K.M. Levis's Blog
January 14, 2021
LESSONS FROM THE YEAR OF THE COVID
The last time I blogged was June 2020. I had just finished my manuscript and was enjoying Gong Yoo’s Kdrama, Goblin.
A month after I finished editing that manuscript, I started a new book.
And I finished it before November.
To be honest, I actually wasn’t expecting to finish another novel in 2020. But given that there were so many things I couldn’t do, I decided to do something I liked doing.
Looking back at everything that I did in 2020, I totally have no regrets. I coped the way I knew how and it worked out fine for me. I’d like to share some of the lessons I learned in 2020.
You don’t have to be productive all the time. But if you enjoy something and you want to keep doing it to be productive, that’s okay too. For me it was writing, reading and watching KDrama. It kept me sane and safe at home. Oh and gaming. That too.
Every now and then, we need to reassess the relationships we have in our lives. Although we were okay being stuck at home together for most of 2020, it also highlighted how important communication was between friends and extended families. I must have messaged my sisters a million times last year. Our one Skype session per week would end up as long as four hours. Thank god for Wifi!
Working from home is good, but I don’t want to do it all the time. When I finally got the chance to go to the office once a week, it was like a big day out. I cherished buying a lollipop from the shop close to work. I enjoyed walking to the train station – being in the train. I watched the city as I crossed the Harbour bridge. It was exciting going to the office again. I felt like a grown up.
I want to keep doing what I’m doing. Most writers would probably not hesitate to ditch their day jobs once they got the chance to work as an author full time. I realised last year I wouldn’t be able to quit mine. My day job and my writing life is the perfect mix of creativity that I need in my life. It scratches all my itch, so to speak. I want to keep them both for as long as I possibly can.
I took a chance and applied for a scholarship. At first, it was daunting. Going back to school at my age?! Hah! But the process was free so I gave it a good go. Just in case. And I got it. I am definitely not too old to try something new.
Not sure what 2021 is going to be like, but I’m excited to find out.
A month after I finished editing that manuscript, I started a new book.
And I finished it before November.
To be honest, I actually wasn’t expecting to finish another novel in 2020. But given that there were so many things I couldn’t do, I decided to do something I liked doing.
Looking back at everything that I did in 2020, I totally have no regrets. I coped the way I knew how and it worked out fine for me. I’d like to share some of the lessons I learned in 2020.
You don’t have to be productive all the time. But if you enjoy something and you want to keep doing it to be productive, that’s okay too. For me it was writing, reading and watching KDrama. It kept me sane and safe at home. Oh and gaming. That too.
Every now and then, we need to reassess the relationships we have in our lives. Although we were okay being stuck at home together for most of 2020, it also highlighted how important communication was between friends and extended families. I must have messaged my sisters a million times last year. Our one Skype session per week would end up as long as four hours. Thank god for Wifi!
Working from home is good, but I don’t want to do it all the time. When I finally got the chance to go to the office once a week, it was like a big day out. I cherished buying a lollipop from the shop close to work. I enjoyed walking to the train station – being in the train. I watched the city as I crossed the Harbour bridge. It was exciting going to the office again. I felt like a grown up.
I want to keep doing what I’m doing. Most writers would probably not hesitate to ditch their day jobs once they got the chance to work as an author full time. I realised last year I wouldn’t be able to quit mine. My day job and my writing life is the perfect mix of creativity that I need in my life. It scratches all my itch, so to speak. I want to keep them both for as long as I possibly can.
I took a chance and applied for a scholarship. At first, it was daunting. Going back to school at my age?! Hah! But the process was free so I gave it a good go. Just in case. And I got it. I am definitely not too old to try something new.
Not sure what 2021 is going to be like, but I’m excited to find out.
March 23, 2020
THE STORY BEHIND THE STORY
Anyone else looking for the hard reset button for 2020? It’s been a hell of a start for the year and it’s still going!
The upside of not being able to wander out is having more time to stay in to read and write, which is what I’ve been doing more of lately (not that I don’t already do it).
Despite all the bleak world news though, I received a great email from the Australian Society of Authors saying that one of my unpublished YA manuscripts was Highly Commended in one of their competitions.
It was such an amazing news that it took me a moment to figure out which manuscript I actually sent them. After going through my files, I realized it was the one I was furiously editing during the Christmas break in Tasmania.
I’m writing about this not to brag (although there is some humble bragging involved, too) but to tell you about what I went through while I was editing that novel.
But first, a bit of background on the manuscript. I wrote that story in 2014 in a frenzy of late nights and long days because I was so hooked by the premise. It was like an addiction. I couldn’t stop writing it, so much so that in three months I finished writing the novel. After that, I did a first edit before sending it to a manuscript assessor.
While I waited for the assessor’s reply, I continued to edit and write other novels. It was a couple of months before I got the reply from the manuscript assessor and by then, I was already writing another story and my attention had waned. I read the notes from the assessor and agreed with a lot of the changes that needed to be made. But it was also overwhelming at the same time. There were so many things going on in my personal and work life that I decided to shelve the notes and the manuscript, to be edited when I get a chance.
It took years for that to happen because, as you know, my three YA books were released one after the other. That process took all of my book writing and editing time. If I wasn’t writing the next book, I was editing another. When I finally finished things last year, I decided to open that drawer again and look through the manuscript assessor’s notes.
To be honest, I was going to take my sweet time editing that manuscript. In fact, at one point I was going to put it away again and start a new story. But then I saw the call for entries on the ASA website and thought that this would suit the competition well. So I gave myself a deadline (because the competition also had a deadline) and worked on editing the book well into the holiday period.
