There’s a story in every moment

You can sit on a plane or at a (boring) meeting and there may be a story lying in wait. All you have to do is turn, smile and talk to those around you. Every one has a story, has a phrase that sticks, has a tale to tell and places they’ve been. All you need to do is turn, smile and start talking. Do not be afraid to strike up a conversation with the ones near you. And above all, after asking, listen to what they have to tell and take note. You never know when that phrase would seem appropriate when you are writing conversation or laying down a plot.

There’s a story in every moment.

Too many times we try too hard to fomulate a great story. We labour over ideas that HAVE to be spectacular, mind blowing and out of this world. We fashion large words and create outlandish worlds to plant our single dimensional characters.

But stop and talk to those you meet on the bus or a plane or sitting at a coffee shop and you’ll gain a wealth of stories. Real stories with real people, living real lives with real problems and moving in real time. You then take on the role of scribe and thus, chronicle the lives of everyday people. It doesn’t have to be outlandish or spectacular, just honest and true.

Try it. talk to someone and listen to the story, yet untold.

Two years brewing, two weeks to write.

There’s a story in my iBook that’s been sitting there for the pass two (2) years. And week, having one of those moments of pure decisiveness, I’ve decided to finish it. I’ve set aside two weeks for me to write out the whole novel. The main parts of the story are in place and yes, the ending has been written. The first chapter is done, so all I’ve to do is fill in the gaps of the missing chapters.

Two weeks to write a story that has been brewing for two years. Impossible? Not so I found out.

Paulo Coelho writes his books in non-stop stretches of two weeks. His stories brew in his head for years and when the signs are right, he sits down and writes things out. You’ll find this in his autobiography A Warrior’s Life. I picked up a copy and devoured the book in three days.

Why let a story brew for years? To add flavor and character. Like wine, a story gets better as it age. It comes out as more polish, more refined and more elegant. The voice I had when I first wrote this story, two years ago was boyish, childish even, but the voice that would end it will be older; more matured.

Now, if only I can state a day when I actually would start the two weeks count down.

Brave guys go bald.

This has nothing to do with writing but it has to do with the fact, I have no hair.

In a quest to simplify life, I’ve gone bald (not shaven bald). Shocked the jeepers off my friends but it’s now the style for me. Less to think about.

Only the brave go bald and walk about in public, in their full glory.

2nd Book Slated for Publishing Next Month

My publisher finally came back to me about my 2nd book. I’ve got a tight deadline, editing the manuscript and getting it back to them by next Monday (16th). So I’ve got a busy weekend, reading through the manuscript and making changes to all that I’ve written. That’s a 98 page Word document to read through.

But I’m happy.

Work in progress, writer’s write not sleep.

It’s been a while (a long while) since I last wrote anything. It’s a situation when life and situations come in between you and your craft. In this case, my life came in between me and my writing. When I could have spent hours crafting away the next book, I spent it couching away; over old DVDs and hosting imaginary friends.

There’s a “work in progress” folder in my iBook. It’s there to remind me, I’ve got book projects a plenty. Each time, an idea comes to me; I piece it together and open a project folder. There is no shortage of ideas for a book. The only obstacle is my own perverted laziness. The kind of laziness that causes you to spend all your money, moan about the pains of the world and make you a pain in everyone’s butts.

In short, I’ve been a jackass to my craft.

I’m a writer and writers write. That’s what we do best. It’s the only thing we know how to do well. We put thought into words. We unveil the mysteries of everyday life. We unfold the jigsaw of circumstances that play before us for an audience to understand and remember. We draw laughter, shed tears, inspire minds, create arguments and drive passion with a compilation of words, formed into sentences that spark the intellect.

We are writers and we write; not sleep on the job.

We are people of the script. We fashion words out of thin air. We watch and bother about the lives of those we see pass through our field of vision. This came to mind (as I write this):

The cold washed over her face, and she shudder to think that she was all alone, in the street, walking home in the rain. Her makeup did not hold, her mascara a stream of black on pale skin. Yet it help mask the tears. The pain. The anguish. She was lost for a moment, standing by the street corner, where the stand sold burgers for a ringgit and half. In the rain, all roads look the same and no matter which path she took, it was all the same. She would still be alone. Lonely and depressed. In the rain, all roads lead to the same conclusion. And she stood there, pondering her choices while the burger-stand man stood watching and wondered if he should stop selling burgers for a ringgit and half.

Creativity is 10% inspiration, 90% hard work. We are writers. I am a writer and it’s time I started writing. I’ve got all those “work in progress” folders to clear out.

