#BuqoYA: Done!

Yay! February was truly a fruitful month---I managed to finish another story :-) *does a happy dance*

Late last year, I decided to sign up for the #BuqoYA online writing class organized and mentored by author Mina V.Esguerra and sponsored by Filipino online bookstore Buqo. It was a month-long class with the goal of writing 5,000 words of young adult fun. It totally rocked!

Seriously. Be Careful What You Wish For took me ages to finish. So I am over-the-moon-kilig that I was able to finish a novella in a month!

Just to share (and also, so I don’t forget), here’s how I did it:

1.    Prep up

Although the class ran for a month, Mina had us reading and watching books and movies of the genre to get us in the mood. This part was really fun! Most of the movies she assigned were old favorites (Freddie Prinze, Jr.! Ethan Hawke! Dingdong Dantes!). And though most of the readings she assigned were new to me, they were really fun reads!

2.    Craft your characters

Mina advised us to do this before the class started. I’m a Gen X-er, so I use slambooks to get to know my characters better. Yes, I even write down their motto—Just Always Pray At Night—kidding! But seriously, I like to make a sheet per character (including likes, dislikes, family, friends, and pegs for physical appearance etc.) then I print them out and refer to them while I’m writing. And if something additional comes up, I just make a note of it on their file. That way I don't have to constantly open and close files on the computer while I’m writing.

3.    End it!

Once the class started, we were divided into groups and asked to tackle specific tropes. So, although I had several storylines running through my head (as I wasn't sure which group I’d be in), I had to nail my story down and write a synopsis that included the ending.

Planning the ending was probably the best advice I’ve ever received. Seriously.

I’ve done NaNoWriMo more years than I care to count, but I’ve only ever finished one novel. Why? Because although NaNo encourages you to write (50k words in a month!), it doesn't require you to finish (editing is reserved for another month). Having a goal made things easier for me, because at least I knew what I was writing towards. It helped me plan my chapters and further craft my characters. And it helped me finish!

4.    Plan, plan, plan

Since I already had an ending in mind, it was easier to plan the chapters logically. When I started, only the last two chapters (and fragments of the first one) were clear in my mind. I made an outline of the chapters and wrote in bullet points what I wanted to achieve within each one. Of the original ten chapters I planned for, only seven went as planned, the other three I had to move around and expand, and I had to add an epilogue. But it’s easier to flesh the story out once the outline is done.
Also, throughout the class, Mina sends us really helpful (and timely) tips and articles, and they *really* help and inspire :-)

5.    Write first, edit later

This is one of the good habits I got from NaNo. I know that I’m an overly verbose writer (my Eng101A prof actually told me that) and that I would not be contented with 5k, so I planned for at least 10k. Once my synopsis was approved, I formulated a rough writing schedule. I allotted ten days for pure writing, with 1.5k as my daily word count goal. The chapter outlines helped a lot. I’m not the type of writer who finishes one chapter before proceeding to the next. I write what I feel like writing at that particular moment. So one day I’ll be writing chapter nine, and the next day I’ll be fleshing out chapter five or adding tidbits to chapter three and seven.

Managing two kids and the household chores takes an amazing amount of time, so I try to squeeze in a few minutes of writing when I can. That’s why I love writing sprints—just typing whatever comes to mind, without checking for errors or grammar. The idea here is to get as much of my thoughts into actual written words. I’ve found that it’s easier to edit / rewrite when you have enough material. Plus, I’ve found that a lot of characters ‘come to life’ during these times. When I review what I’ve written after a sprint, I’m often surprised and delighted.

6.    Make writing a daily habit

Whether on your laptop, notebook, or even on your smartphone, try to type in a few words or phrases every time an idea pops up. Ideas pop up at the most inconvenient of times, so be ready. I personally love the Notes app on the iPhone, I just mail everything to myself afterwards. Similar to my NaNo experience, I wasn't able to religiously follow my daily word count goal (some days I’d have a measly 300, and on others I’d average 2k), but I made it a point to write each day.

7.    Set deadlines within deadlines

Learn to embrace the pressure of deadlines. I personally think that Mina gave us enough time to work on our submissions. She had mentioned early on that she’d ask us to submit whatever we had sometime in the middle of the class, so after the tenth day, I started editing the first few chapters in preparation. This also gave me time to assess what chapters I needed to work on and if the story was going in the general direction I wanted it to.

8.    Have a ready circle of beta readers

Although I had a circle of beta readers, they were mostly my age—and let’s just say that we’re a few years older than the young adult genre I’m trying to write. So when I had the manuscript read by . . . um, younger people . . . their opinions and views were really eye-opening. So I guess it pays to have your story read by your target audience before the final edit :-)

9.    Edit!

It is true what they say—your work says a lot about you. So if you’re getting cross-eyed trying to catch errors, have a friend look at it or have it professionally edited after.