What I remember while I was reading through the manuscript and changing things around were these words swirling through my head.
“This is absolute crap.”
“Why the hell would anyone read this?”
“What was I thinking?”
“This is so derivative.”
“I shouldn’t send this to the competition.”
“What a load of bullcrap.”
It was the same every single time I opened my laptop to edit.
Not kidding.
So why did I still send it off anyway if I thought it was absolute rubbish? Well, to be honest, it was for several reasons.
One, I’ve already spent a lot of time working on the manuscript and money to get it assessed (although that was several years ago now).
Second, a part of me still thought there were some good bits in the manuscript and I didn’t want to write off the whole thing.
Third, I wanted to see what happened if I entered it in the competition. Curiosity and all that.
Finally, I thought you know, no guts no glory, no pain no gain (insert any other quote you can think of that will fit this scenario).
It is such a huge relief to get this validation from the ASA on a manuscript that I was struggling to feel confident about.
The lesson from this story, I guess, is to just keep going. Even if your confidence in the project is shot to high hell, just keep swimming. Because if you stop now and just abandon it, you will never know its potential.
The upside of not being able to wander out is having more time to stay in to read and write, which is what I’ve been doing more of lately (not that I don’t already do it).
Despite all the bleak world news though, I received a great email from the Australian Society of Authors saying that one of my unpublished YA manuscripts was Highly Commended in one of their competitions.
It was such an amazing news that it took me a moment to figure out which manuscript I actually sent them. After going through my files, I realized it was the one I was furiously editing during the Christmas break in Tasmania.
I’m writing about this not to brag (although there is some humble bragging involved, too) but to tell you about what I went through while I was editing that novel.
But first, a bit of background on the manuscript. I wrote that story in 2014 in a frenzy of late nights and long days because I was so hooked by the premise. It was like an addiction. I couldn’t stop writing it, so much so that in three months I finished writing the novel. After that, I did a first edit before sending it to a manuscript assessor.
While I waited for the assessor’s reply, I continued to edit and write other novels. It was a couple of months before I got the reply from the manuscript assessor and by then, I was already writing another story and my attention had waned. I read the notes from the assessor and agreed with a lot of the changes that needed to be made. But it was also overwhelming at the same time. There were so many things going on in my personal and work life that I decided to shelve the notes and the manuscript, to be edited when I get a chance.
It took years for that to happen because, as you know, my three YA books were released one after the other. That process took all of my book writing and editing time. If I wasn’t writing the next book, I was editing another. When I finally finished things last year, I decided to open that drawer again and look through the manuscript assessor’s notes.
To be honest, I was going to take my sweet time editing that manuscript. In fact, at one point I was going to put it away again and start a new story. But then I saw the call for entries on the ASA website and thought that this would suit the competition well. So I gave myself a deadline (because the competition also had a deadline) and worked on editing the book well into the holiday period.
What I remember while I was reading through the manuscript and changing things around were these words swirling through my head.
“This is absolute crap.”
“Why the hell would anyone read this?”
“What was I thinking?”
“This is so derivative.”
“I shouldn’t send this to the competition.”
“What a load of bullcrap.”
It was the same every single time I opened my laptop to edit.
Not kidding.
So why did I still send it off anyway if I thought it was absolute rubbish? Well, to be honest, it was for several reasons.
One, I’ve already spent a lot of time working on the manuscript and money to get it assessed (although that was several years ago now).
Second, a part of me still thought there were some good bits in the manuscript and I didn’t want to write off the whole thing.
Third, I wanted to see what happened if I entered it in the competition. Curiosity and all that.
Finally, I thought you know, no guts no glory, no pain no gain (insert any other quote you can think of that will fit this scenario).
It is such a huge relief to get this validation from the ASA on a manuscript that I was struggling to feel confident about.
The lesson from this story, I guess, is to just keep going. Even if your confidence in the project is shot to high hell, just keep swimming. Because if you stop now and just abandon it, you will never know its potential.
January 8, 2020
THE DECADE THAT WAS
Happy new year everyone! I do hope you had a safe holiday season.
A lot of people are reflecting on their lives in the last decade and it’s hard not to do the same. I think it helps people grow if they can see what changes they’ve gone through and what lessons they’ve learned over the years. So here are my own reflections on the last decade: 2009-2019. I may or may not have checked Facebook Memories to remind me of this LOL!
THE MOTHERHOOD JOURNEY
My daughter was three weeks old when 2009 started. Although the three of us were on our own, we figured out a way to support each other. It’s always hard when you live far away from family, but somehow we made it work. I count my biggest achievements as: not dropping her, keeping her alive and not losing her. There were certainly moments of difficulties because that’s just a natural part of raising a child. But watching my daughter now I can safely say to myself that we’d done well over the last decade. I love our little family, and even if I could, I wouldn’t change anything in the last decade. I’ve learned to accept that motherhood isn’t a competition and that it’s ok when you fuck it up sometimes. Also, perfection is a myth and swearing helps when you don’t drink alcohol.
THE CAREER JOURNEY
The last decade has seen me change from job to job, career to career like a kid with a very short attention span. It wasn’t deliberate. I just had to change things up to make sure I was doing something I actually liked doing. I learned so many skills that I now use in my day job as a marketing specialist. All of the skills I learned in the last ten years led me to the role I have now. It also led me to become an author – something I’d always wanted to do but never thought of actually doing in real life. I never expected that I’d publish one book let alone three (and soon, four!). And I definitely didn’t expect them to be bestselling books! I guess you never really know where life takes you unless you give it a go. So I say to you – give it a go.
