The Gap between Forever

In 2012, after a breakup, I decided to pursue a different track--one that I knew was something I wanted, but did not have the time to attend to before.  Yes, that's writing.

It began with just the gist of how the story would unravel.  Supposedly, the story is to take place in just one day.  One day! Imagine that, and how it has transformed since then.

The Gap between Forever (I know, there should be an "and something" here, but the I didn't know what to add. LOL) is the story of a woman who was diagnosed with cancer, and her battle against it, and how she would reveal the sickness to her husband.  It gives the reader a look into the protagonists lives back when they (Emilia and David) met, how they ended up with each other, until that day when she had to tell him about the Big C.  

Okay.  So maybe it sounded like a typical love story--maybe.  But there's more to it.  I love twists and writing about significant revelations are what I aim for whenever I pen a short story or novel.

I rarely talk about this book because I am not a romantic. Duh!  But I simply enjoyed writing the twist.  So there.

I usually offer the book for free at Amazon for five days, so if you happen to be interested, just send me a message and I will forward you a copy.

Get a copy here.

And if you happen to like it, to support us Indie Writers, please don't forget to leave a comment and rate the book.

Since then, I pushed on to write more.  I ghost write at times, and focus on the fantasy series Breaking the Scroll. 


If you love writing, write.  That's how the journey should start.  Dream, and then act on it.

Cheers to everyone who are fascinated with words, whether in spawning them or reading them.

Chapter 2 - Looking into the yearnings of your heart ... or bank account

There are many genres one can explore in writing. The main categories to choose from are fiction and non-fiction. And from there, should one choose fiction, the list is almost limitless. There’s romance, fantasy, young adult, chic-lit, literary, science-fiction, gay and lesbian, Christian, Children’s, picture books, and many more. For non-fiction, there’s biography, self-help, inspirational, picture books, Arts, and others. From these two main categories, there are sub-categories such as dystopia, juvenile, family drama, erotica, etc., and it is important that you know into which of these categories and sub-categories your manuscript will fit.

Nowadays, we are seeing a lot of films from young-adult, dystopia, and family drama. Take a look at the Harry Potter franchise. This one is under the Young Adult category and so is The Fault in Our Stars. Twilight is also young adult and urban fantasy since the setting is contemporary, and yet there is the element of the supernatural, which are vampires.

Under dystopia, we have Divergent and The Hunger Games.

My Sister’s Keeper falls under Family Drama.

And all of Nicholas Sparks books are under Romance. Well, at least those that I know of.

What is your motivation to write?

Would you like to write them down? Feel free. Here:

Enough now. Or we might find you publishing an epic book that only contains your aspirations. 

Look at what you’ve written so far?

Is it money? At the end of the day, after you publish several books, do you think that you now have a ticket to retirement?

Or are you the type of writer who above anything else wants to leave a piece of yourself, ergo, wisdom, to the world?

If most of what you’ve written veered on fame and money (which I tell you is as honest as any answer can get, unless you happen to be the heir or heiress to a business tycoon), then good for you! Because looking at what I enumerated above, any category has its own following. Dystopia hits success mostly between 2012 and 2014, and still continues until now, but the market is seeing a die-down. I hope not though because I love these heroes and heroines who live to be killed and change the world. Right? Who wouldn’t love them?

Seriously, while Romance has the highest readership among the fiction categories, the other categories also fly in the market as long as the book is well-written, and the plot is good. By good, I meant relatable. If not totally relatable, then it should be, mind-blowingly good.

So don’t despair because regardless of what category you write in, as long as you stick to the writer’s credo of creating beautiful stories, there’s a chance that you’ll hit both passion and bank account at the same time.

Reminder though, this will not happen overnight.

And don’t ever—ever—forget that.

Now, this is what I want you to do as an exercise. List down your inspirations. The authors first, and the specific book that made you want to write. And made you wish you were the one who wrote the book. Copying a style is not bad. Actually, emerging writers are told not to reinvent the wheel. These authors, the one we all idolize, have gone through a tested process and have emerged successful. To put it bluntly, they already conquered what we are just beginning to graze upon. Study their works. Copy the style. But never plagiarize.

Author	Books

And now, on the line below, put your name and the title of the book you want to publish.

