Self-Critique

In random occasional acts of vanity, I back read my writings. I like some, I cringe at most. As I read, it seems that I usually seem to be in a hurry to create a stream of thought.

Sometimes, I publish without proof reading and editing. Yes, I like to live dangerously. I have this certain anxiety when writing. Also, multi-tasking is not recommended when writing. I love multi-tasking and all but the creative process demands undivided attention from both sides of the brain.

So far that's it.

I can't work on the short story assignment for Day 6 just yet. I need time and silence which are luxuries I can't seem to afford for the time being with work and sidelines and all.

Day 5

Write a 20-line poem about a memorable moment in your life.

***

"Twenty"

Seeing the world with brand new eyes

Beginning to learn for the first time

Still trying to play without a care in the world

It's all fun and games for this little girl

They all seem so strict, teachers I meet

They all are so different, the students I'm with

They pile and they pile this mountain of responsibility

I'm learning to grow and expand my vicinity

The coming years are all a surreal blur

In school, at home, so many things that occur

Under appreciation breeds insecurity

Taking for granted this lost life's vitality

Growing old and growing up

Finding ways to make it all stop

I'm learning to be strong, trying to be wise

I finally know what I want out of life

Seeing the world with brand new eyes

With wings I've expanded, I've learned how to fly

Eyes to the sky, feet on the earth

Twenty years and counting, all of memorable worth

***

You don't need to tell me. My poem is no Shakespearean sonnet. The last time I wrote I poem was eons ago, and that was a raiku or haiku or rangu, I forgot the name. All I remember is it was a bunch of bite-sized Japanese style poems about random topics. I don't know, but I showed them to my weird artsy-fartsy friend and seat mate at that time and he said he liked them. They were pretty good, if I do say so myself. But damn it to mergatroid, I forgot what the poems were and I lost them to time and scatter-brained-ness. Ugh.

So there. It's been a long time since I've written a poem. As you may or may not have noticed, the poem, "Twenty" is not about a single spectacular life experience. Rather, it's about my life as a whole, each line an ode to each year of my existence. I couldn't think of a single amazing life event so I decided to create one about my life.. so far.

Day 4

Write a letter to an agent telling her how wonderful you are.

***

Dear Agent,

My name is MM Maglasang, an aspiring writer burning her brows and working her ass off to prove her salt and her right to wield the pen of destiny. Simply put, I'm trying to write again and to put my work out there to share to the world.

I have blogs and I've written some articles and scripts that I would gladly send you should you decide to take a chunk of your time to critique and evaluate my work. However, I hope you can also gauge my abilities and my skill through this letter.

I'm working on certain pieces that I think your agency and publishing company would be proud and interested to publish. Also, I'd like some guidance and direction in my writing career. I think I'm a pretty adequate writer. Yes I could use some improvement and training but I know without a shadow of a doubt, I am a good writer.

I am versatile and well-able to write about a broad array of topics ranging from events to profiles to health to infinity and beyond. Although I've dabbled in news, scripts, and information, my forte lies in the exciting world of Feature Writing. I'm not saying the other writing departments are not up to par with features when it comes to juicy and adventurous writing. However, only with features can I fully utilize my creativity and passion for the starts-and-ends-with-a-bang genre. The sky's the limit!

I'd like to show you more what I'm capable of. So, what do you say? Do you love me yet? If so, I'll put it in writing myself.

May the prose be with you.

Yours truly,

MM Maglasang

***

I don't have an agent. But I'd like to send this audacious and ostentatious letter to one. Hihi. Just a thought.

Day 3

Write a setting based on the most beautiful place you've ever seen.

***

Dream Land

This place is undeniably beautiful. When I think of a dream land, my thoughts immediately wander back here. There is an old charm to it. Walking around in this dream land, the quiet and reserved calm of this place gives me a certain tranquility I would not otherwise experience anywhere else. I feel I am drifting back to the past with its classical architecture and all their intricate details that would make anyone feel like royalty when walking through the streets.

It's even more gorgeous in the rain. The way the roads and buildings glisten, it's no wonder this place is revere as the city of love. Every street, every corner, every nook and cranny, I seem to hear accordions playing. Music that touches the heart and thus serves for inspiration. The wind is cool against the skin and the temperature absolutely perfect for a stroll around the city. The sky is one that seems like a Renaissance artwork, the great Painter giving life to a cotton candy filled cielo. I could lie in the grass all day and just gaze at that great vast painting above.