THE PERSONAL JOURNEY
In life there are always ups and downs and it’s no different with mine in the last decade. What I am grateful for is that I’d learned a long time ago to know the difference between an inconvenience and a problem. I also had to remember that if there is nothing I can do to solve something, then I just have to do what I can and then be like Elsa and Let It Go. When I’m down, I find a way to cheer myself up. When I’m happy, I share it with the people I love. When friendships naturally drifted, I accepted it with no hard feelings and learned from it. I donated to charities I believed in. I avoided negative people. I shared my time with organisations I liked. And I didn’t beat myself up too much. I spent as much time with family as I could. I shared what I learned with others as often as possible. I guess the biggest thing I learned was to do my best to avoid assholes and not be an asshole myself.
It was a great decade. I hope you learned some great lessons yourself. Here’s to the next ten years!
A lot of people are reflecting on their lives in the last decade and it’s hard not to do the same. I think it helps people grow if they can see what changes they’ve gone through and what lessons they’ve learned over the years. So here are my own reflections on the last decade: 2009-2019. I may or may not have checked Facebook Memories to remind me of this LOL!
THE MOTHERHOOD JOURNEY
My daughter was three weeks old when 2009 started. Although the three of us were on our own, we figured out a way to support each other. It’s always hard when you live far away from family, but somehow we made it work. I count my biggest achievements as: not dropping her, keeping her alive and not losing her. There were certainly moments of difficulties because that’s just a natural part of raising a child. But watching my daughter now I can safely say to myself that we’d done well over the last decade. I love our little family, and even if I could, I wouldn’t change anything in the last decade. I’ve learned to accept that motherhood isn’t a competition and that it’s ok when you fuck it up sometimes. Also, perfection is a myth and swearing helps when you don’t drink alcohol.
THE CAREER JOURNEY
The last decade has seen me change from job to job, career to career like a kid with a very short attention span. It wasn’t deliberate. I just had to change things up to make sure I was doing something I actually liked doing. I learned so many skills that I now use in my day job as a marketing specialist. All of the skills I learned in the last ten years led me to the role I have now. It also led me to become an author – something I’d always wanted to do but never thought of actually doing in real life. I never expected that I’d publish one book let alone three (and soon, four!). And I definitely didn’t expect them to be bestselling books! I guess you never really know where life takes you unless you give it a go. So I say to you – give it a go.
THE PERSONAL JOURNEY
In life there are always ups and downs and it’s no different with mine in the last decade. What I am grateful for is that I’d learned a long time ago to know the difference between an inconvenience and a problem. I also had to remember that if there is nothing I can do to solve something, then I just have to do what I can and then be like Elsa and Let It Go. When I’m down, I find a way to cheer myself up. When I’m happy, I share it with the people I love. When friendships naturally drifted, I accepted it with no hard feelings and learned from it. I donated to charities I believed in. I avoided negative people. I shared my time with organisations I liked. And I didn’t beat myself up too much. I spent as much time with family as I could. I shared what I learned with others as often as possible. I guess the biggest thing I learned was to do my best to avoid assholes and not be an asshole myself.
It was a great decade. I hope you learned some great lessons yourself. Here’s to the next ten years!
November 11, 2019
THE NANOWRIMO AFTERMATH
Did you join Nanowrimo this year? I didn’t. After doing it once, I can safely say I don’t want to do it again.
Having said that, it was an awesome experience and I got something out of it. My third book, The Search for Adarna, is a Nanowrimo baby. So it wasn’t all bad.
My editor did say that if possible, I shouldn’t write books during Nanowrimo anymore. Why? Well, here are the reasons why.
The editing is brutal
When I was writing during Nanowrimo, my whole project felt rushed. I had to deliver quickly and I had a word count per day no matter what else was going on in my life. While I love writing on a deadline, it was hard to take my time with the storyline. It felt like I was running to the finish line to put the words ‘The End’ instead of enjoying the process of being creative.
In the end, I had to add at least 20,000 words and corrected a lot of errors that I missed while I was writing. It’s good to be motivated to finish something in a month but be prepared for the brutal editing process afterwards. Thank goodness my editors were patient with me!
It’s not finished for a long time
Like I said above, because of the nature of Nanowrimo, everything is rushed. So even after you’ve finished the whole thing and gotten that much coveted Nanowrimo badge (and have screamed about it on social media), the real work (part two) begins.
The novel isn’t finished. Far from it. The structural and copy editing takes a lot of time. My suggestion is to let that novel rest for a while and start a new project that’s different from it (not the sequel). Once your mind has rested from the rush of writing that novel, then open that again and start the editing process. Having that rest period is quite effective. It gives you a fresh perspective and allows you to edit your work better.
Winning isn’t everything
Yes, I know a shiny badge is nice. And it does feel good to finish something that you’ve always wanted to do. I mean, a novel in a month is quite a miracle. But even if you don’t “win” Nanowrimo, it’s not a big deal. It still means that you have something that you didn’t have before – a beginning to your novel. You’ve started a book and that’s a good thing!
Now you can just continue that process even after November – even just for 30 minutes a day. No need to rush. No need to compete. Just keep at it until you’re finished. Use Nanowrimo as a launch pad and don’t fret too much if you don’t get a badge. Make your own on Canva! LOL
Good luck and I hope you finish (or begin) something this Nanowrimo.
Having said that, it was an awesome experience and I got something out of it. My third book, The Search for Adarna, is a Nanowrimo baby. So it wasn’t all bad.
