What I Would Tell My Younger Self

Now that I’m a year older, here are some things I want to tell my younger self.

• You’re not nice. Especially to yourself. Be kinder.
• Pay attention to your posture. Sit up straight. It’s not that hard, Herminia.
• You will fail. That’s inevitable. Unless you don’t try, which is even worse.
• It’s OK to cry. Even and especially when you have no idea why you’re crying in the first place.
• You’re allowed to ask for help. Oftentimes you have little or nothing to lose but a lot to gain.
• Listen to your body. If you’re tired, sleep. If you’re hungry, eat. After all, you only have one heart, one brain.
• You don’t have to love everything. Don’t hate everything either.
• Numbers will never define you. They aren’t a measure of your self-worth.
• Always challenge yourself. Step outside of your comfort zone. That’s how you’ll grow.
• Try to focus on the positives rather than the negatives. Be realistic though.
• You can’t live someone else’s life. You can, however, live your own.
• Don’t be too stubborn, but do you stand your ground. Otherwise, people will walk all over you.
• You’re going to be OK. You might not feel fine right now. Yet one day, you will.

What (Not) To Do When You’re Behind In Your Word Count

If you’re 10K behind like me, you can do one or all of the following:

• Cry a river before filling an ocean.
• Read books that are published and mourn your unpublished career.
• Publish a blog post to justify not writing creatively.
• Throw a dance party for one because you don’t believe in pity parties.
• Feel insanely productive for not procrastinating by writing for hours.

But what’s the fun in doing the latter when you can do everything else except put pen to paper/fingers to keyboard?

Put some pressure on yourself.

Good luck. Catch up if you need to. If you are many words ahead, I don’t want to talk to you because you aren’t human.

8 Ways To Make Things Go Your Way

When nothing goes your way, make things go your way. Force people to listen to you. Or be nice and pray for the best. But if the latter doesn’t work, the former might.

Or you could…

Argue.

Arguing isn’t just screaming nonsense at another person. Know your argument. Back it up. Watch the smirk get wiped off their face when he or she realizes they can’t win against a writer.

Ask.

*Yawn*. Boring much? But the answer is always no if you don’t.

Barter.

Offer them a proposal they can’t refuse. Like your signature. It’ll be worth a lot more when you’re published.

Beg.

On second thought, don’t. You don’t owe them anything. Unless they’re your parents.

Call.

For help. For backup. For deus ex machina.

Cry.

Ah, people and tears, people and emotions. Will you judge me if I said I’ve cried to get my way? What, I was just a baby okay. I don’t do this anymore. If you ever see me bawling like a baby, you’ll know why.

Demand.

If you’re in any position to, that is.

Dodge.

Dodge dodgy people. Dodge that dodgeball coming at you. Do what you have to do.

When your characters aren’t getting their way, maybe they can do one of the above. Or two. Or all eight. 

Perfect World Versus Real Life: NaNoWriMo

In a perfect world:

• Inspiration strikes.
• Outline madly.
• Write easily.
• Create art.

In real life:

• Sit.
• Scream.
• Cry.
• Repeat.

My 8 Goals As A Blogger

• To make people laugh.
• To make people cry.
• To put a smile on your face.
• To put a frown on your face.
• To help you learn.
• To help me learn.
• To educate and empower.
• To grow and prosper.

Cries

Abandoned here, there, everywhere

Nowhere to run, no place to hide

Here’s a place to go with no light

And still there was her resilient cry.

 

Neglected, numbed, and thought to be nobody

Left like a tombstone to be somebody

The body drained with the bottle

And still there was his resistant cry.

 

Forgotten by the city, the country, the world

Everyone thinks they know what’s going on

But they don’t know that they are wrong

And still there was their repeated cry.

A Constant Struggle

You would think that as a writer, words come to you when you need them.

After all you have an arsenal of them at your disposal.

But sometimes this doesn’t happen. And you struggle and struggle to find the word you’re looking for.

I was simply not born with the gene to recall the right word at the right time.

In all seriousness if I struggle during my English exam, I’m going to break down and cry. Okay that was me being melodramatic. But guess what? Melodramatic is a tone. And by writing this post, I’m sort of reviewing tones. Reviewing a tone.

Why I Wanted To Cry Today

Today, I wanted to cry during English class because I had forgotten to bring my notebook to school. The irony, eh?

See, the struggles of a writer are real.

Never again. I can’t believe this even happened in the first place.