Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Interview with a Romance Writer.

May nag-interview sa akin para daw sa project nila. They want to interview Martha Cecilia pero dahil ako ang available na romance writer pinagtyagaan na nila ako. hehe


Ini email na lang ang mga tanong para mabilis. Alam nyo naman ako anti-social ng konti. So ito na nilagay ko na sa blog ko. Ito ang gusto ko dual purpose ang mga sinusulat. pang project na pang blog pa.



Questions:
            What are the concepts in publishing pocketbook?
Im not really sure of what you mean by concepts here. As a writer the goal is basically to have a published work that people will like to read.   Kung sa side naman ng publisher I think ang gusto nila or what I think they want is to publish affordable reading materials. Mahal ang libro kahit pa nga paperbound umaabot na ng 350. So imagine a 37 pesos pocketbook. So I think that’s the concept of pocketbook. Affordable books that you can share to everyone. Madaling idistribute.

What are the procedures in publishing a pocketbook?
Another question for the publisher but this is what writers do to get published.  First you need to have a Finished manuscript to submit. The required number of words is 23 to 24 thousand,  that’s for PHR . You can email it to the editorial staff  kung interesado kayo magpasa here is their email address ed2rialstaff@yahoo.com and after a month (or less if you are lucky). Tatlong bagay ang puwdeng mangyari sa pinasa mo. Your work could be returned. Ibig sabihin its not fit to be published yet. Another feedback is for revision. It can be a minor revision or a major revision depende sa dami ng gustong ipabago. Bibigyan ka naman nila ng instruction.  Ito yung tipong may potential yung story pero maraming dapat baguhin na hindi kaya ng editor.  Kapag ganito you’ll need to rewrite some parts tapos you can submit it again. Then the best feedback is Approved.  If its your first time to get an approved MS. They will ask you to send in three pen names na pagpipilian nila. You will also need to send a teaser and a caption sa lahat ng Approved MS mo.
After maapprove ang nobela mo after a week you could go to their office and claim your check. You will have to sign some documents na nagpapatunay that you’ve already sold the story to the publisher. Hindi ko na sasabihin kung magkano ang bayad.
The earliest released of you work would be after 3 months upon approval. Sometimes mas matagal. Yung sa akin before kalahating taon bago mareleased.

Who are your target audience?
Those who love romance and happy ending. Basically women of all ages and if you’re a guy and love romance then you’re also my target. Pero siyempre depende sa story. Ako madalas young adults ang target audience ko. Romantic comedy kasi ang genre na sinusulat ko at medyo bata pa ang mga characters ko.  

What is the difference of your pocketbook in other pocketbook?
Its hard to compare my work to other writers. We all have different style, a different voice. That’s like comparing apples to apples. May matamis may maasim but in the end mansanas pa rin yan. May formula naman kasi kaming sinusunod. As a writer puwede kang magstick sa formula o baliin ng konti. Ako I stick with the formula dahil subok na yon. Maybe pag medyo tumagal I could write something na medyo iba sa gawa ko dati. So yun lang yon.

Is there a time where your pocketbook is not become bestseller?
I’m not a bestselling author. Masaya na ako kapag may napapublished akong gawa. Cherry on top na lang kung maging bestseller ang gawa ko.

What did you do?
Just write a new and better story. That’s what writer do, we write.

What are the significant attributes of pocketbook in the industry?
What do you mean? if you mean contribution malaki siyempre. We need more publisher of pocketbooks thats for sure. It’s the publisher that brings the books to the masses. Specially pocketbooks dahil its cheaper its also easier to distribute and it gives opportunity sa lahat ng gustong magsulat at magbasa na rin.  

What makes an author effective?
That’s a hard question. So I’ll answer it bilang mambabasa. As a reader a writer is effective if she/he can stir up emotion. Sa romance specifically kailangan kiligin ang readers kapag hindi sila kinilig then you need to try harder as a writer. Depende rin kung plot centered or character centered ang sinusulat mo but in the end its all about emotion. But that’s just my personal opinion.

