A sharing by Ling Sing Lin
A novel which I have just read resonated with me. It was about a woman who was editor of a daily newspaper column, where her job was to select articles submitted by her readers for print. Only a small percentage of the articles submitted were printed, as expected. Being an American newspaper which has more frank and forthcoming writers, some articles were on sensitive topics. She had selected for publication three such articles ie a paedophile’s fantasies, a woman who drowned her sick elderly cat as her form of euthanasia as there was no vet within driving distance, and an account of a man’s gun collection. By printing these articles, she faced the wrath of some of her readers and her bosses.
AWE Blog
This novel reminded me of our AWE Blog, where I write many blog posts, occasionally writing on behalf of someone else (but not quite ghost writing as this is indicated in the post as “as told to LSL”), and encouraging or arm twisting my friends to write articles which I edited, usually minimally, and added appropriate pictures to. Some friends insisted that they did not and would not write despite my many reminders, as they were afraid they would cross boundaries in their unbridled enthusiasm. Did that make our blog too dull? Perhaps, but I prefer not to invite wrathful comments. Singaporeans rarely give comments, the majority of readers are too polite or laid back.
SMA Newsletter
Then my friend GLG shared an article he wrote in the Singapore Medical Association Newsletter dated July 2005. GLG wrote about his stint as a past editor for two and a half decades. What he found most memorable were the great friendships he formed with those who contributed to the newsletter. GLG also mentioned that KEK, a respected GP who is deceased, had described the writers as having Indian ink in their blood.
Takeaways
What lessons do I takeaway after one year of writing?
- I discovered that few people like to write. They don’t have Indian ink in their blood. We had erroneously thought that we were giving the opportunity to those who like to write without having to deal with the hassle of publishing their writings. I count the regular writers of the blog on the fingers of one hand.
- We have developed a deeper level of friendship with our regular writers.
- Some of my friends who only knew me socially and superficially tell me they got to know me much better after reading my blog posts, as I am a private person who is rather economical with my spoken word.
I had actually considered retiring from the blog after one year, as I was running out of topics to write on. This is my 50th post. But surprise, surprise, as my co team member VC assured me, my story isn’t over.
lingsinglin
Dr Ling Sing Lin is a medical doctor by training. She worked in MOH HQ for many years, in policy making and administrative positions, until her retirement.
