By Nickky Faustine P. de Guzman
Whether young adult or historical fiction, writing is a love affair
WRITING a book takes stamina. Take it from the prolific and critically acclaimed Japanese writer Haruki Murakami. His fellow writers couldn’t agree more -- like international authors Juan Manuel de Prada and Emily Lockhart who were in town recently, interacting with our own acclaimed writers like fictionist Vicente Garcia Groyon.
Although writing for different genres, including children’s literature and literary criticism, they agreed that being a novelist is like a bodyguard on 24/7: always on duty, alert, dedicated, and passionate.
“I have yet to meet a published writer who waits for a muse. You have a deadline so you just cannot sit around. You work with rigor and dedication,” Ms. Lockhart said in a separate interview. She recently finished her book tour in Cebu and Metro Manila for her latest young adult (YA) novel, We Were Liars.
It took Ms. Lockhart two years and 15 revisions before giving birth to her latest young adult fiction. Mr. de Prada and Mr. Groyon toiled 15 years over thousands of revisions before their respective books, Morir tu Cielo (To Die Under Your Sky) and The Sky Over Dimas, were published.
Mr. Murakami was right when he said writing needs energy -- and, oh, blood, sweat, and vast imagination too.
HISTORICAL FICTION
Seclusion from the outside world, extensive research, and unfettered imagination -- these and more are some of the qualities and advantages behind a successful work of historical fiction, a genre that is anchored on true events but with its sprinkle of fancies.
For renowned Spanish novelist Mr. de Prada, 15 years feels like a short time to finish his latest novel To Die Under Your Sky. He remembers barely leaving his seat except to take a pee.
The book recounts the last days of the Spanish regiment under siege in the town of Baler, Quezon, which the author said is one of the most heroic yet relatively unknown episodes in history. The book required a vivid imagination as well as broad research on Jose Rizal’s books and on accounts on Filipinos in Spain at the time, among other facets.
Mr. Groyon recalled having the same undertaking for his book as Mr. de Prada. From conceptualization to the actual writing, The Sky Over Dimas also took Mr. Groyon a considerable 15 years to finish. Dimas is about a Filipino family in Negros, a fascinating milieu for writers as well as filmmakers because of the social dynamic and tension between the hacendero (rich landowner) class and laborers, dating back to the Spanish era.
To finish his book, Mr. Groyon relied on text and other sources.
Writing is a solitary endeavor, Mr. Groyon said, and novelists are lonely.
But beyond the solitude, Messrs. Groyon and de Prada are bound together by their love for historical fiction and the solidarity between the Philippines and Spain which goes back to history.
They were the guest speakers in a recent forum, “Encuentros en la literatura” (“Encounters in Literature”), presented by the Instituto Cervantes at the De La Salle University.
“Inspiration comes when I am busy writing. I make it a habit to devote my time into writing. For as long as there are stories to tell, the writing should be continuous. You should be disciplined. Travels are not advisable, but you have to be a slave of that world you’re creating,” Mr. de Prada told the young aspiring writers in that forum.
His visit to the Philippines seemingly stamped an approval seal to his book. Mr. de Prada said he knew the Philippines only from his research. Yet his tour was like a homecoming of sorts.
Among the characters in his book, the two nuns Lucia and Guicay should symbolize the affectionate relationship between the Philippines and Spain, Mr. de Prada said. “It’s not a coincidence that the relationship of both countries took more than 300 years. We should resurrect our lineage and our brotherhood. Spain and the Philippines are no strangers.” The 750-page novel was published last year and Mr. de Prada is now free to travel.
Mr. Groyon, on the other hand, visited Spain after Dimas was published in 2003. He said his visit didn’t feel foreign at all. “I’ve taken for granted the aspects of Pinoy culture. Many things are familiar. I struggled while writing the book because the setting was in the 19th century and I didn’t have a writing skill with an authentic flavor. I think I kind of cheated when I wrote it as a modern perspective looking back,” he said. Dimas won the Manila Critics Circle National Book Award in 2004.
