10 Signs That There Is A Dormant Writer In You

1. You have very rich imagination.
2. You see daydreaming as a productive activity.
3. You’re good at multi-tasking.
4. You have this since-time-immemorial love affair with books.
5. You’re good with words, you even ‘invented’ some.
6. You love using descriptive details when telling stories to your friends.
7. You correct spellings, tenses, grammar lapses on written articles and on other people’s speeches.
8. You enjoy researching and/or learning new things.
9. Your mind comes up with at least 3 plots when someone asked you, ‘if the world were to end tomorrow, what would you do today?’.
10. You look at Christmas parties, family reunions and get-together activities as opportunities to get new ideas from. 

10 Commandments For Desire Novelists

    I call these 'Love Scene Sins' ^{® :}

1. Thou shalt add many ‘tension’ scenes before the LS takes place.
2. Thou shalt not add a love scene just for the heck of it.
3. Thou shalt not use medical terms for body parts.
4. Thou shalt concentrate on the emotions and thoughts of the characters, and not on the mechanical descriptions of love making.
5. Thou shalt add more tender scenes like staring at each other's eyes, touching faces, kissing nose or temple.
6. Thou shalt use ‘tamer’ words in place of the intimate body parts.
7. Thou shalt use English narratives when describing parts of the scene that may sound offensive or vulgar in Tagalog.
8. Thou shalt not write a love scene concerning taboo topics like rape, incest, infidelity, voyeurism, sadism, exhibitionism, etc.
9. Thou shalt not write too many love scenes in one novel.
10. Thou shalt write only what you are comfortable to read. 

Lost in Translation

Spoiler Alert: By 2013, Bookware Publishing will start releasing Tagalized novels from different international publishers. In connection to this, I’d like to give a few pointers for those who are planning to give translating for MSV a try. :-)

• One of the main objectives of translation is for the reader to understand these novels better; to make them easier to read. So don’t use Tagalog terms that are too deep. Instead, use terms that Filipinos, in this day and age, are using. 
• Do not change the names of people, setting, events, currencies, units of measurement, and other things that reflect the life and culture of the characters in the novel.
• Do not add anything.
• Unless the publisher gave you a permission, do not crop or delete anything from the original novel. 
• Retain the tone of the novel. If the tone is serious, do not add words or phrases that will ‘sound’ otherwise.
• Translate it as it is, unless a sentence will be too mouthful to read or difficult to comprehend.
• Use simple sentences. Split sentences if needed. 
• Don’t translate idiomatic expressions literally. If there is a Tagalog counterpart for it, use that idiom instead. If there’s none, just give the meaning of the idiom in Tagalog. 
• If a certain word or phrase doesn’t have a direct equal in Filipino (or the equivalent term is outdated), retain its English form instead.
• English writers usually write longer and more detailed narratives. If you think it would be better (meaning, easier to read) to condense it, do so but with the permission of your editor.
• If you think your characters will sound odd saying the dialogue in its Tagalog form, then leave it alone.
• Don’t convert endearments if it would make the speaker (character) sound ‘baduy’, weak or lame.
• Do not split paragraphs; international publishers have their own rules regarding this.
• 'Tame' love scenes if you find it too graphic. Use the 'tamer' Tagalog equivalent words for body parts.  

Reminders: 

* Again, the goal is to make the manuscript EASIER to read. 

* Read your work to see if your Tagalog sentences make sense.
* DO NOT Google Translate. Please.
* The manuscript you’re working on belongs to someone else, and that someone has his/her own writing style. Respect it. Save your ideas for your own manuscript, and translate objectively. 

Goals A Novel Must Accomplish

Aside from  providing entertainment, kilig and that sense of hope in happy endings, there are other goals that a Romance novelist should aim for while writing his/her manuscript.

These are the following:

Make your readers fall in love with your hero. 

• Since romance novels are books made for women, heroes play the most crucial part in your novel. You have to make him really heroic and lovable. 
• Aside from giving him a 'tall, dark and handsome' description, add trivial things about him--things that will make your readers appreciate him even beyond his good looks.  

Make your heroine likable.

• Your heroine is your readers' mirror. Create her character in a way that readers can relate to her, or at least, sympathize with her. That way, emotions will be easier to pass on from the characters to the readers. They'll cry when she cries, laugh when she laughs, etc.
• Think of the women you admire and list the things you like about them. Inject some of these qualities to your heroine.
• Justify her actions. It's okay to add weaknesses but don't make your heroine wimpy, slutty, too emotional or anything shady/uncommendable/hateful.

Prove that your characters did fall in love with each other.  

• Stories may be written differently; some with shorter timelines, some with longer. But no matter how much (or not much) time they spent together, you have to prove that it was love that happened between them--not a fling, not just physical attraction, but one true love. They may be in denial at first, but later, your characters will have to admit that it was indeed love.
• You may use a third party to help your protagonist compare his/her feelings for the other character.
• Add more scenes between your hero and heroine---more kilig scenes, as much as possible. Or scenes that will show you characters' lovable sides.

