Those were the words I heard from Isagani Cruz, as I and a friend entered the hall for the book writing workshop last November 24 at the Filipinas Heritage Library.
We missed his words for the past 15 minutes before we actually reached the room. Makati is such a big maze for me. We ran in circles while finding where the venue is, and so we were late.
Nonetheless, the two-hour workshop was worth the long walk. And to add that I was with a friend who shares the same (or maybe less than the) excitement I feel made me consider myself as lucky throughout the day.
I saw around 40-50 people present in the room, most are not my age. I thought about this blog, and I felt the need to be attentive and not be too overwhelmed by my excitement. Laughs.
Cruz told us the fundamentals of book writing. Just like how a news article is written, he said we also have to answer the what, when, where, why and how of writing a book. Of course there’s also the question, who to write the book for?
Wait, who first is this man telling us these things by the way?
Isagani Cruz, as I know him (but not too well), is a Filipino writer. (I warned, huh) I am personally not really familiar with Pinoy writers despite me being a full-blooded Filipino. Shame on me. But I do read newspaper columns where I hear the sound views of Filipino writers about the Philippines and the world. And one of them is Isagani Cruz.
And to meet him in person is an inspiration for me to know Filipino writers better than I know authors of foreign race.
During the session, I noted the ones he mentioned and listed them as my “must-know Filipino writers”. Some of them are Abdon Balde, Butch Dalisay and Francisco Arcillana. He mentioned Bob Ong too.
I so wondered long ago how ‘published writers’ fill the pages of their books when a five-page story is long enough for me. And I claim to be a writer, huh. I feel sad whenever I would think about how long I can write, :). But these doubts were somehow eased when I learned, through the workshop, the following:
And to meet him in person is an inspiration for me to know Filipino writers better than I know authors of foreign race.
During the session, I noted the ones he mentioned and listed them as my “must-know Filipino writers”. Some of them are Abdon Balde, Butch Dalisay and Francisco Arcillana. He mentioned Bob Ong too.
I so wondered long ago how ‘published writers’ fill the pages of their books when a five-page story is long enough for me. And I claim to be a writer, huh. I feel sad whenever I would think about how long I can write, :). But these doubts were somehow eased when I learned, through the workshop, the following:
That every writer always writes on the same time. Like every moody being, writers also have to establish a writing routine for his or herself. Say, I eat breakfast in the morning at 6am, so beyond that time is no more breakfast, snacks maybe. Cruz said he writes 3am every morning until 6am. Wow, I wonder, how many words can he put together in three hours? Perhaps half a chapter of a book already. He said, once a time is established, let it be sacred.
That anywhere can be a writing place as long as it is the same place. A writer’s mood depends on how comfortable he is about his ‘writing place’. Some do it under a tree, others in the park. Cruz (and I) does it on a messy desk inside the house or office. The important thing is you write somewhere you can call your own place. Somewhere that fits the word private.
That one should write the first thing that comes into the head. It is called brainstorming. Write whatever it is that pops. It might just be the key to building your story.
That there is no such thing as the general public. A writer has to know who he is writing for. Cruz related a story about a grandfather writing a book for his grandchild. The author wanted his grandchild to relate about what a grandpa thinks and feels towards the world at his age. As that book reached bookshelves, a lot of grandfathers, and grandmothers alike, feel the connection with that book and it became a book seller. It is how specific a writer should be about his reader. You never know how much impact you can make on many lives even when you only tend to touch one life.
That a writer doesn’t stop until it’s done. Hearing this, I thought, I should not allow my laziness get into my system. He said, write at least 300 words each day or each of your writing day. Do you think it is kind enough? I’ll think about it. :) But whatever it is, JUST KEEP GOING.
And the last lesson for me? Throw your first draft. I really seldom edit my first draft. It is holy for me. Haha. Or yes, maybe, I am just too lazy to read, proofread and re-think. The workshop told me to work better because the first draft, Cruz said, is the paper writers don’t want others to read. OMG. But I still feel proud about my first drafts no matter how bad they were. But true, let it be enough that you know your first draft is bad, keep it to yourself.
So there, I really enjoyed my time during the book writing workshop. But hey, one more thing I learned: in order to enjoy something to the fullest, you have to have a friend by your side. :)
That anywhere can be a writing place as long as it is the same place. A writer’s mood depends on how comfortable he is about his ‘writing place’. Some do it under a tree, others in the park. Cruz (and I) does it on a messy desk inside the house or office. The important thing is you write somewhere you can call your own place. Somewhere that fits the word private.
That one should write the first thing that comes into the head. It is called brainstorming. Write whatever it is that pops. It might just be the key to building your story.
That there is no such thing as the general public. A writer has to know who he is writing for. Cruz related a story about a grandfather writing a book for his grandchild. The author wanted his grandchild to relate about what a grandpa thinks and feels towards the world at his age. As that book reached bookshelves, a lot of grandfathers, and grandmothers alike, feel the connection with that book and it became a book seller. It is how specific a writer should be about his reader. You never know how much impact you can make on many lives even when you only tend to touch one life.
That a writer doesn’t stop until it’s done. Hearing this, I thought, I should not allow my laziness get into my system. He said, write at least 300 words each day or each of your writing day. Do you think it is kind enough? I’ll think about it. :) But whatever it is, JUST KEEP GOING.
And the last lesson for me? Throw your first draft. I really seldom edit my first draft. It is holy for me. Haha. Or yes, maybe, I am just too lazy to read, proofread and re-think. The workshop told me to work better because the first draft, Cruz said, is the paper writers don’t want others to read. OMG. But I still feel proud about my first drafts no matter how bad they were. But true, let it be enough that you know your first draft is bad, keep it to yourself.
So there, I really enjoyed my time during the book writing workshop. But hey, one more thing I learned: in order to enjoy something to the fullest, you have to have a friend by your side. :)
Hi bookpinas! We're happy to let you know that we've added bookpinas to the list of Pinoy book blogs at Read Philippines.com, an online pinoy book club. We'd love to you have you join our growing community of booklovers! :-D
ReplyDeleteThat's a pleasure. Bookpinas would love to be part of your community. Thank you. :))
ReplyDelete