Towerhill Workshop reflections

Today I attended the Towerhill workshop in my school's Kong Chian Library after school. I realied that I had learnt quite a lot of things from the editors of the book. Initially the editors thought of naming the book “Parnassus”, the home of Greek Muses on a hilltop, as well a the home of music, poetry, learning. However, they thought that it would be too difficult to comprehend for the non-literary group of people. The book contains poems by our very own students, most of which are our seniors few years back. The cover page has a black and white theme, which the editors said was chosen because it looks elegant. And I do agree with them, I feel that the drawing in the front page also contributes to its elegance. The font used is just normal magazine font.

The book is split into 2 sections. The first section being about traditional elements and culture. While the second section i about the new era about the progression of the future. The editors also feel that the book is a progression from past to present, showing how Hwa Chong students' writing has improved over the years and that the clock on the front page is a symbolism for it.

I learnt from the editors that we can get our inspiration for writing from our surroundings. I am sure that there are many things around us that we are unsatisfied with. We can express our feelings through the form of poetry and literature. The editors also mentioned that "writing is to express, and not impress". I agree with him, because whenever I feel upset and emotional, I turn to literature and writing for an outlet for release. They also said that as we practise writing, we will know what works and what does not. They mentioned that many people have this personal fear of being mocked at when other people look at their writing. I think that it might show that the writer is not putting all his effort when writing, thus he or she is afraid that other people would despise the writing. If sometimes we have tried out best, but yet still get laughed at by others, perhaps it shows that our writing has room for improvement. We can look at criticism in a positive way, that it is a platform for improvement.

Each book is sold for 10 dollars. All proceeds collected from selling the book would go to helping Japan's crisis. During the Q & A session at the end of the talk, a Sec 4 student asked why couldn't each Hwa Chong student have a copy of it for free. The editors said that people usually treasure it more when they use their money to buy the book. I have come across incidents where classmates actually throw their Newsweek magazine about, and not appreciate it. So if we use our own money, I think that we should be able to feel the "pinch" and not "throw" our money away.

Phew! That was a quick but enriching experience for me!