What are the risks did you take in writing?
As a writer marami, una writing is a type of work na madalas mag-isa ka. Sabi nga nila a writer is most alive when he/she is alone. Hindi katulad ng ibang trabaho na you can spend a lot of time with other people. Lalo na kapag nobelista ka. Kaharap mo lang talaga is the computer.  Hindi rin ganoon kalaki ang kita ng writer lalo na pag baguhan. Hindi ko na sasabihin kung magkano pero okay din naman kung masipag ka. Yun nga lang kailangan mo talaagng isakripisyo ang social life mo.
Then another risk eh mga critics  and I just don’t mean yung mga readers or those who review your work. Some critics are family members who think writing is not a lucrative career. Kumbaga sayo palang kulang nayung kita. Which is in a way true. Kaya maraming writers na may iba rin trabaho bukod sa pagsusulat o sobrang daming writing gig ang kinukuha bukod sa pagsusulat ng  romance.
Another risk is you are very exposed emotionally. Kapag nagsusulat ka kasi kahit fiction pa yan you basically put a part of your soul sa sinusulat mo. Parang anak mo na yan. So kapag nareject masakit talaga. Para kang nabasted after mong mangharana, magpadala ng loveletters, bulaklak at magregalo ng sandamakmak sa iyong sinisinta.  Pero it should not hinder or discourage you dahil ganoon naman talaga. Parte yan ng pagsusulat.  Hindi puwede ang balat sibuyas.

How did you adjust yourself in many negative critics?
I only listens to those who matters:  my editors, my publisher, my co-writers and some readers. Negative man o positive ang sabihin nila alam ko na makakatulong sila sa akin. You just need to filter out the constructive one from those who are just plain haters. But pocketbook readers are nice people. They are not too critical. Cool lang sila.

           What can you say about the media convergence in our industry?
I like it. That’s how the industry works. It helps for a writer’s work to reach a wider audience. Im sure you’re talking about novels na ginagawang TV series or movie. Okay yon dahil mas namamarket yung gawa. Most if not all are happy na nakikita nila na yung gawa nila eh naisasabuhay using other medium.     

As we all know some of the pocketbook story is now airing in television is your production affects it?
            I don’t think so. Martha Cecilia did not write her Kristine series thinking it will be aired on  TV. Ofcourse some write with that goal in mind. If your goal is for your work to make it on TV maybe you could make it more TV friendly I guess or become a script writer. Pero iba naman kasi talaga ang nobela sa TVscript so its better that your production will not be affected by it.   
 
What is the impact of media convergence in the industry?
Basically the impact is mas nagiging mainstream pa siya lalo. Which is good for writers in general. Ofcourse may ibang opinyon pero you know sa akin kasi mas malayo ang nararating ng gawa mo, mas maganda.

What is your opinion about the issues in pocketbook? Like easy to get a copy, the sensationalistic words, etc.
Okay nga na madaling makakuha ng copy, that’s basically the point of publishing reading materials para maidistribute sa lahat nang kayang magbayad. But if you are talking about censorship. Sinicensor na nga mga palabas sa TV pati ba naman reading materials. Let the editors do their job. And it’s the parents job naman to control kung ano ang nababasa ng anak nila. But then ang dami nang available sa internet na hindi kid friendly material. Pocketbooks should be the least of their concerns.

Sensationalistic words?? hmm im not sure what you mean by this but I would assume this is the use of mature languages and scenes? siguro sa mga foreign books like 50 shades of gray na may mature theme pero sa local very wholesome kami. Minsan nga sobrang wholesome na. Fairy tale like na nga ang dating.

Tapos doon sa mga nagsasabing hindi makakatotohanan ang genre namin. Thats why its called fiction. Hindi naman masama maging optimistic. Let real life teaches you what you need to learn and let fiction helps you imagine that life isn’t that bad.

Isa rin sa mga issue na naririnig ko nakakabuntis daw ng maaga ang pagbabasa ng romance pocketbook. Highschool palang ako nagbabasa na ako ng pocketbook at ngayong nagsusulat na ako hindi pa naman ako nabuntis. Hindi nag-aasawa ng maaga ang mga kabataan ngayon dahil sa nababasa nila sa pocketbooks. If you are a reader alam mo na halos lahat ng mga heroes namin ay successful, handsome, almost perfect at ang mga heroine ay modest, madalas nga virgin, matapang, minsan clumsy and unassuming. For whatever its worth, romance pocketbooks in my opinion teaches young women to not settle for mediocrity.  


What advise can you give to our future writer?
Just write whats in your heart and mind. Huwag matakot sa sasabihin ng iba. Hindi naman yon nakamamatay. At laging tapusin ang nasimulan. Marami kasi nagsisimula pero hindi tinatapos. Ang istoryang hindi tapos kahit gaano kaganda hindi puwedeng ipublished. And oh yes read a lot. At huwag magdiscriminate ng mga libro. Kahit sa tingin mo basura yung gawa ng isang manunulat may matututunan ka pa rin dyan. Paano mo malalaman ang maganda kung hindi mo alam ang basura?



