the-bagel-princesss

[tears-that-heal]

Prayer Request ::

My battle against Perfectionism. I’ve been wanting to accomplish my goal to participate in the Inkspiration Inktober 2024 challenge, but I find myself lacking energy and focus more than usual. It’s so frustrating when my mind and body aren’t on the same page. 😭

I still refuse to give up on my dreams and ambitions cause it was God who inspired them. He continues to calling me to use my gifts & talents to share and spread His Love over the world. It's not by my strength this vision will come to past, but only though God's Will & Spirit. By the Power of YHWH (Yahweh); my Abba Father in Heaven! 😇

[amstories]

Newsletter #15: January 2024

Dear RNAs,

Is it too late for me to wish you a happy new year? 2023 has been a wild ride for (you and) me because a lot of things happened. Here’s a quick recap before we totally move on to the next year!

2023 RECAP

I don’t even know where to begin. All I know is that 2023 was a fruitful year for me as a creative. I was able to share with you six new stories of love, friendships, and life.

Last year, it was finally time for me to share some secrets with you through the story of Erica and Trey in Secrets We Can’t Keep. After finding out their big secret, we continued to solve some problems that Lara and Alvin we’re having in Problems We Can’t Solve. Later on, we joined Margaux and Cash in finding out whether they were able to reach their dreams in Dreams We Can’t Reach.

This was also the year wherein we slowed down and enjoyed the mundane things in life like commuting. We enjoyed the ride as we commuted to Project Fate with Tanya and Tep. We also learned the basics of commuting in Commuting for Dummies with Isaac and Clara. Lastly, we enjoyed every Crush Hour despite the heavy traffic with George and Bridgit.

Aside from these, I attempted to write a ficlet per week this 2023 but I wasn’t able to finish this challenge. However, it produced 24 ficlets. I’ve written additional two ficlets for Inkspired Inktober, which is another writing challenge that I haven’t finished.

My goal last year was to be consistent in my story updates, which I was able to accomplish since I have updated every Monday last 2023. It became a routine for me to post something new in Wattpad.

I was given the opportunity to be a part of Miss Yennie’s (halfbakedwriter) Writer Tell-All Space as a guest writer. It was a joy for me to share my thoughts and journey as a writer with my fellow creatives. At the same time, it’s a privilege for me to receive some wisdom they have acquired through the years of writing experience they had.

But 2023 does not stop there. This was also the year where new opportunities opened for me. I never imagined myself to be able to publish a book last year but KPub PH allowed that dream I once had when I was a child to come true in the form of Ardor, a collection of short stories about love. Unbelievable! I cannot believe I had my first book signing event last year. What a miracle it has been!

This 2023, our family has grown to 669 followers in Wattpad. And finally, here’s a quick recap to show the growth of my stories. Thank you to everyone who has read (and read again) and supported my stories in many ways. I don’t think I say this enough but know that I read every comment and message you send.

2024 WRITING GOALS

As I have promised since the beginning, I will continue to share stories to the world as long as I have stories to tell. This 2024, my desire is to continue to write stories that would bring life to those who would consume it. Content all over the Internet may not always be good, but as a creative, I want to put out content that would inspire you, make you think critically, educate you about things you may not know yet, or simply just make you feel things.

As a creative, I admit that I also have comfort zones. There may be themes that I simply am afraid to explore because I doubt my audience would enjoy such things. This year, I’m looking forward to stepping out of my comfort zones by exploring new themes to write, expanding my creative platforms outside of Wattpad, and making myself a little bit more vulnerable to my readers to show that I am a human as well.

Last year was all about consistency because I wanted to prove to myself (and maybe to my readers) that I could post regularly. I may have been successful in one way but I also had to learn the rhythm of creating and resting. If I hustled every single time, I’m afraid I would end up in a creative burnout and it’s the last thing that I want to happen to me. That’s why I’m hoping to find the right rhythm for me between creating and resting. I hope that you do the same. Rest is a precious gift. Please find time for it.

Lastly, I know that I wouldn’t be where I am right now without the readers who kept on supporting every little thing that I put out there online. I believe that there’s a human behind every user that I interact with. You, guys, have a story to tell too! And if you’ll let me, I want to know your stories as well. Aside from the group chat and channels I have in Telegram, I really want to have conversations with you.

WRITING PROJECTS

Before I end this newsletter, let me update you about my writing projects this year. Currently, I’m writing five works-in-progress: 1) License to Lab, 2) Ana & Tomi Part One, 3) Pitik Mata, 4) Bad for the Heart, and 5) NLEX: Ang Huling Biyahe.

License to Lab is the fifth installment of MedTech on Duty. It features a medical laboratory technician who has failed his board exams thrice and tries to take it once again. I’ve been writing this since 2022 and I’m working to finish this already because I want to share this story already. But yes, I’m taking my sweet, sweet time to write this one because I don’t really want to compromise the message that I want to tell for the sake of publishing it immediately. Instead, here’s a little quote that I’m offering for now:

“Is it even possible for hope to be transmitted by just staring into the eyes of the person who believes in you the most?”

Ana & Tomi Part One is the first installment of MedTech on Duty. It narrates the college misadventures of the titular characters—Ana and Tomi. I’m exploring themes of platonic soulmates and found family here, so this should be exciting! This story also allows me to reminisce about my undergraduate years in Medical Technology.

“But what if during the bad times, I don’t even have a single person I can run to? Can’t I really survive college alone?”

For my love of novelette trilogies, I started writing Pitik Mata, which is a three-part series that features a trio of friends who go on a venture of rediscovering their passion in photography. I will be pouring a lot of the things I love in this WIP, such as photography, creatives, and trio friendships.

“Ano kaya ang nakikita niya sa lente ng camera niya? Nakikita niya kaya kung paano ko siya tingnan?”

For those who loved You Make Me Sick, I’m sure this WIP will excite you. Bad for the Heart is written in the same universe as YMMS, focusing on the things that may be dangerous for the heart. We’re going to talk about the heart a lot here.

“It’s fascinating how the heart may be the strongest yet the most fragile organ of the body. From the moment you are formed in your mother’s womb up to your final breath, your heart beats so you would live. It never takes a break. For if it does, you will die.”

Lastly, we’re going on a road trip to NLEX: Ang Huling Biyahe with my new beloved quad! This focuses on four friends who love a good road trip away from the busy city but need to part ways at the end.

“And that was her little assurance. That despite every change and transition that is happening in their lives, they will always have NLEX. They will always come back to the place where it all began.”

That’s a total of five WIPs, but please understand that I won’t be able to publish immediately since I’m currently studying for my board exams. Writing stories will forever be precious in my heart but it is also a part of my dream to work in the laboratory. I may not be as active as before, but I will try to come back every now and then to check up on everyone. Until then, I’m going to write offline for a while. If you want to be updated about my progress, you may join my Telegram channel and check my WIP threads.

Here’s a question for you: Among my WIPs, which of these are you looking forward to reading?

Hanggang sa susunod na kwento.

nagkukwento, AM

[tears-that-heal]

*Update* on the Inkspired Inktober Challenge….

Hello All, I simply over-scheduled myself this past week. I guess in other words, I was overly ambitious. Lol I have family visit from out of state, so of course my full focus was on them. I haven’t given up on the art prompt challenge and will make up the dates I’ve missed. I’m truly determined to complete this challenge regardless if it spills into the next month. My goal isn’t Perfection. I only strive for Excellence!!! Which is doing my very best! 💖☺️👍