..every side and face..

Tips and tricks for beginners

• Do some short exercises to stretch your writing muscles – if you’re short of ideas, read the Daily Writing Tips article on writing bursts. Many new creative writers find that doing the washing up or weeding the garden suddenly looks appealing, compared to the effort of sitting down and putting words onto the page. Force yourself to get through these early doubts, and it really will get easier. Try to get into the habit of writing every day, even if it’s just for ten minutes.
• If you’re stuck for ideas, carry a notebook everywhere and write down your observations. You’ll get some great lines of dialogue by keeping your ears open on the bus or in cafes, and an unusual phrase may be prompted by something you see or smell.
• Work out the time of day when you’re at your most creative. For many writers, this is first thing in the morning – before all the demands of the day jostle for attention. Others write well late at night, after the rest of the family have gone to bed. Don’t be afraid to experiment!
• Don’t agonize over getting it right. All writers have to revise and edit their work – it’s rare that a story, scene or even a sentence comes out perfectly the first time. Once you’ve completed the initial draft, leave the piece for a few days – then come back to it fresh, with a red pen in hand. If you know there are problems with your story but can’t pinpoint them, ask a fellow writer to read through it and give feedback.
• HAVE FUN! Sometimes, we writers can end up feeling that our writing is a chore, something that “must” be done, or something to procrastinate over for as long as possible. If your plot seems wildly far-fetched, your characters bore you to tears and you’re convinced that a five-year old with a crayon could write better prose … take a break. Start a completely new project, something which is purely for fun. Write a poem or a 60-word “mini saga”. Just completing a small finished piece can help if you’re bogged down in a longer story.

heto na naman tayo, nagkukwentuhan tungko lsa lagat ng bagay. inaantok ka na pero nagtityaga ka paring kausapin ako. hindi ko alam kung bakit laging sakto ang mga tawag mo. siguro, nasesense mong kailangan kita. lagi mo nalang akong napapatawa. ang bangag kasi nating mag-usap eh. parang tanga lang.

hayan ka na naman, nakikinig sa mga kwento kong paulit-ulit naman. alam kong nauumay ka na dahil puro lovelife ang kinukwento ko. palagi kasing iyon ang problema ko. pero di ka parin nagsasawang makinig sa mga himutok ng puso ko.

pag kasama kita, parang ang dali lang ng buhay. beer at kwentuhan lang ang katapat ng lahat ng problema. kung ikaw sana ang minahal ko, edi solve na ang lovelife ko. hindi ko na sana iniiyakan ngayon ang mabisyo kong boyfriend. ay teka, mabisyo ka nga din pala! haha!

anyway, kahit mabisyo ka, mas naiintindihan mo naman ako. lagi mong tinatanong kung okaii lang ako kasi alam mong hindi. tapos, lagi ka lang to the rescue sa emotera mong friend - ako syempre. hindi ko nga alam kung nahihirapan ka na sakin eh. ako na hindi na nawalan ng problema. ako na reklamador. ako na iyakin.

salamat kasi hanggang ngayon, nandyan ka parin. sana lang wag kang magsawang patawanin ako. sa panahong ito, ikaw ang closest friend ko. pag nawala ka pa, aba, mawawala ang kabangagan ko. haha!

tulad kanina, napahalkhak na naman ako dahil sa yo. lol. masaya na ako kahit papano. kahit badtrip na naman ako dahil sa boyfriend kong mabisyo. hay! pasensya ka na, bangag na naman ako.

i saw a couple a while ago. they're sharing breakfast with each other. then i thought, what's in it for them as well as for me? what's the worth of being slaves of a coward master called love? we are just pawns waiting to be sacrificed, waiting to be eaten by the cold daunting darkness. we are just puppets of a game. and it's always just a game.

here, i'm always at the losing end. i have to spend moments of torment thinking why the hell am i always the loser. just again, i wonder what's in it for me. i complain. i remain in pain. but i never cease to be the sacrifice. at my own will, i continue loving. and getting hurt in consequence.