My editor did say that if possible, I shouldn’t write books during Nanowrimo anymore. Why? Well, here are the reasons why.
The editing is brutal
When I was writing during Nanowrimo, my whole project felt rushed. I had to deliver quickly and I had a word count per day no matter what else was going on in my life. While I love writing on a deadline, it was hard to take my time with the storyline. It felt like I was running to the finish line to put the words ‘The End’ instead of enjoying the process of being creative.
In the end, I had to add at least 20,000 words and corrected a lot of errors that I missed while I was writing. It’s good to be motivated to finish something in a month but be prepared for the brutal editing process afterwards. Thank goodness my editors were patient with me!
It’s not finished for a long time
Like I said above, because of the nature of Nanowrimo, everything is rushed. So even after you’ve finished the whole thing and gotten that much coveted Nanowrimo badge (and have screamed about it on social media), the real work (part two) begins.
The novel isn’t finished. Far from it. The structural and copy editing takes a lot of time. My suggestion is to let that novel rest for a while and start a new project that’s different from it (not the sequel). Once your mind has rested from the rush of writing that novel, then open that again and start the editing process. Having that rest period is quite effective. It gives you a fresh perspective and allows you to edit your work better.
Winning isn’t everything
Yes, I know a shiny badge is nice. And it does feel good to finish something that you’ve always wanted to do. I mean, a novel in a month is quite a miracle. But even if you don’t “win” Nanowrimo, it’s not a big deal. It still means that you have something that you didn’t have before – a beginning to your novel. You’ve started a book and that’s a good thing!
Now you can just continue that process even after November – even just for 30 minutes a day. No need to rush. No need to compete. Just keep at it until you’re finished. Use Nanowrimo as a launch pad and don’t fret too much if you don’t get a badge. Make your own on Canva! LOL
Good luck and I hope you finish (or begin) something this Nanowrimo.
October 14, 2019
AN AWESOME SEPTEMBER
It’s October and my Christmas tree is already up. Yep. My daughter insisted in putting it up the moment the month of Ber started. So I let her, because I’m Filipino and we start Christmas when the clock strikes midnight on August 31st.
But Christmas stuff aside, it’s been an amazing September for me. Absolutely amazing! The Search for Adarna was released in time for the Manila International Book Festival. Since I couldn’t really fly to the Philippines, I followed everything on social media. What a massive festival! Book lovers unite!
On the first day, my books were placed on the MIBF Exclusive stand (that was already surreal in itself, having a whole area for all my three books!).
On the third day of MIBF they were moved to the Bestsellers section and a lot of the copies were already gone. (I had to ask my publisher if they were hiding the copies or if people were buying it. FYI, people were buying them. So surreal.)
Thank you to everyone who bought copies, messaged me, and posted on social media. You guys are the best readers an author could ask for.
I did a couple of interviews in September as well. One for SBS Australia, another with Love Oz YA and another one for the popular podcast So You Want to Be a Writer which will be out soon.
And for fans of Love Radio Manila’s Nicole and Chris Tambalan, I also submitted a story to their Mahiwagang Burnay segment. I love that program, always makes me laugh when I listen to them.
Again, thank you everyone for your support! Feel free to tag me when you post on social media so I can repost it!
And advance Merry Christmas LOL!
But Christmas stuff aside, it’s been an amazing September for me. Absolutely amazing! The Search for Adarna was released in time for the Manila International Book Festival. Since I couldn’t really fly to the Philippines, I followed everything on social media. What a massive festival! Book lovers unite!
On the first day, my books were placed on the MIBF Exclusive stand (that was already surreal in itself, having a whole area for all my three books!).
On the third day of MIBF they were moved to the Bestsellers section and a lot of the copies were already gone. (I had to ask my publisher if they were hiding the copies or if people were buying it. FYI, people were buying them. So surreal.)
Thank you to everyone who bought copies, messaged me, and posted on social media. You guys are the best readers an author could ask for.
I did a couple of interviews in September as well. One for SBS Australia, another with Love Oz YA and another one for the popular podcast So You Want to Be a Writer which will be out soon.
And for fans of Love Radio Manila’s Nicole and Chris Tambalan, I also submitted a story to their Mahiwagang Burnay segment. I love that program, always makes me laugh when I listen to them.
Again, thank you everyone for your support! Feel free to tag me when you post on social media so I can repost it!
And advance Merry Christmas LOL!
September 9, 2019
ALL ABOUT THE SEARCH FOR ADARNA
Book three. Wow. It is still kinda surreal saying that I have a third book coming out. It’s not so much impostor syndrome and more like ‘how the hell did I finish that?’
Let me tell you how The Search for Adarna happened.
It was an accident.
Kinda.
Around two years ago I decided to join the crazy writers all over the world and do Nanowrimo. It was my first and last attempt. For those who don’t know what National Novel Writing Month is, basically you write over 1,600 words everyday for the whole month of November and finish a novel at the end of the month.
Yep. Nuts.
I was lucky enough that before November I already had a story in mind that I wanted to flesh out. Nanowrimo was the perfect excuse to finish it quickly. It also helped that the story I choose was a retelling of a favourite classic Filipino folktale, Ibong Adarna.
I’ve had this idea for a long time because I’ve been reading a lot of retelling of classic fairytales, like Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, Rapunzel and so on. I started to think why not do the same thing for a Filipino story? I have said this in interviews before, I love bringing the Filipino flavor worldwide. It’s one of the reasons why I always go back to it when writing my stories.
