January 27, 2007

asked and answered

Here's another questionnaire sent to me.
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I. Personal Information

II. On authorship, audience and the writing craft


1. When did you begin to have the passion for writing?
2003. I have always been a fan of the romance genre. When I found I wasn’t happy doing what I was doing anymore, I thought about trying my hand at writing.

2. Who/what are your writing influences?
No one and nothing specific. I get my ideas from the books I read or the shows I see or the people I interact with and encounter

3. What practices and activities (e.g. day-to-day writing regimen, writing workshops, etc) do you undertake to polish your craft?
I read a lot. From time to time I browse how-to articles here in the net. I am also a part of a mailing list where we (fellow writers) exchange views about the craft.

4. Do you undergo writing workshops? How many times? What are the activities involved in the workshop process? (You can briefly tell a bit about your experience)
I attended an in-house workshop early in my writing career. It was a four day affair which tackled mostly the technical side of things. I picked up a lot but I know I can learn more that’s why I have plans to attend more workshops in the future. Unfortunately, workshops specific to the genre are a rarity here.

5. How many books do you publish in a year?
A meager twelve or so. That’s about a book a month. I’m way behind my contemporaries who publish twenty plus or so a year.

6. How much does a writer earn per publication? How much do you earn in a year? (Estimates are accepted)
Depends on the publication, some pay as little as one thousand per manuscript to about seven thousand. I’m talking about entry rate here. In Precious, the publication which I write for, their rates vary depending on the seniority /salability of the writer

7. Who are the people you expect to read your novels? (Or, who are the people you intend to write for?) Middle class, female, with some college, late teens to late thirties.

8. Do you personally know the readers of your novels? Who are they? (Please be specific as possible: age, gender, social status, education, job, etc) same answer as above


III. On creating stories in the style of Tagalog romance

1. Why do you choose to write Tagalog romance novels?
I grew up reading romance books. Its something I enjoy doing and haven’t outgrown. Writing romance in my native vernacular seemed like the natural progression.

2. How would you describe your writing style?
Definitely not category romance. My conflicts are usually light and I rarely do heavy drama.

3. Where do you draw inspiration in creating stories? Creating characters? (You can cite other media forms like movies or magazines). I favor light romantic comedies and coming of age stories in films. In TV, I watch a lot of talk shows (Oprah, Ellen, Dr. Phil, Jay, Conan, etc.), sitcoms, and dramas (Grey’s, House, Desperate etc). One way or another, they’ve rubbed off on my writing. Magazines help me some too particularly in terms of keeping myself abreast with fashion/food/lifestyle trends but I rarely read them.

4. Who are the authors that you read that serve as inspiration for writing your novels?
Foreign – mostly Aussie Harlequin/M&B romance authors ie. Emma Darcy, Helen Bianchin and the like. I prefer them over Brit (too formal) and American (too casual).

Local - Rose Tan (for her comedic, laugh-out-loud approach) and Vanessa (for her tug at the heart until you weep approach)

5. Who are other Tagalog romance writers that you read?
The two authors I mentioned above and some others, usually those that give me complimentary copies of their work.

6. How would you compare your style and your stories to the Tagalog romance novels of earlier decades? Lighter now, less drama of the tele-soap kind. The women are more empowered. They have careers and they wont just cry and whittle away when faced with a problem.

7. Do you employ comedy/humor in your stories? Why do you think humor is necessary in a romantic story? Yes. Sometimes. It’s easier to write, at least in my case because heavy conflict isn’t my strongest suit. I believe it’s easier to read also.

8. Do you follow a standard formula or storyline? How would you describe it?
Yes. The romance genre by nature is formulaic. Boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl in the end.

9. Have there been instances where you deviated from this formula? How did your editor and readers react?
No. The “Boy meets girl, boy loses girl, boy gets girl in the end” formula is a standard to the romance genre. Without this, the novel cannot be considered as such. Chick lit on the other hand, doesn’t follow this formula. The heroine in a chick lit novel at the start of the story posses flaws typical to what women today have (ie. Shopping to fill a void as in the case of Kinsella’s series, low self-worth as in Bridgette Jones Diary). Flaws that they overcome or realize and work on in the end. As the story progresses, the characters here “grow” so to speak. The romantic plot in chick lit play second fiddle or not at all.


IV. Conceiving/conceptualizing the “modern girl”

1. What kinds of women (heroines, supporting characters) are portrayed in your stories?
Usually mid twenties to early thirties, they have careers, they have good values, not slutty, not wimps.

2. How is your Tagalog romance heroine different from the Tagalog romance heroine of the earlier decades (such as the heroines of Gilda Olvidado)? I’m guessing, less of a martyr and more of a go getter.

3. Do you create women heroines that have to be admired by your readers (because they set good examples)? My characters aren’t perfect because in reality no one is. They have quirks, they have weaknesses, but all in all, they’re good people. Instead of ‘to-be-admired’, I’d go for ‘that reader’s can relate to.’

4. In your view, what makes a "modern girl"? What is her profile?
Please refer to my answers to questions 1-thru-3 in this section.

