The Authorian Legend (Or, Learning to be a Writer)

Writing Contest: NPR;s Three-Minute Fiction

2010-02-18T22:51:00.001+08:00

Okay, folks. The deadline for this is coming up fast, but I'm sure you can hack it.

National Public Radio's Three-Minute Fiction contest is looking for the best fiction that can be read in...well, three minutes. That translates to somewhere in the vicinity of 600 words. Your work will be inspired by a photograph posted on NPR's website. Alan Cheuse, NPR's resident book reviewer, will be the official judge.

You've got until February 28 to whip the words out of your brains and hearts. Shouldn't be tough, right? I suggest doing three to five different pieces, so you can choose the best and polish it to perfection.

For the complete rules, go to the official contest rules webpage. To see the photograph on which you'll base your entry, visit this page.

And thanks to Cynthia Riede and her Midnight Lunch for the heads up.

Writing Prompt: Winter Tree

2010-02-17T12:15:00.001+08:00

Stimulate your imagination and flex your writing muscles with a writing prompt! Take a minute to observe the contents of the picture below. When you're done, write a story fragment of 200 to 300 words.

Trees know the true meaning of patience. Or do they?

Observe the tree in the picture and identify any human traits this tree would have based on its situation. You can tackle this writing prompt in one of two ways:

Create a monologue for the tree. The monologue would describe a major event that recently happened to the tree. End the monologue with an epiphany.
Quick! Imagine someone or something approaching the tree! That someone or something and the tree begin a conversation. What would they talk about?

Whatever you write as a result of this writing activity might lead to your next great story! Have fun writing!

Image by hbrinkman at stock.XCHANG

Writing Prompt: Bear Talk

2010-02-16T16:46:00.001+08:00

Stimulate your imagination and flex your writing muscles with a writing prompt! Take a minute to observe the contents of the picture below. When you're done, write a story fragment of 200 to 300 words.

Walking through the woods past lunchtime, you chance upon two grizzlies who appear engaged in an argument.

Take note of the body language and positions of these two characters. You can tackle this prompt in one of two ways:

The bears are talking in a language you understand. What are they arguing about? How does the argument end?
The bears are communicating with grunt, snarls, and other incomprehensible sounds. Describe, instead, their actions that will reveal the actual nature of their argument. Again, how does the argument end?

Whatever you write as a result of this writing activity might lead to your next great story! Have fun writing!

Image by kalilo at stock.XCHANG

Writing Prompt: Old Pictures

2010-02-04T23:44:00.003+08:00

Stimulate your imagination and flex your writing muscles with a writing prompt! Take a minute to observe the contents of the picture below. When you're done, write a story fragment of 200 to 300 words.

The party is winding down in the living room, but all is quiet in the study. Quiet, save for whispers from the past.

Quick! Imagine a person entering the scene.

The person entering the scene is a visitor. Who is this person and why does the person take interest in the pictures?
One of the pictures reminds the person of a love that had ended. Describe this picture, as well as the nature of the person's past affair.
The host of the party enters the room and stands beside the visitor. Imagine what the party host looks like. What does the host say, and what does the visitor say in response?

Whatever you write as a result of this writing activity might lead to your next great story! Have fun writing!

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Image is by pipp. http://www.scx.hu

Writing Prompt: Old Car

2010-02-02T02:32:00.007+08:00

Stimulate your imagination and flex your writing muscles with a writing prompt! Take a minute to observe the contents of the picture below. When you're done, write a story fragment 200 to 300 words.

It is three in the afternoon. A vintage car, paralyzed by a lost wheel, sits in a Havana plaza.

Quick! Imagine a person entering the scene.

The person entering the scene has a relationship with the car. What is that direct or indirect relationship?
Seeing the car makes this person think deeply of something else. What does the person think about? What memories emerge from seeing the car? Identify feelings associated with these thoughts. What is the quality of these feelings?
After going through thoughts and feelings, the person makes a decision. What is this decision?

Whatever you write as a result of this writing activity might lead to your next great story! Have fun writing!

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Image is copyright 1994-2007 by Gerald Oskoboiny. http://www.impressive.net

My Writing Books

2009-12-04T20:10:00.002+08:00

A beginning writer needs a jump-off point, whether it be a writing workshop or an undergraduate Creative Writing degree. Some undergo apprenticeship of some sort, or do a bit of ghostwriting to get their feet wet. For me, I go for the writing books. Here are the choice references currently on my shelf. While I have other references, the following tomes are the ones I find myself going back to.

