experience
throughout his professional life. Finally, in the Married Life stage, he then realizes the kind of
commitment he should have to enjoy a successful writing career.
Questions:
1. In the original text, how did the author present his topic in the introductory part?
2. What principle of organization did the author employ in the original text?
3. What could be the reason why certain details were presented?
4. What is the dominant mood or emotion portrayed in the text? How does this help in conveying the
intended message?
5. In the summary of the text, what summarizing format is being utilized?
6. What are the reporting verbs used in the summary?
7. Does the summary cover the relevant points of the original text? Why or why not?
8. What techniques or guidelines of summarizing are evident in the summary?
9. How does the summary reflect the message of the original text?
10. What are your observations on the given summary of the original text?