Tagalog Online Pocketbook social - T.O.P.

There are still some bugs but I am really glad about the new TOP site. It was tested before and it helped keep everything in one place.

So if you are looking to read and socialize about TAGALOG pocketbooks, then feel free to join up. Read this guide to help you earn gils, our TOP currency.

I hope this makes it all easy for some of the readers to get the gils that they need. We are thinking about promos on how to help them read more novels. And of course, I still have those 32+ novels to edit. But changes are in the wind. And more surprise will come when we have our fifth anniversary.

Great things come to those who wait...and are loyal. ^.^

xo

NOVELS TO EDIT - T.O.P.

Add caption

If your novel is not on this que that means I don't have a copy of your novel. E-mail it immediately. Those FINISHED novels that were not sent to me are not my responsibility. It's part of the HOW TO SUBMIT that you have to SEND THE EIC the edited form  (by another person preferably from TOP as your editor or reader) not the RAW format crazy version of your novel.

If your novel is in FATE, dapat me copy din na na-send sa akin. pinaywritertop@gmail.com

AGAIN, these are the rules. If you can't wait for me to finish all these, then I am sorry. I am not a machine. Write somewhere else but don't expect me to help you. I want to help that's why I got this "job" but I have a life too. It was very eventful lately and I messed up my time. But it's on like donkey-kong.

There is something we are preparing for next year (5th year ng TOP) so I need to evaluate the writers.


Wherever you might end up, don't rush greatness.

TO ALL NEWBIE WRITERS WHO WANT TO WRITE A SERIES - T.O.P.

To Whom it may concern,

Future writers and my dear Toppers fellow I would like to implore you to listen (or in this case read) what I am about to say. Tatagalugin ko na para hindi masakit sa bangs.

As per what I called BBBS fiasco (wait tagalog nga pala)

Dahilan sa mga pangyayari sa nakaraan na (pak ang hirap magtagalog) bunga ng kaguluhan ng isang bruhilda na nagpapasimuno ng gulo sa BBBS (no, hindi ito si empresz surprisingly ahahah love you empz) NAPAGDESISYUNAN NA IPINAGBABAWAL ANG PAGBUBUO NG SERIES NA MERONG LABIS SA TATLONG MGA MANUNULAT. Kinakailangan ding merong THUMBS UP NG EIC ang mga writer na nasa grupo ng tatlo o pares ng manunulat na gagawa ng series. KINAKAILANGANG MAGPAALA, MAGBUO NG SYNOPSIS, MAGSUBMIT NG MGA STORY PLOT AT KUNG ANEK ANEK PA bago maaprubahan ang series. KINAKAILANGAN DING ANG MGA MANUNULAT AY MAYROONG EDITED AT .COM NOVELS NA BAGO MAGSIMULA NG SERIES.

Kaya ipagpatawad ninyo pero hindi pwedeng gumawa ng series ang isang newbie ika nga. Pero welcome silang magsulat ng mga INDIVIDUAL novels para mahasa ang kanilang mga gawa o GUMAWA NG SERIES NG MAG-ISA.

Dahil sinasabi ko sa inyo, hindi ko papayagang maging E-book ang series ninyo. Sorry. Pero ganun talaga. At kapag me mga nag-away away na naman dahil sa isang pangalawang DIOSZA lahat kayo ay tatanggalan ko ng mga karapatang magsulat bilang mga "DIOSZA"-like writers.

Iminumungkahi kong makipagkaibigan tayo sa mga beteranong manunulat at humingi ng kanilang insight at wag tayong suplada sa kanilang mga tanong.

Kung wala tayong tinatago walang mawawala sa pagtugon sa mga tanong ng mga admin. Sapagkat kapag hindi ninyo ginawa ay hindi rin maipupublish ang inyong gawa.

Sana ay maunawaan ninyo ang mga dahilan namin. Kung gusto ninyong magpakwento kung ano ang dahilan bakit me ganitong rule, magpakwento kayo ke Empresz kasi isa siya sa mga me alam ng totoong nangyari.

So sana, sumunod bago sumaway. Maunawaan sana ninyo that it's you and your bond that we are trying to protect. Because nothing destroys friendships faster than lies and misunderstanding.

I want TOP to be a place where newbies learn slowly but surely and not take more than they can handle a little too soon. Sana matuto muna kayo mag-isa, with the support of others lang pero hindi naman sila na ang tutulong talaga to make your story come out. FIND YOUR STYLE and master it then you can collaborate with ONE OR TWO other great writers. Because if you start something that you can't finish then you can't move on to your next piece.

Believe me, I know.

Let's work together, wag tayong mag-epalan.

Remember, "TOPper sa isip, salita at AKDA."