Ibong Adarna was one story I loved telling my daughter when she was younger. It was the first story that came to mind when I started thinking of fairytales to write about. I kept thinking, what should I do to bring the characters in Ibong Adarna to this century? How do I make something old interesting to today’s readers?
Then it came to me.
The Kardashians.
Instead of the three princes, I have three heiresses. Instead of the King, I have an eccentric multi billionaire. Add social media to that and voila! Ibong Adarna in the 21st century!
I loved writing this novel even though it was rushed and under extreme deadline pressure. I am never doing Nanowrimo again because this book went through a lot of editing. I mean A LOT.
You’ve heard of authors who had to cut down their manuscripts, taking out 20,000 words or more. The Search for Adarna was the opposite. I wrote it in such a rush that during editing I had to add over 20,000 words to it!
Every time I write a book I learn a lot about writing. That was definitely the case with this book. The lesson learned? Do not rush a story.
The one thing that really surprised me when I was writing the end was that somehow it ended up connected to the universe of the first two novels. I really thought I was finished with that story but it turns out, I wasn’t. To clarify, the events in The Search for Adarna happens simultaneously as the events in The Girl Between Two Worlds. It’s the same universe with a focus on different characters.
No, I didn’t plan it that way, which made my life harder in the end. If I end up writing a new series after this, I am soooo planning it better.
Is there a book four then? Well, let’s just say things are “in the works”. I can’t say any more than that.
For now, enjoy the third book in the series. I hope you like The Search for Adarna.
Let me tell you how The Search for Adarna happened.
It was an accident.
Kinda.
Around two years ago I decided to join the crazy writers all over the world and do Nanowrimo. It was my first and last attempt. For those who don’t know what National Novel Writing Month is, basically you write over 1,600 words everyday for the whole month of November and finish a novel at the end of the month.
Yep. Nuts.
I was lucky enough that before November I already had a story in mind that I wanted to flesh out. Nanowrimo was the perfect excuse to finish it quickly. It also helped that the story I choose was a retelling of a favourite classic Filipino folktale, Ibong Adarna.
I’ve had this idea for a long time because I’ve been reading a lot of retelling of classic fairytales, like Cinderella, Beauty and the Beast, Rapunzel and so on. I started to think why not do the same thing for a Filipino story? I have said this in interviews before, I love bringing the Filipino flavor worldwide. It’s one of the reasons why I always go back to it when writing my stories.
Ibong Adarna was one story I loved telling my daughter when she was younger. It was the first story that came to mind when I started thinking of fairytales to write about. I kept thinking, what should I do to bring the characters in Ibong Adarna to this century? How do I make something old interesting to today’s readers?
Then it came to me.
The Kardashians.
Instead of the three princes, I have three heiresses. Instead of the King, I have an eccentric multi billionaire. Add social media to that and voila! Ibong Adarna in the 21st century!
I loved writing this novel even though it was rushed and under extreme deadline pressure. I am never doing Nanowrimo again because this book went through a lot of editing. I mean A LOT.
You’ve heard of authors who had to cut down their manuscripts, taking out 20,000 words or more. The Search for Adarna was the opposite. I wrote it in such a rush that during editing I had to add over 20,000 words to it!
Every time I write a book I learn a lot about writing. That was definitely the case with this book. The lesson learned? Do not rush a story.
The one thing that really surprised me when I was writing the end was that somehow it ended up connected to the universe of the first two novels. I really thought I was finished with that story but it turns out, I wasn’t. To clarify, the events in The Search for Adarna happens simultaneously as the events in The Girl Between Two Worlds. It’s the same universe with a focus on different characters.
No, I didn’t plan it that way, which made my life harder in the end. If I end up writing a new series after this, I am soooo planning it better.
Is there a book four then? Well, let’s just say things are “in the works”. I can’t say any more than that.
For now, enjoy the third book in the series. I hope you like The Search for Adarna.
August 9, 2019
3 THINGS I WISH SOMEONE TOLD ME WHEN I STARTED WRITING
I started writing fiction in a bubble. I had no author friends, no writing groups, no mentor, no writing festivals. Basically, I just read Stephen King’s book On Writing and gave it a go.
Meaning, I learned things the hard way.
Below are some things I wish someone told me when I first started writing fiction.
YOUR FIRST DRAFT IS SHIT
FYI: Not all authors go through this. There are talented authors out there who shit great writing. They start typing and perfect prose just pour out of them. We hate these writers (LOL but not really). But just because there are writers like them doesn’t mean you’re one of them. Don’t assume that just because you finished writing the first draft it’s all going to be rainbows and unicorns from here on out.
The first draft of my first ever novel, The Girl Between Two Worlds, will never see the light of day because it is absolutely horrible. The thing is, I was so convinced it was amazing when I finished it that I sent it to publishers! (Oh dear god!) This leads me to my second lesson learned.
DON’T SEND YOUR FIRST DRAFT TO PUBLISHERS AND AGENTS
Do you know when I found out about this handy little nugget of wisdom? AFTER I did exactly that! Many, many times – basically ensuring that those publishers will not look at the more improved version of that book even if I send it to them 5,000 times.
I wanted to strangle myself for making that mistake. Your first draft is shit (see lesson above). You need to go over it many times before it is ready to be shown to others. Don’t believe your mother, or your sister, when they tell you it’s amazing. It’s not. They just love you so they won’t tell you the honest truth. Workshop it with your writing group or get an editor before you send it to anyone in the industry.
IT’S EITHER YOU’RE IN THIS FOR LIFE OR YOU’RE NOT
I love the show Jane The Virgin but when Jane said she was going to give up writing to get a real job if she didn’t get an agent, I wanted to strangle her. Seriously, woman! A day job and writing can co-exist. It has been done before! Don’t be so precious!
