Of icons, comments and Pacquaio-Hatton

I appreciate those who have uploaded their face pics, or shall we say, icons. Rey King, Adem and Mary Ann are on the list. This makes this virtual learning site more dynamic. I know more are in the offing.

We will cap our discussion on creative fiction this weekend and by tomorrow, we will start discussing Creative Nonfiction. However, I will distribute a reading about Short Story Writing, as part of the genres treated in the course.

Somebody left a message in the comment section, asking where is the interactive feature of this blog. Well, the fact that he or she was able to post a comment on this site is in itself an interactive "act." I decided though not to post it since it has no identification.

May I then remind everyone to indicate their names at the end of their comments even though they log on as "anonymous." I deliberately removed the restrictions of this site so that access would be easier for the students.

A tag board will be added to this site.

As regards our make-up class on May 3, I think, it will not derail your much-awaited Pacquaio-Hatton fight. The brawl will start lunchtime, right? By then, our class had already been dismissed.

Here's an idea. Look for interesting angles how your family, your neighborhood, your friends, officemates and your community as whole viewed this fight.

What were the preparations, anticipations, jeers and jubilations?

This is ringside action! It will be a good topic for our Creative Nonfiction.

You can make a good side bar story reportage of that event.

We will meet on May 2 and 3. But on May 9 and 10, I will be on leave.

As such, a schedule of make-up class is in order:

• May 3 , 7:00 a.m – 12:00 noon (in lieu of May 9)


• May 17, 1:00 – 6:00 p.m (in lieu of May 10)
  

Please be guided.

All the best!

- GSR

Reminder to all students

I have started downloading your emails.

I would like to reiterate my earlier disseminated instruction as regards uploading your outputs in writing exercises. Please stick to the rules:

- The text must be Times New Roman
- No formatting
- Font size must be 12 Points, Normal

Some deviated from this direction. I am converting files that failed (deliberately?) to follow the instructions. The downloading then becomes time consuming.

Others failed to wrote the correct Exercise Number. Exercise Number 1 is a Travelogue, Number 2 is Personality Sketch and Number 3 is Poetry.

Please take note of the reminder I wrote on the board.

Thank you and I hope to receive all your three outputs this week.

- GSR

Ang dai ga sunod sa instruction, Section Waling-Waling, Row 4, kataning ning mga samhod, lampaso buda dust pan. : P

Early Bird....

Five stars to Elvira Tapas, first to log in on our website. :) For that, she earns the title, Most Punctual Online Student! :)

More are catching up. Enjoy this cyber edition of our class!

Watch for the uploading of your outputs.

Writing Flash Fiction

By G. W. Thomas

With the advent of the Internet, editors are looking for shorter works, more easily read on a computer screen. The current term is "flash fiction", a tale between 300-1000 words long.

Longer than micro-fiction (100-300 words) but shorter than traditional short stories (3000-5000 words preferred by most magazines), flash fiction is usually a story of a single act, sometimes the culmination of several unwritten events.

This article will offer several strategies for writing flash fiction. Used by themselves or in combination, the writer can focus their story to that brief, interesting event.

1) The small idea
Look for the smaller ideas in larger ones. To discuss the complex interrelationship of parents and children you'd need a novel. Go for a smaller piece of that complex issue. How kids feel when they aren't included in a conversation. What kids do when they are bored in the car. Middle child. Bad report card. Find a smaller topic and build on it.

2) Bury the preamble in the opening
When you write your story, don't take two pages to explain all the pre-story. Find a way to set it all in the first paragraph, then get on with the rest of the tale.

3) Start in the middle of the action
Similar to #2, start the story in the middle of the action. A man is running. A bomb is about to go off. A monster is in the house. Don't describe any more than you have to. The reader can fill in some of the blanks.

4) Focus on one powerful image
Find one powerful image to focus your story on. A war-torn street. An alien sunset. They say a picture worth a thousand words. Paint a picturewith words. It doesn't hurt to have something happen inside that picture. It is a story after all.

5) Make the reader guess until the end
A little mystery goes a long way. Your reader may have no idea what is going on for the majority of the story. This will lure them on to the end. When they finish, there should be a good pay off or solution.