10. Eat cake

Seriously. The day I sent the story to Mina, I made brownies. Hahaha! 

But even if I still have to do the final edits, I cannot help but feel a sense of achievement that I finished something . . . in a month! Yatta! I seriously want to go to the eat-all-you-can dessert place in Shibuya. Anyone want to come with me? Iku iku, go, go! :-)

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Now I’m signed up for the #SparkNA writing class that will run from April-June, which will also be hosted by Mina. This one is sponsored by Spark Books / Anvil Publishing. Hihihi! Nakaka-addict pala! For more info, visit Mina's FaceBook page.

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Please watch out for my new book, When Cocoy Became Kikay :-)

Cheers!

FEBRUARY Featured Author: AlaraChan

When I first started exploring the wonderful world of Wattpad late last year, I chanced upon a story called It Started in the Library (ISITL) by AlaraChan.

ISITL is the story of Aya and Prince, whose romance of course started in the library. Those two almost wrecked my kilig meter—they are just so right for each other! But wait, there’s more! Enter the Zabalas, Aya’s seven older brothers, each one handsome as hell and perfectly unique in their own way. Homaygulay. I was hooked!

I followed Aya, Prince, and the Zabalas all the way to Sagada, Bulacan, Eastwood, Tagaytay, and of course U.P. Diliman. I started fantasizing about creative ways to use Nutella. I began wishing I were ten years younger (para bagay na kami ni Ali!). I obsessively began waiting for new chapters, devouring them minutes after they had been posted and waiting impatiently for the next installment.

When the story ended last December, I cried. Serious. My son even handed me a tissue. Hahaha! It was just so good I had to read it all over again.

So when I was thinking of authors to feature on the blog, AlaraChan was one of the first on the list.

Read our fun interview below:

CPSanti (CPS): ISITL of course started in the library, and it makes one wonder why. Have you ever had a similar experience in a library?

AlaraChan (AC): Well, back when we were freshies from Manila, we had a research on the Sambal Ethnic Language and there was this particular book from the archives that me and my friends borrowed from the UP Main Lib. Unfortunately when we opened it, may nag-vandal nito and we couldn’t help but feel enraged. As in, same type with Prince and Aya, somebody used the book as patungan and the ink seeped into the page and rendered the text useless and it was a kind of research book na pioneer work.

CPS: So why the library in particular?

AC: Well I guess I’m the type of person who likes to stay in the library but I don’t particularly read there. I actually use my time in the library to draw anime and manga. I love to use the spaces between the bookshelves and find a quiet nook where I could daydream and put those thoughts on paper. When I was younger, I was more interested in the arts than actual story writing. I guess it helped too because being more art-oriented, I see angles and things usually ignored by other people. Where other people see cloth, I see light and shadow, tension, creases – a whole different story in a glance. 

CPS: Why seven brothers? Is there any particular reason for the number?

AC: Hahaha, no particular reason. I just always felt that seven is a powerful number that’s all. Okay din sana ang twelve pero that would be too many characters already (haha, as if ISITL didn’t have so many 

already.)

Screen capture of AlaraChan's Wattpad banner

CPS: Who among the Zabalas is your favorite brother? Be honest ;-)

AC: Alfredo. He’s patterned out of my real-life brother and thus, I feel him the most. Chapter 24 Chasing Cars is a real-life experience. Sobrang close kasi kami because there’s only two of us. My brother has always been my hero and a lot of the Zabala brothers’ characteristics are derived from him. He’s the one who puts adventure on my calendar.

CPS: Although ISITL started out as a love story (which was really sweet), I enjoyed the action bits the most. Was it really planned as a romantic-action-thriller?

AC: The truth is, I was experimenting on what type of stories would click in Wattpad. I’ve always liked to write but it was difficult for me to finish stories (most of the time it takes years and some, I simply lost my muse.) Romance is the easiest to write at karamihan ng stories sa WP ganoon ang theme but I didn’t want my story to be a cliché so I took a spur-of-the moment decision and changed the flow of the story at chapter 14. I’ve always enjoyed reading and writing action stories pero most of them fantasy/medieval ang dating. Ngayon lang ako nagsulat ng action na walang bahid ng fantasy.

CPS: What authors / books / movies do you enjoy? Are they the same genre as ISITL?

AC: Ahaha, I really do love action and adventure type of stories. The ones who will make you think (Inception), those that have strong female protagonists (I love Stieg Larsson’s The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo Trilogy). I love action movies, lalo na yung may mga cars (Gone in Sixty Seconds, Fast and the Furious, etc.), mga mecha (Transformers), or yung fantasy (LOTR, Game of Thrones, Neil Gaiman novels, Sword of Truth, etc.) I don’t think same genre sila ng ISITL kasi malaki yung pina-play na role ng Romance sa story ko pero well, ayun. 

