bethgstories

If I were to choose one word to describe how I feel about 2024, it would be fulfilled .   I entered the year with high hopes and ambitious goals. Despite learning a few years ago to be kinder to myself, the goals I set down seemed demanding—perhaps even unachievable. I wanted to publish two books, read twenty, take vitamins, and watch more sunsets.   Funny how my sequential task execution kicked in as I worked on these goals. Four years of languishing in my literary career, surrounded by pages of progress yet unfinished manuscripts, finally led me to write and complete a love story inspired by my own happiness and self-love. It still amazes me that I created characters out of pure fiction and imagination, and even more so that I had the chance to introduce them to the world.   Routines are nurturing. Carving out dedicated time for writing, free from distractions, allowed my creativity to flow freely. Yet routines can also feel rigid. At times, I felt tr...

Iba iba ang uri ng pakikinig. Iba't iba ang tono, iba't iba ang himig.  Hindi rin pare-pareho ang layunin ng mga nakikinig. May mga pandinig na nakatuon para sumunod, ang bawat salitang naririnig ay nagiging gabay. Nakikinig sila hindi para sumalungat, kundi upang sundin ang landas na inilalatag ng sinumang nagsasalita.  Mayroon namang pakikinig na parang nasa classroom. Ang bawat salita ay sinusuring maigi, sinisipat, at sinasalin upang gawing aral. Ang ganitong pakikinig ay puno ng paghanga at pagkatuto. Sa bawat kwento, may natututunan.  Hindi rin lahat ng pakikinig ay dalisay. May mga pandinig na nag-aabang ng tsismis, na mga ibong mabilis magbitbit ng balita. Nakikinig sila hindi upang umunawa, kundi upang mag-ipon ng kwento na may panibagong dagdag pagdating sa ibang tagapakinig.  Meron ding pakikinig na may kasamang. Ang bawat sinabi ay sinusukat, hinuhusgahan, hinahambing sa sariling paniniwala. Ang pandinig na ito’y hindi naghahanap ng pag-unawa, kundi nagha...

I used to dread that question. Not because it wasn’t sincere, but because I felt like I had nothing good to answer. Most of the time, no one really asks me about my weekend, and when they do, I can’t help but feel like there’s nothing exciting to share. I hated it. Hated the fact that my weekends were often spent in solitary confinement, with nothing but Japanese novels and Asian dramas heavy on the romance. I didn’t mind those things, but the emptiness of it all—the lack of anything else—weighed on me. It made me feel like there were better ways I could be spending my time. Better ways to fill the silence. But there was something about you asking. Something about you taking the time to ask. I realized, through your simple question, that it wasn’t about the details of how I spent my time. It was about the fact that I had something to share, and someone to share it with. It wasn’t the what, but the connection that mattered. And suddenly, it made me realize: it wasn’t the weekend that ne...

So you want to write? You’re thinking of a story but you can’t just get it out of your head. Or maybe, you’ve been already been writing but it’s been a long time now and you haven’t even finished your story’s first act. Kinda frustrating, yes. Because the truth is, goals in writing can be a tricky thing. One minute you’re inspired and typing furiously, and the next, you’re staring at the blinking cursor wondering where the hell all your motivation went.  I should know. I’ve been there.  Setting realistic goals in writing is the key. And when I say realistic, I mean goals that are actually achievable based on your lifestyle, energy levels, and available time. Gone were the days when I believed in “ shoot for the moon; you will land among the stars ” (well, at least in writing), because when my target feels overwhelming, I tend to get frustrated and just give up altogether.  Why is setting realistic goals in writing important? Believe it or not, writing isn’t always about w...

I do not believe that writer’s block exists… at least until I attended a writing workshop where the respectable speakers said there is no such thing and it all comes down to self-discipline… and maybe a couple of routines. But for the sake of this post, and of those who’ve been asking how to deal with writer’s block, let’s pretend it exists. And if it really does, how do we overcome it. As I write this, I am on a break from editing a fifty-thousand word draft I finished writing in three months. This is the second book I’ve written this year (and a first in this genre so that’s saying a lot), proof that writer’s block can indeed be combatted. A change in environment Sometimes, a change in environment is necessary. Not just in writing but I guess in other life aspects that give us insurmountable (insurmountable???) amount of stress. For example, I went to this cafe in the nearby mountains just to be in the mood to write the final battle scene in my book. It wasn’t spectacular by any ...