I write sweet and steamy rom-coms with tear-jerker happy-ever-afters.
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This is where we talk all about writing.


I'm still new to indie / self-publishing, but if there's a question you'd like to ask me, please feel free to do so. 
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My Road to Publication

The End of My #authorblog experiment

7/29/2019

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So...first of all, I had this long post prepared and published...on the wrong page. I thought I'd be able to copy-paste the whole thing after deleting the post, but something went wrong between then and now, so long story short, I wasn't able to salvage the bulleted part (aka the most important part > . < ) of the post.
And now I'm too tired to re-type everything, so let me see if I can just do a simplified version.
  • My previous post ended with me at home after watching Midsommar. I was still able to work after that.
  • Saturday was extremely busy. Had to go out for lunch, dinner, and coffee until 3AM. But I did manage to get a bit of writing done in between AND after those things.
  • Sunday was also somewhat hectic. CCF service at 3PM, dinner at North Park, and Starbucks after. Worked during the wee hours again.
  • Tried to work early yesterday (Monday) starting 9AM but due to lack of sleep, my eyes kept drooping by 10AM. Had to rest, but couldn't sleep. Ended up doing some crafting 3:30 to 4:30 lol. Quick shower then left at 5:30 and headed to Araneta. Dinner at Pizza Hut (because they always have available tables, and they have the most incredibly courteous and helpful staff), and then off to watch WESTLIFE TWENTY, WOOHOO.
After a week's worth of doing #authorblog, the most important thing I've realized is that I suck at time management. > . < I also need to make myself less available for other stuff so I have more time to devote to my books.
Oh, and something that I feel I need to declare here is that sometime between my last post and today, the rankings of Rancher #3 sank like a rock and now plays anywhere between 8K to 10K. :(
It is what it is, so I'm just hoping things will be much better once Rancher 4 comes out. <3

P.S. Too lazy to include photos for this post, sorry!
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#authorblog Day 4 and Day 5

7/26/2019

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So...Day 4 (Thursday) can be pretty much summed up with one photo.
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So yeah. I got to do a bit of writing in the day, some crafting, too, but most of the heavy lifting was done in the wee hours of the morning. The work I did on Thursday was sort of a turning point for me, since it was the first time I felt really good about where my story was going. Once I reach this point, it's all good, and everything's fast-tracked.
Anyway, hubby woke up sometime after seven and had someone buy us breakfast from McDonald's. Went to sleep around 8:30, woke up sometimes before 3PM, did a bit of crafting, and then hubby picked me and my siblings up so we could join everyone at the office to celebrate mass in honor of the feast day of St. Joachim & St. Anne.
Dinner followed, as it always does whenever we have a priest come over to the office for mass. Afterwards, we headed to Vertis North to watch Midsommar. Since we had some time to kill before the cinema could let us in, hung out at Serenitea...
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And yes, there were eight of us. Me and my 4 sibs (we're 7 in total), hubby, sister's boyfriend, and our cousin. It's usually like this, i.e. I only go out with family these days, and we're usually a large group, regardless of whether I'm with my mom or dad's side. To say we're close-knit is pretty much the understatement of the century. >.<
Dropped by 7-11 to buy our midnight meals, and it was - I think - around 1:30 AM when we were finally home and comfortably settled to watch Doctors on Netflix.
Not sure if I can do a bit more of work before I go to sleep. We'll see. But before I end this post, let me just share my most recent rank check on Rancher 3.
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No more hitting the Hottest New Releases charts since it's more than a month old. However, the bestselling list is available 24/7 and I cannot believe that it still manages to occasionally rank under 5K and make it to the Top 100 for Western Romances. This is just incredibly insane, and I can only thank God and my readers, and of course the super supportive AT (hubby's initials), for this.
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#authorblog Day 3

7/24/2019

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My day started around 10-ish, and after brunch, I did my usual bit of procrastinating before getting to work. Honestly, if there's one thing that this #authorblog series has taught or shown me, it's simply how bad I am at time management. > . <
Anyway, I edited a few thousand words yesterday - I rewrote the first XXX scene (that's what I call sex scenes when I'm outlining) between H/h and I was also able to add almost 2K new words to my WIP.
We also went out for dinner last night.
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And I worked on a couple of happy mails for my readers.
Example:
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I think I spent more time doing non-writing things compared to actual writing, but one thing I've also learned from past experiences is to not force it. When I feel like a particular scene or plot point isn't working for me, I used to rewrite it over and over, but it never really works, and I always end up throwing the towel. More often than not, when I resume writing after spending some time away from my WIP, everything suddenly falls into place.
So maybe it's stress or something else, but either way, when something's not working, I simply take time off and do something relaxing like crafting.
That said, I still think I'm doing something wrong (imho). I know of writers who never or at least rarely have this problem, and they simply write day in and day out without ever questioning their outline or their vision for their story. I honestly think that's possible for them because they're no longer hindered by stupid stuff like excessive doubts and insecurities and caring too much about other people's opinions.
On this, I think I've significantly improved compared to how I was before. Hopefully, before 2019 ends, I'll be one of those writers, too, and I no longer question what I'm writing because I've found inner peace. :)
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#authorblog Day 2

7/23/2019

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Here we are again for Day 2, and yesterday was a lot more typical.
I woke up quarter to ten, had brunch while watching stuff on YouTube and Amazon's Prime Video (my newest source of streaming addiction lol), and then I started working sometime after two in the afternoon...in my bedroom. :)
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Above is the table I have in my bedroom...for crafting haha. Initially, it was supposed to be for writing, but after giving it a couple of tries, I realized that I didn't have enough table space and leg space for working. So there. It's back to the bed for me. :)
I think I've mentioned this in my previous post, but I recently reached out to readers, asking if they wanted to receive a little something from me. I've already closed my impromptu giveaway, and I think I have 29 readers to write to. Each mail "packet" will be 21g - 50 g, include one Marian Tee postcard, and contain randomly selected stationery items. I had the boys print the first batch of postcards, and I'm probably biased, but they truly look incredible to me. :D
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Anyway, I had just gotten a bit of momentum working when the hubby called, asking if I wanted to join them at Celebrity (clubhouse of sorts). I said yes, of course, thinking it was the perfect place for me to enjoy free food (thanks, Dad, haha) while working.
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The plan was for the boys and my youngest sister to shoot some hoops while the rest of us just hang out (or in my case work and eat).
​But when we got there, we found out that the court's been reserved until 9PM.
What this means for me: we only stayed for dinner, so no extra time to chill and write. :(
Went back to work as soon as I got home. I was able to edit maybe 8K words and write around 1K in addition. Not as productive as I liked, but since I know this was the final version of my WIP, still pretty happy.
​Until tomorrow! :)
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Since I can't do #authortube, how about #authorblog instead? > . <

7/22/2019

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I can't remember how exactly I ended up stumbling upon #authortube, but long story short, I did, and honestly I wish I could do something like it, but...yeah, well, I do mean it when I say I'm shy. > .

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    Welcome!

    * Starting February 1, 2014, this blog will be dedicated to providing publishing tips for aspiring Filipino writers.
    * This blog is also where I share my theological views and how it affects my life and work as a writer. I consider myself an open-minded Catholic as I also have an uncle who's a Christian pastor. Luke 9:50 Jesus said to him, "Do not prevent him, for whoever is not against you is for you."
    I believe with all my heart that it is our personal relationship with God that saves us and NOT RELIGION.
    * Readers, the stuff you want may be found here.

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