6) Use allusive references
By using references to a commonly known story you can save yourself all those unnecessary words. Refer to historical events. Use famous situations from literature. If the story takes place on the Titanic you won't have to explain what is going to happen, who is there or much of anything. History and James Cameron have already done it for you. Beware of using material that is too obscure. Your reader should be able to make the inferences.

7) Use a twist
Like # 5, the twist ending allows the writer to pack some punch at the end of the story. Flash fiction is often twist-ending fiction because you don't have enough time to build up sympathetic characters and show how a long, devastating plot has affected them. Like a good joke, flash fiction is often streamlined to the punch-line at the end.

-----------------------------------------
G. W. Thomas has appeared in over 100 different books and magazines. His micro story "Nano-Hunk" won the Zine Guild Award for Best SF Micro Fiction 2000.

What is Flash Fiction?

Flash fiction is type of short story, also called micro or sudden fiction. It is a complete story that is usually told in around 500 words. There are many flash fiction stories that are no more than 100 words. The shorter the complete story, the better.

Flash fiction story writing is an art in itself. To be able to construct a complete story with characters and a plot within this word count can be incredibly difficult, but it can also be a way of evolving a story idea in a short space of time. The ability to tell a story in 100 words that has an impact on the reader is just as impressive as the ability to write a novel.
In today’s fast moving world, where people may no longer have the time to read novels, these very short stories have gained popularity. There are many literary webzines and some print magazines that focus solely on this type of fiction. The stories can cross all genres and can be read in a few minutes.


With flash fiction, the ability to construct meaningful, yet concise sentences is a major factor. Every sentence is important. A short piece of flash fiction should contain a collection of great lines.

The term flash fiction is thought to have originated in 1992 with the anthology Flash Fiction, written by Denise Thomas, James Thomas and Tom Hazuka, but the origins of micro fiction can be seen as far back as the Greek storytellers. More modern practitioners of this form of writing include Ernest Hemingway and Franz Kafka. With the advent of the Internet, flash fiction has exploded in popularity. There are classes on how to write good flash fiction pieces. There are even competitions, such as write a flash fiction story on a beer mat.

The plus side to writing this type of story is that anyone can try it. You do not have to commit yourself to the story as you would when writing a novel. Although it may sound very difficult, some people have a natural knack for telling a tale in a very short space, and basically anything goes.

Although the story should have all the elements of a longer short story, such as characters, plot and so on, how you tell the story is up to you. Think of a reporter writing a story within a set number of words; this could be seen as the basis of flash fiction. If you don’t feel up to the novel inside you, why not try out a few different flash fiction stories and see how they evolve. (http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-flash-fiction.htm)

More than words...

HARVEST IN STILLNESS - a fisher in "suba." Taken on January 11, 2009 near Virac Central Elementary School. (GSR)

Verses are not, as people imagine, simply feelings (we have those soon enough); they are experiences.

In order to write a single poem, one must see many cities, and people, and things; one must get to know animals and the flight of birds, and the gesture of flowers make when they open to the morning.

One must be able to return to roads in unknown regions; to unexpected encounters, to partings long foreseen; to days of childhood that are still unexplained, and to parents whom one had to hurt when they brought one some joy and one did not grasp it (it was joy for somebody else); to childhood illnesses that begin so strangely with such a number of profound and grave transformations, to days spent in rooms withdrawn and quiet and to mornings by the sea, to the sea itself, to oceans, to nights of travel that rushed along loftily and flew with all the stars – and still it is not enough to be able to think all of this.

There must be memories of many nights of love, each one unlike the other, or the screams of women in labor, and of women in childbed, light and blanched and sleeping, shutting themselves in.

But one must also have been beside the dying, must have sat beside the dead in a room with open windows and fitful noises. And still it is not yet enough, to have memories. One must be able to forget them when they are many and one must have immense patience to wait till they come again. For the memories themselves are nothing. Not till they have returned to blood within us, to glance and gesture, nameless and no longer be distinguished from ourselves – not till then can it happen that in a most rare hour, the first word of a poem rises in their midst and goes forth from them.”

- Rainer Maria Rilke

Taken from the poetry workshop packet given by Allan C. Popa during his lecture on March 26, 2009 in Virac.

