THIS ARTICLE is among my first writings after my entries to the Palanca Awards this year.
I hold my Palanca entries above most of my writings.
Through the years, I’ve evolved in my poetry. And if I say so myself, I’ve gotten good.
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As for column writing, this is just exercising my writing muscles.
An exercise in the use of words, expanding my vocabulary, and experimenting on organization and structures.
I like my column writing because the deadline forces me to produce.
It makes for a productive life. Haha.
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The Palanca is a different animal.
The standards are a little higher.
Anybody can read Panay News. And that’s the beauty of this newspaper.
But only a few, and only three persons to be exact, evaluate and judge a Palanca entry.
And these jurors are not ordinary people.
Most of them have PhD in Literature, or Master’s degree in Creative Writing.
On my part, only my Palanca winners are ultimately shared to the public. Haha.
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Much planning is required for my Palanca writing.
Even the themes or topics, I ruminate and reflect on for months, weeks.
Or a few days, if I am lucky.
I outline. I plot.
And sometimes, these plot outlines are disregarded or discarded when they do not serve the interest of the story.
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And by story, I do not only mean the short story form which is a five language category at the Palanca: English, Filipino, Iluko, Hiligaynon, and Cebuano.
By story, I also mean the novel, the plays, the screenplay, the essay, and the poetries.
The “story” in poetry, for me, is the thematic or structural unity of a poetry collection.
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The poetry categories (there are four: Poetry, Tula, Poetry Written for Children, Tulang Pambata) require a suite of poems.
The rules have been pretty consistent as to the number of poems in the collection: no less than 10, no more than 15.
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Only a fool would enter the Palanca contest without preparation.
I mean, anyone can sure submit; but that doesn’t guarantee that they will win. Haha.
In fact, there are many cases where there are no prizes for certain categories.
In 2010, I won third prize for One-act Play in English. But I was the lone winner in the category!
No one won first prize. No one won second prize!
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And there were years when I saw someone won first prize, someone won second prize, and no one won third prize!
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I’m not sure now that I saw anything like someone winning first prize and another third prize with no second prize winner.
But it could have happened.
I’m just saying that I’m not sure when it did. Or if it really did.
***
Anyway, the literature has to be extraordinary in order to win the Palanca.
Or at least, better than most.
And if I enter the competition, I submit with an intention to win.
So yeah, I drain myself of all creative energy crafting my Palanca entries.
***
There is joy and excitement when writing a Palanca entry. Thrill, even. But on a different level.
Palanca literature is WORK, all caps.
Writing My Life as Art for Panay News is fun.
Playful, relaxed, a sweet workout.
And it’s never stressful because I do not need to impress the PhD and Master’s degree holders.
***
I cannot write Palanca-level literature all the time.
It would kill me.
And you can blame the PhD and Master’s degree people. Haha.
It’s just stressful, tedious, and extremely draining.
When you put your whole heart on the page, that’s a different level of writing.
***
I also pour my heart out on the page for the newspaper.
But it’s different. More calculated. More controlled.
Nobody is asking me to die for the newspaper.
I can actually do whatever I want.
And what I want for the newspaper is mostly to entertain.
If I educate along the way because I’m very educated and education rubs off to people who read wisely, I am grateful.
But that’s not the reason why I write for the Ilonggo newspaper.
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I write for Ilonggo journalism to give people a break from the violence and tragedy of the news.
From the biases and craftiness of opinions.
From the boring society happenings that cater only to the elite.
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I think I have found my place in Ilonggo journalism.
And I have established what I wanted to be in Philippine Literature.
I can never be happier, and dignified.
That’s why I am a living legend./PN
