cramming technique

If you are like me then the best way to write a story is through changing perspective. Immerse yourself into your character's point of view. Live their life even though they may be fictional characters. Become them, at least until you finish the piece.

So here's what I'm going to do to finish my first novel. My entire focus will be on it (Notice I used the future tense. It's because I'm still distracted and I have a lot of thought-purging to do). No distractions...just me and my taped interviews, research materials, pictures and computer. I'm going to lock myself inside my room and concentrate on the story.

Thermos of coffee - check!
Cellphone off - check!
I'm now ready to become a hermit in my hobbit hole.
See you when I'm done! :)

on writing

Calvin and Hobbes on writing

Pretty interesting perspective on writing, don't you agree? Here's another funny story on writers and those who experience writing blocks.

Forced writing
by Jessica Edelman

Once upon a time there was a girl. And she was forced to write a story.
Well no one was forcing her as such. But she felt she had an obligation.
No one forces parents to love their kids.
But they kind of have to.
It’s a bit like that.
She wanted to be a writer, so she had to force herself to write.
That was that.

* * *

"Clair, what are you doing in there? "
"Writing."
"Oh."

Sometimes people took an interest in her writing, and other times they didn’t.

* * *

Clair had been sick recently. So she hadn’t felt like writing. Then she got better. And was too busy to write. The piece of paper attached to the top left corner of her computer screen "Write 1000 words a day" occasionally brought on feelings of intense guilt, but most of the time she tried to ignore it. Tried.

Bits of paper are powerful things.
Very powerful things.
This piece of paper was torturing Clair.
It didn’t help that it was bright yellow.
There was no pretending that it didn’t exist.
Read on ...

Cre-W entry

(This was my article for 2BU's edition on comicbooks but it didn't make it on print. I'm rather proud of this piece as it gives an inside look into the mind of the comic book reader. Feel free to comment!)


Psychology of a Comic Book Reader

Nerds. That’s what they call us comic book readers. People attempt to differentiate us from the geeks and weirdoes but all they do is just label us and put us neatly in a box. It’s a natural human reaction to keep at arm’s length what they don’t understand. Because the truth is they are afraid of us. They are afraid of what we know, scared that we hold the key to some unknown universe. And they envy us. Because we have had a glimpse of the future and that is something they will never have.

We comic book readers live in a world of panels and speech balloons. Although life in a comic book may seem constricted, we know that it represents the absurdity of the real world. We live in amazement at what life is and what life can be. We become its audience as we see life through the writer’s eyes.

We are special. Print readers create a world uniquely their own with the writer’s world subjectively formed in their heads. But we comic book readers already know what the world should look like. With the expertise of the artist’s drawing, our Metropolis looks exactly like your Metropolis. Our Daily Bugle is the same Daily Bugle you read about.

Though print readers may argue that it takes the fun out of imagination and creativity, we comic book readers beg to differ. We also use our imagination. We use it to experience our character’s pain and triumph. We feel every punch, every blood-splattering scene on the glossy pages. Our stomachs turn with panels of tortures, entrails and decapitation. And our hearts melt with a beautiful sunset, a pretty girl and a child’s first steps.

We are art aficionados. Each sketch, each drawing is a priceless art for us. Just as art collectors thrive in search of the masterpiece so do we comic book readers. We appreciate good art: the perfectly drawn explosion site, the voluptuous super heroine and tasteful landscape. Even bad art is beautiful to us. Abstraction and distortion has a place in our world without prejudice.

We are code breakers. Have you seen the movie Unbreakable? Remember how Elijah Price’s mother dissects the anatomy of the villain through the artwork. “ See the villain’s eyes? Note how they are larger than the other characters. They insinuate a slightly skewed perspective on how they see the world. Just off normal,” says this formidable woman. This is what makes a comic book different from print. Sometimes what you need is a picture to convey what words can’t express.