Nota Bene

"One does not make poetry with ideas, but with words".

- Paul Valery, The Art of Poetry
(from the poetry worshop packet conducted by poet Allan Camacho Popa)

"Words are materials for construction in poetry".
- Allan C. Popa, National Book Awardee

A very valuable resource

ILANG GABAY SA PAGTULA

Ni Emmanuel Dumlao

3rd Place (Tula), 2006 Palanca Awards

I. PAG-ARUGA SA MALIKHAING SARILI

Isa sa mga exercises na ginagawa natin sa mga writers' groups sa UPLB ay ang tinatawag na free writing – isang tuloy-tuloy na pagsulat ng kung ano ang maisip at maramdaman sa loob ng pinagkasunduang panahon (madalas 10 minuto). Wala itong editing, walang sinusunod na rules of grammar, at walang censorship; basta ang mahalaga ay malayang maisulat ang iniisip o nararamdaman. Kadalasan ginagawa ito sa tulong ng isang writing prompt – isang quotation, dialogue, o linya sa tula o kahit anong puwedeng pangiliti sa imahinasyon. Halimbawa: `Sa libingan ng maliit ang malaki ay may libangan.'

Sa ganitong paraan, kumokonekta tayo o tumitibay ang ating uganayan sa ating malikhaing sarili. Kailangan natin ito bilang mga artists; isang paraan ito ng pagpapahusay ng ating sining. Isang paraan ito ng pagbalanse sa ating sarili na mas madalas kaysa hindi ay dominado ng kaliwang utak – rason, lohika, isip. Sa pamamagitan nito, nabibigyang puwang ang ating kanang utak, ang responsable sa sining, samga imahen, sa emosyon.

Ano ang gamit nito sa ating pagtula?

May isa akong free writing exercise na sinulat ko sa loob ng 15 minuto. Nakakawalong tula na ako mula rito at hindi pa ubos ang mga imahen at konsepto para sa mas marami pang tula. Meron din akong mga ginawang konting editing na lamang ay pinal nang tula. Sa madaling salita, ang ganitong exercise ay paghukay sa bukal ng ating pagkamalikhain.

Sa sandaling panahon ng pananahimik at pakikipag-usap sa ating sarili, nagagawa nating kaunin at padaluyin ang mga imahe, emosyon, kaisipang binabansot ng ating pagkukumahog sa araw-araw.

Kapag maglalaan tayo ng kahit 15 minuto lamang araw-araw para pakinggan ang ating sarili, walang mawawala sa atin kundi ang mga agiw at kuyagot na bumabara sa malayang pagdaloy ng ating pagkamalikhain.

II. ILARAWAN, HUWAG SABIHIN (SHOW, DON’T TELL)

Walang iisang pamantayan ang kagandahan, walang may monopolyo kung ano ang maganda o epektibong tula. Ang tugmang humahalina sa akin ay maaaring magpangilo sa iba. Ang mensaheng nagpapalutang sa iyong diwa ay maaari namang magdagan ng halobalak sa aking dibdib.

Gayonman, may mga best practices sa larangan ng pagtula na puwede nating maging huwaran. Isa rito ang nakapaloob sa dictum na `show don't tell' o ilarawan huwagsabihin. Hindi ito absolute pero batayang alituntunin sa pagtula. Bakit? Ang taong bumabasa ng tula ay may limang pandamdam:mata, tainga, ilong, dila, at balat. Pero kadalasan, iniisnab natin ang mga ito. Isang dahilan nito ang pagkahirati natin sa mga abstraktong pagpapahayag o adiksyon sa pang-uri. Mas madali kasing magsabi kaysa maglarawan.

Halimbawa, andali-daling sabihing maganda, madilim, nakakatakot, maginaw, karimlan, lagim, atbp. Pero may dating ba ang ganitong mga salita? Madalas wala. Kaya ang hamon ay ilarawan: ipakita, ipalasa, ipaamoy, ipadinig, iparamdam.

Halimbawa, sa halip na sabihing `kayganda ng buwan kagabi', mas may dating kung `bangkang gumagaod ang buwan sa dagat ng dilim'. Kongkreto ang mga salitang bangka, buwan, dagat, at dilim at nakakakita tayo ng aksyon sa salitang gumagaod. Sa ganito, mas yumayaman ang kahulugan ng ipinapahayag.