Never assume that your readers will just accept a statement that your characters are in love without giving them enough proof. When it comes to love, writing-romance-novel-wise, it's not enough to SAY it, you have to PROVE it. It's more of SHOW than TELL.  

Happy writing! :) 

When Writing A Series...

1. Decide even before you begin the first book whether it will be a part of a series or not.
2. Treat each story as an individual book, focusing only on one pair of characters. 
3. Stir readers' curiosity about your other characters (the lead/s on the next story/ies) by making them 'look' and 'sound' interesting. Introduce them but don't give too much details, to the point that they outshine the leads.
4. Make sure that majority of the scenes in a novel will focus on the lead characters of that particular title. If a minor character will appear on more scenes than the major leads, it might confuse your readers.
5. Use the point of view of either the hero or the heroine.  
6. Each story must be different from the others. Different characters, different personalities, different goals, different conflicts; different gestures, manner of speaking and ways of thinking, too.
7. Do not overwhelm the readers with too much details.
8. Keep a series 'bible' to make sure there are no loopholes or inconsistencies, and timelines match. 
9. There should be a central theme to give your series its own sort of 'character' or identity. *
10. Give 'parallel' titles. *

*Note: For marketing and aesthetic purposes. :-)   

Tag It!

A 'dialogue tag' is the phrase or words you add after a dialogue. 

Example: "Hey!" Chris called.

In this sentence, 'Chris called' is the tag.

The main use of dialogue tags is to tell readers who is the speaker. If it's clear already who is speaking what, you don't need to add tags. It will only interrupt the flow of dialogues. 

I suggest you mind your tags later after finishing your manuscript, during the 4Rs (Read, Review, Revise and Rewrite) phase, not while writing the dialogues.

TIPS WHEN USING DIALOGUE TAGS.

1. Avoid redundancy. 

Example: "I'm shy," she said sheepishly. 

2. Avoid too many adverbs.  

Example: 
"I loved you then," he whispered sincerely.
"That is not true," she said indignantly.
"Nagsasabi ako ng totoo!" he raged violently. "Why can't you trust me?"
"Nooo!" she cried miserably. 

3. Make sure the tag matches the dialogue.

Example: 
"Get out!" he whispered.  (incorrect)

4.  English word + Tagalog word = not correct

Example: "No way!" yelled niya. 

Use either, 'she yelled' or 'tili niya'. 

5. Don't abuse 'sabi niya'.  

It's simple and straight to the point so this is actually the best tag, but don't overuse it. There are other--and more 'descriptive'--verbs you can opt for. 

Here is a list of verbs you can choose as replacement for 'sabi' or 'said':

amin
anas
angal
anunsyo
banggit
bulong
deklara
sagot
sang-ayon
tili
tudyo
udyok
untag
usal

acknowledged
argued
barked
bragged
confessed
demanded
hissed
mumbled
muttered
promised
replied
snarled
sobbed
threatened
wailed
whined

6. Make sure you're using the correct punctuation marks. 

Best Writing Tip:  READ.  

Common GRAMMAR / SPELLING Mistakes Tagalog Romance Writers Make

FYI.  Refrain from making these mistakes if you can... :-)

• Excessive use of exclamation points (!) and ellipses (...) 
• Misuse of 'NG' and 'NANG':

          NANG - when, once
                      - same as 'noong'                       
                      - synonymous to 'upang' or 'para' 

                      - na + ng 
                      - more or anymore
                      - used as an adverb of manner 
                      - ligature for repeated words (ex: tawa nang tawa)
          NG      - of 

• Interchanging BUKOD and MALIBAN

          BUKOD - aside from

          MALIBAN - except 

• Switching KUNDI and KUNG DI

          KUNDI - but 
          KUNG DI - abbreviated 'kung hindi'  ; if not.

• Misuse of MALUWAG and MALUWANG

          MALUWAG - loose
          MALUWANG - wide, roomy

• Interchanging: 

          YOUR and YOU'RE
          ITS and IT'S
          HE'S and HIS
          LOOSE and LOSE
          LEAVE and LIVE

How To Crop Your Manuscript

Sure you spent a considerable amount of time constructing that scene; researched for that specific detail, and even used encyclopedia for that piece of information, but if it's making your novel impossible to fit in a 96-page book, you would need to press DEL whether you like it or not.

Here are some pointers on how to make your manuscript shorter:

1. Delete dialogues, monologues and other details that are not that important.
2. Apply SHOW vs. TELL Rules. If a scene/action/detail is of minimal significance to the story and can be narrated, do the latter to save space.
3. Scenes where not one of the leads is present can be deleted, especially if it does not have direct effect on the story line. 
4. Amputate dead scenes.
5. Remove 'chitchat' scenes.
6. Shorten narratives.
7. Simplify descriptions of places.
8. Reduce the number of chapters. Instead of having the usual 10, reduce it to 8. Chapter headers occupy a great deal of space.

Important: Don’t get too attached to your manuscript. Revise with your mind (preferably open at the time you start this) and not with your heart. 

Happy cropping!

What's In A Name?

A fictional character's name, like a real person's name, leaves an impression in people's mind. Names say a lot about someone, so name your characters (especially the protagonists) the way you'd name your children. 