Fool Me Twice, It's My Fault

Sometimes I fell like I shouldn't have taken this job and just let other people loose sleep over waiting for stories and novels to be finished. I would just deal with my own stories and procrastinate on my own time. I would have time to clean my room, sleep late during the entire weekend and probably exercise. But I don't like to pull out tight situations by running away from responsibilities. I prefer to take my time but as long as things go my way, I would feel like I am making good time.

Don't get me wrong, I don't work that well in groups. As what I have said in the past, I don't do collaborations. The simple reason behind this is that I am a lazy motherfucker. It took me four years to finish my novel ELBI LIFE NATASHA. I don't want to ever be a burden to anyone by being the person everyone is waiting for.

I would love to give some of my ideas to other writers in the future. But I am selfish like that. I think it but I would probably never do it. For me, my story ideas are like my babies. I want to nurture them while they are still young, argue with them when they are being difficult and to laugh out loud when we talk about private jokes.

I am not as good as some of you might think. I really suck in Filipino grammar and word usage. It's my Achilles' heel. So I took this TOP job to improve that. I figured if with more exposure I became good in English then by using that premise, exposing myself to Filipino would do the same thing.

But I am an impatient person. And this is the worst kind of attitude an editor-in-chief should have. They have to be Buddhas of calmness and willing to wait for Nirvana. But I am not fat enough to be a Buddha nor am I patient enough to wait for good things to come to me.

I have asked for advice from real editors and actual novelists and they told me to cut those people loose. Which people? Those who keep giving me excuses and causes delay and problems.

BUT I CAN'T.

This is TOP. We don't cut people off. "They can leave if they want, but we don't cut people off," I said. They told me, then suffer the consequences of your kindness.

It is true, a good deed doesn't go unpunished. And I hate it when I try to be a good person. Because I am not a good person. I am a horrible cussing loud bitch.

I know that I hate liars. I know that I hate it when people are late. I hate it when people break their promises and then give me excuses.

Sure. The reasons are valid. The thing is, I don't give a shit. I won't give a shit from now on.

I don't care if you hate me. I hate you too. Bring it on.

===

To all the writers and contributors who continue to make me smile, thank you for making this "job" worthwhile. Hindi ako titigil sa pagtulong sa inyo. Huwag kayong mag-alala. Grace under pressure, chicas. Keep your deadlines and we will get along. Follow the rules and I would love you long time. *giggles*

Scene from my MANRAE story - T.O.P.

Disclaimer: This story and this excerpt is mine. If you use it or take it, the muses of the old religion would make your life a living hell. If you are indeed a writer, come up with your own shit. 

Have to write it here.

A scene that popped in my head for the MANRAE love team.

A boy with a backpack, a laptop and a trolly on his first day in the big city gets off a Victory bus. He was on his way to the TOPshelf office to be the in-house IT guy. He needed to be there before 2pm.
He needs to ride an MRT for the first time and he can't quite figure out how to use the ticket. He hears someone tapping their foot in irritation.

She was late for her appointment in TOPshelf. Her evil EIC was threatening to ban her story from the site if she doesn't pass the revisions for her story today before 2pm. She lost her internet connection and she didn't have money to use the internet shop. She was on her last 20 pesos and she needed the check for her story.

The only thing that was going to ruin her meal ticket was the provincial guy who couldn't figure out how to use an MRT ticket.

She asks irritably, "Do you need help with that?"

He turns around and was about to spew cusses in seven languages when he saw the face of someone he's only ever seen in Facebook.

"Sol?"

"Janrae?" she recovered from her shock and took the ticket,shoved it in correctly then pushed him. She put in hers and grabbed his trolley. "Come on!"

He ran after her and they both laughingly sat on the empty last cabin.

"Where are you going?" he had to ask.
"Where are you going?" she couldn't resist asking.

"TOPshelf." They both said, paused then laughed.

"I'm the new IT guy." he said.
"I have to submit my work or Ate Pinay wouldn't pay me. At the very least that would be slow death due to hunger. I am literally on my last six pesos."

"I can feed you." he teased, just like he did before over the internet. But for the life of him it seems a bit too gross to say it like this.

"Ows, para ka ngang naglayas eh." she smiled at him, and he knew his first ever MRT ride would always be the best first in his new life in the big city.

++

Two promdis in the big city, both working for TOPshelf, an online publishing company owned by pioneers of an online romance novel site. Janrae and Marysol meet again after years of being causal forum friends on T.O.P. He wasn't as geeky as she thought he would be. And he was not the young girl who dumped him online. What happens when she falls in love with him now that he is afraid to love her?

GirlsOnT.O.P. book 1 : MANRAE

EIC DARK JEDAI MODE - T.O.P.

These are the titles that have been sent to me. I think I am missing others. If your novel was already sent to my email pinaywritertop@gmail.com and you can't see it here, please feel free to e-mail them again.