Friday, September 21, 2012

Kailangan ba talaga natin ng Martial Law????

Hindi ko na siya naabutan pero dahil obsessed ako sa History nung nag-aaral pa ako i read and watched stories about martial law. Sa totoo lang its so hard to form an opinion sa mga bagay na hindi ko naman talaga naranasan but if you're going to define what martial law you will have a better understanding what went on during those times.

So according to wiki answer Martial Law is the
  1. Temporary rule by military authorities, imposed on a civilian population especially in time of war or when civil authority has broken down. It may also be used during outbreaks of deadly illnesses.
  2. The law imposed on an occupied territory by occupying military forces.

Among aspects of martial law are censorship of radio and newspapers, prohibition of the sale and consumption of alcoholic beverages, prohibition of gatherings of more than five persons in the street, and requirement of a permit from the local military authorities before any public meeting can be held. Religious meetings inside buildings may be tolerated by the authorities, held at hours not conflicting with the curfew.

In rare cases, martial law has been in effect with armed soldiers barring citizens from being out-of-doors after sunset.

So sa definition pa lang alam na natin martial law can only be use in time of emergency and even in those emergencies mentioned above, ML is still the last option.
Ngayong 4oth anniv ng martial law may mga nababasa ako na they are for martial law. Dalawang major reasons dahilan nito. So im going to discuss them like a bias teacher hehe... 
Isa sa mga naririnig ko na dahilan kung bakit kailangan daw natin ng ML ay dahil kulang daw tayo sa disiplina. 
Pulis ang tatay ko sundalo ang lolo ko ang mga tiyuhin ko ganoon din. And believe me guys you dont want to be disciplined military and police style.
Ito yung tipo ng disiplina na isinasaksak sayo imbis na ipinauunawa. When you're reviewing for an exam and you just memorized everything wala pang isang Linggo karamihan sa kinabisa mo limot mo na. Pero if you understand the theory behind the rule hindi mo siya makakalimutan. At ganyan dapat ang disiplina. Hindi lang dahil takot kang mapalo, maparusahan o masaktan. That kind of discipline will just teach you how to be defiant and angry.
Sabi nga ni Plato “Do not train a child to learn by force or harshness; but direct them to it by what amuses their minds, so that you may be better able to discover with accuracy the peculiar bent of the genius of each.”

Isa pang dahilan kung bakit gusto ng tao ang martial law. Mas maganda daw ekonomiya noon. I've heard this  so many times at totoo yon. Maganda ang ekonomiya noon. Mataas ang GDP, self sufficient sa bigas, maraming tinayong gusali, nagfocus din ang gobyerno sa beautification courtesy of Imelda. 
But it was also the time when our government borrowed heavily sa mga bangko. At nang hindi na makautang sa mga local banks ay sa international banks at sa USA naman nangutang ang gobyerno. Ever heard of the term World Bank at IMF?? Isa sila sa mga inutangan natin noon siyempre may consequence yan. 
Three important developments occurred in connection with the 1970
Crisis: (1) the floating of the peso and devaluation, the centerpieces of a
stabilization package "dictated by the IMF; "9 (2) the adoption of policies
to promote "non-traditional" exports; and (3) the formation of a consortium
of aid donors chaired by the World Bank (WB).

In other word pag sinabing floating hindi na kontrolado ng government ang value ng peso kontra sa dollar. What happened? INFLATION. Ito yung tipo na umutang ka ng 5 dollars ngayon bukas ang babayaran mo na ay 60 pesos per dollar at hindi yon dahil sa interest kundi dahil sa exchange rate
Just to give you a clear idea guys from 1962 to 1969 ang exchange rate ay around 4 pesos is to 1 dollar.
noong 1970 tumalon siya sa 6 plus dahil sa kondisyon na palutangin yung value ng peso. Then after that steadily tumaas na siya ng tumaas. 1981 nalift ang martial law at ang palitan noon eh 8 is to 1.
by the year 1986 huling taon na ni Marcos sa puwesto 20 is to 1  na ang value ng peso to dollar. 
Ibig sabihin by 1986 lumobo na ng husto ang utang natin.
So basically hindi naman talaga kagandahan ang exchange rate noong panahon ni Marcos at ang ekonomiya natin ay pinapatakbo ng utang ika nga debt driven economy. Steady lang, hindi ganoon kasama hindi rin ganoon kaganda at kung ibabase sa karatig nating mga bansa medyo nahuhuli pa tayo ng konti noon.medyo tumaas kasi ang ekonomiya ng buong Asya noon at hindi tayo masyadong sumabay. (Of course you can do some research just to verify). or you can read this  http://www3.pids.gov.ph/ris/ms/pidsms90-12.pdf and then do another research. (Sarap maggoogle di ba?)