so i'm just being bitter, am i not? the pain is actually the worth of it, the thought that i'm different from the rest because all i could do is look at the silhouette of that someone i love. he's far away from me. and i have to take all the heartaches to be worth someone for him. cause i'm already enslaved. i'm already in the game. i already have a pair. i just have to prove myself that i deserve him.

then i saw another couple a while ago, holding hands...

i've already traveled a long way in my life where i found a meaningful path full of lessons and colorful with experiences. now, when i look up, i see the blue sky which reminds me of the peacefulness and serenity of my journey. when i look back, i see the neon lights that make me remember the happiness and fun i experienced in the past. when i look around, i see the green pastures that tell me God is my shepherd who leads my way. when i look ahead, i see the white clouds signifying my unpredictable future. finally, when i look inside, i see the red blaze in my heart, the burning desire to learn, the flaming love i have for everyone special, and the everlasting love God has for me.

i know it's not getting better. i am not okay. i don't know if you are.

perhaps, i'm getting a little more indifferent about you. about us. i refuse to load credits on my cellphone because i'm not in the mood to talk to you. and well, i just realized that my phone doesn't serve any other purpose but to text you. anyway, i don't really know why i lost all the interest to stay in touch. i don't mean to seem unfeeling. i still care, but not like how i used to before. i still miss you, but not too much. worst, i'm not longing to be with you anymore. i was thinking that we're better off like this. we don't have the chemistry together. we just don't go well with each other. at least, that's what i think.

i'm beginning to doubt if i still love you. i'm sorry. i'm trying to escape the problem. i know it's my fault. i just can't deal with it yet. i'm not ignoring you. i can't. but i really need some space. to breathe. and i need some time. to think.

..an old woman sitting on her rocking chair looking blankly outside.
..a face with bloodshot eyes under the blackest of veils.
..a star seeing its fellows but never getting close to them.
..the sound of rain hitting the pavement.
..an old bony dog with his chains clattering as he walk.
..remnants of a once-beautiful and now-abandoned house.
..silence and darkness.
..a wrecked car.
..a man calling his family overseas.
..a woman in her thirties telling her mother, "can't you remember who i am?" her mother peacefully sat on the rocking chair, still looking blankly outside. when she looked at her child, she said, "sorry, who are you again?"

..uhh, i may be looking hysterical when i say this..

..but hey!!! i want a laptop!!! (with lots of exclamation points)
..whatever. i just badly want one.

..maybe it's part envy and part desperation. do i have to exaggerate on this? you basically know what i mean. well, i just want something to talk about. and laptop is the first thing that came in my badly-maintained mind.

..again, i want a laptop. or maybe a laugh top. something that makes me tumble over because of laughter. because now, all i know is i have a laugh tough. i can't laugh. no no no. i'm worrying about my acads. oh, do i make myself grade-conscious? are all grade-conscious people having a laugh tough? well, i want to make myself clear. i'm not grade-conscious. i'm just having a laugh tough because of tough nap. you know, when i worry about my acads, i can hardly sleep. and then, OH! a tough nap would eventually turn to a laugh cough. maybe it's because of the bad weather. it's not just a bad weather, really, but a crazy weather. it keeps changing and changing! imagine myself worrying about about my grades, (how am i gonna get a grade higher than 3 in Math 17?), and having a tough nap that results to a laugh cough. i'm pathetic. maybe i'm better if i can half laugh. or much better if i can laugh pop. if you guys don't know, laugh pop is something you do when you pop (or fart) of too much laughing. yeah, maybe a laugh fart! or whatever!

..all i want is a laptop. i want to have a laugh talk, too. or a lollipop. or something like a lamb chop. i dunno. now i know, i want so many things... (sighs!)

..maybe a laptop can bring me a laugh pop. or a laugh fart. maybe a laptop can ease my laugh tough. maybe...

..but now, i'm having all these. is it because i don't have a laptop to laugh at? or am i just being a big top laugh? (like the clowns and other fools). or maybe i'm cracking my head. i'm having a laptop crap. a laklak (that's when you drink beer in Filipino). a crack top.

..insanity.