IN PART 1 of this essay, I explained how I become a bigger agent provocateur than before because of Facebook’s wider reach.
I also explained my love-hate relationships with DepEd, the Wattpad community, and my introduction to the role play world community (which is beginning to be another love-hate relationship, but that’s another story.
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For the meantime, let’s talk about my involvement with Wattpad, which I have used as a platform for my novel-in-installments, some parts of which have already been serialized here.
I can’t wait to get back to my novel, but talking about my notoriety on Facebook is quite fun, too.
Anyway, back to the essay talking about Wattpad, which first appeared as a popular Facebook post:
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I do not have a million readers.
Wala pa nga 500 followers, pero malapit na rin sa 1,000 readers if you count ‘yong icon na “parang mata.”
Englishero kasi ang piece ko, hindi pa chronological order ang sequencing, at very limited lang ang dialogues.
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Pero proud ako sa work ko kasi alam ko na hindi ko isinacrificio ang quality just to get reads and votes (in terms of “stars,” na parang star rating).
I just knew that this is a novel I would like to write, and I enjoyed writing it.
(Baka magkajowa pa nga ako dahil dito!)
Inisip ko rin na isulat siya muli, o i-revise sa Taglish for a greater readership kapag natapos ko na.
Pero sa ngayon, I will finish the story in English as I have started.
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Inisip ko ring gumawa ng companion guide book na maglalaman ng “biography” o talambuhay ng nobela ko.
Like, i-breakdown kung paano s’ya isinulat para may matututunan din ang mga gustong mag-improve sa pagsusulat.
Gusto kung maunawaan ng mga interesado ang mga agam-agam o doubts ko habang nagsusulat, ang blockage at katamaran, ang challenge ng araw-araw na pagsusulat, ang pag-i-edit, pagbabasa ng pito hanggang sampung beses bago maghit ng “Publish” button.
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Habang nagsusulat sa Wattpad, patuloy ako sa iba pang makabuluhang pagsusulat: column ko sa newspaper, witticism and humor sa Facebook status posts, at ‘yong mga strong reactions sa DepEd happenings.
Siempre, naiisip ko rin ang mga damdaming masasaktan sa DepEd, pero mas matimbang pa rin sa akin ang “making sense and having logic or reason.”
F*uck feelings, kung nahihirapan na tayo sa buhay!
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Ano ba ang paki ko kung mabulok ang Pilipinas, e matanda na ako at maayos na ang buhay?
But again, in my prayers, palaging ipinapaalala sa akin, it’s not about me, it’s about the Others.
(Sumusobra na ang Others na ito, ha? Amp!)
And so, as a writer, I do the brave writerly thing to do: Write something about the issues—logically, clearly, para maliwanagan ang mga tao.
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Para maliwanagan ang tao — ‘yan ang definition ko ng true and living literature.
A piece of writing that “sheds light on the human condition, and makes sense of chaos; and when it can, proposes the wisest human solution.”
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Hirap i-translate nito, pero let’s try: Isang akdang panulatan na nagbibigay liwanag sa kalagayan ng tao (o sangkatauhan), nagbibigay-kahulugan at kaayusan sa lahat ng kaguluhan; at kung kaya nito, nag-uudyok nang mga aksiyon at matitinong kasagutan.”
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Ganoon kabigat ang responsibilidad ng writer.
Kaya proud akong maging writer kahit pa hindi ako mag-ambag ng P5,000 sa mga nasalanta ng mga bagyo.
I’m proud simply to reach people with my words.
To give them comfort (bigay-liwanag, bigay-kahulugan, bigay-kalinga) and to challenge them (udyukin) to action and responsible response. (To be continued/PN)