CHALLENGES IN ‘YA’
While it took Ms. Lockhart a shorter time to finish her YA books, which includes We Were Liars, Fly on the Wall, and Ruby Oliver, among others, she said writing young-adult fiction isn’t easy. “I was lucky to write when YA is expanding. The libraries, classrooms, and critiques are starting to engage in YA in a smart way,” she said.
Her latest New York Times bestselling novel We Were Liars tells the story of the “beautiful and distinguished” Sinclair family, as a tumblr site describes these characters. The family has never missed its summer vacation in a private island until Cadence, one of the granddaughters, falls in love and has a serious accident. Back to the island after two years, Cadence knows nothing of what happened.
Nothing is what it seems. Everything seems a lie.
But please, never belittle young adult fiction in the context of historical fiction and other widely presumed “high quality” reads.
“YA is a little bit shorter, yes, but there are many kinds of stories within, like paranormal, dystopian, horror, literary fiction, many types.
I think that sometimes people who have not taken the time to read widely are just misinformed,” Ms. Lockhart said -- adding that YA is concerned with coming of age, separation from family, and kids’ many first-time experiences.
Ms. Lockhart said she gets inspiration from life experiences. “You end up almost like making a collage when you write,” said the American author who has a doctorate in English.
As a writer and a teacher, she emphasizes the beauty of short sentences, clarity, and simplicity. “I always talk about revisions in my class. For beginning writers, revision is adding a sentence here or there [or] fixing…grammar or punctuation. That is not revision, but it is throwing big chunks, rearranging dialogues, getting rid of characters or adding new characters,” she said.
The three writers said they did several revisions with their books.
NO SET RULES
Messrs. de Prada and Groyon both agree that there are no set rules in writing historical fiction, but this discipline takes a balance between fiction and fact.
“I wouldn’t say that there are rules, but only responsibility. You cannot be as free. While you have the freedom to put your interpretation of history, you have to be cautious. Usually, you have to find gaps in history and place the fiction there,” Mr. Groyon said. “In the end, you will always have a disclaimer that this is a fiction. In my experience, people usually ask me parts of the book really happened. I think it’s a Filipino thing to have an automatic belief, a desire to believe that it really happened because it makes it more affecting. Historical fiction is about taking repercussions. There could be damage to people and descendants.”
For a historical novelist to be successful, he should have consistency and balance, Mr. de Prada said. “You are creating fictional characters with ideas, but at the same time, you’re being faithful to the actual events. This isn’t easy. Sometimes, you have to express your own ideas and there can be temptations to change the history. But you must constrain yourself,” he said.
There’s a vast field of fiction to play with too, Mr. de Prada said. “We can play mainly with the characters. For example, we know that 50 Spanish soldiers were in Baler church, but we don’t know everything about them. That’s when we can recreate their psychology.”
While Ms. Lockhart said she loves to read historical fiction and fantasy, she qualified that her storytelling abilities are more “contemporary.”
“Historical fiction takes a lot of research. I salute the writers. But it’s not for me. I don’t think that my storytelling abilities lend myself [to] writing that genre,” she said.
But whether one is writing YA or historical fiction, the three writers said inventions may come from a story in your childhood you want to reimagine, from something you read, or from stories by other people.
“It’s a mixture of those elements,” Mr. de Prada said.
Ms. Lockhart, for her part, said she always injects a part of her in the characters. “I see myself from all the characters. I usually take myself and develop from [those] characteristics and emotions. The heroine in We Were Liars is suffering from chronic pain, amnesia, heartbreak, and anger. I haven’t had amnesia, but I’ve experienced heartbreak and anger, so I took the things I knew and understood and brought them together.”
What makes a great novelist? Three words: Read and write. “My advice to aspiring writers is to read, read, read. Read the great novelists and gnaw your way through the local library’s sci-fi or romance collection, if that’s what does it for you,” Ms. Lockhart said.
