Finished, not perfect.

I’ve been seeing this phrase a lot on social media (Twitter, mostly) and, much as I related to this quote, I didn’t really know who to attribute it to until today. A quick Google search led me to Jake Parker, a Utah-based artist who has worked for big studios like Marvel, Disney Animation, and Warner Brothers Animation and who has apparently created the #inktober challenge. Check out this inspiring Finished, not perfect video below:

Two years ago, I came across a similar mantra when I joined Arianne Serafico’s #DareToShare Instagram Course: Done is better than perfect. I find myself always going back to these words whenever I feel like my manuscript isn’t going anywhere, or I’ve strayed from my outline for the nth time, or worst of all, I feel like deleting my entire manuscript out of frustration.

Finished, not perfect. Done is better than perfect.

Before I could publish a book, I need to write it first. Nothing is going to happen if I stall and drown myself in an ocean of Oh no, this will never be as good as *insert author’s book here*. The best thing I can do as an author is to nurture my story, make the most of it as I possibly can, and keep going until I reach the end. It doesn’t matter that it’s not perfect. I belong to a community that will help me shape whatever I’ve created into its best form, and that process, to me, is more important than getting everything perfect/right the first time.

So why am I really writing this blog post? I’m actually trying to make myself feel good about finishing a manuscript, no matter its flaws. Yeap, you read that right! I finished a manuscript!

About #ProjectDatu AKA The Struggle

For those of you who have already read Like Nobody’s Watching, you might remember one of Pio Alvez’s brothers, Datu Alvez. He’s an indie film director with a temper, but I’d like to think he’s a marshmallow deep inside. #ProjectDatu AKA the manuscript I finished last month, is his book, his journey toward finding his own HEA. I have already written a short story that featured him (Rushes, from Second Wave Summer), fully intending for it to be the jumping off point of his book. It took me almost six months I think to fully flesh out his story in my head, and for the sake of accountability, I announced this on Twitter a little over a year ago:

Of course I still had delusions of grandeur back then. What 2019 release? *CACKLES* I didn’t even start writing until March of this year. Ilusyonada. *cue paluan*

It was a bit of a struggle writing this one, and I was…surprised, I guess at how much energy it took from me. (Check out this whole ass Twitter thread for my journey.) It could be argued that I also was having a super busy year in terms of work, so maybe that was also why I usually felt so exhausted after writing several hundred/thousand words. But one of the best things about my writing journey this year was the #romanceclass sprints, where I got to do four 15-minute sprints with fellow #romanceclass authors and share snippets of what we’ve written afterwards. It’s a bit draining and there’s some level of pressure, but it helped me so much in completing this book. So yeah, thanks, sprinters! <3

(We’ll resume the sprints soon, by the way—let me just get a handle on all my work stuff. *dizzy emoji*)

If everything goes according to plan, you will be meeting Datu and Kalila within the first quarter of 2020. I might be brewing something special for my newsletter subscribers, so if you’re not yet part of my mailing list, please click on this link to subscribe! For now, I leave you with this #ProjectDatu Pinterest board I have been adding stuff to since I began writing the book, and this Spotify playlist / #ProjectDatu Mood Music I put together.

https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3Gm5O9wg13tVi3uKYc2jDk

In the meantime…

It’s 15 days till Christmas and I’m looking forward to a long break because I am planning to catch up on sleep and my Kdramas (I just started Chicago Typewriter and I’m planning to watch Bring It On, Ghost as well), and outlining my next book: #ProjectIsagani.

Good luck to me L O L.

Remember: Finished, not perfect. Done is better than perfect.

If you find these mantras work for you, then good. ^_^ Let’s keep creating and finishing many, many things moving forward, yeah? <3

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We came, we saw, we slumber partied

What is this—a #FeelsFest2019 post two weeks late?

Yep. That is exactly what it is.

I have a bunch of excuses as to why I haven’t written up this blog post yet, but I’ll save you all that irrelevant stuff and tell you all about MY FEELINGS! Actually, I already did. On Twitter.

It’s a full thread, by the way, so you gotta click on the link and read through the thing. TL;DR — #romanceclass #FeelsFest2019 was made extra special because I was able to flex the community to a whole bunch of new people, who, in turn, had been very receptive of and amazed at what we are doing. After all, It’s not every day you get to talk face to face about something you dearly love and see excitement and appreciation on their faces. It fills my heart my pride.

As per usual, the highlight of the event was the live readings. However, since we mixed sweet and steamy excerpts this time around, the videos are unlisted (yes, even the clean ones haha) and you will need to ask permission to get the links. However! If you’re a #romanceclass Patreon sponsor, you will have already been granted access to all of them. Perks of being a patron, amirite?

Anyway, because the excerpt from my book, Stay With Me, is clean (whew!), I think it’s safe to share in this space. This is Boo Gabunada (it’s his first time reading for us!) and Gracielle So as Gabriel Park and Fi Legaspi. (Watch out for the fluffiness!!!)

And here’s another view of that live reading, which I really enjoyed watching:

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For more #FeelsFest2019 photos and feelings, check out the #romanceclass event wall.