1) The 3rd Act: Writing a Great Ending to Your Screenplay (Drew Yanno)

While focused on screenplay writing, Yanno's book offers practical advice on how to pave the way toward a satisfying ending to a story.

2) First Draft in 30 Days (Karen Wiesner)

I bought this book not so much for the writing advice, but for time management purposes. Wiesner's thrust is helping produce productive writers, the kind who pens more than one major work a year. Arguably, 'major work' may not translate to 'fantastic work,' but Wiesner's methods are nonetheless sound. I suggest expanding her system to cover 90 days instead of 30. Ninety days for a novel's first draft is still pretty fast.

3) Manuscript Makeover: Revision Techniques No Fiction Writer Can Afford to Ignore (Elizabeth Lyon)

While I haven't gone through all of Lyon's book, the checklists at the end of each chapter whet my appetite. Plus, she goes through the writing process like a refresher course. I don't think I'll be getting any other revision book.

4) Chapter After Chapter: Discover the Dedication and Focus You Need to Write the Book of Your Dreams (Heather Sellers)

I got Seller's book for inspiration. She talks about writing more as a passion than an occupation (though she talks a bit about the latter, too). Apart from the joys that can be had from writing, she also talks about the frustrations and pitfalls. I like the part where she likens writing to a relationship.

5) Plot & Structure: Techniques And Exercises For Crafting A Plot That Grips Readers From Start To Finish (James Scott Bell)

One of the first writing references I got. To any beginning writer, Bell's book could be a winner. It was for me.

6) Fiction Writer's Workshop (Josip Novakovich)

I got this book primarily for the exercises, which I have yet to go through. But I believe that any writer should have at least one exercise book. I chose this book because the exercises are a bit more challenging, even though it's supposed to be for beginners.

7) Perrine's Story and Structure (Thomas R. Arp, Greg Johnson)

Since I wanted to pursue writing, I needed some academic background to go with the practical knowledge. It's like taking a literature class.

8) Writing Essays About Literature: A Guide and Style Sheet (Kelley Griffith)

Along with the #7, this book helps me look at stories from a technical standpoint. These two books contain short stories both classical and modern, very useful for writers who want to explore different writing styles. Plus, the guide questions at the end of these stories encourage deeper and more analytical thinking.

9) The Dramatic Writer's Companion: Tools to Develop Characters, Cause Scenes, and Build Stories (Will Dunne)

See my review of this book in the previous post. I simply love this one.

Book Review: Will Dunne's "The Dramatic Writer's Companion"

2009-10-28T14:36:00.003+08:00

The preview I saw in Google Books convinced me that Will Dunne's book The Dramatic Writer's Companion: Tools to Develop Characters, Cause Scenes, and Build Stories (Chicago Guides to Writing, Editing, and Publishing) could be worth something in the sea of oh-so-many fiction writing books. Boy, was I wrong. is not just worth something--it's simply the most comprehensive set of brainstorming exercises any storyteller needs to thoroughly flesh out a story.

It doesn't teach you writing per se. What it does is encourage you to explore the potential of your idea. Do you have a concept but hard-pressed to create a story for it? "The Dramatic Writer's Companion" can help.

Every step of the story development process is covered, whether you just have a core idea, or if you already have a glitch-laden draft that needs ironing out. Through questions and straightforward commentary, author Will Dunne encourages you to THINK and DIG DEEP. If you're serious about coming up with a well-rounded dramatic story, then this is the book to beat. Avoid this book if you're looking for shortcuts.

In other words, this book wants to make sure that you know your story like the proverbial back of your hand--inside and out, up and down, side to... you get the picture.

The book starts with a character, with the objective of making this character as three-dimensional as possible, as well as exploring the aspects of this character that could inspire dramatic action. The book then brings in the other characters and helps you establish the kind of character relationships that fuel a dramatic story.

Moving forward, the book then provides exercises for scene building, defining what a scene is and what it's supposed to do, and how characters influence scenes. There are exercises to help establish the tone of a scene, heighten conflict and tension, and connect scenes with the overall story objective. Threshing out dialogue is also covered.

As you go further, the book goes for the big picture. Point of view, dramatic arcs, inciting event, setups and payoffs... they're all here.

And then some. It doesn't matter if you're writing plays, or screenplays, or fiction, or graphic novels. Long overdue, "The Dramatic Writer's Companion" is a must for every serious storyteller's bookshelf.

