Article

How I Write Regularly with a Busy Schedule

A handful of people had reached out to me in the past, inquiring how can I juggle with my work with writing, especially since I can always seem to release new content on my blog every week. And although I think this is a very farfetched exaggeration, these people seemed to view me as the epitome of productivity.

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Source: https://www.pexels.com/photo/person-typing-on-typewriter-958164/

But I feel like that is not the case. Just like everyone else, I also get lazy from time to time, and would rather watch Netflix while laying on my bed instead of jotting words on my laptop. Let’s face it; we all have the inherent ability to procrastinate indefinitely. I am no exception. Continue reading “How I Write Regularly with a Busy Schedule”

Article · Journal

My Favorite Writing Spots

The idea that a writer ought to write in a coffee shop of some kind has been quite prevalent in this modern society, don’t you think? Whenever we picture an author in our mind, for example, the very idea of them typing away in the nook of one dusty cafe might show up in our mind unassumingly.

I, for one, am an example of those stereotypical writer. Although I might add that I don’t think writing in coffee shops is particularly cool or on trend, I want to emphasize that most writers, based on my experience, do like writing in coffee shops the best. Discounting the most comfortable writing space which is our own bedrooms, of course. But I digress.

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Source: https://www.pexels.com/photo/two-women-sitting-on-chairs-in-front-of-each-other-887723/

And it doesn’t even end at coffee shops. Us writers write almost everywhere. I’ve watched a Youtube video of a group of writers who spent their vacation writing in an old castle. How amazing is that? Often times, the “writing spot” doesn’t even have to be grand or obvious like coffee shops and vintage castles. More often than not, you can find these lovely places in your neighborhood! Continue reading “My Favorite Writing Spots”

Journal

My (Super Late) 2018 Reading Goals

I am a writer. Or, at least, I identify myself as one.

And for writers, perhaps reading books is something inseparable to their lives. In fact, I can personally testify that I wouldn’t have known half the joy of my life were it not for reading and discovering great books.

I know what people think of us: A writer is supposed to not only write every day, but also read books at every single second of their waking hours. They are expected to have bazillion of books in their houses and hold them in separated vaults for future references.

I know it might sound overly stereotypical, but I also can’t completely deny it. For the most part, I would love that kind of life. I mean, who wouldn’t love a life where I can just sit idly all day, either equipped with my laptop to write my next prose or a book to immerse myself in someone else’s creation? That would be like going into a writing retreat every single day of my life!

Yet, in reality, I have a very ugly confession to make: I don’t really read that much anymore.

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Source: https://www.pexels.com/photo/pile-of-hardbound-books-with-white-and-pink-floral-ceramic-teacup-and-saucer-810050/

Continue reading “My (Super Late) 2018 Reading Goals”

Article

My Favorite Snacks for Long Writing Sessions

It is no secret by now that my kind of writing sessions had always been long and torturing. Since I have to juggle with my day job and other side projects, I can only focus 100% on writing if I were to write non-stop. And that often translates into 5-7 hours of writing non-stop in front of my laptop, spare for that several times I go to the restroom or to refill my water bottle.

Source: https://www.freepik.com/free-photo/top-view-of-a-working-desk-with-open-blank-notebook_1281620.htm

Continue reading “My Favorite Snacks for Long Writing Sessions”

Article

My Writing Rituals

If you are a writer, you might have heard of the term “writing rituals”.

A writing rituals, as the name suggest, is a set of activities that writers perform before actually doing some writing sessions, in hopes that it will get them into this so-called “writing mode”.

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There are a lot of theories discussing on how this would work. The general idea is that we can actually program our brain to get to a certain mood by always doing a set of activities until it sticks as a habit.

Think of it like how your body instinctively pick up spoon & fork before you eat. You didn’t even command your hands to pick them up, but because you have been doing the same thing over and over again every day, it comes naturally that you should pick up your eating utensils before you actually eat. Continue reading “My Writing Rituals”

Article

Write Every Day: Yay or Nay?

Before I start, huge shoutout to Yarii and her extraordinary guest post last week. Yes, I am clearly inspired by her guest post when I was writing the title of this post.


One of the most popular—if not THE most popular—writing advice out there is write every day.

The idea behind this advice is simple: writing is tough, so the best way to counter that is to make it a habit by writing every day. It doesn’t matter if you only write a sentence or a whole chapter of your novel project; the fact remains that writing every day helps keeping you in the momentum.

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Writing every day sounds like every writer’s dream. But is it really the best advice out there…?

I talked in my previous blog post about how keeping in the momentum would help you tremendously in finishing your manuscript faster. So as you might have expected, I agree to this legendary advice—to some extent.

But, as is the case with almost anything else, there is a catch. Continue reading “Write Every Day: Yay or Nay?”

Article

Writer’s Block; Fight or Flee? – with Yarii

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It is an extremely common case for writers to  face this semi-mythical thing called ‘writer’s block’. Some believe that it exists while some think that it is a myth.

For readers or people who do not write, it is probably difficult for you to imagine how it feels like to have writer’s block. to put it in a simple way, ‘I know what will happen but I cannot put it into words’, Get it? Continue reading “Writer’s Block; Fight or Flee? – with Yarii”

Journal

One Acknowledgements Page I Didn’t Write (Unspoken Words)

There are a lot of parties involved in the writing process of my newest book, UNSPOKEN WORDS. The writing part—sure, it was pretty much solitary. But I owe the conception of this book to a lot of wonderful people, and I am here to convey my gratitude to each and every one of these individuals.

And yes, this list is going to be pretty lengthy. Because pretty much the reason why I didn’t include this acknowledgements in the book is because I didn’t have enough time (and pages) to fit this in. Continue reading “One Acknowledgements Page I Didn’t Write (Unspoken Words)”

Article · Journal

How I Wrote a Novel in 9 Days (Unspoken Words)

It is no secret that my productivity comes in waves, and an irregular one at that. Sometimes, it even bothered me enough that I had to organize a writing retreat in order to get back to writing.

However, I have to say that my experience in writing Unspoken Words was quite peculiar.

If you have been following me on Twitter, you would know that I completed the first draft of the book in just 9 days.

Yes, you did not read that wrong. Even I still find it difficult to believe at times. Sure, I completed my debut novel, 3 (Tiga), in 14 days. But never in my wildest dreams did I hope to accomplish the same feat in the near future.

Yet, in reality, I kinda… did.

And it wasn’t until months after completing the manuscript, revising the draft like crazy, and witnessing the book being displayed in bookstores, did I start taking notes of what could possibly be going on when I wrote the book.

Of how a writer with a very demanding day job could finish writing a book in just 9 days.

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I hate to break this upfront, but the key to accomplishing that is discipline.

Continue reading “How I Wrote a Novel in 9 Days (Unspoken Words)”

Article · Journal

How Taking a Short Writing Retreat Boosted My Productivity

Disclaimer: this post will feature a lot of pictures, just so you know.

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A stunning art exhibition I found. I believe it was showcased in the Esplanade building.

I have mentioned in one of my previous blog posts that I wanted to go on a creative writing retreat. Not the fancy residency kind, of course. What I’m talking about is but a short escape somewhere. It should be far enough from my usual daily routine, but it also should be within my budget—so it shouldn’t be too far, either.

Last October, I was offered a cheap flight ticket to spend the weekend in Singapore.

I took it without hesitation.

Continue reading “How Taking a Short Writing Retreat Boosted My Productivity”