Okay, let me watch that video again and melt into a puddle of #LegaspiPark feelings. Ciao!

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#romanceclass @ #MIBF2019!

Exciting news, folks! #romanceclass will once again be at the Manila International Book Fair this year! Can I get a WHOOP, WHOOP!?

#romanceclass will be sharing a booth with Visprint, and you’ll be able to find us at Booth #2-47, #2-57-58 at the 2nd floor of the SMX Convention Center, Pasay City. #MIBF2019 will be running from Wednesday, September 11 to Sunday, September 15—which mean you have plenty of time to come visit us! Ain’t that nice.

Check out the #romanceclass titles available on those dates:

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#romanceclass X #BuwanNgMgaAkdangPinoy Virtual Panels

Buwan Ng Mga Akdang Pinoy Virtual Panels by #romanceclass

Part of #romanceclass’ month-long celebration of Buwan ng mga Akdang Pinoy is a weekly virtual panel that discusses the various work the community has done so far. It happens every weekend of August (Friday-Sunday) starting Friday, August 9.

Check out the week’s schedule below (subject to change without prior notice):

August 16, Friday

7:00 PM — Author AMA with Angeli Dumatol

Angeli E. Dumatol is a physician by profession and when she’s not in the clinics, she can be found writing stories, reading books, or getting lost in a daydream. Her first #romanceclass novel is Heartstruck, which is also the first book in the #romanceclassFlicker collection.

Send in your questions for Angeli here.

9:00 PM — Author AMA with Dawn Lanuza

Dawn Lanuza writes contemporary romance, young adult fiction and prose poetry. She has two first loves – music and writing – and is lucky enough to surround herself with them. She is the author behind The Boyfriend Backtrack, The Hometown Hazard, What About Today, and the poetry collection, The Last Time I’ll Write About You. Her most recent releases are You Are Here (poetry), and Stay a Little Longer (romance novel), both published by Andrews McMeel Publishing.

Send in your questions for Dawn here.

August 17, Saturday

5:00 PM — Serving Face, or Why We Like Visual Pegs So Much

Why, indeed, do we love assigning faces to our characters? Why do we have 762743 photos of (insert actor/actress’ name here) saved in our phones/computers? And how does that help our writing process? This and more — send in your questions — on this panel.

Panelists: Ana Tejano, Bianca Mori, and Tara Frejas

Send in your questions for this panel here.

7:00 PM — So You Think You Can Vlog/Podcast?

Are you an aspiring book vlogger/podcaster? Get insights on how you can start and maintain your own book vlog or podcast in this panel!

Panelists: Ansela Corsino (Adulting for Authors), Kat Mayo (BookThingo)
Host: Carla de Guzman

Send in your questions for this panel here.

August 18, Sunday

5:00 PM — #RomanceClass Covers

#RomanceClass Covers offers more cover options for Filipino/Asian authors and their stories. We’ll talk about how this endeavor started, how it has affected the way #romanceclass covers are now conceptualized/designed, and maybe (just maybe) behind-the-scenes stories from the shoots!

Panelists: Carla de Guzman, Miles Tan, Mina V. Esguerra, Tania Arpa
Host: Chi Yu Rodriguez

Send in your questions for this panel here.

7:00 PM — Author AMA with Tara Frejas

Tara Frejas works as a Virtual Assistant by day, and writes romance by night. She published her first book in 2015 after joining Mina V. Esguerra’s Author at Once Workshop and has since written seven more books and contributed to three anthologies. Her books are often reflections of the things she loves, like basketball (Settle the Score & Hustle Play), musicals (Waiting in the Wings), and KPop (Scandalized / Play It By Ear).

Send in your questions for Tara here.


We all hope you can join us on Twitter for these discussions! (There might be some giveaways per panel, so if you’re lucky, you might win some pretty, shiny prizes!) See you on Friday! <3

PREVIOUS PANELS

WEEK ONE

August 9, Friday

7:00 PM — #romanceclassFlicker: Stories behind the #romanceclass YA imprint

Panelists: Agay Llanera, Angeli Dumatol, Danice Mae P. Sison, and Catherine Dellosa
Host: Ines Bautista-Yao

Send in your questions for this panel here.


August 10, Saturday

5:00 PM — Author AMA: Chi Yu Rodriguez

Chi Yu Rodriguez is the author of The Byebye Bouquet, Love and Other Questionable Life Choices, and No Two Ways. She is also the official photographer of #romanceclasscovers (@romanceclasscovers on Instagram). Send in your questions for Chi here.


August 11, Sunday

5:00 PM — Slay that Slump: #romanceclass authors and their writing habits + how they motivate themselves to Get Shit Done

This is an open panel hosted by Tara Frejas. All #romanceclass authors are welcome to jump in and answer questions presented during the discussion.

Send in your questions for this panel here.

7:00 PM — Author AMA: Angel C. Aquino

Angel C. Aquino is a freelance writer, editor, and content creator based in Manila. Her short story, “The Bucket List” was published in the Summit Books anthology, Coming of Age. Love At First Run is her first #romanceclass novel. Send in your questions for Angel here.

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