2009 May | The Elisean Plains

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Raising the Stakes

30 May 2009 | By Elise Estrella

Nung kinuha ko yung check for Waiting to Fall, nabanggit ni Miss Apple na kung kaya daw ba ng powers ko na dagdagan ng isa pa ang mga mahal kong Ibarra. Gusto daw kasi niyang ilabas ng sabay sabay yung tatlo. Ang sabi ko nun baka hindi na kasi tatlo lang talaga sila. Inexplain din kasi ni Miss Apple na twelve ang nilalabas na books per month at kung may series man, apat na libro lagi yung nasa series sa isang release. Pumayag naman siya na tatlo na lang kasi nga baka matagalan ko ding isulat yung fourth, knowing me na medyo average of every six months ang pag-pasa ko ng libro.

So nang sumulpot itong si Benedict (sa pagitan ng isang series na hindi siya kasali), nagulat na lang ako at pinsan din pala siya ni Dom, Anton at Miguel. Oo nga’t hindi na connected sa Extra Challenge ni Lolo Crisostomo ang story niya, pero kamag-anak pa din siya. So inemail ko kagad si Miss Apple kung pwede pang humabol si Benedict. At pwedeng pwede naman daw since may naka-line up pa siyang ilalabas na series.

Last week, habang ka-text ko si Yumi na nag-eempake na pabalik sa States, medyo delayed reaction ang mga reply ko dahil tinatapos ko na nga si Benedict. Kakasabi lang ni Miss Apple na tanggap na nga daw si Anton kaya medyo na-inspire naman ako. Ito yung kwento na kinakatakutan kong baka medyo hindi siya swak sa panlasa ng Filipino readers (read here) pero keber kasi sobrang nag-enjoy ako sa pag-research at pag-sulat sa kanya. At gaya ni Benedict at Sab, let’s just say that I raised the stakes, too.

Sana matanggap din sila. Eto ang hindi pa final na stats kasi hindi ako makontento sa kanya tuwing binabasa ko siya. Parang nahawaan ako ni Yumi na naging OC sa editing eh hehe so sa Monday ko na siya ipapasa kapag napabalibaliktad ko na yung chapters at na-edit ko na ng malupit. Sana ma-tanggap din talaga sila.

Working Title: Raising the Stakes
Wordcount: 23,186
Chapters: 11 + Prologue
Pages: 87
Finished: May 22, 2009
Submitted: —

I’m still waiting to hear about Enchanted by You. Baka sa Monday ko na malaman kung tanggap siya o hindi kasi late na ako naka-reply kay Miss Apple kanina kaya malamang umuwi na siya. Wish me luck! Kinakabahan talaga ako.

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Around the Web:

Share ko din pala itong napaka-gandang entry ni Yumi Sagara tungkol sa meeting namin sa Baguio. Ang ganda ng entry niya at na-touch na natawa ako. Pero nabulag lang po siya sa pag-describe sa’kin haha hindi po ako ganun ka-poised at demure. Balahura din po ako sa tunay na buhay. Basahin po ninyo: When Yumi Meets Elise.

Ito pa ang isa, Alet’s CTS (Carpal Tunnel Syndrome) Management entry na talaga namang makakatulong lalo na sa mga tulad nating writers na ang wrist ang puhunan. Informative siya. Stay healthy!

Category: Writing Tags: manuscripts, the Ibarras 10 Comments

Dear Diary

28 May 2009 | By Elise Estrella

During the days that I didn’t have a PC or a laptop, I relied on notebooks (dozens and dozens of which I still have) and record books to keep my secret thoughts and feelings. I started writing in a little diary that my lola bought for me at the Uniwide Warehouse Club in Libis for P19.50. I was around eight years old. Unfortunately, I lost that diary because we’ve moved a couple of times, so someone who helped carry our bags and boxes have probably read my childish dreams of becoming an astronaut, a pilot, an empress, etc.

I wrote in a diary continuously for several years, then I would stop only to pick up the habit again after a few months or even a whole year. I used to write in a diary I shared with a high school best friend. Since I studied in Baguio and she stayed in Manila, I’d write her letters on the journal then give it to her when I go home every other weekend. My college barkada also had a huge green notebook that we write on.

It kind of changed when I started seriously writing novels. I always got frustrated about how my mind worked faster than my hand could write that by the time I finished putting the words on paper, the story doesn’t sound the way I wanted it to sound. I started relying more and more on my keyboard, until I’ve all but forgotten the joys of longhand writing. Keyboard+one click publishing = no more kalyo.

I tagged along with my mom and my little sister to NBS at Megamall to buy school supplies, and I saw this hardbound notebook that I found hard to resist. When I saw the notebook, I fell in love with the design. I’m starting to love butterflies so the three on the cover caught my attention as well as the pretty color, and the whimsical golden vines and sparkles. I’ve been writing on it at least once a day since I bought it, and I’m finding it more liberating and more personal than blogging. With blogging, I have to consider the readers and what they will say about the topic. Will it insult or offend them? Will it be politically correct? Will they be interested? I can write about toe lint on the notebook and it wouldn’t matter because I’m the only one who would read it.

Right now, I’m loving my notebook. My handwriting is crap because I haven’t written anything longer than my signature on a credit card slip in a really long time, but I’d like to believe that it’s getting better. Next up is letter writing. I bought a packet of envelopes and I plan to write letters to people I know.