Because it's possible that this happened:



1. A mail error message in your email saying you did not send it successfully.
2. A tsunami hit the offshore server that saves the data of your email provider.
3. Your internet connection was intermittent when you sent the email so I never got it.
4. You mailed it to a different pinaywriter e-mail.
5. You lied to me about when you were going to send the e-mail containing the story that you told me would be sent to me on a specific day thinking that I moved the deadline for ALL the novel when in fact it's only for a particular series and not all the stories you were supposed to send to me.
6. You think I am a nice person who has no care or understanding of the word DEADLINE.
7. You are ningas kugon who only knows how to start things but not finish them.
8. You are super busy with life changing things. (this I would allow) And you forgot to make time for hobbies like writing novels and reading them.
9. You were bluffing when you send you would send me your work and it turns out that you didn't really get anything done and want to ask for more time.
10. You are even lazier than I am.

CHS
?

BBBS

The Foxy Bombshell by LAINe
Necessito Un Hombre

Finished Romance novels:

Behind His Hazel Eyes 1 (page 9 na ako dito)
Baby & Love
My Pretty Boy
My Beautiful Boyfriend (Diosza)
TIL WE MEET AGAIN (Lizzie)
Defying Destiny (annajanelee)
You are my Sky, France (sweetlemon)
Kapag Tumibok ang Puso (shon)
KINSA (empsz)
my sweet stranger (marichu)

Incomplete
Family Ties (rosalyn)
Hanggang Kailan (honnie)

Finished Editing

BHHE 1
All I NEED 1 (erin)


To all Romance novelists of the T.O.P. persuasion, please compile your links, send a message to empresz that you are done. Send me your CV and your finished work (in a document file - make sure that you have proofread your work na or else I would be returning a bloody red pdf file version of your work).

Please don't be lazy. We want to continue to make excellent ORIGINAL stories so please do your part. ^_^ If you need advice I am online daily from 5am to 2pm on my gmail. If you have a gmail account you can even chat with moi (if breaktime ko). I also linked my fb to my gmail so I can check the messages I get there. So there is not way for you not to get my help or any editors help. You just have to ask for it.

Thanks for your hard work.
Keep writing!~

EIC

*p.s. I will be using my break time at work to work on a different romance novel than the one that I am correcting at home. This way, I can make better time in editing. Then I can start with the ones that are on the site.  

How to make titles - T.O.P. writing tip

Minsan mahirap mag-isip ng title at feelling mo gamit na gamit na ung gusto mo.

Why not, coconut, try mo i-translate sa ibang wika ang iyong title

try mo dito


http://translate.google.com/#

Example :

English : IN MY HEART
Spanish : En Mi Corazón

Pero dapat ung mejo madaling ma-gets para hindi naman lost in translation
Dapat maganda din ang tono ng translation

Usually, French, Spanish o Italian maganda ang tunog.
As long as "romantic" ang dating ng translation then it would be a good title.

Minsan kasi hindi swak.

For example:

English: Always and Forever
Italian: Sempre e per sempre

Ang bantot di ba?

Pero ito mejo cute

English: Always, my love
Italian: Sempre, il mio amore

Siguraduhing hindi nakakatawa in a bad way ang inyong title like this

English : Always I am yours
Spanish : Siempre soy tuyo

Me mga salita kasing me katumbas sa tagalog or Filipino na mabantot ang dating. ^_^ So be careful.

Wag din ung title na ibang characters ang gamit tulad ng Hindi, Arabic etc. Isasabit ko kayo ng patiwarik. Rumaji or Romanized lagi ang mga letra, okay?

English : I love you
Korean: 당신을 사랑합니다 =======> NOOOOOOOOO!
Romanized: Sarang he

HOW TO USE NAMES :

Using the guy's name:

i.e. BigB Series 1: Yongbae's Song = > Sa story kasi importanteng metaphor ung kanta.

Taking Tank => una it rhymes, second pakipot kasi si boy so iseseduce sha ni girl so "taking"

Behind Daesong's Smile : Shy type kasi si boy at mahilig ngumiti kahit nasasaktan na.

Pwede rin ang word play like this

Jack in the box => kasi Jack ung name ng character

Using the girl's name:

i.e. ELBI LIFE 1 - Natasha

or

Pepper's Rose => malamang mahilig sha dun.

Using both their names:

i.e. STATE U : Lazy Lance and Laude Lillith

Mariel and Robin : The apocalypse (oo bitter ako walang magulo)

How to make "declarative" titles - pautos na titles

Kiss Me

Hold Me

Taken Me in Your Arms

Siguraduhing hindi kalaswaan ang title pero hindi naman boring

Wag ganito

Ibuka Mo Puso Mo

or

It's Cold Tonight

Try not to use words na me image ng lamig or lungkot or negative kasi words like colors can carry an emotion or make us feel a certain feeling

DO NOT IGNORE HUMOR

Minsan kapag funny ang title gusto shang basahin o bilhin ng mga tao.

i.e. My Yummy Kapitbahay

Kahit taglish sha pasok pa rin sa banga.Mahalay ng konti pero hindi naman bastos ang dating. Mejo lang.