Ano ang batayang alituntunin? Iwasan hangga't maaari ang mga abstraktong salitang mas magiging makabuluhan kung gagawing kongkreto. Sa madaling sabi, pag-isipan nang makailang beses kung gagamit ng pang-uri, pang-abay o abstraktong pangngalan. Gamitin lamang ang mga ito kung kailan kailangang-kailangan. Mas mayaman at mas may dating ang mga kongkretong pangngalan at pandiwa.

Tingnan ang sumusunod na saknong mula sa `Kung tuyo na ang luha mo' ni AV Hernandez:

Lumuha ka habang sila ay palalong nagdiriwang,
sa libingan ng maliit ang malaki ay may libangan;
katulad mo ay si Huli, naaliping bayad-utang,
katulad mo ay si Sisa, binaliw ng kahirapan;
walang lakas na magtanggol, walang tapang na lumaban,
tumataghoy kung paslangin; tumatangis kung pahirapan.

(Pansinin na bukod sa tunog ay gumamit din ng contrast ang awtor (maliit vs malaki, libingan vs libangan). Nariyan din ang paralelismo ng konstruksyon ng mga linya (katulad mo...; tumataghoy...tumatangis...)

III. TUNOG

May sukat at tugma man o malayang taludturan, napakahalaga ng tunog sa tula. Pakinggan halimbawa ang liyab ng damdamin sa paulit-ulit na tunog ng letrang `l' sa kasisiping saknong. Napakayaman ng wikang Filipino sa mga salitang ang tunog aynaglalarawan ng bagay na kanilang pinatutungkulan. Halimbawa, sagitsit (halos marinig mo ang sagitsit ng mantika sa mainit na kawali); lagaslas (halos marinig mo angpagbagsak ng talon); lagablab (halos makita at marinig ang liyab ng apoy) at marami pang katulad na mga salita.

Ang mahusay na paggamit at kombinasyon ng tunog ng mga salita ay nakakatulong sa paglikha ng epektibong tula. May mga tunog na nagpapahayag ng gaan ng damdamin, ngbigat ng kalooban at ang ganito ay hindi tsambahan – idinedisenyo ito ng makata. At makakamit ito hindi lamang sa pagtutugma ng huling pantig ng bawat linya. Madalas na ang tugmaang ganito ay nakakabagot; kaya ang ang ginagawa ng iba ay umiimbento sila ng ibang pattern. Sa halip na aaaa halimbawa, puwedeng ang tugmaan ay aabb:

Bawat kalabit, bawat panginginig
ng kuwerdas, ng mga daliri at tinig,
may mga alikabok na nalalaglag,
may mga alaalang naglalagalag

–o kaya nama'y abab:

Nagsitakas na sa pandinig matitinis na hagikhikang
kalaro ng tulirong isip at kasiping ng pagal na dibdib,
wala nang makikipagsayaw sa tanglaw ng bitui't buwan
wala na, wala nang iindak sa tugtog ng mga kuliglig.

Syempre may mga tula namang wala na talagang tugmaan pero nasa loob naman ang disenyo ng tunog sa pamamagitan ng aliterasyon. Tingnan ang mga nakatagilid na salita o pantig sa sumusunod na saknong:

Isang kisap ang buhay at kulang upang kuyumin
ang ligaya't ligalig ng ating pag-ibig;
ngunit ano nga ba ang walang-hanggan
kundi pagsasamang-wagas
na may wakas.