Writing Contests for October 2009

2009-09-24T01:25:00.003+08:00

Black Warrior Review
Writing Contest

What it's looking for: a short story, or a set of up to three poems
Open to: no mention
Prize: $1,000 and publication in the spring/summer issue of the Black Warrior Review
Entry fee: $15 per short story or set of up to three poems; online submissions accepted
Word count: up to 7,500 for short stories
Deadline: October 1
For more info: visit their website

Zoetrope: All-Story
Short Fiction Contest

What it's looking for: a literary short story, any genre
Open to: anyone
Prize: $1,000 and publication in website; winners and finalists will be considered for representation
Entry fee: $15
Word count: 5,000 words
Deadline: October 1
For more info: visit their website

Glimmer Train
Writing Contest

What it's looking for: a short story about family
Open to: anyone
Prize: $1,200 and publication in Glimmer Train Stories
Entry fee: $15
Word count: 500 to 12,000 words
Deadline: October 31
For more info: visit their website

Writing Contests for September 2009

2009-08-21T01:42:00.003+08:00

Bear Deluxe Magazine
Doug Fir Fiction Award

What it's looking for: a short story about the natural world, sense of place, or environmental issues
Open to: U.S. residents
Prize: $1,000
Entry fee: $15
Word count: up to 5,000
Deadline: September 8
For more info: visit their website

Good Housekeeping
Short Story Competition

What it's looking for: a short story that focuses on the lives of women today
Open to: U.S. residents
Prize: $3,000 + publication in Good Housekeeping
Entry fee: none
Word count: up to 3,500
Deadline: September 15
For more info: visit their website

Glimmer Train Press
Fiction Open

What it's looking for: short stories, open theme
Open to: anyone
Prize: $2,000 + publication in Glimmer Train Stories
Entry fee: $20
Word count: 2,000 to 20,000 words
Deadline: September 30
For more info: visit their website

Birmingham Southern College
Hackney Literary Award

What it's looking for: unpublished novel
Open to: U.S. residents
Prize: $5,000
Entry fee: $25
Word count: open
Deadline: September 30
For more info: visit their website

2007 Man Asian Literary Prize

2007-02-15T03:01:00.000+08:00

If any of you folks are in Asia and happen to have a novel in the works, you may want to join the Man Asian Literary Prize, which will award excellence to unpublished English (original or translated) novels from Asian authors:

This major new literary prize aims to recognise the best of new Asian literature and to bring it to the attention of the world literary community. A distinguished panel of judges selects a single work of fiction to be awarded the prize each year. Works submitted for consideration must not yet be published in English, although they may have been published in other languages.

The prize was initiated through Man Group plc, a leading global financial services firm based in London, and the Hong Kong Literary Festival, the premier event of its kind in Asia.

For details, visit their website.

Questions to All the Writers

2006-07-28T16:32:00.000+08:00

1. Where do you get your story ideas? What's the most common set of circumstances that lead you to that big light bulb?

2. Do you have a "writing notebook" where you jot down notes, sample dialogue or vignettes?

3. If you have multiple story ideas, do you work on them at the same time, or a fgew at a time? Or do you focus on one and one alone?

4. How many people do you give first dibs at a reading? Or do you trust your instincts and forward it immediately to your editor?

Thanks!

Writing Practice: "I have to tell you something"

2006-07-13T22:27:00.000+08:00

Joshua turned the radio off as the deejay announced the next song. He didn't feel like listening to Mariah sing about making it through the rain. Manilow already did that two decades ago, he thought, and in a much better way.

The storm raged all day. It had snuck in through the backdoor, suddenly making a southwest detour just when everyone up north had umbrellas and raincoats prepared, and everything was suddenly wet and windy. Joshua got caught in a freak downpour on his way home from work. And being one of hundreds drenched mercilessly that afternoon was of no comfort to him. He didn't want to be any more ill than he already was.

It was only last night when Stacy said again, "I have to tell you something." Whenever she'd do that, Joshua would feel that emotional click deep in his chest, a safety net for some kind of bad news. If it isn't her going out of town to visit her parents--her ex-boyfriend lived just across the street--it would be about one of her many dreams of having a baby, with Joshua not being the father. He had wanted to propose to her many times before, but her strange subconscious fixations on other men disturbed him.

* * *

Again, last night. "I have to tell you something, Joshua."

Stacy was on the other end of the phone, and Joshua caught the familiar monotone she'd use over and over.

"Remember that dream I had about having a baby with this man I've never met?"

"Maybe," Joshua answered. "You've dreamt about having four babies with four men you've never met."

"Well, I did meet him... one of them. Yesterday afternoon."

Joshua didn't know whether to hang up, hang himself, or laugh. "So you met a guy, presumably in the rain, and you swear you've dreamt about having a baby with him."

"Yes, his name's Bob."

Thunder rumbled.