For Mr. de Prada, writing should be a lifetime love affair. “For as long as there are stories, writing should be continuous. Let it surprise you,” he said.
The three writers are working on their next books. We couldn’t wait.
“I have yet to meet a published writer who waits for a muse. You have a deadline so you just cannot sit around. You work with rigor and dedication,” Ms. Lockhart said in a separate interview. She recently finished her book tour in Cebu and Metro Manila for her latest young adult (YA) novel, We Were Liars.
It took Ms. Lockhart two years and 15 revisions before giving birth to her latest young adult fiction. Mr. de Prada and Mr. Groyon toiled 15 years over thousands of revisions before their respective books, Morir tu Cielo (To Die Under Your Sky) and The Sky Over Dimas, were published.
Mr. Murakami was right when he said writing needs energy -- and, oh, blood, sweat, and vast imagination too.
HISTORICAL FICTION
Seclusion from the outside world, extensive research, and unfettered imagination -- these and more are some of the qualities and advantages behind a successful work of historical fiction, a genre that is anchored on true events but with its sprinkle of fancies.
For renowned Spanish novelist Mr. de Prada, 15 years feels like a short time to finish his latest novel To Die Under Your Sky. He remembers barely leaving his seat except to take a pee.
The book recounts the last days of the Spanish regiment under siege in the town of Baler, Quezon, which the author said is one of the most heroic yet relatively unknown episodes in history. The book required a vivid imagination as well as broad research on Jose Rizal’s books and on accounts on Filipinos in Spain at the time, among other facets.
Mr. Groyon recalled having the same undertaking for his book as Mr. de Prada. From conceptualization to the actual writing, The Sky Over Dimas also took Mr. Groyon a considerable 15 years to finish. Dimas is about a Filipino family in Negros, a fascinating milieu for writers as well as filmmakers because of the social dynamic and tension between the hacendero (rich landowner) class and laborers, dating back to the Spanish era.
To finish his book, Mr. Groyon relied on text and other sources.
Writing is a solitary endeavor, Mr. Groyon said, and novelists are lonely.
But beyond the solitude, Messrs. Groyon and de Prada are bound together by their love for historical fiction and the solidarity between the Philippines and Spain which goes back to history.
They were the guest speakers in a recent forum, “Encuentros en la literatura” (“Encounters in Literature”), presented by the Instituto Cervantes at the De La Salle University.
“Inspiration comes when I am busy writing. I make it a habit to devote my time into writing. For as long as there are stories to tell, the writing should be continuous. You should be disciplined. Travels are not advisable, but you have to be a slave of that world you’re creating,” Mr. de Prada told the young aspiring writers in that forum.
His visit to the Philippines seemingly stamped an approval seal to his book. Mr. de Prada said he knew the Philippines only from his research. Yet his tour was like a homecoming of sorts.
Among the characters in his book, the two nuns Lucia and Guicay should symbolize the affectionate relationship between the Philippines and Spain, Mr. de Prada said. “It’s not a coincidence that the relationship of both countries took more than 300 years. We should resurrect our lineage and our brotherhood. Spain and the Philippines are no strangers.” The 750-page novel was published last year and Mr. de Prada is now free to travel.
Mr. Groyon, on the other hand, visited Spain after Dimas was published in 2003. He said his visit didn’t feel foreign at all. “I’ve taken for granted the aspects of Pinoy culture. Many things are familiar. I struggled while writing the book because the setting was in the 19th century and I didn’t have a writing skill with an authentic flavor. I think I kind of cheated when I wrote it as a modern perspective looking back,” he said. Dimas won the Manila Critics Circle National Book Award in 2004.
