Category

Writing Now

  • Music Dance and Lyrics - Writing Now

    Soundtrack of our Breakup

    August 27, 2015 - By 

    My second baby Songs of Our Breakup is out! *jumpshot* I’ve been hearing lovely things from the handful of people who’ve read it, and one common comment is that the book needs a soundtrack. Well, it kind of does have a soundtrack. Unofficially, that is. Writing for me usually requires a vacuum. But sometimes, writing requires a playlist. It made sense that I needed music to write a story about an indie rock band, taking on the task of penning lyrics for the first time ever. I was ambitious, I know. But it was super fun. The words came to me at the oddest…

  • Writing Now

    Neil Gaiman on Worry, and Belief

    August 2, 2015 - By 

    Last month, I joined StrangeLit, an online writing workshop sponsored by Buqo. The goal is to produce an at least short-story length PN/PNR/UF work. The past week, work had been toxic and cruel (not complaining, just stating a fact, haha), and although I would end the work day exhausted, I always had enough energy to read the StrangeLit lessons from our mentors Paolo Chikiamco, Marian Tee, Kate Evangelista, and today Budjette Tan. Their words of advise were golden, and they revived me. Today’s inspiration came in the form of a StrangeLit lesson from Budjette.  He said a lot of valuable things about…

  • Book Review - Writing Now

    August is #BuwanNgMgaAkdangPinoy

    August 2, 2015 - By 

    I write this as I take a break from #StrangeLit duties (Activity 2 achievement unlocked!), and because I was super excited to find out that this month, August, is Buwan ng mga Akdang Pinoy. I’m thrilled to join this campaign, mostly because of two things. Firstly, these past few months I’ve been binging on works of Filipino authors, and secondly, I am also struggling to be a successful one myself (the struggle is fun and tiring and very real, guys). This month, despite my own writing goals, I aim to finish reading the following works of super awesome Filipino authors:

  • Music Dance and Lyrics - Writing Now

    The Flower Boy Soundtrack

    July 22, 2015 - By 

    I don’t normally play music when I write. I need silence. I need a vacuum. I need my mother to stop talking to me about errands and my cat to stop purring on my lap (though that’s really very sweet of the cat. I’m sorry, I take that back). When I get stuck though, I turn to music. And usually, the music plays in my head. Sans iTunes, YouTube or Spotify. For Blossom Among Flowers, I was writing a story set in Japan about bishounen–beautiful boys or flower boys, and the spunky, manga-addicted, high school girl caught between them. So it made…

  • Writing Now

    This Week, I Gave Birth to a Book

    July 22, 2015 - By 

    Really, I did! Well I guess technically I’ve had Blossom Among Flowers with me for almost a decade now, but this is the moment in time, the third week of July 2015 (on the 18th day according to Amazon), that my baby is finally out. She can actually mingle with the world now, you know? I realize the child-bearing comparisons are a bit weird. But I’m just very excited. I know there’s still a lot for me to do. You don’t know me, or my writing. Nobody’s probably reading this today. But for now, on the third week of July…

  • Writing Now

    Blossom Among Flowers, Super Final Word Count

    July 17, 2015 - By 

    Blossom Among Flowers at 65,002 words. I say super final because I now refuse to touch it. Not because I don’t love this book anymore. But because I’ve had it in my computer for almost a decade now. Even longer than the longest relationship I’ve ever had (and that one was long). If that’s not love, I don’t know what is. It’s been through at least three beta-edits and two editors, and now I have finished my super last pass on my very first book, literally a piece of my heart and good chunk of years of my life (apologies for…