The lush greenery around me breathes fresh and vibrant life to this dream land. I fall in love with this place every single time I visit it in my mind.

This place is undeniably beautiful. When I think of a word that gives Dream Land a more profound justice for her absolute beauty, then I will write a hundredfold in poem and prose for her.

Sweet dreams.

***

As you probably have guessed, my setting is based on my favorite city aside from Manila, Paris. I really do hope I did justice to how gorgeous that city is though. What I wrote about her is based on my perspective of her from a hop on-hop off bus and from strolls I had with my mom and siblings when we went there.

So far, I've only visited her twice, both visits lasting only a short time. Hopefully, in the future I get to visit Paris and stay there for at least a week.

This writing is also inspired by the movie I'm currently watching, "Marie Antoinette".

P.S. Thank you for reading! :)

Day 2

Create a character with personality traits of someone you love, but the physical characteristics of someone you don't care for.

***

"Nostalgia"

Nostalgia is a time-traveler. She loved the idea of traveling, moving from one place to another and seeing different things, people, the works. She was a cultured, adventurous individual. But she's seen what she needed to see and decided to explore time periods. People say she is constantly in denial, leaving the present to explore the past.

She constantly traveled through time and explored the many time periods she went to. She met people, tried their cuisine, read their books, and said goodbye before she got too carried away she'd rather stay than go back to the present.

She was intelligent. A nice person. The kind that you could easily be friends with and talk for hours on end about things that interested and annoyed her. It was so easy to have a conversation with this person because she could carry the discussion regardless of which topic it would be about. And the way she explained things. Look at her gestures, look at that gleam in her eye and the composed manner with which she would talk. She never seemed to shout but you know that with that look in her eye and that eloquent voice and those gestures that speak volumes, she could persuade, motivate, inspire, and entertain.

But despite her charming features and the vibrant way with which she carried herself, she was ever reserved. Was it that head of hers that seemed to big for her body, probably because of all the ideas she carried? Or maybe it was those legs that were a bit scrawny because of walking a lot and travelling. She knew her physical attributes were un-likeable but she compensated for these physically inadequate traits by her intelligent and charming demeanor.

Before you could catch her, she'll be gone and back in time.

***

This tiny write-up was inspired by the movie I'm currently watching, "Midnight in Paris". It's not very good, I know. It isn't fine writing hence there's a huge, track-and-field sized area for improvement. Feel free to critique! Although when you do, I sincerely hope you know your stuff.

"No subject is terrible if the story is true, if the prose is clean and honest and if it affirms courage and grace under pressure." Ernest Hemingway

Day 1

Write 10 potential book titles of books you'd like to write.

1. Wanderlust
2. Unsung Hero
3. This is NOT What I Should Be Doing
4. Milky Way
5. Nachos and Burritos
6. Taste Buddies
7. Immortal Ideas
8. Calling Card
9. My Name Is
10. The Pen that Holds My Hand

For this exercise, I basically just thought of random ideas and words and then gave them titles. Amazingly, I wasn't looking to write a book or novel, fiction or non-fiction, until now. We'll see how this pans out when I think of stories. In the meantime, I'll just be writing them all down.

The 12-Day Plan of Simple Writing Exercises

Day 1:
Write 10 potential book titles of books you'd like to write.

Day 2:
Create a character with personality traits of someone you love, but the physical characteristics of someone you don't care for.

Day 3:
Write a setting based on the most beautiful place you've ever seen.

Day 4:
Write a letter to an agent telling her how wonderful you are.

Day 5:
Write a 20-line poem about a memorable moment in your life.

Day 6:
Select a book on your shelf and pick two chapters at random. Take the first line of one chapter and the last line of the other chapter and write a short story (no more than 1000 words) using those bookends to your story.

Day 7:
Write a letter to yourself telling you what you need to improve in the coming 6 months.

Day 8:
Rewrite a fairy tale from the bad guy's point of view.

Day 9:
Turn on your TV. Write down the first line that you hear and write a story based on it.

Day 10:
Go sit in a public place and eavesdrop on a conversation. Turn what you hear into a short love story (no matter how much you have to twist what they say).

Day 11:
Write the acknowledgement page that will be placed in your first (next?) published book, thanking all the people who have helped you along the way.

Day 12:
Gather everything you've written over the previous 11 days. Pick your favorite. Edit it, polish it and either try to get it published or post it on the Web to share with the world. Be proud of yourself and your work.