Here are some things to consider when naming characters: Social Status/Background, Nationality/Ethnicity, Age, Personality.

1. Social Status / Background - 
Examples: 
         Elena - from class C family
         Bridgette - daughter of the town mayor 
         Jason - son of an engineer and a college professor

2. Nationality - 
Examples:
        Megumi - half-Japanese heroine
        Chin -  half-Chinese, hero's ex-girlfriend
        Fabio - one-fourth Mexican, hero's best friend 

* If you want to give a foreign name for a pure Filipino character, at least give a reason why he's named like that. Say, his mother named him after a celebrity. 

3. Age - 
Examples: 
       Yan-Yan -  6 years old, heroine's niece 
       Armando - 53 years old, hero's father
       Nissy - 15 years old, heroine's younger sister

4. Personality-

It is okay to give them funny names if that is really your intention. But if not, por favor, refrain from using ridiculously-spelled names. 'Fillif' doesn't sound intimidating, neither does 'Dyordann'. 'Meileen' and 'Rhowse' sound like crazy, immature women. 

There is absolutely nothing wrong with using the correct spelling of a name. 

    Tip: Use a book on baby names for the first names, and directories for last names.  

18 Common Mistakes Tagalog Romance Writers Make

1. Too many side characters. It confuses readers.
2. Unique but weird names of characters. 
3. Biography-ish story (focused only on one character's life). 
4. Unique but ludicrous, contrived or unrealistic plot.
5. Overused plot without new twists. Scenes are cliche.  
6. An unhappy ending.
7. Conflict is all 'internal' (e.g. heroine is afraid to fall in love and that's only the problem in the story). 
8. Juvenile characters. 
9. Inaccurate research.
10. Writing down a lot of details, bombarding readers with too much information that has no direct relevance to the story.
11. Giving out too little information about characters that readers find it hard to relate to them. 
12. Loooong narratives, making the story dragging to read.
13. Using two or more POVs (point of view) in one scene. It's confusing because Tagalog does not have gender for pronouns. 
14. No justification for some of characters' actions. 
15. Adding unrealistic dialogues.
16. Adding scenes that will not push the story forward. 
17. Not enough scenes to SHOW how and why the characters fell in love with each other.
18. No self-editing, resulting to too many grammatical/spelling errors* and unresolved loopholes. 

*Note: I might write another blog entry about the common grammatical/spelling mistakes writers make later. :)

Starting A Manuscript

There are hundreds of ways to start a novel, but here are some tips from the experts as compiled by Jon Winokur (@AdviceToWriters )

• "Take out another notebook, pick up another pen, and just write..." – NATALIE GOLDBERG
• “Get your facts first, and then you can distort them as much as you please.” - MARK TWAIN
• “I never started from ideas but always from character.” - IVAN TURGENEV
• “It begins with a character, usually, and once he stands up on his feet and begins to move, all I can do is trot along behind him with paper and pencil trying to keep up long enough to put down what he says and does.” – WILLIAM FAULKNER
• “The secret is to start a story near the ending.” - CHRIS OFFUT
• "Start as close to the end as possible." - VONNEGUT
•  “In the planning stage of a book, don't plan the ending. It has to be earned by all that will go before it.” - ROSE TREMAIN
• “Bring all your intelligence to bear on your beginning.” - ELIZABETH BOWEN
•  “Lie. Put down on paper the most interesting lies you can imagine...and then make them plausible.” - CHRIS BOHJALIAN 
•  "Every writer has his or her own method..." – JUDY BLUME

15 Things I Learned As A Writer

1. What looks easy isn't really easy.
   
2. Find your muse and befriend him/her/it.
3. Imagination is the key to success.  
4. The name of a character can leave indelible impressions on the readers. 
5. Longer doesn't mean better.
6. More English (both in narratives or dialogues) is not equal to better story.
7. Simple sentences = easy reading.
8. Redundancy and inconsistency are two things that I should not allow.
9. Verbs, adjectives and adverbs are my most powerful tools.
10. Webster should be my best friend.
11. Sometimes, the difference between a noun and a verb is a space e.g. workout (noun) and work out (verb).
12. Longer, detailed love scene does not mean sexier.  
13. My laptop is my most treasured, yet most abused possession.
    
14. When in doubt, Google!
15. If still in doubt, press DEL.

"I am sure that some are BORN TO WRITE as trees are born to bear leaves: for these, writing is a NECESSARY mode of their own development. If the impulse to write survives the hope of success, then one is among these. If not, then the impulse was at best only pardonable vanity, and it will certainly disappear when hope is withdrawn."

 - C.S. Lewis, Letters of C.S. Lewis to Arthur Greeves

Hello, World!

Months after my book 'How To Write A Tagalog Romance Novel'  was published (under Easy Companion), I realized 65 pages aren't enough to explain everything about this wonderful craft. There's still a lot of things I wish to discuss with my fellow romance novelists. Thus, this blog. :-)

Let's learn together!

Note: This book is still available on all National Bookstore, Expression, Pandayan branches. Check it out at the Reference Section ;-) #shamelessplugging