GOOD LUCK IN MAKING YOUR NOVEL TITLES. It's the first thing they would read so siguraduhin ninyo Title pa lang, nakakakiliti na.

How to Map Out your Characters - for T.O.P.pers

Madalas kong sabihin ang map-out your characters at I am sure naiinis na ang mga tao sa mga sinasabi ko. So I decided to blog it na para wala nang gulo.

I will be doing this post in Taglish so if you can't understand Filipino, move to another post. Thanks.

Q: Ate Pinay, ano ba yung pinagsasasabi mong map-out your character. Hindi ko talaga maintindihan. *minsan talaga ang mga taga-UP parang alien magsalita. tsk.*

A: *eherm* I heard that. 

Pero ang pagmamap-out ng iyong character ay para lang outline. Mas tamang tawagin siyang outline ng iyong mga characters.

Q: Para saan ba un?

A: Para hindi ma-out of character ang mga ginagawa, sinasabi o iniisip ng character mo.

Q: Pero hindi ba pamparami lang un ng gagawin?

A: Sa unang tingin, oo. Pero kung iisipin mo madali mong magagawa ang mga dialogue at and iyong editing kung gagawa ka ng ganito. Kasi kung nalilito ka na sa kung ano ang gagawin ng character mo sa isang sitwasyon pede mong balikan ang characterization mo sa kanya. Me halong psychology ang ginagawa nating mga manunulat. Dapat me certain na logic ang lahat ng ginagawa ng mga character. Minsan nga mas mahirap pa itong gawin sa isang fictional character kesa sa ibatay ito sa totoong ginagawa natin. Kasi ikaw at ako, ang totoong buhay, hindi kailangan ng cause para magka-effect. Hindi laging logical ang kinikilos natin sa totoong buhay. Pero sa panulat, lahat ng kilos me dahilan. Lahat ng mga iniisip o ginagawa ng mga character me dahilan. Hindi pwedeng, wala lang trip lang nya.

Q: Ang komplekado naman. Baka naman pwede kang gumawa ng example para hindi kami malito mashado. 

A: Okay, halimbawa ganito

Basic

Name: Natasha Simon
Nickname: Tasha
term of endearment from lover: Labz
Age: 21 (sa simula ng kwento) 22 (sa katapusan ng kwento)
Eyes: Black - asian
Hair: Long black wavy
Height: 5' 6"
Body shape: slim but athletic
Bday: May 30 1985
Horoscope: Gemini (kita sa ugali ang pagkagemini)
Gender: Female (straight)

Location

Hometown: Batangas (rural - farm)
Name of specific place : Lobo (may or may not be real)
present city: LB
Present province Laguna
reason for being there : studying

Education

elem/HS: SBC
year graduated: 2002
awards: 6 medals overachiever

Level : graduating (beginning) graduate (end of the story)
name of school: UPLB
major: AB Comm Arts
awards: none

Employement

Job1: online blogger
job description : Made a blog about her pregnancy named (name here)

Attitude

positive: Loves her friends, loves her family, opinionated, english skills,
negative: nagger, loud, holds grudges, stubborn, boyish
phobias: thunderstorms, being dumped, commitment, airplanes, closed spaces
love type: BAD BOYS
favorite body part in a lover: eyebrows and spanish noses
skin type in a lover: moreno
height type in men: 5'7 to 5'10"
position on marriage: Not if I can help it
Behavior when pissed : NAGS
Behavior when really mad : Does not talk
How she talks: loud usually

Idea of a perfect date: Being in the beach
Wedding type: Beach wedding

Story info

Conflict: She loves Lucky but she is not into commitment.
Major problem: She gets knocked up.

extra info:

Parents name
Mom: Diana
job: Housewife
Dad: Kanor
job: Haciendero

Siblings:

Brothers:
Name: Marcell
Nickname: Macoy
age: 19
Job: Film student UPD

Name: Alvin
Nickname: Binot
age: 17
Job: freshman bio UPLB

Name: Alexandra
Nickname: Alex
age: 15
Job: highschool SBC

Relatives :

Name: Sasoy
Association: uncle
attitude: loves to drink gin
job: handles the piggery in the hacienda

Q: Wow, pati tito niya kailangan me pangalan?

A: Bakit ang tito mo ba walang pangalan?

Q: Oo naman, pero totoo naman akong tao. Si Natasha ay kathang-isip lang. 

A: Iyon ang dahilan kung bakit kailangan mo siyang buhayin. Kung hindi mo alam kung sino siya, hindi mo siya  maisusulat, di ba? At least not well enough. Malay mo naman gamitin mo pa ang mga tao sa buhay niya sa iba mong kwento. Magaling na that you know who is who.