Dokkodo – The Path of Aloneness

Dokkodo – “The Path of Aloneness” or “The Way to be Followed Alone” by Miyamoto Musashi (1645)

1. Accept everything just the way it is.
2. Do not seek pleasure for its own sake.
3. Do not, under any circumstances, depend on a partial feeling.
4. Think lightly of yourself and deeply of the world.
5. Be detached from desire your whole life long.
6. Do not regret what you have done.
7. Never be jealous.
8. Never let yourself be saddened by a separation.
9. Resentment and complaint are appropriate neither for oneself nor others.
10. Do not let yourself be guided by the feeling of lust or love.
11. In all things have no preferences.
12. Be indifferent to where you live.
13. Do not pursue the taste of good food.
14. Do not hold on to possessions you no longer need.
15. Do not act following customary beliefs.
16. Do not collect weapons or practice with weapons beyond what is useful.
17. Do not fear death.
18. Do not seek to possess either goods or fiefs for your old age.
19. Respect Buddha and the gods without counting on their help.
20. You may abandon your own body but you must preserve your honour.
21. Never stray from the Way.

Two Halves Don’t Make One

There are things in life more important than love or for that matter romantic love. What about the idea of loving someone to just want to see them happy? The idea where one can be happy just because they love someone without expecting anything in return, has long intrigued me. Can it be possible? Is it a pipe dream? Or too hard a concept to put into practice?

We could throw our hands up in anguish and call it a foolish notion. Human beings are selfish creatures by nature. Forever self seeking, wanting to gratify their own desires. Yet we are creatures seeking fulfilment, seeking to fill that empty void within us with some form of meaning. Some manner of order of which we can truly say, we are fully satisfied with our lives. Unfulfilled, we continued on seeking; often times in all the wrong places, that which eludes us. The pursuit of happiness. The chase of a dream. The capture of an aspiration.

So do we really need to burden ourselves with the quest of love? Do we truly need to bind ourselves with a false sense of happiness tied into the persona of a frail being such as a man or woman? Can not one live on their own and still be happy?

If fulfillment is the ultimate aim for us, surely it is one we must find on our own first and then shared. So until one finds their own way, one should first refrain from seeking completion in another person, because two halves do not make a whole person. Rather, it takes two complete individuals to make up a whole complete relationship.

And that is the mystery.

Evening out with photographers

Had the change to attend a talk by four (4) Malaysian professional photographers last night. In true Malaysian style it was late by about an hour. My brother, friend and I arrived, I parked the car, we got lost looking for the hall, made ourselves comfortable third (3rd) row from the front and waited an hour. What kept me from leaving was the fact that with RM10 we had refreshments and I wanted to see Saiful Nang in person.

And after the usual opening speech, the crowd (for those who caught it) were entertained to some stuff from the dark side of the internet. Lesson learnt: never, NEVER, put personal stuff onto a presentation notebook, cause you NEVER know if the file gets opened for public viewing.

All the photographers were wedding photographers, which in all honesty is not my cup of tea, but I was there to listen to their story. I wanted to hear what they had to say about photography and about the pains they had to go through when they first started out as a professional photographer in Malaysia. To his credit, Saiful Nang’s story is an inspiration to all aspiring photographers.

Made me think about my own motivation for photography. The capture of light and the decisive moment.

Time to pick up my camera and express myself.

For Ryan

Within the walls of silence,
I hear the voice of the void,
Within the reach of the speechless,
The cold touch to avoid,

Pass the door of despair,
I hear the reason of the fallen,
Within the glance of the innocent,
Deep calls upon deep; for time stolen,

Not the voice of the crowd,
Nor the voice of the righteous,
But the whisper of prayer said,
Eyes to heaven, voice of the gracious,

Tears to stumbling man,
Comfort in the darkest storm,
Push turn to shove; he’ll turn away,
Heart call to heart; he’ll come home.

Don’t you hate writers block?

I’m having one of those nights where I stared at a blank screen and my mind just refuses to budge. Yup, writer’s block. Or just a classic case of I’ve-ran-out-of-stories.

Yup. I’m stump and downright frustrated, and I know this can go on for weeks. It happened as I was writing Jasmines and again when writing The Bicycle. I stop writing for weeks, all because my mind just refused to write. I took long walks or merely allowed my imagination to go wild.

So when, you get writer’s block. Don’t worry. It’ll pass. All you need to do is keep yourself healthy and enjoy the vacation your mind has put you into. Pick up a new hobby or something. Anything to keep that mind active. Eventually, you will find yourself sitting at your desk again, and with new found vigor, you’ll write again.

So if you have writer’s block, what would you do?