I used to think that not following your outline to the letter means you lack discipline. But yes I do know better now, and I've stopped beating myself up every time I'm unable to stick to the plan.
I also used to think deviating from your outline would mean more time wasted or at least taking the longer route to finishing your novel. But again I know better now. Admittedly, I sometimes find myself stubbornly rewriting a scene several times just because I want to follow my outline, but then I realize in hindsight that's how I end up wasting precious time in the first place.
IF it doesn't work, it doesn't work, and as with any relationship that doesn't work out, you just have to make a quick, clean break and move on.

When I completed my first novel, A Fling to Remember, I had no idea that I was violating so many rules with it. I was lucky enough to have queried a local editor who liked the book enough to give it a chance. But she did ask me to do a few changes, and that was my first lesson on the dos and don'ts of writing a manuscript. 

For those just getting started, here is my version of a really basic list of dos and don'ts when writing.

1. Do not use fancy formatting. Stick with Times New Roman, Size 12, Double Spaced.
2. Do use the same tense from start to finish. This is basically a toss-up between past and present. Most people write in past tense. Many romance novels these days, however, are written in present tense because it can make the reader feel like they're really part of the story.
3. Do not change POVs mid-way. You should think about what POV you're most comfortable using or the POV that your story most need before writing. I personally prefer writing in third person POV (he said, she said, they said) but there are times when my prologue is written in first person POV (I said, we said). In some cases, I write the girl's point of view in first person and the guy in third's or vice versa. As you can see, POV changes are okay - but not mid-paragraph, mid-scene, or mid-sentence.
4. Do be consistent. Sudden changes or twists and turns that really just come out of nowhere - with no reasonable explanation or no proper build-up - can be very jarring and will likely take your reader out of the story. If your H/h start off as frenemies in Chapter 1, you can't have them as BFFs in Chapter 2 without at least an explanation or a proper transition. Readers are fairly forgiving, especially when it comes to romance. Most of them - us - are willing to accept insta-love concepts, but you should at least provide a basis for two people falling in love at first sight. 

That's it for now. Like I said, these are all simple rules, something I typed off the top of my head. I hope it helps!

So I was thinking of a way to pay it forward and I thought that for Valentines Day, I'd write some sort of Q&A post about self-publishing for Filipino writers. I need to emphasize the Filipino part since I'm Filipino myself. As such, I'm in a better position to share info, insights and stuff about self-publishing from the Philippines. 

On the other hand, I don't think I'm in a position to offer advice about self-publishing to authors outside the Philippines. Plus, a lot of more experienced authors have already offered really good advice about this so I don't think I'd have anything much to offer.

Anyway, if you've only stumbled upon my site or post and you don't read my books or you don't know anything about me, here's a very brief summary of my writing career so far---

• I worked as an online content provider / Internet writer for about 8 years. One of my articles was republished by Yahoo! Small Business (content syndication) and another by MarketingProfs.com
• I once had a literary agent in US but it didn't work out. 
• I have been rejected too many times to count by numerous literary agents and local publishing companies. 
• I write steamy romantic comedies. And YA horror when I have time. Oh, and children's stories, too, under my real name.
• I made the deliberate choice of rejecting certain golden rules about writing (e.g. head-hopping POVs, use of adverbs) when I started self-pubbing. 
• I get my share of one-star reviews. Most of it have to do with the fact that my heroines are so naive (but hey that's because I tend to be naive IRL too and I keep forgetting to take off my rose-colored glasses) and my heroes are jerks (what can I say? I also believe that reformed rakes make the best husbands). Oh, and that I have too much sex in my stories (errr...no comment. :D).  Lastly, there would occasionally be reviews that say my stories - ex: The Werewolf Prince and I & How Not to be Seduced by Billionaires - are Fifty Shades copycats. However, that's not true and my long-time readers over at Girltalk (a forum on Female Network, owned by Summit Media) will be the first to tell you that my stories were completed way before FSOG became viral.
• I know for a fact that I have more US and non-Filipino readers than readers here in PH. 
• I currently have almost 2000 subscribers in my mailing list.
• I have one traditionally pubbed book here in PH - a chick-lit novella pubbed by PSICOM. This was back in 2007 or 2008 I think. Can't remember now.
• I now have almost 20 books available on Amazon and other e-retailers. 
• My best ranking books are The Werewolf Prince & I (Top 250 on Amazon US) and Nick & Lilac (Top 220 on Amazon US and Top 200 on Amazon UK)
• I became a NYT bestselling author when the Billionaire Bad Boys of Romance Boxed Set (multi-author anthology) hit the COMBINED LIST OF BESTSELLING EBOOKS AND PAPERBACKS on its first week. The boxed set made it to NYT for two weeks.
• Two of the boxed sets I'm a part of made it to the USA Today - Billionaire Bad Boys of Romance (3 weeks) and Tangled: New Adult Romance Boxed Set (1 week).