Bob? Joshua thought. The man of my girlfriend's dreams is named Bob? "So what are you trying to tell me?"

"I just want to tell you not to worry. I didn't tell him that I had a dream of having sex with him--he'd think I was nuts, right? He had an umbrella, I didn't. He offered to take me across the street, and I agreed. He introduced himself before we parted, and that was that."

"You're not breaking up with me?"

Stacy let out a silly chuckle. "Hell, no! I'm just sharing what happened to me! I used to think that it was all hogwash. You know, meeting someone from a dream. While he was walking away, I just smiled. It was silly and wonderful and odd and exciting and all that..."

Joshua just let her talk for the next few minutes, allowing her to unload the pent-up exuberance. Joshua would find it charming on a normal day.

* * *

Almost noon, and the storm showed no sign of letting up. The weatherman--bless his soul for his confidence--said the storm should make its way out of the city by the next morning.

Joshua's mailbox bled bills. More for the collection, he thought, though some of the neatly-enveloped brochures and notices had wet spots from the rain, while others had creasemarks from careless stuffing. The mailman must have been in a hurry.

Out of habit, he separated the mail by logo--credit card, credit card, coupons, phone, magazine subscription, credit card. Those he couldn't outrightly identify he tossed into a large box beside his computer table. Above the box was a wide cork board on which he created a collage of other unidentifiable mail, a blanket of tacked-on glossy documents that had no clear creative sense of logic save whim.

The phone bleeped, disturbing his ritual. Joshua plopped the rest of his mail on his computer table, grumbling to himself over the disturbance of his peace, when he had the sudden urge to look at his collage. He stepped back about ten feet from the right by four-foot board, and surveyed his handiwork like a critic to a painting.

And then he thought of Stacy. It reminded him of Stacy, the collage. Or was it more about the three-year relationship that seemed to have no direction and yet, strangely, seemed to compound in chaotic beauty? In there were the vibrant colors, the myriad textures, the prickle pegs of tacks and clips, the cascading sheets that seemed endlessly falling yet frozen.

By the time he turned away to get to the phone, the ringing stopped. But Joshua wanted to answer it, hoping to hear her voice again, rattling about something he had wanted to tell him. He could always call back, he thought. He always could.

The clock signalled 7:30 am, accompanied by the soft rumble of thunder. It was then that Joshua realized that he wanted to tell her something, too.

Writing Software: Storyweaver and Dramatica Pro

2006-07-13T00:28:00.000+08:00

Has anybody tried Storyweaver or Dramatica Pro?

Based on my Web research, entailing hours of fluid-draining browsing, Storyweaver (US$29.95) is one of the bestselling writing software in the market. It claims in its website that it can "cure writer's block or your money back," a very strong and confident statement.

Then there's the more expensive Dramatica Pro (US$99.95), presumably the more complex predecessor of Storyweaver.

I downloaded the trial versions and I must say that I'm more inpressed with the detail Dramatica Pro takes you through in piecing a complete story. Storyweaver isn't as complex, but has enough to get your creative juices flowing within a logical framework.

These two packages take you through the process of putting a story together. They ask you loads of questions about your story and help you make important connections as far as plot, character, conflict and theme go. Dramatica Pro is more comprehensive, however, with its numerous (and initally confusing) options and backup information. Once you're done, you can print out your work as an invaluable reference to the different turning points you'll encounter as you write the actual story. Storyweaver and Dramatica Pro compiles your input into a nicely formatted document.

These software packages do not teach you how to write, nor do they write for you. They do the most important job of any storywriting endeavor--preparation.

To get Storyweaver or Dramatica Pro, as well as other writing software, click here.

Where is that man?

2006-01-02T02:43:00.000+08:00

Blogging about romantic love is one thing, but actually asking for it clues everyone in on the state of my love life, which for the past four years has been entirely non-existent. While wanting to own a piece of the romance pie isn't exactly worth world news, I sometimes think to myself that it would be nice to have someone again to take my mind and heart on a wild spin, with the trappings of senseless thrills, cloud-nine swooning, sweet nothings, the biting realities and aching disappointments.

My personal romance record isn't that expansive. I've had three relationships thus far, the longest lasting three-plus years and the shortest lasting three weeks. Thus you can say that I'm still a neophyte at this even if I'm past 30. Which is fine by me, really. What's rare in coming is always cherished. Why would I want to have a new guy immediately after a break-up? Having an expensive French dinner every night can get tiresome.

Now that I've rewired my life somewhat after months of soul-searching, I've decided that yes, I'm ready for a new man. Now the more important question is whether there's a man out there who'll be ready for me--granting, of course, that I find him attractive in the first place.