Q: So kailangan ko itong gawin sa lahat ng characters ko?

A: Ideally, yes. Kung tinatamad ka you can use this for your girl and boy main characters at sa main antagonist. Then you can just use the basic parts for the extra characters. Pero lagi mong tandaan na ang mga character na ito ay dapat "of this world" dahil sa ang genre natin ay tagalog pocketbook hindi sci-fi or fantasy. Gets?

Q: Gets. So ang dami palang dapat ihanda bago magsulat. 

A: Hindi naman. Ito at ang plot point guide ay mga guide lang para hindi ka maligaw. Pwede mong i-adjust ang kwento batay sa mga ito. Pero minsan pwede mo rin baguhin ang taong ginawa mo para magfit sila sa kwentong nabubuo sa isipan mo. Minsan hindi natin pwede pilitin ang isang kwento na magpunta sa isang direksyon. Minsan they just have a life of their own.

Q: Eh kung ganun pala ay bakit kailangan pa ng plot point plot points sulat na agad.

A: Kung super galing ka talaga ay siguro second nature na ito sa iyo. Pero para sa akin na tao lang at nalilito din, kailangan ko ng reminder sa kung asan na ba ako, ano bang sunod na gagawin ko or kung ano ang mga scenario or loose ends na kailangan kong resolbahin. Ung kasi minsan ang problema. Kahit maganda ang kwento me mga tanong na hindi nasasagot so nakakainis sha para sa mambabasa.

Q: Maraming salamat sa tulong mo ngayon.

A: Walang anuman, next time plot points naman pag-usapan natin.

Q: At kaya nga, ang pangangailangan na kilalanin ang iyong mga characters at ang mundong kanyang ginagawalawan ay mahalaga sa isang kwento dahil sa kung wala sila well...walang kwento. Sana po ay nakatulong kami sa mga TOPpers kahit konti lang. Maraming kwento po sana tayong magawa. Mabuhay!

BigB Series Covers

You can check out the teasers here and the incomplete pages. ^_^ You have to register first though. ^_^ Have fun!

BigB1 - Youngbae's Song
Jaime <3 Yongbae

Jaime had one dream , to be a GY talent and a famous Korean idol. There was only one problem, she was neither a singer nor was she 100% Korean. Her only chance to stay in Korea was to be an English teacher to a bunch of misfits in a highschool in a farflung South Korean town.

Yong-Bae was living the dream, he was GY talent and a famous Korean idol. There was only one problem, he had mandatory military training and was assigned to go a remote town and help build a school. He meets the quirky Jaime while he stays there and finds that love can be found in the strangest places.   

*The photo was found online and is not a property of the blogger.
+++


Need to look up tutorials for Photoshop? Check here

Of Freebies,Friends, and Foo

I learned, nay, I realized what it was that Mam B was talking about when she commented on my story. She told me that the POV was off or something like that. I didn't really get it but I thought that it had something to do with the fact that for the most part my stories had two pov, although not at the same time. Sometimes it was the main character then sometimes it was the significant other that was in the lead. It wasn't until today when Foo told me something that Lizzie said. It was like the missing password to the encrypted arrogant UP the best account in my head. It was only today that I realized that I really had forgotten a lot of what I learned and that there were still a lot that I could learn from people from T.O.P. and in general.

I might need to redo my Natasha and my BigB soon. But that might have to wait. I still need to check on the e-books they sent me. So far, All I need is a bit long. 31384 is long. And it has 16 chapters. As much I don't want to narrow it down, the chapters, I mean. I guess I can just work on the word count. ^_^ It's a pretty good story. The conflict is pretty basic but appealing. Most of us have bestfriends and there is always complex dynamics that come with having to deal with whom they would love. No, I will not give away anything else. You would have to buy the e-book when it gets out.

But I guess I would have to work on the comics tomorrow since I had to do other stuff today. I know that Norby would be happy to know that I got some reservation possibilities from Foo...if anyone decides to go to the Komikon. I hope so. They could do an EB there. ^_^ I am sure there are a lot of otakus so going to the Komikon 2010 would be great.

I got to catch up with Hot Mamah and was pleased to know that her grandfather is...well he's still sick...but...y'know what I mean. She told me how hard it was for her. I even told her that it would have been better if I was there with her instead of being with B1 and B2. T_T She was alone after all. I am sure that we could have helped her in some way. I hate hospitals so that idea really comes from a part of me that loves her deeply. I also feel indebted to them since when I didn't have a place to stay once I managed to stay there with Trina for a bit. It was like walking on eggshells for me since I am a loud boldozer on a normal basis but they helped me and I am truly grateful.