Screen capture of ISITL's Wattpad page

CPS: ISITL deals with a whole lot of things . . . fast cars, Italian, restaurants, and call centers (among others). What kind of research did you do to prepare for the book?

AC: Hmmm . . . not a lot. Most of the things in the story were derived from my own experiences. Some of the technical ones, I had to look into magazines and the internet or turn to my brother, especially about cars. The places that I used are the ones I’m familiar with (Eastwood, BGC, Sagada, Baguio, UP Diliman, UP Manila). Naniniwala kasi ako na “You only write what you know". Writing comes from inside of you: the summary of your thoughts, beliefs, mores, and even the way you think and how you would react in a certain situation,” kaya kinuha ko lahat ng alam ko at maipapaliwanag ko. Mahahalata mo rin kasi sa writer kung nanghuhula lang siya or kung hindi niya alam first-hand yung sinusulat niya. The ability to touch others with your writing comes from the shared human experience.

CPS: Very true! Now back to the Zabalas. I noticed that they each have their own ‘fan clubs’. Were the love interests of the brothers named after ISITL's most avid supporters?

AC: Yes. I would say ISITL belongs to them, as much as it belongs to me. I might be the first to create the characters, but they were the ones who cheered me on, criticized me, and taught me how to be better along the way. In return, I made them part of the story.

CPS: I will never look at Eastwood the same way again. Why did you select that area in particular for Ali’s headquarters?

AC: My first job was in Eastwood so the place is pretty close to my heart.

CPS: How did the Nutella thing start? And has the ban been lifted?

AC: Hahaha... it was an inside joke in our FB group. Pare-pareho kasi kaming mahilig sa Nutella. Then si lunatrix made the first ISITL fanfic titled, The Nutella Adventures.

CPS: You've already started posting chapters of Ali's book; are there any other brothers who will get their own book?

AC: Albert has his own story titled, If It Kills Me. Noon gusto ko magsulat ng story ni Alfredo na dapat ang title TZE: The Zabala Effect pero focus muna ako kay Ali for now. Actually we (me and the rest of the Kabutes *) are toying with the idea of writing the Zabala next gen pero wala pa talagang concrete plans.

Note: *we call our group Kabutes kasi pasulpot-sulpot lang kami sa WP

CPS: Any future projects we should look out for?

AC: I'm trying to finish my other story in WP called, Dear Mr. Otaku. Hopefully I'll finish it before I continue with Star-Crossed. I also have a fantasy story in the works. I hope you will continue supporting the Zabalas in Star-Crossed. XD 

CPS: Thank you very much! Not only for this fun interview, but for sharing Aya and Prince’s story with us. It was truly a wonderful journey!

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If you haven’t read ISITL yet, please do! You won’t be disappointed!

But just a friendly warning, Alistair is mine! *insert evil laugh here*

youngblood no more :-(

Someone asked me a funny question lately: Ate, do you still write for Youngblood?

*blink, blink*

Wow. My last Youngblood article was in 2005. I don't think I'd qualify for it anymore---even at the older end of the spectrum. Sad. Hahaha!

But seriously, I think I had a good run. I think I had 4 articles published since 1999. Not sure about one of them because I never saw it.

However, I still remember the rush I felt when I saw my first article in print. It was the fourth article I had sent in for consideration---and in those days, sending articles had to be by snail mail (gosh, now my age really shows. Hahaha!). The first one was about Ally McBeal. Hahaha! My best friend and I were such fans! The second one (the one I never saw) was about being an architect, written in celebration of passing the boards. The third and fourth ones were chronicles of my life in Tokyo.

I haven't read Youngblood in ages, but I think they're an adequate chronicle of a generation's pulse . . . what makes them happy, sad, excited, or angry enough to take to the streets. But now that PDI is easily accessible online, I think I'll browse through some of the latest ones.

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Super duper thanks to everyone who has supported the book! Be Careful What You Wish For is available on Amazon, Kobo, iBooks, Overdrive, Barnes and Noble, and Smashwords ;-)

If you'd like to review the book for your blog, send me a message via FaceBook ;-)

Arigatou, minna!

It's out!!!

Hi everybody!

Drumroll please . . .

It's finally out! (Cover illustration by CPSanti and title calligraphy by Odette)

You can now buy a copy of Ana and Ken's story (Be Careful What You Wish For) over at Smashwords or Amazon. It's $0.99 until 7 February ;-) If you don't have a credit card, but want a copy, send me a message on Facebook and we'll work something out ;-)

Thank you all for your support!

xoxo

JANUARY Featured Author: MissSayuri

Hi everybody!

