ON JUNE 5, I was asked to write another textbook for senior high school.
I mean, I did write the 2017 Creative Writing textbook for DIWA Publishing.
And I think the second edition will be out late this year 2019.
I already signed off the project on June 17.
And my last check for the new edition is already being processed.
*
I really liked writing the Creative Writing textbook.
And it was easy because I have been teaching poetry, plays, and short story writing in my annual workshops in the country anyway.
It was just a matter of putting together, and arranging my lectures.
And thatâs exactly what I simply did.
I, of course, also devised well-thought expected outputs and activities, which were a hit among users of the textbook.
*
For the second edition of my Creative Writing textbook, DIWA hired a consultant to review my book.
Of course, I asked, For what?
I mean, wasnât the book best loved by the users?
I was told, It is to make sure the content is sufficient; and to validate that there are no factual errors, or heretical ideas.
Because I wasnât paying the consultant, I just said, Okay.
Because I really didnât care who reviews it, I just approved their choice.
*
As I expected, there were no negative comments about my first edition.
Also no negative comments on my second edition.
I was praised for my teen-friendly, inspirational, and honest language. Duh!
Oh, there was a small suggestion, which I resolved by emphatically saying No.
I have to put my foot down somewhere.
So, in the book, I have this list of 35 most common figures of speech.
I named them, and labored to create original examples for each.
*
The reviewer said, the list is âtoo long and some writers donât even know them.â
The suggestion was to cut the list down to the bare minimum.
I said, No!
Note the exclamation point.
Point one: If Filipino writers donât know them before, maybe they should now.
Point two: If my textbook has the 35, and the other textbooks only have 15, which textbook becomes preferable as a resource?
Point three: When is information overload a mistake?
Point four: My textbook does not require anybody to memorize and utilize all the 35. The students should just help themselves to those that serve their particular purposes.
Point five: I am Peter Solis Nery. If they donât like my list, they can make their own list. Or their own textbook. After all, my 35 does not contain factual errors and heretical ideas.
*
Anyway, somebody must have read my Creative Writing textbook.
And was impressed by it.
Thus, the offer for another textbook.
This time, for 21stCentury Literature from the Philippines and the World.
This is exciting for me.
Because this is a core curriculum textbook.
And not just for the specialized strand HUMSS (Humanities and Social Sciences) like Creative Writing.
Meaning, all Grades 11 or 12 get to use this textbook, and not just the HUMSS students.
*
Itâs also a big responsibility because I have to get reprint permissions for works that arenât mine.
A 21stCentury Literature textbook cannot be all Peter Solis Nery.
I mean, it can.
But it wouldnât be in good taste.
Although, good taste has become so subjective these days.
*
The good thing about this project is that I finally get a say on âwhoâ to read for 21stcentury literature.
And I can finally direct âhowâ literature should be read.
What 21stcentury âvaluesâ have to be considered.
What 21stcentury âissuesâ are to be dealt with.
And I think that will somehow âshape the minds of the next generationâ.
*
There are a few reasons why Iâm the best person to write this textbook for the Filipino youth:
Point one: I actually read a lot. Not only literature, but also literary criticism. Because I write literature, I read what others write, and whatâs so brilliant in other peopleâs writing. Because I give creative writing workshops, I actually arm myself with reading literature and its mechanics even if I donât have a degree in Literature or Creative Writing.
Point two: I can actually write. Iâve already written a textbook that works, and is loved by students, so Iâm pretty confident that I can do it again. Also, Iâm a multi-awarded trilingual author writing across genres; and that somehow gives me the sense of authority to preach, or teach, or whatever you call it.
Point three: I actually witnessed the change of the millennium. I was there, and old enough, at the birth of Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, Wattpad, and other social media outlets. I partook of these changes, and I can assess the difference between 20thcentury, and 21stcentury, literature as impacted by the Internet.
Point four: I am conversant about the state of literature in the Philippines and abroad. Because I live in the Philippines. And abroad. I am well traveled, well connected, well read, and very cosmopolitan in my world view.
Point five: I am friendly, and I have a healthy connection (call it network and linkages), with other 21stcentury writers all over the world. And I mean, in all continents except Antartica.
*
So yeah, I am very happy where I am in my career as a writer.
To be offered, to be asked, to write a textbook for Filipino students at 50 is quite an achievement.
Not all writers are given that opportunity.
Of course, not all writers can write a textbook in the way that I can.
And thatâs a fact, and a promise! (500tinaga@gmail.com/PN)