I wonder when she would catch a break. T_T, I need a windfall as well as she does. As well as H does. She would get another interview this coming Tuesday. I hope it works out since I would love for her to stay in the Philippines. Although Mr Big would be here, at least she would be with us or at least one bus or fx drive away. I still can't navigate around my fear of planes so...it would be hard. I know that spiritually it would be better for her. But I don't think taking a step backward would do her any good either.

Ah, the perils of being bored. I was lucky to have caught Gil online. I was on my way out so I didn't get to talk to him all that much. I guess it's better that I don't get any new news about Mark, if he left work already or if he's really coming back at the end of the year. Because quite frankly, I have my flabs and my pockmarks to worry about. I have already given up on him, why should I bother to know if he's dead or alive? He's not mine, never was. So I am just going to HUNT for my next prey.

A lot happened last week, lost a TL, got a new TL. Got pissed off at someone's stupid grammar errors and antics, was offered to do OT quite firmly as well as worked through a hangover. But all comes with great lessons learned and a keps smile.


I got this from Lanie (T.O.P.) and wanted to repost it. ^_^

#1 When you break her heart, the pain never really goes away.
#2 When she misses you, she's hurting inside.
#3 When she says it's over, she still wants you to be hers.
#4 When she walks away from you mad, follow her.
#5 When she stares at your mouth, kiss her.
#6 When she pushes or hits you, grab her tight & don't let her go.
#7 When she starts cursing at you, kiss her and tell her you love her.
#8 When she ignores you, give her your attention.
#9 When she pulls away, pull her back.
#10 When you see her at her worst, tell her she's beautiful.
#11 When you see her crying, just hold her and don't say a word.
#12 When you see her walking, sneak up and hug her waist from behind.
#13 When she's scared, protect her.
#14 When she lays her head on your shoulder, tilt her head up and kiss her.
#15 When she steals your favourite jacket, let her keep it and sleep with it for a night.
#16 When she teases you, tease her back and make her laugh.
#17 When she doesn't answer for a long time, reassure her that everything is okay.
#18 When she looks at you with doubt, back yourself up with the truth.
#19 When she says that she likes you, she really does more than you could understand.
#20 When she grabs your hands, hold hers and play with her fingers.
#21 When she bumps into you, bump into her back and make her laugh.
#22 When she tells you a secret, keep it safe and untold.
#23 When she looks at you in your eyes, don't look away until she does.
#24 Stay on the phone with her even if she's not saying anything.
#25 Don't let her have the last word.
#26 Don't call her hot, but gorgeous or beautiful is so much better.
#27 Say you love her more than she could ever love you.
#28 Argue that she is the best girl ever.
#29 When she's mad, hug her tight and don't let go.
#30 When she says she's OK, don't believe it, talk to her about it, because 10 yrs later she'll still remember it.
#31 Call her at 12:00am on special occasions to tell her you love her.
#32 Call her before you sleep and after you wake up.
#33 Treat her like she's all that matters to you.
#34 Don't ignore her when she's out with you and your friends.
#35 Stay up all night with her when she's sick.
#36 Watch her favorite movie with her or her favorite show even if you think it's stupid.
#37 Let her into your world.
#38 Let her wear your clothes.
#39 When she's bored and sad, hang out with her
#40 Let her know she's important.
#41 Kiss her in the pouring rain.
#42 When she runs up at you crying, the first thing you say is; "Who's ass am I kicking today baby?"
#43 After she reads this, she hopes one day you'd read it too.

Keep loving. Keep writing. Have faith and act on it.

Teaser versions

Ang purpose ng teaser ay parang yuong nasa likuran ng isang paperback pocketbook. Ito ang binabasa ng reader o ng buyer para magdesisyon kung bibilhin niya o babasahin ang isang libro. 


According ke Master Foo dapat ang mga teaser ay two paragraphs with two to three sentences. 

Ito ang ilan sa mga halimbawa nito. Pero mas mahaba sila kesa sa ginagawa sa atin.

Synopsis/Teaser ng Dark Lover ni Arielle

    Kinomisyon si Selene ng multibillionaire Chinese businessman na si Jason Long para gawan ng tig-iisang portrait ang pitong anak nito. 

    Sa pagdating niya sa Villa Lucinda ay isa-isang nakilala niya ang pitong anak nito. Wala siyang kamalay-malay na sa pagpunta niya roon ay malalagay siya sa isang pagsubok na ibinigay ni Jason Loong. At madadawit dito ang isa sa pitong lalaki. 

   Komplikado ang sitwasyon na nasuungan niya. Natuklasan niyang kailangan siyang umibig at magdalang-tao sa lalaking nagsasagawa ng misyon habang nananatiling lihim ang pagkatao nito. 

   Mautak at tuso ang binatang magpapaibig sa kanya. At ang kapalaran at puso niya ay malalagay sa palad nito. 