Friends tell me that I have a that I have high standards, and that I possess a "veneer that intimidates." As for the former, my needs are really simple. The man I'd want to be with should:

1) Be attractive. And by this I don't mean "hot and sexy" or extremely handsome. I have been attracted to a wide variety of men, from the towering to the Hobbit-like, from chubby cuties to muscle jocks. I can't pinpoint my exact type, so this is pretty much an open field.

2) Be intelligent and smart. Intelligence is what he knows, and smarts is how he uses what he knows. IQ and EQ. At the end of the day, I'd like someone who I can talk and listen to, who has insight and charisma.

3) Be growth-oriented. He lives life a step at a time, moving up. He doesn't have to be extremely wealthy, but has direction and the determination to succeed.

4) Have a world apart from mine. He doesn't have to share all of my interests. We don't have to have the same set of friends. But he should be willing to share that world with me from time to time, as much as I would with mine. Also, we all need our alone time, and so we'll respect each other's need for that.

5) Be able to keep things interesting. Tedium and monotony are understandable in the long-run, but he should know when and how to spice things up when the drag happens too long. I like to surprise my man from time to time. Courtship never ends.

6) Know that it all starts from trust. A relationship built on trust keeps on going and going and going...

So tell me, is that asking too much?

Now about that "veneer that intimidates." I'll tackle that in another post. Maybe on Valentine's Day.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

image from Florida Photography Mynoot Escapes

Writing Exercise: Vocabulimia

2005-12-31T00:40:00.000+08:00

Vocabulimia is an exercise in building vocabulary. It's a play on the "use the word in a sentence" exercise we'd do in school.

I've pseudo-randomly selected four words that I either didn't know before or rarely use. These words come from my free "word of the day" subscription with Dictionary.com and Merriam-Webster.com.

I will use Word A in a sense consisting of one or two sentences. Then I will use Words A and B in a second sense. The third sense will have Words A through C. A fourth sense will contain all four words, completing the exercise.

The words are:

somnific: an adjective that means "causing sleep"

redivivus: an adjective that means "revived" or "brought back to life;" used after the noun it modifies

chagrin: a noun that means "annoyance" or "embarrassment" brought about by disappointment or failure; a transitive verb that means "to unsettle or vex by disappointment"

gaucherie: a noun meaning "boorishness or lack of tact" or "a tactless act"

*GULP* Here goes...

1) "For a political speech, yours was rather somnific," he said sarcastically. "Watching you was like living a dream."

2) He could swear he was talking to Hitler redivivus, though the man's piercing eyes had a somewhat somnific quality.

3) The agency's somnific sales pitch earned the chagrin of the chairman, who could easily have been Einstein redivivus with half the genius.

4) The Queen was known throughout the kingdom for carefully-crafted gaucherie, being readily chagrined by the slightest lapse in judgment. Many say she was the Empress redivivus, who perfected the "painful and somnific wave of the sceptre" when correcting her errant court.

Though the exercise is over, I could continue to make more: a fifth sense would have gaucherie, chagrin, and redivivus. A sixth would have gaucherie and chagrin. One last sense would just have gaucherie, which will even out the usage of each word.

But I'm tired.

From time to time, I will do other Vocabulimia exercises. If any of you want to build your vocabulary, why not try it out?

Fragment: : Magic (edited)

2005-12-28T02:05:00.000+08:00

For those who have read the first version of the fragment below, I've made some edits to it. And to those reading the fragment for the first time, it's part of my inital efforts to get some writing done. I hope you'll like it.

The fragment is based on my illustrations, the first posted on my 12/24 entry (Drawing Inspiration), and the second shown here.

"There is no spell that exists that can purge your sorrow or anger completely," her mother once told her. "for sorrow and anger are cast by your own soul. Spells cast by the soul dwell in the realm of choice, and choice is the most powerful magic of all."

As her tears fell, she held herself through the dark, rough robes of her new calling, robes she felt weren't completely hers. She wanted to burn them if the wind weren't so cold, and even the thought of them breaking apart in smoke and ember did little to ease her. Towards the east she turned, catching a sweep of torchlights fading like an ebbing tide along the horizon, as the name she loathed burned in her mind.

Vederis. Vederis Bvarqa.

She held her small spellbook in her hands and stared at the leathered cover, feeling the tome's drowning weight despite its size. She protested when her mother had first given it to her, as she was fully aware of every writ and law made by every elder who had sat upon the village throne. It meant glory and death and both and neither, the uncertainty too incomprehensible and undeniably incomparable to her simple dreams of dance.

