Istoryan Writers

[Von!-x]

---

diem, thanks for the plug! but the link you gave is broken.

[color=navy]Diem: Thanks for letting me know. Fixed it

[galenostiel]

Uy, congrats, Von!-x, ha. I'll give it a read as soon as I'm free. Just stopping by for now. =D

@diem -- honestly? maybe i could get more productive thru meetings and such, but only by a small margin, i think. i probably would prefer smaller, more intimate discussions with just one or two fellow writers about ideas or concepts for projects i am currently working on. but a regular meeting with a large group? not really -- unless it's a creative workshop or for a specific collaborative project. my 2 cents.

[shaxyra]

haha.. sige diem i'm not used with the child speak.. but after finals siguro i'll finalize my work.. besides i often have my jotdown notebook with me whenever i reminisce something from childhood.. hehe

[diem]

[color=navy]Call for Submissions: ANI 34

The CCP Literary Arts Division is accepting contributions to ANI 34. The theme of this year's issue is Spirituality and Healing, tackling the subject of the human being's relationship with God or the Divine as well as the meaning of living. The work may pertain to any religion and may or may not have anything to do with ghosts or spirits.

The theme is not new but enlarging the body of Philippine creative works (fiction, poetry, familiar essay and short play) with original insights on the subject is in order.

Works may be in Filipino, English or any Philippine language (with an accompanying translation in Filipino or English). They must be typed on 8 1/2" x 11" sheet, accompanied with a brief bionote on the author, including his/her contact number, email or postal address and TIN (for payment purposes). Contributions must be sent to: aniyearbook@yahoo.com. A CD containing the manuscript and attachments, accompanied with a hard copy, may also be sent to: The Editor, ANI 34, Literary Arts Division, Cultural Center of the Philippines, 1300 Pasay City.

Deadline for submission is April 30, 2008. CCP Literary Arts Division may be contacted at the fourth floor of the CCP Tanghalang Pambansa building, with telephone number 832-1125 local 1706, 1707.

Call for Entries 2008 PBBY-Alcala Prize

The Philippine Board on Books for Young People (PBBY) is now accepting entries for the 2008 PBBY-Alcala Prize. Entries must be based on the 2008 PBBY-Salanga Prize-winning story, Naku, Nakuu, Nakuuu! by Nanoy Rafael. Copies of the story and the complete contest guidelines may be requested from the PBBY Secretariat, 2/F FSS Building, 20 Scout Tuason corner Scout Castor Streets, Barangay Laging Handa, Quezon City, tel. no. 372-3548, or pbby@adarna.com.ph.

Submission deadline is March 21, 2008.

[diem]

[color=navy]@galenostiel, thanks for sharing your two cents. Small meetings, similar to those between author and editor or author and literary agent, would be nice and motivational for writers to work something to the end. Please keep updated on your progress with your own projects.

Anyone else care to share their own thoughts on how group meetings could be helpful for writers? I would like to know others' takes on it before I put in my own ideas of the matter.

@shaxyra, sige po I'll be expecting that soon.

[diem]

[color=navy]A friend ask me, what do I think of fan fiction?

When I think of fan fiction, I recall a garden I once visited as a child. It was a large place, full of plants exotic in nature from both hemispheres. I met a gardener who was tending a corner of the garden. He had an assortment of colorful blossoming plantlings laid on a sack by his knees. I asked him if he was planting those and he told me he was pulling these out because they were weeds.

"I thought they were flowers", I said.

"To you they could be", replied the gardener. "But to the boss, they're weeds. Got to pull them out."

Fan fiction can be either flowers or weeds, all growing out of the same soil or source, it depends on who's looking at them. I've read some fan fiction and could remember a handful of really good writing and a whole lot of terrible ones.

Do I recommend reading fan fiction? All I can say good luck, it'll be like finding rare orchids in a vast rainforest. A tip I suggest is that you look for fan fiction written by established authors, as tributes to their own role models in literature ~ previous authors that influenced their writing.

For examples, Stephen King wrote a Sherlock Holmes mystery called The Doctor's Case in his Nightmares and Dreamscapes collection of short stories.

Neil Gaiman wrote tributes to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and HP Lovecraft available on his website, http://www.neilgaiman.com/p/Cool%20S...hort%20Stories.

Do I recommend writing fan fiction? Fan fiction can be fun, and in that must be written only for fun. Otherwise, that would only lead to trouble.

Recently, JK Rowling bashed a Harry Potter fan site for actually publishing its contents regarding the world of Harry Potter. It's all right if such content remained online as it was public domain, people access for free but when published, people would have to buy a book regarding Harry Potter that she hasn't written, that's when JK drew the line and called the lawyers.

George R.R. Martin, author well-known for his A Song Of Ice and Fire book series, often declares opposition to fan fiction, seeing it as copyright infringement and a bad exercise for aspiring writers.

All in all, write fan fiction for fun but don't practice it often for originality is a virtue that's valued in the craft.

[bisoy]

Hi guys, I'm new here. I'm not a full time writer as I'm into marketing and advertising as a full-time profession but I try to sharpen my skill every chance I get. I contribute articles to Sunstar (not lately though) and am a blogger. I also teach part time in USC (fine arts) and am also in a band.

Anyway, I wanted to invite you guys to check out the writing exercises that I've compiled in a blog. Its an ongoing series that we, the writers' pool in our office try to do once a week. You might find it interesting. We could also use the words of encouragement from all the pros here!

http://mywritingexercises.blogdrive.com/

thanks....

[splendid moonlight]

^ Very interesting. Can I give some of the exercises a try too?

[Von!-x]

bisoy? welcome in here, bai!

Anyway, plugging lang ko gamay. i just learned this hour that my BLOGCEBUWORLD (http://blogcebuworld.com) is nominated For Filipino Blog of the Week - week98 (March 1-7, 200.

Voting is in this link: http://salaswildthoughts.blogspot.com/ the site of the Composed Gentleman, who also happens to be a cebuano. Botar nya mo mga bro, that is if you like my site.

[galenostiel]

^Really? Heheh, I know Eric Salas. I knew him as Sir Eric (he was my Engineering Mechanics professor) and Kuya Eric (being my elder in the campus ministry). He was the one who taught me to pursue my dream of writing!

Voted for your blog, Von!-x