My first featured writer is a lovely young Bicolana whom I met late last year when she came to Japan as an exchange student under the Trans-ASEAN Global Agenda (TAG) Program. The University of Tsukuba in Ibaraki is her home base until spring, but in the Philippines, she studies Food Science and Technology at Central Bicol State University of Agriculture. She's also one of the first students from CBSUA to qualify for the competitive TAG program.

On Wattpad though, she's more popularly known as MissSayuri, the author of We're 49 Days in Love (to be published by Lifebooks).

Here are the details of our little chat ;-)

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CPSanti (CPS): So MissSayuri, how are you liking Japan so far?

MissSayuri (MS): Japan is a very beautiful country. I never thought that I would be able to visit this place and am very thankful for the opportunity that has allowed me to experience new things. I really love this place particularly the changing seasons and discipline of the people.

CPS: What have you enjoyed most about living in Japan?

MS: The food and the people around me.

CPS: What was the very first story that you published in Wattpad (WP)?

MS: My first story was about a nerd named Samantha. It's actually a  bit cliché --- she has two gorgeous best friends, Ericka and Jenny, who helped her transform herself. However, due to a sudden twist in the story, Ericka and Samantha had a conflict and it became very hard for Samantha to fix their relationship, especially when both of their happiness was on the line.

CPS: I heard that We're 49 Days in Love will be published soon. I checked out your book on WP, but only the first chapter of your book was available. Can you tell us what it's about?

MS: It's all about a girl named Yera who lost her memory of her bestfriend who secretly in love with her. When they meet again in highschool, Yera had a bad encounter with Timothy and started to hate him because of his arrogance. Timothy wanted Yera's memory to return, so he made a plan. Part of the plan is to make Yera his girlfriend for 49 days until she recovered her memory and fell in love with him.

CPS: Wow. That does sound intriguing! So when did you start writing?

MS: When I was in high school I became interested in writing short poems and stories. Two years ago, I was influenced by my classmates and I decided to write a teen fiction stories in WP. Actually writing a story is a very difficult task---especially when you are a beginner in WP because you need to attract the readers with your work, and you need to think of something new that other writers don't have in their storyline. Well, when I first started out, I noticed that most of the stories with ‘red-numbered-reads’ contained mostly bed scenes, sex, and seduction. But because I was a newbie in WP I didn't have the courage to write stories like that, so I just wrote anything … things that appealed to me, like short cliché stories. Hehe.

CPS: What kind of things inspire you to write?

MS: I am inspired by random stuff --- food, certain people that have different stories in life, places and songs.

CPS: What authors do you read who have served as inspiration for your writing?

MS: Before I wrote my first story on WP I was an avid reader of alyloony and haveyouseenthisgirl. I read almost all their works and I learned that in expressing thoughts and ideas, you need to be creative in order for readers to feel that your character is a real living individual. You always have to put yourself in your character's shoes.

Author MissSayuri (photo from author FB page)

CPS: What are some of the problems you've encountered as a writer and how have you solved them?

MS: As a writer, some of the problem that bothers me are writer’s block, laziness in plotting and writing chapters, and the lack of time because of other priorities in life. In order to suppress these problems I just eat chocolate or listen to songs. (CPS notes that in the past few months, MS does have a feral gleam in her eye when it comes to all things chocolate) Then when I feel that I’m in the mood to write, I face my laptop and write something. These are applicable for the first two problems, but with the last, I can’t do anything about it I just write whenever I have free time.

CPS: How has writing on Wattpad helped you?

MS: Wattpad helped me to express my thoughts and feelings. I didn't even realize that embody character’s attitude towards certain situations. It also served as my diary---as if the characters exist in real life.

CPS: Any future projects we should look out for?

MS: Aside from We're 49 Days In Love, I have a soon-to-be-published book entitled Feelings Behind and also a collaborative book which tackles One Sided Love.

Cover of We're 49 Days in Love (Wattpad edition cover)

CPS: Can you offer any advice for budding writers?

MS: Ahm, advice? Hehe. Just write. Even if you don’t have many reads on WP, just stick with the idea that you write your stories and that you are expressing yourself. People will notice you because of it. Treat your stories as your babies and make the most out of them. And always remember that number or reads in WP is just a number, appreciate those real readers who support you even if you don’t have ‘red-numbered-reads.’ And most importantly, don’t write just to because you want to be a famous writer, instead write to inspire others.

CPS: Thank you very much MissSayuri and I hope you enjoy the rest of your stay in Japan J

MS: Thank you for giving me a chance to have this kind of interview. To your readers: I hope that you'll grab a copy of my book when they are already released in the market. Thank you :)

MissSayuri's book We're 49 Days in Love is soon to be published by Lifebooks. You can get the copies at all leading bookstores nationwide (National Bookstore, Powerbooks, and Fullybooked).

updates updates

Oooh! Just a quick note to let y'all know I'm going to feature some author interviews and giveaways real soon. Watch out for it!

Cheers!
;-)