We bring hope. Time and time again, comic books have proven their value in a teenager's life. Comic books give them an alternative world to let loose their real selves. By reading these books, we relate in the hero's struggles. This is what The X-Men and Spiderman give us. The X-men are outcats of society who chooses to defend those who persecute them. Spiderman is about a boy's discovery of power, his humanity and struggle with his uniqueness while trying to live a normal life. We reconcile the future with the present through the human condition. And though life may never have a happy ending, in our pages we can make the world a better place than it truly is.

And lastly, we are kids at heart. We know that once we reach the end of the page, we will hunt for the next issue like a kid hungers for his next candy. We are big kids who enjoy reading picture book with stories that reflect our own experiences. Maybe not exactly the same experiences but parallels.

Do not envy us. Do not fear us. We are from but one race. Instead, try to understand us. Think out of the box and sneak a peek at what the future might be like. View the world through the eyes of a comic book reader. It’s full of action, drama, horror, suspense and comedy combined to form a psychedelic hue. Our world is not so alien to you. After all, you’ve been there once, have seen our naked gypsies…all in the comfort of your dreams.

gourmet caffeine

For those cheap drinkers like me but love quality as well, here's my recipe for a home made gourmet coffee:

Ingredients:

• San Mig Cafe 3-in-1 coffee mix STRONG (any 3-in-1 instant coffee mix will do except Great Taste. I think Great Taste is too mild for nightcrawlers like myself)
• 1 pouch of Nestle All-Purpose Cream, chilled
  
• McCormick Cinnamon powder

First, pour the cream in a bowl and mix the cream with a fork or whisk. Add sugar, as needed. You can also put it in the blender at a low speed. Continue mixing until you get a creamy foam texture. Set aside.

Next, pour the San Mig Cafe 3-in-1 coffee mix with hot water in a coffee mug. Mix it in. Spoon the cream on top of the coffee. Finish it off with a sprinkle of cinnamon on top of the foam.

Enjoy your cup of mojo while reading a book or watching a movie on a cold, rainy night.

WARNING: Strong caffeine tends to transfer its smell on the teeth and urine. Cleanse your palate with a glass of water afterwards.

writer books

Years before there was no resource book for new writers. If you wanted to be a creative writer, you had to buy imported books, attend seminars of writing professionals/teachers or enroll at a college. There were only books with foreign writers who write about the business and craft of writing with rules that applies to their country. They are quite expensive, mind you. But if you really want a book, you might be able to find one at your local bookshop or neighborhood garage sale. Less the price of a new copy and used twice over. Well, beggars can't be choosers you know...

Apparently, a pinoy writer saw a need and printed out a book last year on the business and craft of writing in the Philippines. I'm sorry to say that I forgot the title of the book. It didn't make an impact on me because although it was written by a pinoy, the concepts are still american. Even the business section of writing was too small to be significant for any freelance writer, which is why I think it wasn't much of a success.

We still have so much to do to progress the plight of newbie writers and to push Philippine Literature to the global market.

a preview

Here is the sample book cover that I did for my first book. Though my publisher chose a different cover (I did three for him), this is my second favorite.

The fun part about photo editing is that you can create new art works. The hard part is searching for pictures to alter. I admit. I'm not a real artist, that is why I will eventually hire a graphic artist to do the final book cover. For now, I'm just enjoying the sight of my future "baby."

Now to get back to my writing...

backtrack

The year was 2003 when I conciously decided to pursue writing as a career. Having little knowledge of how it works, I read everything I could to learn more about the craft. I joined the workshop by Pinoywriters and made new friends and valuable contacts there. If not for this e-group, I would still be sitting at home and frying my brain cells from watching too much television.

The Internet is a major force in jumpstarting my writing life. I joined online writing workshops, writing e-groups, read various writing articles from different websites and met other writers who later became my friends and idols. I also bought a lot of writer magazines, which is only available at Booksale. Ahh, yes. Booksale is another major contributor in my journey as a writer. Its cheap books and magazines are exactly what an improverished and newbie writer needs.