Sa teaser na ito walang dialogue na nakalagay pero malinaw nitong ipinapaliwanag ang hook o ang conflict ng kwento. Gumagamit din ito ng tinatawag na technique kung saan ang isa sa mahahalagang bagay ay ipinipresente subalit hindi nire-reveal ang identity nito. Ang mambabasa ay maiintriga kaya't nanaisin niyang basahin o bilhin ang aklat. 

Pwedeng ganito:

(How Did I fall in Love with You by Martha Cecilia)

  Hindi gusto ni Ronan si Laurel, the most popular girl in the campus, the girl who could smile away the thunder and kiss away the rain. She was a snob, too.

  At lalong hindi rin gusto ni Laurel si Ronan, the most infamous guy in the campus. Wild and crude...and, well, gorgeous. Hindi niya gustong aminin iyon.

  Theirs was a case of hate at first sight. 

Dito makikita ang pangalan ng main characters at ang kanilang conflicting personalities. Ang main conflict shempre ay na-inlove sila sa isa't-isa. 


Minsan ay gumagamit sila ng dialogue para sa teaser:


(Wild Enchantment 2)


   "Puno ang schedule ang buong linggo ko. sa Biyernes ay patungo tayo sa Batangas. Nabanggit ko na sa iyong may meeting ako sa labor union doon. At magiging abala na ako...So the wedding could be set on Wednesday next week," patuloy nito na tila ba ang pinag-uusapan ay ang pagbaba at pagtaas ng stock market. "Yes, Wednesday next week is perfect."
   Jordan proposed to marry her to keep her form doing any more mischief - at upang huwag na niyang habulin pa si Rowel. Proposed? No, he didn't propose. Ipinaalam nito sa kanya na magpapakasal sila - sa ayaw at sa gusto niya!


Dito sa teaser/synopsis nito ay makikita ang ilan sa mga dialogue na nasa loob ng aklat mismo. Paraan ito para makita ang main conflict sa pagitan ng mga character. 

Kaya rin itong gawin sa isang paragraph lamang.

Tulad nito: 

(Suzanna's Surrender by Nora Roberts) 

Burned-out and tired as hell, all ex-cop Hold Bradford wanted to do was relax. But when beautiful single mom Suzanna invaded his solitude to search for the missing Calhoun emeralds, he couldn't say no. Hold had changed from a bad-boy teen to a dangerously sexy man, but Suzanna couldn't risk well-ordered life for a man who made her mouth go dry...


OTHER EXAMPLES:

Raine hated weddings, but only on the surface. She actually loved them, the gown, the cake and the promise of a life together. But in her life men have proven that happily ever after doesn't exist. Between her father who cheated on her mother, to her ex-boyfriends who cheated on her and her ex-fiancee who turned out to have fathered a child while they were together, she was done with men. Hercules loved weddings, but only on the surface. His events company has so many weddings to put together that he never wants to put up with it if it was up to him. Plus, bride's can get a little bit too horny for his own good. As far as he was concerned once a man gets down on one knee, they never get up from that position.

Ang goal ng teaser ay makumbinsi mo, makiliti mo ang isipan ng reader para basahin niya ang iyong sinulat. Kung boring ang teaser mo iisipin ng reader na boring ang story mo. Kung maraming mali sa teaser mo, iisipin nila na sasakit lang ang ulo nila if they read your story. So be vigilant. 

Formatting Reminders Simplified - for T.O.P.pers *revised 052311*

CHAPTER ONE 6

Seoul, South Korea, 2010...
NAKATAYO si Jaime sa may arrival gate nang makita ito ni Yongbae. 1
2"Jaime!" 3sigaw ni Yongbae.
Lumingon siya at nakita ang kumakaway na kasintahan. Kung hindi lang mabigat ang hand-carry niya ay nagawa sana niyang tumakbo at yakapin ito. Pero hindi na kinailangan dahil ito na mismo ang gumawa noon.
Sarap... 4kinikilig siya sa higpit ng yakap at sa mumunting halik na iginagawad nito sa kanyang mukha.
"Anong gusto mong unang gawin?" tanong nito sa kanya nang makalabas na sila ng airport.
"Pwede bang..."nahihiya man siyang sabihin ay tinanong na rin niya, "matulog muna ako?"
Natawa ito sa tinanong niya. "Hindi pwede," bigla nitong sagot. 
"Bakeeeeet?5" eksaherado niyang tanong.
"Unless katabi mo ako, hindi pwedeng matulog." 
"Sabi ko nga eh, 'wag na lang." naiinis niyang ungot.
“Ayaw mo akong katabi?" tila nalulungkot nitong tanong.
“Hindi," ngumuso siya dito sa inis, "rapist ka eh."
"Hoy, ah! Anong akala mo sa akin? Virgin pa ako,noh!"


NAIINIS pa rin si Yongbae sa sinabi ni Jaime kanina. Sana ay hindi na lang nito iyon ginawa.
“Hyung, okay ka lang ba?” tanong ni Daesong sa kanya.