Inhale deeply.
Yes, I do have a day job. And no, I’m not going to stop writing books. I find time to do both. It’s called time management – look it up, Jane. You make time for the things you love to do. That’s the bottom line. Don’t be so dramatic Jane.
End of rant.
Right now, we’re on the final stages of publishing my third book with Anvil Publishing (I will announce it soon!). I finished writing the fourth novel two months ago and it’s already with the publisher. So while I’m waiting for those two to be put to bed, I am working on a fifth book. And guess what? I’m already thinking about the sixth book even though I’m still halfway through the fifth!
Needless to say, I am in this for life. You need to make the decision if you are, too.
Meaning, I learned things the hard way.
Below are some things I wish someone told me when I first started writing fiction.
YOUR FIRST DRAFT IS SHIT
FYI: Not all authors go through this. There are talented authors out there who shit great writing. They start typing and perfect prose just pour out of them. We hate these writers (LOL but not really). But just because there are writers like them doesn’t mean you’re one of them. Don’t assume that just because you finished writing the first draft it’s all going to be rainbows and unicorns from here on out.
The first draft of my first ever novel, The Girl Between Two Worlds, will never see the light of day because it is absolutely horrible. The thing is, I was so convinced it was amazing when I finished it that I sent it to publishers! (Oh dear god!) This leads me to my second lesson learned.
DON’T SEND YOUR FIRST DRAFT TO PUBLISHERS AND AGENTS
Do you know when I found out about this handy little nugget of wisdom? AFTER I did exactly that! Many, many times – basically ensuring that those publishers will not look at the more improved version of that book even if I send it to them 5,000 times.
I wanted to strangle myself for making that mistake. Your first draft is shit (see lesson above). You need to go over it many times before it is ready to be shown to others. Don’t believe your mother, or your sister, when they tell you it’s amazing. It’s not. They just love you so they won’t tell you the honest truth. Workshop it with your writing group or get an editor before you send it to anyone in the industry.
IT’S EITHER YOU’RE IN THIS FOR LIFE OR YOU’RE NOT
I love the show Jane The Virgin but when Jane said she was going to give up writing to get a real job if she didn’t get an agent, I wanted to strangle her. Seriously, woman! A day job and writing can co-exist. It has been done before! Don’t be so precious!
Inhale deeply.
Yes, I do have a day job. And no, I’m not going to stop writing books. I find time to do both. It’s called time management – look it up, Jane. You make time for the things you love to do. That’s the bottom line. Don’t be so dramatic Jane.
End of rant.
Right now, we’re on the final stages of publishing my third book with Anvil Publishing (I will announce it soon!). I finished writing the fourth novel two months ago and it’s already with the publisher. So while I’m waiting for those two to be put to bed, I am working on a fifth book. And guess what? I’m already thinking about the sixth book even though I’m still halfway through the fifth!
Needless to say, I am in this for life. You need to make the decision if you are, too.
July 10, 2019
RANDOM THOUGHTS ON WRITING
Someone I recently met asked me about what it’s like in the book publishing world.
He was curious to know whether we all led lives like JK Rowling – or close to it – rolling in cash like Walter White in Breaking Bad. I had no choice but to burst his bubble.
Most authors are nowhere near Rowling’s success. There was even a study saying that authors can only do this book writing thing if a) they have a partner who can financially support them or b) they have a day job.
He was surprised and saddened to know that most authors don’t make much money off their work.
‘So why do you do it?’ He asked.
It’s a different reason for each author. But my answer is because I love it. I love writing stories. It feeds something in me that nothing else does. If you tell me that I should stop writing or that I’m forbidden to write, I don’t know what I’d do.
It is a lot of work. It requires a lot of mental energy. And sometimes when the final work is released, people love bagging the shit out of it. It’s not all fun and games.
But I love it.
Also it’s a way of leaving a legacy after I’m gone. It’s a way of being immortal without turning to vampirism (although personally I don’t have a problem with turning into a vampire). I hope to still be doing this for a very long time.
:::::
I made the mistake one time of reading reviews for my first book and one of them just highlighted everything that was wrong with it. I went through several phases of emotions: angry, sad, homicidal, contemplative, homicidal again.
Then I read up on what other authors said about bad reviews (or reviews in general).
It’s not about you anymore. It’s about the reader. There will always be someone out there who will hate your work. It’s the same with songs, movies, TV shows etc etc.
I mean not everyone likes Game of Thrones or the Marvel Endgames so, you know, perspective is good. And even Stephen King gets haters! Or JK Rowling! When I just zoom out and look at it from that point of view, it’s not so bad.
The best piece of advice is to just keep doing what you love doing. And don’t stalk the book reviewer. Or show up on their doorstep. Or have a fight on social media.
Just keep writing.
::::
I sometimes get asked if I’ll ever run out of ideas for books. I’d like to think that I won’t run out. Given the number of files I have for book ideas I can safely say I’ll always have them.
But the better question is will I run out of ideas that I want to turn into a book? One that I can actually flesh out into 70K words or more?
*shrug*
Depends on my mood. LOL. We’ll see. I do have moments when I open a file and think to myself ‘what the hell?’ Not all of the ideas I wrote down were good. Or worth expanding into a whole universe.
Also, with age and new life experiences we always get new ideas – ideas that are worth pursuing more than others.
So yeah, ask me again in 10 years. We’ll see.
He was curious to know whether we all led lives like JK Rowling – or close to it – rolling in cash like Walter White in Breaking Bad. I had no choice but to burst his bubble.