That was her choice, to dance--to enthrall with tamborin and arpa--and be rewarded by smiles and applause. Why was there no magic, she wondered, that was powerful enough to seal that choice for her? Why have the inspiring rhythms been cruelly replaced by a name?

Yet she knew mother was right. She could just strip herself of her robes, tear her spellbook apart, and run. But she also knew that to do so would deprive her of a far greater freedom--Vederis Bvarga would ensure that. As she tucked her spellbook into the folds of her robes, she convinced herself that her mother was wrong as well.

As she walked back to the tower, she reached into herself to see if her soul was still with her.

Christmas Battle

2005-12-26T11:53:00.000+08:00

I spent Christmas Day battling an allergy attack. See, when the air gets really cold (air-conditioning doesn't count), it's either my skin tends to get itchy or I get a sneezing fit. The latter is worse--and thankfully doesn't happen as often--because it usually precedes a flu.

So I went to the drugstore in the morning to get some antihistamine tablets and a bottle of water, suppressing the urge to sneeze every two seconds or so. My little hand towel was moist from nose drippings. After the medication, I took a side trip to the bookstore to look over the self-help books, then went back home where everyone was beginning to have lunch.

After the meal, it was to bed for me. My joints were beginning to ache and I didn't want to let my condition get any worse. Even if my niece was warbling a few decibels above comfort levels over the karaoke unit we rented for the day, I fell asleep rather quickly. No dreams, no outer planar experiences, just bliss.

I'm feeling better today, despite a slight heaviness in my lungs. I complemented my antihistamine with a flu tablet last night. I have to keep this up so I could be in top shape again for work tomorrow. And I don't want to jeopardize my gym regimen.

Anyway, I hope you guys had a great Christmas!

Drawing Inspiration

2005-12-24T02:56:00.000+08:00

My mind tends to get really active when it comes to images, and more often it is these images that inspire me when it comes to making up stories. The drawing shown here--something I did late last month--is one of those images that catalyzed a string of plot possibilities.

Yes, she's a sorceress, but not a very experienced one. She looks a bit raw, in fact, as her neophyte-y attire suggests. Then there's the tiny spellbook in her hand to complete the package. It's a windy night and she has a slightly troubled look on her face--an ounce of regret, perhaps--as if something beyond her control had forced her life through a sharp turn, and it's only now that she's feeling the repercussions.

Or something.

Again, the challenge is actually putting this story down on paper.

Anyway, Merry Christmas to everyone, and a Blessed 2006 to y'all!!

Milk Carton

2005-12-17T01:42:00.000+08:00

I guess I was too presumptuous with my last post. Well, here goes...

"He saw the milk carton in the trash bin, and couldn't help but smile."

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Jonathan didn't feel like going home, but he had to. The past 24 hours had zipped by blessing him with a mere four hours of sleep and 20 hours filled with the nightmares of the waking world.

The day usually started with the morning coffee dutifully prepared by his wife, who always made sure she made it with milk, not cream. But not this day: the wife had packed and fled the night before just as he was redirecting the argument to flirtations and phone bills. It was one of those pointless verbal tussles couples would have when the relationship got too mechanical and uninteresting, though Jonathan feared he had stepped a bit too far when he threw the "mother-in-law" card on the table. Big mistake.

So he prepared the customary coffee that morning, but suffered through its black bitterness courtesy of an empty milk carton. He slammed the carton upon the countertop, and flattened it with his clenched fist, as the argument of the night previous ran like an afternoon soap through his mind.

He couldn't remember where the next twenty hours went, save for a collage of minor but frenetic events here and there swirling like a stew. Time would stand still whenever he attempted to find his wife by calling up her friends, even if he knew that the political conspiracy would've been instigated and no one would know where his wife was. Otherwise, it was an ordinary work day, where chaos reigned in an orderly fashion. The urge to sleep tempted him constantly, but he resisted on the fear that he'd dream about last night's stupid argument. After the day-long blur, he found himself walking like a zombie from his car to the front door.

Jonathan half-stumbled into the kitchen and saw everything tidied up, with the scent of a roast teasing from the oven. And when he saw the flattened milk carton in the trash bin, he couldn't help but smile. That's it, he thought. I'm asleep, and I'm dreaming she's home. She'll come down from the bedroom in her sheer nightgown and tell me how stupid our stupid argument was last night. Then we'll have dinner, make love, and make love again.

He moved toward the oven, breathing deeply as the scent of cilantro and rosemary mesmerized him. He knelt, opened the oven door, and peered into the darkness.