IV. LOHIKA, CONSISTENCY, KAISAHAN

May sariling uniberso o daigdig ang bawat tula at bawat daigdig na ito ay may sariling lohika o batas ng ugnayan ang mga imahe, kaisipan, kilos. Halimbawa, kung ang sentral na imahe ng tula ay bulaklak, lohikal lamang na magkaroon ng imahe ng dahon, tinik, lupa, sikat ng araw, hamog. Pag nakakita tayo ng kalawang sa ganitong daigdig, medyo nababalaho tayo. Maliban kung ang bulaklak na tinutukoy natin ay nasa gilid ng bakod na may alambre. Kung hindi, puwede nating sabihing nawawalan ng kaisahan ang tula. Pero syempre hindi absolute ang ganito. Maraming tula, magagandang tula, na nagsasalimbayan ang mga imahe tulad halimabawa ng mga tula ni Pablo Neruda. Maaaring ang magtakda ng consistency at lohika ay ang tema. Halimbawa, kung tungkol sa lungkot ang tula, maaari itong ipahayag sa pamamagitan ng mga sumusunod na imahe: sagwan na palutang-lutang sa dagat, gulanit na lambat, ulilang tarangkahan, kalawanging tadyang ng payong. Puwedeng pagsama-samahin ang mga ito, diskartehan na lamang ang disenyo o pagkakahanay ng mga imahe.

Pero para sa mga nagsisimula, mainam na magtuon muna sa isang mundo, isang fokus. Sa ganito, mas madaling madidiskartehan ang pagpili ng pinakaangkop na salita nang may masinop na konsiderasyon sa tunog at bilang ng pantig nito. Makakatulong ito para madebelop ang kakayahan natin na magkaroon ng kaisahan ang mensahe, porma, mga salita, imahe, at tunog ng tula. Halimbawa, hindi sapat na mensahe lamang ang magtaglay ng damdaming malungkot sa isang tula tungkol sa lungkot. Kailangang nagtutulong- tulong ang imahe, ang pantig, at tunog ng mga salita sa pagpapahayag ng ganitong damdamin.

Halimabawa:

Pangungulila

Kagabi,
sa pusod ng dilim,
isa akongulilang sagwan,
kinukutibng mga alon
sa gitna ng laot.
Nakatingala
sa kulay kalabaw
na langit,
nakamasid
sa mga pundidong bituin,
habang sunung-sunong
ang unti-unting natutunaw
na buwan.

------------------------------------------------------
This material was distributed to Pinoypoets members

Selection No. 3

Szechuan Garden
by Luli Arroyo


I do not prefer spicy food
but tonight we had a laureate
of spicy shrimp and spicy fish
and thin slices of spicy beef.

With each course I felt all
that my mouth felt.
from the middle of my upper lip,
the soft breeze crawled to the corners of my mouth,
then wound its way back to the middle of my lower lip.

My swollen mouth began to pout;
I did not know whether I needed
the soothing coolness of icewater
or burning lips
kissing mine.

Material for Reading

Two separate 'viewpoints.' One subject.



Short Time
by Jaime An Lim

I am haunted by the sadness of men
hanging out at night
in all the parks and alleys of the world.
They wait and meander
weighing
measuring
the safer distance
between dread and desire.
Every face a catalog of possibilities,
every look a whole vocabulary of need.

Tonight you are the dream
who walks in my waking sleep,
who bears miraculously
the shape voice motion of remembered love.
How can I resist the reckless

Leap from the world
of furtive bushes and tunnelling headlights
to this room, no less anonymous,
of thin walls, thinning mattresses
where we grapple and thrash
like beached sea creatures
breathing the dry unfamiliar air?

When you stand to go, I ease myself
into the hollow your body leaves.
I press the faint smell of you to my face
O Christ, were I loving you
drinking your blood, eating your flesh!

But the morning betrays nothing.
The chair in the corner stands mute,
the mirror repeats your absence.
When the curtains are flung back
to let the harsh light in,
the bed looms empty.

I am finally all I have.

- one of the reading materials given to us by J. Neil Garcia, UP Diliman professor, for our Cultural Studies (Literature) online class at UP Open University.


Syort Taym

She made me laugh

She made me cry,

But I think I have enough

So it's time to say goodbye.

Esperato M. Favis, Jr.
Kwaderno Singko
St. Louie University
Baguio City

10 Key Elements of Poetry

With poetry, we put words together in a creative way to express an idea, emotion or image (or even to tell a story). Poetry is made up of different elements, each of which may or may not be used in a given poem. By becoming familiar with the elements of poetry, you'll be able to manipulate them more easily and improve your writing.

Here's a quick rundown of 10 of the most basic elements of poetry.

