“We all know there is nothing more daunting than facing an empty page, the cursor blinking by a heartbeat. We venture [into writing] entirely alone, on our own. Writers workshops exist to lend each of us a sense of community, to make ourselves feel we’re not entirely alone in that singular voyage as we seek to find words to fill the blank page. ( Read more... )

i interviewed neil gaiman this afternoon ( Read more... )

Today, I killed a story. I was dead-set (and was advised) to revise it, but I realized I had been haunted by the story far too long...whether I'd revive it someday, I wouldn't know. This sudden desire to assassinate the characters who were once dying to be perfected/developed/fleshed out is partly attributed to Michael Chabon's "The Wonder Boys" ( Read more... )

&UP is 100 years old today. Happy Centennial!

&Garfield is turning 30 tomorrow! :) I remember this: my obligatory post for his 24th birthday ( Read more... )

Ordinary morning, I was drinking my coffee. The phone rang and my mother answered it. She turned to me: "Natanggap ka raw sa isang workshop?" That's when I snatched the phone from her.

Lady: Is this Samantha?
Me: Opo
Lady: I would just like to inform you that you are chosen as one of the 15 fellows for the 15th Iligan National Writers Workshop.Me ( Read more... )

( I kill a story by posting it on lj. Hehe. Written five years ago. Nothing fancy. Excuse the grammar slipups, ei. )

"A little talent is a nice thing to have if you want to be a writer, but the only real requirement is that ability to remember the story of every scar."

From the time I got home late last night until this early morning, I was up, working on another short story. The usual: switching fonts from Bodoni to Georgia to Trebuchet to Verdana size 9 bold in a span of three minutes, swigging coffee for the energy, chatting with my brother from time to time (he was drawing while I was writing) to trick myself ( Read more... )

The rules are easy, just post 10 things that recently made you happy! Then tag 10 people and force them to post this memo on their blogs ( Read more... )

Dumaguete-Bacolod Shindig, February 1-4 (lovingly spent with my soul sister)


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