5. What kinds of values and beliefs does a modern girl have?
I find this question too general, sorry.


V. On chick literature

1. Are you familiar with chick lit? Do you read chick lit?
Yes and yes but not always. Truth is, I’m not a fan of chick lit. I find the heroine’s here a little bit whiny for my taste. I still prefer the romance genre where the conflict lies mainly on the relationship and not the heroine’s internal dilemma.

2. Are you familiar with Pinoy chick lit, initiated mainly by Summit media?
Yes I’ve a copy of Almost Married by Tara FT Sering. I got curious because of the uproar it caused in the literati community a couple of years back when it won a critic’s choice award (I cant remember which one). Although up till now, I haven’t read it yet.

3. Did the development of Pinoy chick lit affect Tagalog romance in any way?
No, I think not. Chick lit has its own market

4. Do you use chick lit as inspiration for your stories and/or writing?
Not really.

5. Would you consider your writing as Pinoy chick lit (only written in the vernacular)?
No. I believe I’ve suitably pointed out the difference between the two in my answers above. They are two entirely different genres. What makes them similar is that they cater mostly to female readers but that’s about it.

6. How do your novels differ from Pinoy chick lit in English?
This is in answer to your pahabol question. No I haven’t written anything for Modern Girl--yet. Therefore, I don’t have any Pinoy chick lit work of my own to compare.

7. How are your heroines different from the chick lit heroines?
Both characters may present the same personality or share the same values, background, description etc but the primary difference between the two genres go way past that. It is in the conflict. Again, the conflict in romance fiction center around the relationship between the hero and the heroine. As opposed to the chick lit genre, where the conflict lie in the heroine’s internal dilemma. The romantic plot in chick lit only serves a secondary element in the story.


VI. Views on the future of Tagalog romance

1. In your opinion, does the development of chick lit in the literary scene affect the writing of Tagalog romance? How?
No. Romance is romance and chick lit is chick lit. Even before the rise of chick lit here, some TR writers have already begun depicting their heroines as strong, empowered, modern, witty, etc. This character type is not a monopoly of the chick lit genre. Even the comedic tone, Rose Tan in particular have been writing this way since the early nineties which is about a decade before pinoy chick lit came into the picture.

2. What can you say about the perception of Tagalog romance as “bakya” or “jologs”?
It still irks me sometimes when I hear such comments but I have long since accepted the fact that we cant please everybody. My attitude is, to each his own. The important thing is we’re being read.

3. What accounts for the success of Tagalog romance here and abroad?
I really cant say. I guess deep inside people are all, well, romantics at heart.

4. Is the industry losing out to other media forms, or is it here to stay?
If the success and position of the romance genre abroad is anything to go by then I think the TR genre is here to stay. True, some years maybe better than others but the genre will always be here.

5. Would you encourage aspiring writers to write Tagalog romance?
Yes. There is so much room for growth in the industry.

January 11, 2007

couldn't resist posting this pic here

here's a pic taken during phr's annual xmas party. credit goes to sofia. i got this from her blogsite.


jasmine esperanza, claudia santiago, sofia, and me

January 09, 2007

balitang showbiz

si john mayer at si jessica simpson na raw? ... seriously??

anyhoo, ever since i got wind of the news that lea salonga's gonna do les mis' on broadway, i can't get the song "on my own" off my mind. for me, one sure cure for lss is to listen to the song over and over and over again until i grow tired of it. and so, i've been searching the net trying to find a decent version. i think i found one. what's nice about this is that the singer, whoever she is, sounds a bit like lea. or maybe i'm just imagining things?

on my own

And now I'm all alone again
Nowhere to turn, no one to go to
Without a home without a friend
Without a face to say hello to
And now the night is near
I can make believe he's here

Sometimes I walk alone at night
When everybody else is sleeping
I think of him and I'm happy
With the company I'm keeping
The city goes to bed
And I can live inside my head

On my own
Pretending he's beside me
All alone
I walk with him till morning
Without him
I feel his arms around me
And when I lose my way I close my eyes
And he has found me

In the rain
The pavement shines like silver
All the lights
Are misty in the river
In the darkness
The trees are full of starlight
And all I see is him and me forever
And forever

And I know it's only in my mind
That I'm talking to myself and not to him
And although I know that he is blind
Still I say, there's a way for us

I love him
But when the night is over
He is gone
The river's just a river
Without him
The world around me changes
The trees are bare and everywhere
The streets are full of strangers

I love him
But every day I'm learning
All my life
I've only been pretending
Without me
His world would go on turning
A world that's full of happiness
That I have never known

I love him
I love him
I love him
But only on my own.

January 08, 2007

wait and see mode

A friend of mine gave me a box of prosperity candles for Christmas.
In toto, the instruction goes:

"At exactly 11:30 PM on December 31, light all the candles. Each candle symbolizes various aspects of life like peace, wealth, health, etc. Put out the candles at 12 midnight. Arrange the candles from smallest to biggest. The candle that melts quickest symbolizes the good fortune that the New Yaer will bring you first, followed by the rest."
I did as told and here's how mine turned out.
  1. violet - spiritual growth
  2. green - money
  3. red - health
  4. blue - peace
  5. yellow - intelligence
  6. pink - love orange - career