So i dont get it why people prefers martial law. Wala namang gera wala namang outbreak ng sakit na nakamamatay. OA ba tayo?? yung Amerika nga noong 9/11 hindi nagdeclare ng martial law tapos tayo gusto ng Martial Law?
Hello sige kayo hindi puwede dito ang super Junior dahil bawal under martial law magsama-sama ang mga tao ng higit sa lima. Hindi rin kayo makakapaggala masyado dahil 12 midnight kailangan nasa bahay na. Bawal din ang Anime noon. Nang dineklara ang martial Law pinutol na rin ang pagpapalabas ng Voltes V.
There is a reason kung bakit Martial law is always the last option at kung bakit temporary lang siya. Its always dangerous to put all powers to just one individual or institution. Almost ten years ang tinagal ng martial law sa Pilipinas at sa sampung taon na yon maraming human rights violation na nangyari. May mga yumaman ng todo habang lumayo ng husto ang gap ng mayaman sa mahirap. Ang kapangyarihan only belong to one man and his cronies. Do you honestly want that to happen again??
 
Hindi madaling maging malaya. Sabi nga ng iba hindi naman daw tayo totoong malaya dahil naghihirap pa rin ang bansa. Pero if we're going to give up our freedom in exchange for security (whether economic or military) then we don't deserve either. Hindi ko na matandaan kung sino nagsabi niyan pero kung sino man siya i agree with him.
So guys value your freedom.  
I leave you with this quote. 

“Whenever I hear anyone arguing for slavery, I feel a strong impulse to see it tried on him personally.”
Abraham Lincoln
 Mahaba na ito.

Wednesday, September 5, 2012

Tungkol sa plagiarism

Ang daming issue tungkol sa plagiarism na yan. So makikisawsaw ako sa pamamagitan ng isang status update. Nakakalungkot kasi Im sure na yung mga nangongopya na yan eh may pangarap ding makapagsulat. I think what they dont understand is writing is an expression. Fiction man ang sinusulat o kahit fairytale pa yan, yung author eh binabahagi nya yung sarili niya sa mga mambabasa. Kaya nga kapag nakabasa ka ng isang napakagandang story parang feeling mo bestfriend na kayo ng writer at gusto mo na siyang padalhan ng regalo tuwing birthday niya.

Kaya nga yung level ng insecurity ay mataas din . And that i think this is the reason why people plagiarized others work dahil insecure sila sa kakayahan nila. At dahil nga a written work is an extension or even part of yourself kapag nareject o walang nagkagusto feeling rejected na rin kayo... parang manliligaw na nabasted. Masakit sa dibdib. 

But the thing here is  I have yet to meet a writer who is 100 percent happy or confident na maganda ang gawa nila. Lahat o atleast karamihan insecure. Ang kaibahan lang willing silang harapin ang insecurities nila. Lahat naman kasi nag-iimprove kaya nga sikat na sikat yang practice makes perfect na yan dahil totoo siya.

So parang jejemon ang grammar mo? Sinabi ng ibang tao ang panget with matching hagikgik? Kahit simpleng school paper ayaw tanggapin ang tula mo, nilait ng crush mo yung love letter na sinulat mo dahil puro wrong spelling? Guess what hindi naman mag-iimprove ang kakayahan mo kung mangongopya ka ng gawa ng iba. How can you really be happy eh alam mo naman sa sarili mo na kahit dumi sa kuko mo walang kinalaman sa story na kinopya mo. Kahit makasampung milyong likes pa yan hindi naman yon makakatulong sa pangarap mong makapagsulat ng sariling storya.

Infact it will hinder you more dahil hindi mo na ma-oover come yung insecurities mo. Habambuhay ka ng magtatago matatakot dahil ikaw mismo ikinulong mo ang sarili mo sa isang kasinungalingan that you are not good enough so you might as well just copy the work of those people who you believe are good enough. Kapag hindi ka nakaalis sa ganyang mindset tuluyan ng mawawala ang creativity mo at makakahon ka na ng tuluyan. Sayang kasi if you can appreciate a writer's work ibig sabihin you also have it in you na makapagsulat pero sinasayang mo ang oras mo sa pag-iisip na hindi mo kaya.

Gawin mo muna kasi bago mo sabihin na hindi mo kaya. magsulat ka tapusin mo kapag nareject isulat mo uli pagandahin mo tapos ipasa mo uli kapag nareject eh di isulat mo uli pagandahin mo uli. Lahat naman tayo pinanganak na hindi marunong magsulat o magbasa ah.