Opening Up To The Flow

2005-12-15T02:21:00.000+08:00

I'm sitting here at 2:20 in the morning, thinking of what to write about. I wasn't able to do any writing these past couple of days because of work.

I used to be able to draw inspiration from even the most trivial or mundane things. Of course, to creative types, nothing is too trivial or too mundane. I speak from the point of view of the pragmatically-involved layman, who might find the real world too engaging to spend a moment to reflect on things profound, like the sensuality of dew upon grass or the insights inspired by an old milk carton.

I'm trying to get back to that, to the creative flow. To be "in the mood of being in the mode."

There are many websites that are home to ideas wannabe writers can use to flex their creative writing muscles. They host numerous prompts and ideas and inspirations and all the writer has to do is take off from them. These springboards can be as simple as how you spent your day, to being as cliché as enumerating the five things you want to do before you die. But these are mostly blog-material prompts in my book. I dunno, call me choosy. (And, yes, beggars can't be choosers.)

To me, a really great writer is one who's able to make anything interesting. He or she can make boredom the most interesting thing in the world. That writer can make cellular mitosis deliciously involving.

So, for those writers who visit this blog, maybe you can help me out a bit. Maybe you can give your two cents to breaking down this dam I have in my brain. How would you include the following sentence in a three-hundred word vignette?

"He saw the milk carton in the trash bin, and couldn't help but smile."

In blogspeak, I guess this means I'm tagging you.

Question to Writers

2005-12-13T01:47:00.000+08:00

There are fiction writers who write for fun. There are fiction writers who write for profit. There are fiction writers who write for both reasons. And there for writers who are seeking to or are already making their beloved hobby their profession. They make their writing pay the bills.

In the many articles I've read about the publishing industry, most lament the sorry state of fiction publishing, attributing the slow dip in book sales to 1) there aren't enough readers, and 2) there are too many writers.

Not everyone can be a David Brown or J.K. Rowling, whose works fly off the bookstore shelf faster than you can say "royalties." Question is, can a fiction writer continue practicing writing for-profit and live comfortably even if he or she doesn't end up repeatedly on the bestseller lists?

I know that the regular visitors of this blog (yes, that's the two of you) may find their brows rising at my seemingly blasphemous question, but I'm asking out of curiosity. When Harry Potter: The Half-Blood Prince swept booksale records, some experts rejoiced at how the book "saved the publishing industry," a comment I feel is loaded with hogwash. Yes, the young wizard series cast a ray of hope that there are souls who still find magic in the pages of a book, but what about other books that don't talk about quidditch and muggles? What are the chances of the extremely talented writer of penetrating a market already choking with books of every quality? Is there a formula, or should we have faith in luck?

Exercise: A fragment

2005-12-11T15:25:00.000+08:00

This isn't a real story, more like the beginning of one. Just wanted to see how far I could go. Apparently, it's still not far enough. But it's a fair start, I think.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

She was bored, I thought. The wind was bored.

It wove and spun around me, tossing leaves to and fro with her million unseen hands, frustrated over the uncertainty of where to blow and why. I wondered about her, the wind. About how fortunate she was because of her freedom, and how unfortunate she was because she seemed to have too much of it and didn’t know what to do.

Autumn had a way of making me remember. Unlike the lively bursts of greens that flooded my eyes and lifted my spirits during the summer, there were the bulbous plumes of reds and yellows and golds, reminding me of the end of things. They brought back thoughts of what had not been done, what had been left hanging, as well as every promise that had gone unfulfilled. The wind sent these warm plumes dancing, devoid of a proper beat or rhyme, which seemed to provide her some amusement.

I had almost forgotten that he was sitting beside me, and that he had his hand firmly in mine. He was calmly looking at me as I watched the trees, though I couldn’t tell what he was thinking. Not that it mattered to me. We were used to these moments of silence, the comfortable yet strange kind, where I didn’t have to know what was on his mind any more than he needed to pry into mine. I suppose that’s what the past three years had taught us.

“We can always stay this way,“ he began. “I’m not really going anywhere.”

I smiled, and he smiled back.

Outpour

2005-12-09T21:50:00.000+08:00

Last week, I was able to unearth a full-length play I had written in 1997 for an international contest. I was surprised the draft still existed. (Though I shouldn't be, since I keep a lot of my old things.) I went over it and was mortified at its attempt at profundity. The lines were uninspired and mechanical, and not a few of the plot points were....well, pointless. Then I thought, did this piece turn out so hollow because half my heart wasn't in it? Was it because I wrote the thing for nothing more than a flicker-dream of a cash prize?

