It's THAT time of the year again

...and I don't mean Christmas.

I look forward to November of each year with a mixture of excitement and trepidation as it usually means I'll have to go through 30 days and nights of anxiety, frustration, and euphoria, thanks to this yearly event called NaNoWriMo. 

And like every week before NaNo commences, I'm always left doing something else (like writing this blog post) instead of finishing my story's plot. 

There's a lot going for me this year as I take on this yearly writing challenge, most of which is work-related schedule conflict. Hopefully once I establish a routine after work, I can stick to it and accomplish my daily writing quota. I'll be doing Reverse NaNoWriMo again to get me ahead of my game. 

I'll be writing contemporary romance again, and I have good vibes with this story. I'm really hoping this euphoria lasts even beyond November, as I plan to hopefully get it published as well. Last year's NaNo novel is still in the process of being edited, but I'm also crossing my fingers I could get it all cleaned up and ready to be sent out to the world next year. 

Despite my not-yet-finished plot, I'm very excited to do NaNo again because of the local support group, PinoyWrimos, and the much-larger, global group of WriMos who'll go through the same roller coaster ride this month. 

And speaking of PinoyWrimos, the Kick-Off event was so much fun! It was one of the biggest turnout in terms of attendance, and it was great to see both new and familiar faces. That round-robin writing exercise was such a nifty game that I got to bond with fellow writers (we collectively call ourselves the Dino WriMos because of our strange affinity for prehistoric reptiles and a certain British supermodel). And I got to talk about Reverse NaNo too and shared my experience on how it helped me reach the finish line way ahead of the deadline. 

I'm definitely looking forward to the write-ins and participating in word wars. I'm going to make 2014 my (NaNo) year! 

And here's to hoping we all get our purple bars!

Filipino Friday: Have you ever wanted to write a book?

Hey, guys, it's Friday again! And that means another Filipino Friday meme! Here's my take on week 2.

As a reader, have you ever thought about writing a book? What kind of books/stories do you want to write? Or are you now a published author, and what compelled you to go fulfill this dream? How was your journey from reader to writer? How did you go about getting your book out there?

Filipino Friday: Intro Post & New Discoveries

It's that time of the year again, folks! The Filipino Reader Con is happening again this November and I just know it's going to be even more awesome than last year's. And as per tradition, the weeks leading to the big day would include a weekly meme every Friday. Here's the first Filipino Friday meme for the week:

Surprise, Reader! Hello, it’s the first week of Filipino Fridays 2014! Whether it’s your first time to participate or not, tell us a bit about yourself. More specifically, tell us about your favorite book discoveries for this year. Any author you started reading this year that you can’t get enough of? A book you didn’t think you’d like, but you ended up liking/loving? Any book series that you just have to get your hands on? Have you discovered anything new from Filipino authors this year?

My Wallet Post-MIBF

Cool graffiti art at the convention lobby

Thank you again, life (and work), for making me such a delinquent when it comes to updating my blog. But even so, allow me to say that the MIBF this year was such a great experience. I had my friends come along, not to mention there were just so many books I wanted to buy. In terms of books and stuff I wanted to get my hands on, I could've easily burned all the money I had in my wallet. But of course, I still managed to reel myself from doing that. 

And because I am a lazy bum, I'm going to enumerate the highlights of my MIBF experience. Luckily, I took pics as well.