Vip Buraphadeja The former editor of Hamburger, the breakthrough indie lifestyle publication, is writing a new page of his life with Happening, a free arts and entertainment magazine.

I left Hamburger because of the change in the company’s direction. The executives wanted the magazine to be more female-oriented. I gave it a try for a few months, then fi gured out it wasn’t me. I had been there for four years; it was time for a change.

Thais don’t read that much, let alone spend money on books. No matter how well a magazine sells, it reaches only a handful of readers. Free magazines might just be the answer. It’s a win-win situation—people can simply pick it up and we can reach a larger group of readers.

Happening runs out very fast. That means we have a loyal readership—great—but a short shelf life means fewer people get to see the magazine and that’s not so good. That was why, starting this year, we decided to make two versions of the magazine. You can still pick up Happening for free at some venues, or buy a thicker version at a bookstore.

I have had to learn many new things with Happening, from advertising to accounting. We have only four full-time staff members, so each of us has to juggle many jobs. The editor, that’s me, has to sell ads and sometimes drop off the magazines at the distribution points.

Writing is not a very good career choice in a country where people don’t read. But it is what I love.

Being an editor has changed me. I have to represent the magazine. I was reticent at first. But the more I brief my editorial staff, pitch projects to my boss and interview other people, the more I learn to communicate.

I should be worried about the upsurge in free magazines, shouldn’t I? I’m not. It’s great, actually. Readers have more choices and the publishing industry is more active. Also, while most free copies are dedicated to lifestyle, we focus more on arts and entertainment. So basically, we have fewer competitors than BK [laughs].

My family instilled a love of reading in me. When I was a kid, they took me to bookstores instead of toyshops. I spent more time in the library than on the football field.

If you want to do something, just do it. That’s my advice. Don’t waste your time with excuses like “Oh, the salary is too low” or “The office is too far from my house.” Some say I am lucky to do what I love, but if I could go back in time, I wouldn’t waste three years being an architect and just start writing sooner.

My proudest achievement is that I jumped from being an architect to writing songs. After studying architecture for five years, and working for three more, it wasn’t an easy decision giving it all up. Everyone told me not to, but I did it. I wrote songs for such artists as Labanoon, Big Ass and Bodyslam.

That was a major turning point in my life. It made me realize that I could do anything if I put my mind to it.

Writing is the job I enjoy the most. It gives me the most creative freedom. As an architect, you have to come up with a design that serves both a function and the clients’ imperatives. As a songwriter, you are limited by rhyme and melody. Writing prose has a lot less limitations.

Win Lyovarin is one of the writers who inspired me to pick up a pen. It amazes me how he can come up with stories that are so out of this world.

When I write, I talk to myself. Whatever stories you write about, you have to sit and get to know yourself, asking yourself how you feel and pondering the answer.

I rarely have writer’s block. People are surprised when I say this, but I am trained to think systematically. I always draw a rough outline of my story in my head—the concept, how it can develop, etc. So when I actually start writing, I can fi nish that piece smoothly without having to wait for the mood to strike.

I want to get back to writing short stories. I want to write a good book that can be considered a piece of literature.