I've heard of fiction writers who churn out their most moving works when the negative emotions begin to overflow. (Or, if you're Edgar Allan Poe, habitually inebriated.) It's as if the most potent form of creativity had decided that anger, anxiety and depression were the best places to set up shop. Like it thrived under volatile conditions.

I used to be in that place, wherein my desire to express myself creatively was indirectly proportional to my level of contentment. I've experienced how much my creativity went on overdrive as a way to pour out whatever turmoil I had inside. It can be cathartic, yes, but I don't want to become a writer who has to go cuckoo just to get a writing job done. It's emotionally tiring, and doesn't leave much energy for other activities.

Not very healthy, right?

This is why I want to learn the hard rules of form and structure, and whatever it is that professional writers learn. I want to learn about technique, the tricks writers use that get the message across with loads of literary gravity and less of the emotional investment. That way, I don't have to resort to stabbing myself silly. and writing my masterpiece in blood.

Challenge #1: Reading

2005-12-08T01:02:00.000+08:00

I have a hard time reading fiction.

One of the common pieces of advice given to aspiring fiction writers involves reading, a near-voracious appetite for fiction. The practice is meant to expand horizons and provide hints to the many ways words can convey messages. Down the line, the aspiring writer can eventually, after much practice, forge a personal style.

Growing up, non-fiction was my apple. To be more precise, those thick hard-bound encyclopedia volumes were some of my best friends when I was a kid. I was hardly exposed to fiction so I never developed a taste for it. Now that I'm determined to be a writer, I've begun to take the hard road by reading as much fiction as I'm able to.

My cousin, ten years my junior, loves books. She started out at a young age with Sweet Valley High and Mills & Boon, then graduated to the heavyweights while finishing a Lieterature degree. She'd lend her books to me so I could share in the joy. After some time, I was able to finish Paolo Coelho's The Alchemist, Jeff Noon's Pixel Juice and Automatic Alice, and Jostein Gaarder's Vita Brevis, with varying degrees of difficulty.

It was the rich and playful Pixel Juice that made me decide to continue my education from square one--short fiction. For the past year, I've been regularly scouring the Web for stories posted online. After I choose a few selections (based purely on the titles and the first few sentences), I download and print them for later enjoyment. Reading time would take place whenever free time makes it appropriate and conducive.

Right now, I'm more receptive to fiction. My comprehension skills have improved a tad, and I believe I have greater insight on the different ways stories are told. But I've got a long way to go. Reading should be as much a habit as writing. I want to reach a point where I can put down "reading" in a hobbies-and-interests inquiry and actually mean it.

As for reinforcing my writing habit, there's this blog to help me. I think that counts for something.

Wanting for Talent

2005-12-07T01:03:00.000+08:00

Everybody has a talent of some form or shape, despite beliefs to the contrary. That's one of the things that makes each person unique. In that junction that connects the heart, mind and soul lies at least one talent. It can go by the term "knack," if "talent" seems too high-brow.

I don't know if I have a talent for writing. In the past I've made the impression on observers that I have a special way of writing. They've pointed this out to me, and yet I'm still finding the whole nature of it. What makes it tick, so to speak. I've always considered the lack of endurance as my biggest writing challenge. I may have written a few articles and some poetry (a number of them published) but I've never completed a story to my liking. I stop midway through a draft, knowing precisely how it would end yet drained of the ammunition to physically complete it.

Thanks to the Web, I've been able to find lots of resources that can help me rediscover my writng skills, and maybe realize or reconfirm that there is talent there. If there isn't, at least I could reach a point where I can write fully and confidently, and later make some sense out of whatever drivel I compose. Magic takes years to perfect, and I promise myself I'd make as much time as I need.

2005-12-06T03:22:00.000+08:00

There's a difference between writing, and writing well.
There's a difference between writing well, and writing brilliantly.
There's a difference between writing brilliantly, and writing magically.
And I wanna make some magic, too.

I Wanna Be A Writer!

2005-12-06T02:37:00.000+08:00

Here is where I begin another journey.

I've written and have been published quite a bit in the past, but I've never considered myself a writer. I've been plodding along running on mostly instinct rather than writer-ly concepts like structure and form. So here's where I intend to begin and undertake my journey--a different one-- to learn not just how to write, but how to be a writer. The kind that makes up stories and writes them with enough beauty and energy and chutzpah that others will be compelled to say, "yup, he's a writer, and a good one at that."

While the above constitutes my core purpose for setting up this blog, I'm going to spice it up by writing down some of the minute and inconsequential details of my life, and even thoughts to be classified under non sequitur. And I will strive to write in an eloquent fashion. But if I fail at eloquence, I will at least make my posts readable.

Wish me luck.