Dear Editor,

I APPLAUD Prof. Lomarsh Roopnarine for his column on “Simple steps to effective writing” (June 20). It is needed, given the poor quality of writing that has appeared in print in all the publications. It is a very valuable column. Those who are weak writers may take offence. I welcome it as a reminder on how to better skills. It will enable contributors and enhance submissions to the media. Improvement (including my own after 50 years of writing) comes with experience.
I taught writing for a decade when I was teacher of English and Literature, but could not motivate students to write; they hated writing.  Throughout my teaching career (in other subjects I taught such as Economics, History, Politics, Chemistry, Physics, etc.) of over 35 years, and must also have been same for Prof. Lomarsh and other educators, I always stressed the importance of being a good writer and taught students “how to write” essays and papers. Students never saw the importance of writing other than meeting the minimum standards for a passing grade. The more one writes, the greater is the confidence in writing, the better the output and the higher the grade. And when one’s writing gets published in the newspapers, especially on a subject close to one’s heart, one is encouraged to write more pieces for the papers; and even experienced writers like me make mistakes that need to be addressed.

Missing in Dr. Lomarsh’s treatise is the editing step to writing to address errors. I find so many errors (grammar, spelling, diction, etc.) in letters and columns (including in my writings) in all the publications. Other readers also penned comments about the many errors that appear in print. It is best to put away your writing for a period of time and then read it – easier to identify errors which can then be addressed. Also, ask others to review and edit your article before sending it to the publication.
Of the three categories of writers Lomarsh identified, I am not a natural, born writer. In fact, I hated writing when I was in high school. But I took to writing around 1976 because I was tasked with getting out the important message to the public of the anti-dictatorial movement to which I belonged. And five years earlier I penned articles on the performance of my cricket team in Ankerville; I was the captain of the youth team, terrific with bat and ball, outperforming others, and the team wanted our performance recorded in the papers. We felt great seeing names and achievements in publications.

But I was a poor writer in my early years (and probably still am in the eyes of many some 50 years later). In order to be a good writer, one must read a lot. Ideas, correct use of language or words, sentence structure, etc are learned from and improves with reading. Like Dr. Lomarsh, I hardly read in high school except the required books. But in primary school during my Common Entrance year (1971-72), I read a lot of novels written for youngsters. In college, I was a voracious reader on all subjects and devoured countless newspapers from all parts of the globe; I worked part-time in a library for several years and had access to unlimited publications from all over the world. As I stacked publications, I would browse through many. So I read more than the average person and in the process improved my comprehension and knowledge of events. My writing skills also improved.
In the first year of college in 1977/78, I penned articles for our Indian club’s newsletter about Guyana. And I contributed articles (features, news reports, reviews of plays and movies, etc.) to the college’s student newspapers (three of them funded by student fees). My confidence in writing grew. I began contributing dozens of articles in various publications in New York, Trinidad (Sandesh), and around the globe (Caribbean Times, Asian Times, in London, Indo-Caribbean World Toronto, etc.), on events relating to Guyanese and Caribbean communities in NY and on the Indian diaspora.

I was asked to edit several publications in NY and I started sending my articles when Stabroek News came on the scene around 1987. And since then, I have contributed no less than 10,000 articles to various publications, globally.
And even though with enormous experience, I still find errors in my writings when I re-read after publication. Some were sent off hurriedly to the press without detailed review and editing. There is room for much improvement in my and in any one’s writing. One never stops learning how to write or becoming better.
To be a good or better writer or to improve one’s writing, one should pay heed to Prof. Lomarsh’s simple steps. One can also consult the net on writing or journalistic skills. I never forget the advice given by Sharief Khan in early 1993 when he became editor-in-chief of the Chronicle. He advised – keep your writings short and simple, no need for fancy language (the kind I find in writings these days). My English Language professor, Michael Rosen, at CCNY in 1977 gave the same advice as other English Professors like James Smith, James DeJongh, Michael Feshbach, among others in succeeding years. Please write and share your ideas with readers.

Yours truly,

Vishnu Bisram