Most authors are nowhere near Rowling’s success. There was even a study saying that authors can only do this book writing thing if a) they have a partner who can financially support them or b) they have a day job.
He was surprised and saddened to know that most authors don’t make much money off their work.
‘So why do you do it?’ He asked.
It’s a different reason for each author. But my answer is because I love it. I love writing stories. It feeds something in me that nothing else does. If you tell me that I should stop writing or that I’m forbidden to write, I don’t know what I’d do.
It is a lot of work. It requires a lot of mental energy. And sometimes when the final work is released, people love bagging the shit out of it. It’s not all fun and games.
But I love it.
Also it’s a way of leaving a legacy after I’m gone. It’s a way of being immortal without turning to vampirism (although personally I don’t have a problem with turning into a vampire). I hope to still be doing this for a very long time.
:::::
I made the mistake one time of reading reviews for my first book and one of them just highlighted everything that was wrong with it. I went through several phases of emotions: angry, sad, homicidal, contemplative, homicidal again.
Then I read up on what other authors said about bad reviews (or reviews in general).
It’s not about you anymore. It’s about the reader. There will always be someone out there who will hate your work. It’s the same with songs, movies, TV shows etc etc.
I mean not everyone likes Game of Thrones or the Marvel Endgames so, you know, perspective is good. And even Stephen King gets haters! Or JK Rowling! When I just zoom out and look at it from that point of view, it’s not so bad.
The best piece of advice is to just keep doing what you love doing. And don’t stalk the book reviewer. Or show up on their doorstep. Or have a fight on social media.
Just keep writing.
::::
I sometimes get asked if I’ll ever run out of ideas for books. I’d like to think that I won’t run out. Given the number of files I have for book ideas I can safely say I’ll always have them.
But the better question is will I run out of ideas that I want to turn into a book? One that I can actually flesh out into 70K words or more?
*shrug*
Depends on my mood. LOL. We’ll see. I do have moments when I open a file and think to myself ‘what the hell?’ Not all of the ideas I wrote down were good. Or worth expanding into a whole universe.
Also, with age and new life experiences we always get new ideas – ideas that are worth pursuing more than others.
So yeah, ask me again in 10 years. We’ll see.
June 8, 2019
ANSWERING QUESTIONS FROM READERS
This week I am answering questions from readers and writers. I normally get them through email or private messages. So I thought it would be great to share my answers with everyone else in case you get something out of it, too. Here goes!
How many drafts do you go through before your book is ready for print?
It’s changed with each book. My first every novel, The Girl Between Two Worlds, had a million revisions – well, it felt like a million. To be honest, I can’t remember how many revisions I went through for that one. I can safely say at least 10. Because it was my first book, it was my ‘trial run’. I learned how to write a book while writing the book. So each time I learned how to do it better, I applied it to the manuscript. I think I would have kept on editing had it not been picked up by Anvil Publishing.
The second book, The Girl Between Light and Dark, took considerably less time to edit. I knew what I was doing a tiny bit more and I only worked with one editor, which helped make the whole process easier. For book one, I worked with at least three editors!
Should I send my manuscript to the publisher even if I’ve only edited it once?
Nope. Even seasoned authors go through several edits before sending their manuscript to the publisher. Remember, you only have one chance to dazzle them. Don’t send them a half-assed work because it will definitely show! Why rush it? Have at least three reads of your manuscript before you even think about sending it through. Besides, you also have to think of the cover letter and summary anyway. Those things are not easy to write! If the deadline is looming and you don’t want to wait till next year, still don’t send it. Rushing something in this line of work isn’t a good thing.
How do I improve my writing?
I get heaps of similar questions on improving their writing. And although I still don’t believe that I’m there yet (because I know I could still improve my writing big time) I have done a couple of things over the years that helped me with my craft.
Read different genres and authors – As tempting as it is to stick to the genres and authors you love, you won’t learn much if you keep reading the same thing. Variety is key. If you look at my Goodreads list, you’ll see I read different genres and authors. Having said that, I don’t read books I don’t like so if the first few chapters don’t grab me, I move on.
Learn from others – Go to as many writing festivals, talks and seminars as you can. Listen to what other writers have to say. If you get the chance (and the budget) work with a mentor or editor. My writing improved so much when I worked with an editor one on one. There’s nothing like sitting down with a professional who can show you your weaknesses but also encourage you to grow.
Finally, for all aspiring writers out there, don’t give up. Just keep writing. Your first rejection letter won’t be your last but it doesn’t mean you should stop. We’ve all been rejected. We’ve all gone through self-doubt. But if you keep going, you’ll keep growing (look at that, I rhymed!).
How many drafts do you go through before your book is ready for print?
It’s changed with each book. My first every novel, The Girl Between Two Worlds, had a million revisions – well, it felt like a million. To be honest, I can’t remember how many revisions I went through for that one. I can safely say at least 10. Because it was my first book, it was my ‘trial run’. I learned how to write a book while writing the book. So each time I learned how to do it better, I applied it to the manuscript. I think I would have kept on editing had it not been picked up by Anvil Publishing.
The second book, The Girl Between Light and Dark, took considerably less time to edit. I knew what I was doing a tiny bit more and I only worked with one editor, which helped make the whole process easier. For book one, I worked with at least three editors!
Should I send my manuscript to the publisher even if I’ve only edited it once?