If you want something more extensive, I have my Road to Publication story posted here somewhere. 

So basically, that's it. If you think I can answer questions you have about self-publishing then you can post it here as a comment OR if you want to ask anonymously, then you can email me at [email protected] with SELF-PUBLISHING QUESTION as subject line. Feel free to ask anything that concerns you as a self-publisher (e.g. marketing your books, connecting with an international audience, royalties, etc. - anything goes!).

I'll also go through my older emails and share relevant questions (and answers) asked by Filipino readers. 

Expect the post to be up on V-Day. :) 

Dialogue tags are basically modifiers of - you guessed it - dialogue. With such tags, you need to be careful about capitalization and punctuation. 

Here are a few examples:

1.) Notice I'm using a small first letter here for the dialogue tag. You can never use a period to end your character's dialogue with this type of tag.
"Hi," she said shyly.
"What are you saying?" he asked.
"Oh no," the girl exclaimed.

2.) Period, capitalized-first-letter format. Conversely, you can never use a comma to end your character's dialogue for this type of tag.
"What?" He looked at me angrily.
"Thank you." Her voice was cold when she said the words.
"Hmph." That was all he said - hmph.

ADVERBS IN DIALOGUE TAGS
Now, if you've started reading books on how to write fiction / novels, then you'd probably have noticed that editors are very much discouraging when it comes to the use of adverbs.

"I hate you," she said furiously.
In this case, there's no need for the adverb since you can infer the character's not feeling predisposed to whoever it is she's speaking to with her dialogue alone.

"I hate you," he said quietly.
Ah, but in this case I think an adverb is warranted. Because you gotta wonder - why did he say such powerful words quietly? 

WHEN AND WHEN NOT TO USE DIALOGUE TAGS
It's a subjective matter, but it's safe to say that you don't need to use it all the time. 

P.S. Please do not consider this post as an indication that I'm a great writer. I am not. 

So...I've always wanted to share some stuff about writing but I've always thought I didn't have the right to. After all, it's not like I'm one of the greatest writers out there. Right? I know that. BUT I realize that because of how much writing I've been doing the past years, there are things that I do know more than those who are just starting out.

Which is why I've decided to start my Quick Tips Series and they are geared for aspiring authors who wish to polish their work. 

So first tip - the use of tenses. Always remember that you need to use the SAME tense throughout your book.

THE RIGHT WAY
"Hi," the girl SAID. 
The boy IGNORED her. 
She REPEATED, "Hi."
The boy still DID NOT look at her.

Above, we've used PAST tense throughout the scene. 

THE WRONG WAY
"Hi," the girl says.
The boy ignored her.
She repeats, "Hi."
The boy still doesn't look at her.

Now, with the above example, I've mixed past and present tenses. That is a huge NO-NO. Like, one look at your sample pages and agents you're querying will immediately hit 'delete'. 


Now, if you're thinking - which tense should I use? 

Good point!

I think it's safe to say that PAST tense is the conventional choice. However, it's become increasingly common for present tense to be used in YA/NA/Erotic romances simply because it makes the story feel more intimate, like you're really a part of what's happening. 

Ultimately, this is a subjective choice, one that has to do more with your writing style and preference.

Just be aware that there are a number of agents and publishers who distinctly dislike the use of present tense. We can't blame them - to each his/her own. :) 

P.S. Please do not consider this post as an indication that I'm a great writer. I am not.