My Writing Guide for PHR Part 3: PLOT

PLOT.

We often hear this in fiction writing or movies, but newbie writers sometimes have a vague idea of what it means. 

Not anymore. 

Now you'll UNDERSTAND what plot is. (Or bite me)

Ready?

My Writing Guide for PHR Part 2: ANTAGONISTS

Maybe I should have discussed this together with CHARACTERS, but antagonists aren't always "people". Not always the evil one that exists only to mess up the protagonist's life. 

Ang kontrabida ay hindi laging isang karakter (isang goon na may hawak laging baril o isang socialite na makapal ang make-up at abot sa anit ang taas ng kilay). 

Also, as far as I know, they're not always as highlighted in romance novels as in other fictional genre so I'm not sure if I should talk about them. But in my opinion, antagonists add spice and tension to the romantic story, especially in the kind of romance I dig nowadays. They make great page-turners, more so when these villains remain mysterious from the beginning, revealing themselves only in the end.

You just gotta love 'em.

So why not try adding some to your story?

My Writing Guide for PHR Part 1: CHARACTERS

Ang post na ito ay para sa mga nakapagpasa na ng manuscript (MS) sa PHR na ibinalik "For Revision" o kaya'y "Returned" (rejected). Naranasan ko rin ang makita ang mga katagang `yan sa e-mail ko kaya alam ko rin ang panghihinang dulot nito. 

Para bang nakipaghalikan ka ng five seconds sa isang Dementor—sinipsip ng walang pakundangan ang iyong kaligayahan, pag-asa, at tiwala sa sarili. Parang ayaw mo nang humarap sa Microsoft Word ulit.

Pero kung nais mo talagang maging writer ng PHR, kung gusto mong mai-published ang kuwento mo at makita ang "pen name" mo sa pabalat ng libro, haharapin mo ng buong tapang ang karimarimarim na pakiramdam na `yon.

Alam mo ba ang kasabihang "`pag gusto may paraan, `pag ayaw maraming dahilan"? Isa `yon sa mga motto ko. It's either you want something or you don't. But never think or say that YOU CAN'T.

At least, until you tried your very, very best.

Kaya kahit kapos ang aking kaalaman, susubukan kong magbigay ng writing tips—the ones I follow. Baka sakaling makatulong sa mga nahihirapan sa mga manuscript na isinusulat nila o para magka-ideya sa kung ano ba ang hinahanap ng PHR sa isang nobela. I think.

Again, the tips here are only based on my personal experience. Hindi assurance na makakapasa sa standard ng PHR kapag ginawa ninyo. But you'll have a fighting chance and you can create and improve your own "standards" for your manuscripts. 

Just take in what you think works for you. I'll start with characters first. Sa ibang blog post na siguro ang plots, conflict, etc., so if may question kayo or gustong malaman, comment lang kayo dito or sa FB page ni Olivette PHR. :)