Nope. Even seasoned authors go through several edits before sending their manuscript to the publisher. Remember, you only have one chance to dazzle them. Don’t send them a half-assed work because it will definitely show! Why rush it? Have at least three reads of your manuscript before you even think about sending it through. Besides, you also have to think of the cover letter and summary anyway. Those things are not easy to write! If the deadline is looming and you don’t want to wait till next year, still don’t send it. Rushing something in this line of work isn’t a good thing.
How do I improve my writing?
I get heaps of similar questions on improving their writing. And although I still don’t believe that I’m there yet (because I know I could still improve my writing big time) I have done a couple of things over the years that helped me with my craft.
Read different genres and authors – As tempting as it is to stick to the genres and authors you love, you won’t learn much if you keep reading the same thing. Variety is key. If you look at my Goodreads list, you’ll see I read different genres and authors. Having said that, I don’t read books I don’t like so if the first few chapters don’t grab me, I move on.
Learn from others – Go to as many writing festivals, talks and seminars as you can. Listen to what other writers have to say. If you get the chance (and the budget) work with a mentor or editor. My writing improved so much when I worked with an editor one on one. There’s nothing like sitting down with a professional who can show you your weaknesses but also encourage you to grow.
Finally, for all aspiring writers out there, don’t give up. Just keep writing. Your first rejection letter won’t be your last but it doesn’t mean you should stop. We’ve all been rejected. We’ve all gone through self-doubt. But if you keep going, you’ll keep growing (look at that, I rhymed!).
May 6, 2019
HOW TO WADE THROUGH YOUR BOOK IDEAS
Every writer has a million and one ideas for a book. Once you start opening that ‘what if’ door, things get hectic pretty quickly. The problem is that an idea will only be just that – an idea, if you don’t have the rest of the world built around it.
My Pending Stories folder has at least 20 documents in there from ideas I’ve had over the years. In the heat of the moment, I get absolutely convinced that the latest idea is the bomb and I’ll just write it in a month because I’m so inspired to finish it. Around 80 percent of the time, it doesn’t happen that way.
So how do you wade through the million ideas you have? Here’s what I do. Hopefully you get some good tips here, too.
WRITE THEM DOWN
No matter how small your idea is, write it down. In your journal, your computer, your phone, whichever is easiest. Write down as many details as you can (or as many as you can remember if you got your idea from a dream). If you don’t have names for your characters yet, that’s fine. Just define these characters and leave the names for later. Once that’s done, leave it in your folder and check the next step.
BE SENSITIVE TO YOUR MIND
When you’re doing mundane stuff, like chores or riding public transport, be sensitive as to which idea surfaces more. That one idea that pops up the most is the one that’s closest to your heart and has the best chance of getting through the book writing process. Hold on to that idea and expand it while you’re doing other things. Let your mind wander and see where it leads you. Write down whatever you think of. It all helps when you’re ready to start writing.
PICK ONE AND DEVELOP IT
You will know quite quickly which idea excites you more. You’ll feel it in your bones – the giddiness of starting world building and character development. I had three works in progress when I started writing the fourth book of The Engkantasia Chronicles. I was already halfway through writing a fifth standalone book when I realised I wanted to write book four so I had to press the pause button on that fifth project. Once I finished editing the first draft of book four, and was about to continue my fifth book, another idea came rushing into my head — one that I couldn’t let go. So I just wrote down whatever details came to my brain. It’ll stay in my folder until I finish my current project.
LAST TIP
There are writers who have novels that aren’t finished, or ones that they end up never finishing. It’s normal to have them. But for me, it’s not good practice. Having said that, have a think before you write. Maybe that one idea is better off a short story. There’s nothing wrong with that. The short stories you write will still help sharpen your writing skills. The idea is to just keep writing away!
My Pending Stories folder has at least 20 documents in there from ideas I’ve had over the years. In the heat of the moment, I get absolutely convinced that the latest idea is the bomb and I’ll just write it in a month because I’m so inspired to finish it. Around 80 percent of the time, it doesn’t happen that way.
So how do you wade through the million ideas you have? Here’s what I do. Hopefully you get some good tips here, too.
WRITE THEM DOWN
No matter how small your idea is, write it down. In your journal, your computer, your phone, whichever is easiest. Write down as many details as you can (or as many as you can remember if you got your idea from a dream). If you don’t have names for your characters yet, that’s fine. Just define these characters and leave the names for later. Once that’s done, leave it in your folder and check the next step.
BE SENSITIVE TO YOUR MIND
When you’re doing mundane stuff, like chores or riding public transport, be sensitive as to which idea surfaces more. That one idea that pops up the most is the one that’s closest to your heart and has the best chance of getting through the book writing process. Hold on to that idea and expand it while you’re doing other things. Let your mind wander and see where it leads you. Write down whatever you think of. It all helps when you’re ready to start writing.
PICK ONE AND DEVELOP IT
You will know quite quickly which idea excites you more. You’ll feel it in your bones – the giddiness of starting world building and character development. I had three works in progress when I started writing the fourth book of The Engkantasia Chronicles. I was already halfway through writing a fifth standalone book when I realised I wanted to write book four so I had to press the pause button on that fifth project. Once I finished editing the first draft of book four, and was about to continue my fifth book, another idea came rushing into my head — one that I couldn’t let go. So I just wrote down whatever details came to my brain. It’ll stay in my folder until I finish my current project.
LAST TIP
There are writers who have novels that aren’t finished, or ones that they end up never finishing. It’s normal to have them. But for me, it’s not good practice. Having said that, have a think before you write. Maybe that one idea is better off a short story. There’s nothing wrong with that. The short stories you write will still help sharpen your writing skills. The idea is to just keep writing away!
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