1) Title

The title is the first thing a reader will see, so it's important to get it exactly right. With many poems, the title functions as the first line of the poem; with others, there is no actual title, so the poem is known by its first line (that line "becomes" the title, in effect). A good title can add depth to the poem, or help illuminate the meaning for the reader. A bad title can be too obvious, too revealing, or simply confusing. This small element deserves more thought than it usually gets.

2) Imagery

Almost every poem every written has imagery in it (as do fiction and non-fiction). Imagery is all the detail of the senses that make a poem come alive for the reader. It includes not only visual information (images), but also information from the other senses.
Imagery can be used simply to write about a setting or event, such as a poem about the forest, or about a day at the beach. Imagery can also be used metaphorically, where the detail described refers to something else entirely.

3) Plot

Did you think that only ficiton had plots? Well, poems have plots, too. The plot of a poem is the underlying idea or impulse that connects all the individual ideas or images together and arranges them in an effective way. A narrative poem, for example, uses plot in much the same way as fiction does, in order to tell a story. Other kinds of poems might have plots that pose and seek to answer questions, that contrast ideal images with reality, or that progress through images from blurry to sharp.

4) Diction

All creative writing is written in artificially constructed language; that is, poetry isn't the way we talk every day. The kind of language you choose for a poem, its range of vocabulary, is its diction. The words you choose--whether you use old-fashioned "poetic diction" or something that sounds like contemporary street slang--affects the impact you poem has. Think about what you want you poem to do, what you want it to say, when you choose your diction. As with many things, consistency is key.

5) Rhythm

All poetry has rhythm, from the strictest metered verse to the loosest free verse. The rhythm of poetry is like the beat of music, and if you have control over it, you have control over your writing. Rhythm is composed mainly of stress (in varying levels from none to a lot) and pauses. It is what influences how the words are read, rather than what the words are. Very often, fixing a line that doesn't quite work is a simple as examining its rhythm and seeing where it goes wrong.

6) Metre

We mostly think of metre as occurring in rhymed poetry, but even unrhymed poetry can be metered.

Metre is specific patterns of rhythm, and many of those patterns have names. It can be a difficult element to work with, as too strict a metre can make a poem sound staccato and artificial (and even annoying).

But mastering metre (or at least becoming aware of its possibilities) will give you an advantage even in your least structured work. It's all about how words sound together.

7) Repetition

Repetition emphasizes whatever it is that's repeated, but too much repetition can make a great word or phrase seem commonplace. It's a matter of balance or moderation. Repetition is another one of those elements that we usually think of in connection with strict forms of poetry, but which is also of great use in less structured poems, including free verse. There are many possibilities--one can repeat words, phrases or whole stanzas, and one can play with the location of repeated parts.

8) Rhyme

Here's one more element that seems to belong to poetry in strict forms, but which can be used in unstructured poems as well. You probably won't want to use rhyme very much in your free verse, but the odd pair of rhymed words can have interesting effects. Rhyme is a much more versatile element than we often assume--did you know that there are many different kinds of rhyme, each with a somewhat different sound?

Not only can rhyme be useful, but it can also be a lot of fun to play with.

9) Form

The form of a poem refers to the "rules" of metre, rhythm, rhyme and line length that determine a poem's shape. Form can be as loose as having no rules at all, or as strict as specifying a particular pattern of metre and rhythm, a specific rhyme scheme, and a certain number of syllables per line and lines per stanza (and more).
Even if you plan to write mainly free verse, it's worth becoming familiar with forms. You can use parts of the "rules" for one or many forms and create something new.

10) Art

"Art" is a concept that is difficult to define, but here I mean something like "the part of poetry writing that is not craft." By craft, I mean the techniques you learn to use to consciously make your writing better. Sort of.

Art, then, is the unconscious, creative aspect of writing poetry, what I have elsewhere called "the heart of poetry."

In some ways, it is the most important element of poetry, and it's one you either have or don't have. Craft you can learn, but art is innate.

- Resource material from Pinoypoet

Creative Writing 101

What is Creative Writing?

Creative writing is anything where the purpose is to express thoughts, feelings and emotions rather than to simply convey information.

Creative writing is writing that expresses the writer’s thoughts and feelings in an imaginative, often unique, and poetic way.( What is Creative Writing?)