1. Ang UNANG SALITA sa inyong chapter/bagong scene/change of Point of View or POV ay dapat na BOLD at ALL CAPS.

2. Dapat naka-indent ang mga sumunod na parts ng scene na un, dialogue man siya or naration. 
*kapag inyong kinopya sa TOP.com ay hindi lalabas ang indent pero mas magaling na masanay na tayo dahil sa publishing house dapat ganun ang format. 

3. Dapat ay maliit ang unang letra ng salitang susunod sa "dialogue"

4. Ang mga "mental dialogue" ay dapat na naka italics.

5. WAG GUMAMIT NG ?! sa panulat. Mamili kung ito ay tanong or hindi. Kung ito ay isang tanong use ? kung ito ay sumisigaw lang use ! (ang gagamit nito ay papakainin ko ng mga punctuation marks)

6. BOLD and ALL CAPS ang CHAPTER NUMBER

7. Para sa mga text messages gumamit ng ganitong format 'text message' Use regular words. I-bold or gawin italics ito kung diary entry or message o note
   
   'Are you home?' Napangiti ako kasi kakahiwalay lang namin ay nag-text na agad ito.

8. Ang .. walang ibig sabihin sa panulat. Gumamit ng ellipsis ... ng maayos. 

9. Remember na ipabasa muna sa at least two friends ang kwento bago ipasa ang novel. Sa totoong publication me reader one and two bago pa ang editor.

10. Tandaan na 10 chapters of 10-12 chapters lang dapat.

2,500 words per chapter = 25,000 words (maximum)
2,400 words per chapter = 24,000 words (minimum)
Check out the word count rule sa TOP Tutorial : Writing Workshop 

11. TIMES NEW ROMAN 12 double spaced one inch margin = for novel submission 

This is to help form uniformity. Sundin na lang natin ang mainstream format para masanay tayo. At para in the future ay makapagpublish man kayo sa pub house, hindi mauubos ang buhok ng editor nyo. Basic lang ito at base sa rules ng isang pub haus.

Magbasa ng iba pang advice sa paggamit ng mga bagay bagay sa wikang English at Filipino. Ito ay isang compressed version lang. ^_^

At please, wag na wag kayong magagalit o maiinis sa editor in secret. Send me a hate mail anytime you need to say something. Wag matakot magsabi ng totoong nararamdaman. Para walang gulo.

All the revisions are made for the improvement of your novel. Learn from it. Don't pout and say na ayaw ninyong magpa-edit. Hindi yan ang kalakaran ng totoong buhay. We have a standard to follow. Here in T.O.P. bawal ang feeling nila wala na silang kamalian sa katawan. We are a family and family help each other kahit masakit tanggapin minsan.

~ Epal in Chief Pinay

HOW TO REACH THE EPAL IN CHIEF

TUWING UMAGA LUNES HANGGANG BIYERNES  nasa Plurk ako

*Gumawa ng plurk membership sa pamamagitan ng pag-click dito 

Dadalhin ka nito sa plurk.com
Isa itong parang shoutout social site kung saan ang dami ng iyong mga pinopost ay nagiging karma rate mo.
Ang maganda dito ay hindi agad nabubura ang iyong nais na ipadalang mensahe at ang ibang tao ay maaaring makapagkumento sa iyo.
Higit sa lahat hindi ito ganoon kasikat na ito ay naboblock sa ibang mga computer. (pero kung adik ang IT nyo ay malamang na blocked din ito.)

Meron itong timeline. Gumagana ito kahit sa Linux na OS.

Ang mahalaga dito ay maaari rin ninyong isa pribado ang mensahe.
Sa ganoong paraan ay ako lamang ang makakakita nito.

Maaaring magupload ng mga larawan, kanta bidyo at links sa mga sharing sites dito.
Mas may pagkkasunod sunod ang usapan sa ganitong paraan.

Maisipan nyo sanang sumali dahil madalas ay hindi ako nakakapagcheck ng akin gmail at yahoo (blocked sa office) pero sa plurk ay madali ko itong nasisilip kahit busy ako.
So please make a plurk account. Para na rin kayong nagtetext kasi 160 lng parang twitter pero hindi kashit cluttered.

You can also email me at my gmail account pinaywritertop@gmail.com. Para sa mga writers hindi maaaring magsend sa akin ng official na entry, ang mga editor ang gagawa nito para sa inyo pagkatapos nilang icheck ang inyong sinulat. Pagkatapos nilang mabasa ang inyong ginawa at naisaayos na ang mga corrections saka ito ipapadala ng editor sa akin.

Kahit na nakapasa ka na sa editor maaari pa ring bumalik ang aklat sa inyo for final revisions.
Ang pinakakonteng revesion ay dalawa.

*Pasensya na kung me typo nakakatulog ako habang nagtatype nito....