With blogs and e-mail and YM and Twitter and all the other medium that make writing and keeping in touch convenient, I hope the old-fashioned diary and the snail mail never lose their charm.

Category: My Life Tags: journal 47 Comments

Sa Baguio

19 May 2009 | By Elise Estrella

Yumi and Elise Meet in Baguio
I finally, finally got to meet Yumi Sagara! And there are no words… maybe, no words. We met at NBS, SM City Baguio at 10 a.m. And I think I bowled her over when I gave her a hug. I was really nervous and excited and scared, but Yumi turned out to be just as sweet and funny and nice in real life as she is online! I just wish we had more time, because my sister and I had to check out from the hotel at noon, and we also decided to return to Manila because I was too lazy to find another hotel. Everywhere in Baguio was fully booked that weekend like you wouldn’t believe!

We don’t have a lot of pictures kasi nga limited yung time plus we only went to SM, so where can we take pictures there, ‘di ba? So we’re thinking of a next time, and hopefully, that under better circumstances.

A few more pics at my Multiply. Pero hindi ng Baguio. Pics lang namin haha

Salamat Yumi sa pagkikita natin at sa pasalubong. At special mention si Aira Felicity, my gulay! Pleasant surprise talaga yung book mo! At sobrang na-hulog ako sa upuan habang binabasa si Yvo. May kapalit na si Van sa puso ko LOL Saka salamat pala dun sa shinare mong entry sa Multiply. May post doon si Aira para sa’kin. Check it out here.

Tapos, as I’m writing this, may kumatok pang mamang taga-LBC at inabot sa’kin ang isang kopya ng Foolish Hearts by Yumi Sagara. Haaaay, perfect.

Thanks, girls!

***
Go Signal for Learning to Breathe
On another note, APPROVED NA SI ANTON!!! *happy dancing* Salamat sa mga bumasbas Dagukan na naman daw ba ako ng blessings? Sana huwag manawa si Lord.

Category: Just Saying, My Life Tags: buddies, go signals, thank yous 43 Comments

Worries and Doubts

12 May 2009 | By Elise Estrella

...anxious... I’m currently writing a FANtastic story. Meaning, mahirap siyang FANiwalaan.

I’m the type of reader who gets drawn to stories that don’t really (or rarely happens) happen in real life, like a down-on-her-luck woman winning the lotto and snagging the guy (Nora Roberts’ The Winning Hand), a hundred-plus year old vampire falling for a normal girl (the Twilight series), an Atlantean god tripping over his two, over-sized feet for a clumsy professor (Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Dark-Hunter series). I like the out of the ordinary because, God! I already live an ordinary life! Why would I want to read something that’s already happening to me? But then again, there are a lot of people who want to be able to relate to the story they’re reading.

I’m writing a story that I want to read, i.e. it has 0.01% chance of ever really happening. But it doesn’t matter because I still want that to happen in real life. I still want this story’s heroine to have her HEA, and I’m darn gonna give it to her.

I do have a few concerns though.

My evaluators. Will they let the story pass? Or will they return the manuscript? Then, if they accept it, how many people are, like me, willing to suspend disbelief and give the story a chance? I don’t want people to say “ang pangit naman no’n” just because they can’t relate to it. But then again… people will say “ang pangit naman no’n” anyway if they really didn’t like it whether they can relate to it or not, right?

It’s just my arrogance showing. I’m actually really very arrogant.

I’m having such a great time writing Raising the Stakes. I love being able to research and learn about Las Vegas (which is now near the top of my Top 5 Cities to Visit in the US). I’m enjoying Sabrina and Benedict’s company. It’s just that being an author – who no longer just writes for herself – I worry about how they will be received. Even more so these two than the others, because this is really where I kinda pushed the boundaries of what I’m allowed to write… or maybe, I just haven’t read anything like it in Filipino.

For now, I’m just thinking that I’m in love with my two new characters. They’re great, they’re fun to write. They have an incredible tale to tell and I’m just lucky enough to be able to write it for them. It’s not “original” and I’m not saying it was wholly my idea as I have to thank Nora Roberts for the general concept (I channeled Robert “Mac” Blade and Andy Garcia’s character in Ocean’s Eleven to be able to write Benedict). But I’m writing it the way the characters want me to write it.

Anyway, whether Benedict and Sab make it through, and whether people love or hate them, I will always remember how fun it was and how happy I was while I was writing them

Photo Credit: The University Blog

Category: Just Saying, My Likes, Writing Tags: manuscripts, the Ibarras, writing process 11 Comments

Oh! That’s Why!

10 May 2009 | By Elise Estrella

It all suddenly made sense!

When I first started writing Playing for Keeps, its title was supposed to be Raising the Stakes. For some reason, the title didn’t click, and my characters didn’t agree with it. So instead of the “raising up the stakes” line from the Spill Canvas song, This is for Keeps, I decided to go with “this time I am playing for keeps”. The main characters, Dom and Mios, agreed. Playing for Keeps it became.

This is why. A few days ago, I woke up in the middle of the night with an idea for a casino story. That’s the reason why I couldn’t call the other one Raising the Stakes. Because this story is supposed to be called Raising the Stakes. And! It’s connected to the Ibarras through Dom Ibarra’s wife, Mios. The hero, Benedict is Mios’ first cousin Dom, Anton and Miguel’s second cousin. Quartet problem solved.

Gotta email Miss Apple. I hope Anton gets accepted, then that I finish this within the week, then that it gets accepted too *hope, wish and pray*.

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Happy Mothers' Day!