Writing is a form of personal freedom. It frees us from the mass identity we see all around us. In the end, writers will write not to be outlaw heroes of some underculture but mainly to save themselves, to survive as individuals.(Don DeLillo)

Writing of any sort is hard, but rewarding work – you’ll gain a huge amount of satisfaction from a finished piece. Being creative can also be difficult and challenging at times, but immensely fun.

How to get started

Many people think that just because they’ve read a lot of stories (or even if they haven’t!) they should be able to write one. But as Nigel Watts writes:

There is a common belief that because most of us are literate and fluent, there is no need to serve an apprenticeship if we want to become a successful wordsmith. … That’s what I thought until I tried to write my first novel. I soon learnt that a novel, like a piece of furniture, has its own set of requirements, laws of construction that have to be learnt. Just because I had read plenty of novels didn’t mean I could write one, any more than I could make a chair because I had sat on enough of them.(Nigel Watts, Teach Yourself Writing a Novel)

By all means, if you’re keen, jump straight in and have a go: but don’t be too disappointed if your first efforts aren’t as good as you’d hoped. To extend Watts’ metaphor, you may find that these early attempts have wonky legs and an unsteady seat. There are lots of great books aimed at new fiction writers, and I’d strongly recommend buying or borrowing one of these:
Wannabe a Writer? (Jane Wenham-Jones)
Teach Yourself … Writing a Novel (Nigel Watts)
How to Write Fiction (and Think About It) (Robert Graham)
On Writing (Stephen King)

I’d also recommend starting small. Rather than beginning with an epic fantasy trilogy, a family saga spanning five generations, or an entire adventure series … have a go at a short story or a poem.

And if you end up chewing your pen and staring at a sheet of paper, or gazing at a blank screen for hours, try kickstarting your writing with a short exercise. Don’t stop to think too much about it … just get going, without worrying about the quality of the work you produce.

Tips and tricks for beginners

• Do some short exercises to stretch your writing muscles – if you’re short of ideas, read the Daily Writing Tips article on “Writing Bursts”. Many new creative writers find that doing the washing up or weeding the garden suddenly looks appealing, compared to the effort of sitting down and putting words onto the page. orce yourself to get through these early doubts, and it really will get easier. Try to get into the habit of writing every day, even if it’s just for ten minutes.
• If you’re stuck for ideas, carry a notebook everywhere and write down your observations. You’ll get some great lines of dialogue by keeping your ears open on the bus or in cafes, and an unusual phrase may be prompted by something you see or smell.
• Work out the time of day when you’re at your most creative. For many writers, this is first thing in the morning – before all the demands of the day jostle for attention. Others write well late at night, after the rest of the family have gone to bed. Don’t be afraid to experiment!
• Don’t agonize over getting it right. All writers have to revise and edit their work – it’s rare that a story, scene or even a sentence comes out perfectly the first time. Once you’ve completed the initial draft, leave the piece for a few days – then come back to it fresh, with a red pen in hand. If you know there are problems with your story but can’t pinpoint them, ask a fellow writer to read through it and give feedback. Don’t know any other writers? Then post the story on the Daily Writing Tips forum and invite comments from us friendly folk there!
• HAVE FUN! Sometimes, we writers can end up feeling that our writing is a chore, something that “must” be done, or something to procrastinate over for as long as possible. If your plot seems wildly far-fetched, your characters bore you to tears and you’re convinced that a five-year old with a crayon could write better prose … take a break. Start a completely new project, something which is purely for fun. Write a poem or a 60-word “mini saga”. Just completing a small finished piece can help if you’re bogged down in a longer story.
  

from: http://www.dailywritingtips.com/creative-writing-101/

Presenting...