Sobrang haba na nito. Kakain muna ako ng maalat na twister fries.             

Sunday, September 2, 2012

Writing exercise

Ang post na ito ay sinulat ko kaninang umaga as a writing exercise. The idea here is pagkagising na pagkagising ko pa lang ay magsusulat na ako for 15 minutes. Tuloy-tuloy siya at walang edit-edit to kaya sorry kung medyo may mga words na naover-used.

Here it is eksaktong iniisip ko pagbangon sa umaga. Wala pang mumog-mumog at hilamos to... Type agad. 



Medyo nagugutom ako pero sa ngayon gagawin ko muna yung exercise na pinagagawa ni Mr. Ricky Lee sa knayng libro at iyon ay ang mgasulat ng tulo-tuloy for fifteen minutes just to free my mind. I thought it’s a good exercise every morning.

So to start off parang gusto kung kumain ng hotdog umalis na naman kasi si sis at ito alone naturally na naman ang drama ko. Pumunta ang nanay ko sa national library for the nth time ng wala namang naaaccomplish. So ngayon babaguhin ko na ang aking schdule instead of going to the net first thing in the morning im going to write ng tuloy-tuloy for 15 minutes.

Gusto ko yung idea ng conflict ni Mr. Ricky Lee. Ito yung konsepto ng connection and disonnection.
Kapag magkaconnect ipagdisconnect mo kapag naman di magkakonekto ipagkonekta mo. Simple pero yon lang pala ang hinahanap na tamang paraan para magkaroon ng conflict sa storya. NAkakatuwa naman.

Oo nga pala kailangan ko nang tapusin yung ginagawa kung story sa Wattpad. Pinangako kung tatapusin ko siya or atleast I will update it once a week. So gagawin ko yun.

Hind ko naman kailangan ng isang damakmak na readers. Masaya na akong may nagbabasa ng gawa ko or more like masaya na akong may natapos akong gawa. Gaya ng sinabi ko sa Loving Anne. Ito ang unang nobela ko sana hindi ito ang huli. 

masaya ako kapag nakakatapos, paranoid ako kapag lumabas na siya. Ewan basta masaya ako sa mga gawa ko. lagi kung iniisip na hindi siya ganoon kaganda pero yon ang mga istorya na gusto kung mabasa at marinig.

Alam ko rin na hindi ako ang pinakamagaling pero sana gumaling pa ako habang tumatagal. Gusto kung matuto yun ang gusto ko kaya nga pumupunta ako sa mga workshops bumibili ng libro, nagreresearch dahil yon ang gusto ko. 

Gusto kung patunayan sa sarili ko na kaya ko to. Buong buhay ko naman nagprocrastinate ako halata naman sa katawan ko. pero kahit ganoon writing is my one great love. May panahon na nagsasawa ako dahil puro rejection, walang natatapos, puro batikos, may mga nagsasabi na walang security, iniisip na wala naman talagang patutunguhan because I don’t have the patience, the talent, the courage. Kaya darating ang oras na lalayo muna ako sa pluma gagawa ng iniisip ko na mas makabuluhang bagay katulad ng pag-aaral, pagtatrabaho, paghandaan ang future. Pero darating uli ang oras na biglang mamimiss ko ang pagsusulat. 

Yung nasa harapan ka lang ng monitor and pouring out your emotion na parang batang nagtatantrums, lover na nagme-makelove, magjowang nagsasabihan ng sweet nothings mga lasenggong nag-aaway sa kanto, nag-aalburutong motorsiklo. Kadalasan magulo, hindi maunawaan, kahit ako hindi ko maarok. 

Sabi nila passion daw ang pagsusulat pero para sa akin higit pa sa passion yon. kasi di ba ang passion minsan short lived lang parang lust tapos puwedeng lumipat sa bagong subject. So sa akin true love ko talaga siya na minsan inaaway, minsan napapabayaan, minsan sinusukuan pero sa dulo binabalikan nakaluhod pa humihingi ng tawad nagmamakaawa na tanggapin uli dahil sa pagsusulat naroon ang peace of mind ko  habang ang mundong nakapaligid sa kin eh nagkakagulo. 

Narito ang katahimikang hinahanap ko kung saan sariling boses ko lang ang naririnig ko o atleast kaya kung pillin ang boses na naririnig ko. Ito yung oras kung saan maybe God is talking to me.

O di ba parang nagsusulat lang ng bible.