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I received yesterday a comment from a reader re my debut book. I value the comments I get from all of you who took time to read the book, positive or otherwise. I believe these are all part of getting to know and learning from one own’s public. But the allegations she made challenged not just my integrity and credibility as a person but also as a writer.

After much consideration, I came into the conclusion that these are reasons enough that should compel me to respond not only in my own defense but also of the publishing house that placed its utmost trust in my work. So I am devoting this whole post to repudiate whatever speculations flying around and leave the judgment to you, dear readers.

Madam,

Thank you for your expert and highly insightful comment on my capacity as a writer.

Like you, I have the highest regard for Ms. Montelibano’s prose. Let me reassure you that should I decide to use her work as a framework for my own book, I’d do everything by the book, no pun intended – complete with references, endnotes and footnotes else I end up being slapped with a civil case, complete with a docket number by my own publisher.

Since you short of accused me of plagiarizing my colleague’s work, kindly point out which part of my work clearly misrepresented hers and so unwittingly owned as my own. Since you think of me already guilty of paraphrasing and imitating her syntax, style and structure, cite me samples. Concrete ones – i.e. passages wherein I substituted the description of her characters with a different set of synonyms and also made use of the same tone, pace, etc.

Are you a writer? You sounded like one. This I gather from the way your comment was worded – it can only come from someone belonging to the same set. But then again, I have been wrong before.

If I may ask, how does one so learned like you qualify and identify “deeper writing”? What school of literary criticism and thought should I look on to? How do I bring about my writing to a more “deeper” level? How would I know when my writing is “deep” enough? Is there a gauge? Parameters? Please enlighten me so that a writer like me can greatly benefit from your extensive know-how.