Back in Manila. The 7-day Write-Shop in Bali, Indonesia was
very hectic. The writing, editing, revising, thinking deep, analytical thinking
and the researching part were painstakingly undertaken. Staying wide-awake up
to the wee hours of the morning, overdosed with Indonesian coffee, I wouldn’t
have minded though if they were cups and cups of kopi luwak (coffee made from
the beans which have been eaten by the Asian Palm Civet then passed through its
digestive tract). But it was not, for a while there- I suffered from
hyper-acidity from too much coffee and maybe from the write-shop itself that
was almost a marathon.
It was moments of cracking head to phrase a line or two,
and moments of breaking the heart to let go of it because it must be lumped,
simplified but still able to catch the readers’ interest and attention.
Then finally, on Sunday (June 9) the 4th and final
draft, finally, became final (am I making sense in this phrase? Hahaha!) after
series of mind-boggling, energy-draining revisions of several drafts, I can’t
wait to see the final output- the book.
My insight: I thought all this time, I can write anything and
everything…but then I realized in the write-shop, there is something more. I
have lots of room for improvement. I came to know how to deal with the painful
parting of lines and lines I wrote that I thought can contribute to make my
article a perfect one. “Letting go” is an important attitude of a good writer.
As I got time to plug my self connection and re-charged, I glanced at my pink Dell
personal laptop- lying in one corner of my flat, unused except when I watch movie
or listen to music loudly. I imagine myself with my lilac backpack where my
laptop is tucked. I will be writing- wherever the winds lead me. Where my
musing reflects an inspiring, fiction story and factual if it’s a technical
writing or case study.
One thing is certain, I learned a lot. And I love to
write. And I will write the rest of my life. I will write a book. There is no
right time for that to set. Everyday stories are worth capturing. Thus,
whatever happens, I always have my journal with me. Stories that I can cull-out
lines, quotes, stories of humors and pains. Relationships. Bitterness.
Betrayals. Embarrassments. Frustrations. Annoyances. Sex. Sorrows. Lost Cause. Happiness.
Love. Joys. Successes. Milestones. Good finds- my books, my bells, my music, my
hippie stuff, varieties of red wines, good cheeses, friends, even enemies can be
good finds because it made you see what you don’t want to become. Each
character is worth writing. Shells, beaches, pink, white sands…salt water and
more…