Then I worked on gaining confidence by starting out my own e-group and submitting articles and stories to websites. I dreamed of being published on print so I can make my parents proud of their little eccentric, easy-go-lucky, lost but brillant daughter. You see, my folks wanted me to become a lawyer. But because they respect me too much (and probably they got tired of giving me all those sermons), they don't pry into my business. They just let me be and pray to God that I find success in whatever field I choose to focus on.

2004 was the year I got my first article published online. And it was my first PAID article. P500.00 for 800 words. I know, it's cheap. But I didn't care at that time.

Then came my first major break. A friend of mine referred me to a client to do web content writing for a company in Quezon City. Though the contract was for P9,500.00, I was only paid half of it as it was stipulated in the contract that the other half will be paid once they received the second set of the articles. However, they never asked for the second part (even though I had finished writing it) so I never got paid. It was a lesson of sorts. I had to learn to write a MOA, to estimate how much I should charge per article and to encash my first check.

Yes, I got paid via check. But I received my check only the following year. Another lesson learned--make my MOAs iron clad.

2005 was the year of ghost writing. I received an email and I responded. It was that simple and efficient. However, the pay was only P150.00 for each 500+ word article. Still, I took the job. It's better to write than do nothing. Besides, my fiction writing was slow and none of my queries were answered. My e-group's activities waned and rather than wait for manna to rain from the sky, I wrote anonymously.

At that same time, I was busy with the e-zine project that my writer friend started. I wrote feature articles there and did the marketing for it. But we had to cut the e-zine short because of the lack of funds.

I also met one of my writing idols. July 2005 was Neil Gaiman's visit to the Philippines. I was ecstatic! Meeting him is one of the highlights of my writer life! His SANDMAN series made a deep impact on me as a creative writer back in college. I used to borrow copies of his graphic novel from my band mate and read through it during jamming sessions.

Now 2006 seems to be my year. Closing a book contract is no joke. And though I'm not getting paid like the American writers who get about $100,000 or more in book advance, I am quite content with how things are. I'm not greedy. Writing is not my bread and butter. I've always thought of it as taking a complimentary role in my jumbled life. I have too many loves to give any of it up, which is why I'm not sweating the monetary stuff.

Again, I had to learn to write a MOA and how to estimate my rate on a project basis. So I asked friends who knows more about the writing business than I did. And then I realized something...there is NO RELIABLE RESOURCE for freelance writers in the country. There is absolutely no guide to help new freelance writers and fiction writers like myself with regards to the financial and legal aspects of the job.

Hmm...what a great book idea! (must pitch this to Anvil!)

hurray 2006!

Today is the start of the fulfillment of my dream - to be a successful published writer. I just signed a one year, three book contract with a media arts firm. Someone must love me UP there! :)

This blogsite is all about my journey as a writer. Hopefully, I don't bore you too much since I've only had a year and two months since becoming a paid writer. Yes, I am fairly young to receive such a project. I've never been published in the country, not in a magazine, newspaper or an anthology. Except that one time when I was a respondent for an article written by my friend and my name appeared on Manila Bulletin. I have been published in India though. One of my poems was included in their collections of the world's best poems by cyberwit.net. Most of my writings have been online, which is why if you search my name (my real name) through google and yahoo, you'll be sure to see it immediately.

Honestly, I don't know why this client choose me. Maybe because it was my enthusiasm, my smart answers during the interview or just plain old fate giving me the shot I've dreamed of. He said he got my name by typing the keywords "creative writers in the philippines" on google. But when I did the same thing, my name wasn't on top of the list. There were hundreds more on that site (writer's.net) who are published and more experienced that I am. I get the chills just thinking about the odds of him and me teaming up for this project.

Now my real journey begins. I hope you'll join me as I share with you my writing life.

As my favorite quote goes, "Writing is easy. All you do is sit staring at a blank sheet of paper until the drops of blood form on your forehead." (Gene Fowler)