List of Students

English 406 (Creative Writing)

Summer 2009

7:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon

Saturday and Sunday

Name, Course/Major

1. Arcilla, Geraldine M. - MA in English
2. Bernal, Rey King IV T. - MA in English
3. Cabangon, Marecil T. - MA in English
4. Carpio, Analyn P. - MA in English
5. Delos Santos, Ricky P. - MAEd – Admin and Supervision
6. Dolores, Amor A. - MAEd - Admin and Supervision
7. Espeleta, Lirabelle G. - MAEd - Mathematics
8. Gaters, Janette G. - MAEd - Admin and Supervision
9. Gianan, Bernadette Jane A. - Diploma in Educational Admin
10. Gianan, Junie T. - MAEd- Admin and Supervision
11. Lizaso, Jennifer T. - MA in English
12. Mimay, Richelieu T. - MA in English
13. Molod, Charlie T. - MAEd - Math
14. Navales, Delma S. - MAEd- Admin and Supervision
15. Odi, Melanie O. - MA in English
16. Rojas, Francisco, R. - MSM - Public Administration
17. Rubio, Adem Nalu V. - MA in English
18. Sabalas, Aureel P. - MAEd - Admin and Supervision
19. Somido, Karma L. - MA in English
20. Sta. Rosa, Mary Rose V. - MA in English
21. Sumalde, Runalyn C. - MA in English
22. Tabinas, Antonia T. - MAEd - Admin and Supervision
23. Tapas, Elvera T. - MA in English
24. Tatel, Evalinda V. - MAEd - Admin and Supervision
25. Tayam, Jenry B. - MAEd - Admin and Supervision
26. Tejerero, Analyn P. - MA in English
27. Temones, Melody T. - MA in English
28. Tenoria, Jocelyn A. - MA in English
29. Timajo, Mary Grace T. - MAEd - Admin and Supervision
30. Toledana, June S. - MAEd – Admin and Supervision
31. Toledana, Marjorie A. - MAEd – Admin and Supervision
32. Torzar, Irene T. - MAEd – Math
33. Tosoc, Margie C. - Diploma in Educational Administration
34. Tugano, Febrianny A. - MA in English
35. Tura, Lotis, B. - MA in English
36. Usero, Maricel T. - MA in English
    

Course Syllabus

I. Course Title : Creative Writing
II. Course No. : English 406
III. School Year : Summer 2009, SY 2008-2009

IV. Faculty

V. Department

VI. College

VII Course Description :

This course is the study and application or methods or techniques of creative writing which is mainly sensitive and imaginative writing, materials sources and uses, understanding and form, and mastery of style for expression and communication.

IX. Course Format :

a. Lecture and Discussion
b. Reading, Appreciation and Evaluation of selected poetry and other literary pieces
c. Participation in CSC GS Creative Writing Web Blog Forum
d. Intensive Creative Writing Exercises

X. Course Content :

a. Creative Writing: Overview and Techniques
b. Creative Fiction
- Overview
- Poem
- Short Story/Flash Fiction
- Novel
c. Creative Nonfiction
- Overview
- Strategies of Creative Nonfiction
- Types of Creative Nonfiction
d. Other Allied Topics
- Online Writing
- Speech Writing
- Interviewing Skills and Techniques

XI. Course References :

a. Creative Nonfiction: Manual for Filipino Writers
by Cristina Pantoja Hidalgo
The University of the Philippines Press
Second Edition 2005

b. Creative Nonfiction: A Reader
by Cristina Pantoja Hidalgo
The University of the Philippines Press
Second Edition 2005

c. The Writing Commitment
by Michael E. Adelstein and Jean G. Pival
University of Kentucky
Copyright 1984

d. Literature and Society
By Thelma E. Arambulo, Ruth Jordana Pison and Naida U. Rivera
University of the Philippines – Open University
Copyright 2000

e. Development of Print and Radio Communication Materials Vol. I
by Mia Liza Lustria
University of the Philippines Open University

f. Speech Communication
by Josefina A. Agravante and Villy Ath. Buenaventura
University of the Philippines – Open University
Second Printing, 2002

g. Online Writing Resources on Creative Writing
h. Literary Writing Workshop Handouts

XII: Course Requirements
- Attendance
- Recitations
- Suitcase of Written Outputs for online uploading
- Intensive Writing Exercises
- Mid Term Examination
- Final Examination

XIII. Course Policies

- Completion of writing exercises
- Participation in Creative Writing Blog Forum

Consultation Time: 5:30 – 6:00 weekdays
Venue: PR and Information Services Office
Catanduanes State Colleges


Prepared by:

GERRY S. RUBIO, MDC
Teacher

Approved:


DR. LILIA V. BRIÑES
Dean



DR. AIDA A. DIANELA
Vice President, Academic Affairs