CHALLENGES IN ‘YA’
While it took Ms. Lockhart a shorter time to finish her YA books, which includes We Were Liars, Fly on the Wall, and Ruby Oliver, among others, she said writing young-adult fiction isn’t easy. “I was lucky to write when YA is expanding. The libraries, classrooms, and critiques are starting to engage in YA in a smart way,” she said.
Her latest New York Times bestselling novel We Were Liars tells the story of the “beautiful and distinguished” Sinclair family, as a tumblr site describes these characters. The family has never missed its summer vacation in a private island until Cadence, one of the granddaughters, falls in love and has a serious accident. Back to the island after two years, Cadence knows nothing of what happened.
Nothing is what it seems. Everything seems a lie.
But please, never belittle young adult fiction in the context of historical fiction and other widely presumed “high quality” reads.
“YA is a little bit shorter, yes, but there are many kinds of stories within, like paranormal, dystopian, horror, literary fiction, many types.
I think that sometimes people who have not taken the time to read widely are just misinformed,” Ms. Lockhart said -- adding that YA is concerned with coming of age, separation from family, and kids’ many first-time experiences.
Ms. Lockhart said she gets inspiration from life experiences. “You end up almost like making a collage when you write,” said the American author who has a doctorate in English.
As a writer and a teacher, she emphasizes the beauty of short sentences, clarity, and simplicity. “I always talk about revisions in my class. For beginning writers, revision is adding a sentence here or there [or] fixing…grammar or punctuation. That is not revision, but it is throwing big chunks, rearranging dialogues, getting rid of characters or adding new characters,” she said.
The three writers said they did several revisions with their books.
NO SET RULES
Messrs. de Prada and Groyon both agree that there are no set rules in writing historical fiction, but this discipline takes a balance between fiction and fact.
“I wouldn’t say that there are rules, but only responsibility. You cannot be as free. While you have the freedom to put your interpretation of history, you have to be cautious. Usually, you have to find gaps in history and place the fiction there,” Mr. Groyon said. “In the end, you will always have a disclaimer that this is a fiction. In my experience, people usually ask me parts of the book really happened. I think it’s a Filipino thing to have an automatic belief, a desire to believe that it really happened because it makes it more affecting. Historical fiction is about taking repercussions. There could be damage to people and descendants.”
For a historical novelist to be successful, he should have consistency and balance, Mr. de Prada said. “You are creating fictional characters with ideas, but at the same time, you’re being faithful to the actual events. This isn’t easy. Sometimes, you have to express your own ideas and there can be temptations to change the history. But you must constrain yourself,” he said.
There’s a vast field of fiction to play with too, Mr. de Prada said. “We can play mainly with the characters. For example, we know that 50 Spanish soldiers were in Baler church, but we don’t know everything about them. That’s when we can recreate their psychology.”
While Ms. Lockhart said she loves to read historical fiction and fantasy, she qualified that her storytelling abilities are more “contemporary.”
“Historical fiction takes a lot of research. I salute the writers. But it’s not for me. I don’t think that my storytelling abilities lend myself [to] writing that genre,” she said.
But whether one is writing YA or historical fiction, the three writers said inventions may come from a story in your childhood you want to reimagine, from something you read, or from stories by other people.
“It’s a mixture of those elements,” Mr. de Prada said.
Ms. Lockhart, for her part, said she always injects a part of her in the characters. “I see myself from all the characters. I usually take myself and develop from [those] characteristics and emotions. The heroine in We Were Liars is suffering from chronic pain, amnesia, heartbreak, and anger. I haven’t had amnesia, but I’ve experienced heartbreak and anger, so I took the things I knew and understood and brought them together.”
What makes a great novelist? Three words: Read and write. “My advice to aspiring writers is to read, read, read. Read the great novelists and gnaw your way through the local library’s sci-fi or romance collection, if that’s what does it for you,” Ms. Lockhart said.
For Mr. de Prada, writing should be a lifetime love affair. “For as long as there are stories, writing should be continuous. Let it surprise you,” he said.
The three writers are working on their next books. We couldn’t wait.
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