Make it happen. Believe it will happen. Because it is true, the only thing standing between you and your dream is yourself. Of course, that’s not entirely true. There’s the internet, social media, your grit, and other factors. But let’s assume there is just you and your dream.

Write it down.

Come on. It’s just a title! And your name, which was taught to you as early as kindergarten.

Go.

Write. It. Down.

Your Name	Your Working Title

There. Congratulations.

Now, that's if for the day.

See you tomorrow.

Chapter 1 - So you want to become a writer

I will begin with a story, since after all, this book is about a writer who wrote a book, or several books for that matter, and decided to go Indie publishing.

Not everyone wants to be a writer.  Or maybe a handful does.  But only a selected few goes on to take time, write down ideas, and pursue writing stories.

The question is, do you really want to become a writer?  Do you know what it takes to become a writer?

A year ago, in July of 2013, I decided to resign from my job and take to writing full-time.  My boss told me to just file a leave of absence for 3 months.  My colleagues told me the same.  My friends told me to follow my heart.  And my parents, well, they told me something that was a cross between what my colleagues and friends told me, follow your heart, we’ll support you, but think about it doubly-hard.

These are all sound advice and I would be lying if I say that I didn’t do what they told me.  I was sleepless for several nights, ecstatic and afraid at the same time.  For the first time after working for fifteen years, I would be jobless, no source of income whatsoever, and with monthly amortizations that I had to pay. Looking back now, I would like to yell at my younger self and tell her, What the hell were you thinking?

But my younger self would simply respond with, No, I need to do this.  I will do this.  I will make it through all this.  I don’t care what you say. Hah! I will laugh my ass out when I get to sell my book (which I haven’t sold to any publisher yet) and strut in front of all of them who told me writing or living as a writer is tough!

If only I will be given a chance now, I would smack the younger me in the head, douse her in water, or probably make her drink sleeping pills, in the hope that when she wakes up, she’ll see the light.

What I’m saying here is, look deeply.  Know your passion.  Don’t let an impulse or a fad take you.  If you’re writing because you think it’s the job that will uplift your soul, go on.  If you think writing will make you rich, think again!  It could.  Yeah, maybe, it could.  Let’s just pray it’s not posthumous. 

But kidding aside, before reading the next chapters, I want you to dwell on this question.  Do you really want to be a writer?

…

…

Zzzzzz…

I know. You’re going to tell me, “Shut up!  Quit asking me about my passion and move on to the more relevant parts of the blog.  You promised Indie Publishing--Hacked.  Show it now.  Or I swear, this will be the last entry you ever write.”

Okay.  So I shut up now.

I know the reason you’re reading this is because you want to learn more about Indie Publishing.  And several years ago, I did, too.  That’s why I’m summarizing everything I learned and writing them down in this manuscript.  Because I tried befriending famous authors to get tips from them and failed.  I mean, they probably thought I’m just a scumbag.  And they’re probably right.  But that’s beside the point.

Every writer needs a companion.  And going Indie Publishing, you need one, too.  So here, stay with me.  Move on to the next post (which will be out tomorrow).

Remember though, writing takes a lot of work.  It does not come overnight.  It does not promise every time that you will get fame, or money, or both.  Sometimes, if you’re a smoker who enjoys drinking coffee along with a stick, writing could even give you hyper-acidity.

Before you flip to the next page, think once more.

Do you want to become a writer?

If you’re going to throw the question back at me, I would say, Yes.  I have always wanted to become a writer.  If we’re along the same lines, let’s do this together.

Before proceeding though, take the time to write down some notes here.  Reflect on this chapter.  It’s quite easy to say you want to write.  But it takes patience.  Discipline.  Grit!  And really great ideas.

Now, go get a glass of water or coffee, sign up to my feeds list, and tomorrow, I will let you know the next steps.
P.S.  This was supposed to be a book, sort of like a text book/ journal type, which is why there are lines where you're supposed to write your thoughts.  Since this is online though, you can either post comments, or write in a journal, or already start your blog.

Indie Publishing-Hacked!

With so many resources out there, it sometimes gets confusing for a novice writer to find just one space to get information from, and believe me, this page is not going to be where writers would find the most help.  But rather, this is some sort of like a pep talk.  A little push to get us all going.  And when a writer gets that sense or feeling of almost crossing the finish line, of that particular moment when keying-in "the end" is all but a few presses, this site would lend some insight on what could be your next step.So welcome to this section of my blog, Indie Publishing--Hacked!

