Having attended the NBDB's lecture series on How to Read this Generation's Fiction and Creative Non-fiction for the past two days, hanging out with classmates/fellow aspiring writers after, and mulling over a lot of things in between looooooong hours of commute home (living two and a half hours from civilization does have its little perks), a handful of puzzle pieces with regard to the craft, the art and the things in between have finally fallen into place in my head.
Fiction Day
Friends know this for a fact: I do not get starstruck by artistas and similar-veined celebrities.
But coming into the lecture yesterday, I went, unabashedly, into full fangirl mode.
The superstars of Philippine fiction were in one place, at one time, all of them smiling and nodding at us commoners ever so happily. I was shaking Ja half the time out of sheer kilig - It's Dean Alfar! Sarge friggin' Lacuesta! I seriously think yesterday was one of the best days of my life.
As in, seriously.
It was yesterday when I got the best advice I've ever received thus far; and it's +10 in the 'awwww' factor because it came straight from no less than Philippine Speculative Fiction advocator Dean Francis Alfar himself:
"What matters to you, matters. Don't wait until you're old and gray and 60 to start writing about Life. Write now, when you're 24, what 24 year olds find important. You're in a much better position now to reach out to the young ones, than you will ever be in ten, twenty years' time."
He also signed my copy of Salamanca, a book that I can never seem to find anywhere. I seriously have not felt this much kilig since I dunno... EVER?
Sir Kyu of Philippine Genre Stories was also in attendance. Too bad I didn't get to say hi. (Busy kase kakafangirl mode kay Sir Dean.) If you're interested in what else transpired in the lecture, Sir Kyu's been kind enough to do a summary piece here.
Creative Non-fiction Day
Attending this morning's lecture on CNF had been an enlightening experience. I think I understand better where Sir G's and Sir David's angst on labels and/or genres is coming from.
Sir Tony Hidalgo, founder of Milflores Publishing, explained that CNF is the sort of non-fiction that uses literary devices to get their point across. Dialogue, invented/imagined characters for the sake of drama, to name a few.
Cue me: "Isn't that, in essence, fiction?"
So, I ask Sir Tony (almost) the same thing. In the end, isn't CNF just a label to make marketing a breeze, or is it a legitimate form of Literature, as in the one spelled with a capital L?
He enumerated what he said earlier - the definition of CNF insofar as literary devices are used to narrate an event that happened in real life.
In my head: But isn't that what happens with fiction too? All fiction, no matter how speculative, is anchored in real-life experiences. How is that any different?
Surprisingly (or not?), he ended it by saying: "In the end, a good story is a good read and that's what's important."
I raise an eyebrow but keep mum. I think I saw Sir G and Sir David roll their eyes in my head at this point in time.
Despite the vagueness in its place among Mother Literature's kids, I still like this CNF thing. I'm going the Vlad way and check my blogs for material that can be reworked into something worthy of publication.
Naks.
On Filipino Writers and Writing
As in the experience of Conchintina Cruz and Carljoe Javier, it's always awe-inspring to find out that the writers whose books I read are alive and kickin' and just around the corner. Even more encouraging is seeing them eye to eye, talking to them and finding out that their roots in the craft are similar to mine.
All these taken in, I can't help but think that the best decision I made this year was to take up my masters. Everything that has happened these past few weeks, months - the classes, the readings, the assignments, the workshops, the output, classmates, a small but very supportive writing class/community, new-found friends and soulmates - has simply been - in Ja's words - COSMIC.
Ja, thanks for telling me about this lecture series! I swear. Heart is the word of the YEAR.
All these taken in, I can't help but think that the best decision I made this year was to take up my masters. Everything that has happened these past few weeks, months - the classes, the readings, the assignments, the workshops, the output, classmates, a small but very supportive writing class/community, new-found friends and soulmates - has simply been - in Ja's words - COSMIC.