Foreword:My journey in writing started since I was ten years old and it was the first time I read a Sidney Sheldon novel.  I was astounded at the way the novel was written, how the plot was laid out, and how the voice influenced the overall impact of the story on me.  As the years progressed, I developed a passion for writing.  It was only in 2012 that I got the chance to write my full blown novel.I have been writing since then.  Short stories that I sell as a ghost writer.  Novels that I dreamt one day would be published traditionally.  And some blurbs that I thought might help fellow writers like me, who are just starting to chase this passion.This book (blog) is a product of my own experiences as an Indie writer.If you are thinking or evaluating whether to go indie or traditional, keep on reading.  I just may be able to leave you with some tips to get by. My expertise is really in writing fiction and this is the first non-fiction book I wrote.  So my tips are focused more for writers that write fiction.  Regardless, the rules apply to both types of writers.  And hey, since this book is free, take the time to download it and read in your device.For updates on the this thread, please join my mailing list.

On Writing

Writing takes courage.  It is not merely having the ability to craft words into sentences, and sentences into phrases.  The thought has to be there.  And the thought should flow in an organized manner.

When I started writing, I was in that state where I just let my fingers type on the keyboard.  Whenever I finish a short story, I would read them over and over and admire how the plot unraveled.  I became lost in my writing that I forgot to be objective about what I had written.  So I began to follow what authors usually say, which is, read a lot.  When not writing, read a book, a magazine, anything that could open the senses to different writing styles.  Writing does not have to be reinventing the wheel.  Learning comes from reading the masters' works.  So I grabbed a book and without actually realizing it, I had fallen into the habit of comparing how I would write a certain sentence given a specific scene, and how the author actually wrote the scene.

Writng takes conscious effort in skimming the lines, grazing the words, and identifying what works and what does not.

As a tip to new writers like me, the essentials, and I say this with affirmation to the literature I have read from the past, ones that could help grow the writing skill are below:

1.  Read daily.  A novel doesn't have to be read in one sitting, but a chapter or two in a day could increase vocabulary and style without your knowing it.

2.  Be your own critic.  Stop patronizing your work.  If someone says it sucks, stop defending your work.  Open your ears and listen to what the critic has to say.  If someone says your manuscript is good, it probably is.  Or, it still probably sucks.  But don't despair, just be open-minded because this state will allow you to traverse to that next level, from a beginner to a not-so-beginner.

3.  Imagine.  Don't be limited to what you see and hear everyday.  Go beyond the norm.  If it's a love story you're writing, add in a new twist.  For example, if your storyline runs like "A boy meets the girl of his dreams.  he courts her and wins her over.  but her parents don't approve of him, so he takes her away, marries her, and after a while, they go back to the in-laws.  They are accepted and blessed after they presented their kids, twins with blushing apple-cheeks."  Insert a twist.  Now, the question is, what could be the twist?  In a world where love abounds, what could drive their story differently?  It is hard to say, but whatever it is, inject that something.  Drive the readers crazy.  If the readers like your twist, they will remember you for the brilliant idea.  Otherwise, they will remember how it sucked.  And yet, the important thing is, they will still remember the story.

4.  Good title, good names.  A good title is important although I have to say that it is very subjective.  Hence, how can one define if it's a good title or not?  Similarly, names should be memorable enough.  If it's a romance novel you're writing, stick with common decent names.  Don't give names that are hard to pronounce.  Leave them to the fantasy novels.

5.  Write.  The beginning of writing is when you actually start to write.  It does not culminate in the dream to write.  The dream is a factor, mind you, but still only an ideology to support the actual writing process.

The Writer

About the short story...

"The Writer" is a short story that I wrote when I read a prompt about a novelist who saw a man move in his neighborhood, and the man started acting out like the main character he penned in his manuscript.

It was fun because the activity of answering prompts derived many different responses from writers.  For me, this specific activity was a momentous one because it opened a darker, more sinister side in my writing.

I enjoyed writing this short story and if you want to enter John DelaSant's cuckoo world, please download a free copy from this site:
https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/351864

Once you're done reading, I hope you would take the time to leave a comment here.

Thanks and as usual, cheers!