Author: Ninagracia

Hello there. Just in case you’re wondering how I got here, well, that makes the two of us. I’ve been trying to figure it out myself too, but all I can think of is that my deepest desire to write and share my experiences with everyone is what brought me here. It was a childhood dream, and I am still chasing it. I indulge myself in daydreaming immensely. Who doesn’t? I feel better hopping into my fantasy world and be the person I wished I was and be in a place where nobody had been before. It sounds crazy, but that’s where I derived my intense feeling of wanting or wishing for something. Most of the time, they are all stored away in the corner of my mind. I wrote my first poem when I was fifteen which I submitted to our school competition. It took second place and was later published. It was hard to describe the feeling of seeing my name in print, and I believed this was what inspired me to keep on writing. I did not read a lot of books when I started. I just went ahead and wrote endlessly. My writing is always inspired by decades of experience as a woman, a wife, a mother, and a friend. After years of simultaneously studying and working, I got married and had two children. Since then, I did a lot of catching up with my writing. I’m older now, but I haven’t stopped chasing my dream. I wrote my first romance novel in 2008 but hesitated to let anybody read my book. It wasn’t good enough, I thought. I was quite embarrassed to tell anybody about it. I hid my manuscript at the bottom of my drawer for so many years. I love a good romance, but I also love watching action-packed mysteries. It keeps me at the edge of my seat. I experimented with various forms of writing such as poetry, short story, and novel. I love collecting inspirational and motivational quotations too. I even wrote my own quotes. Don’t worry, I will let you read some of them. My latest work is writing for young children. I completed this book and is now ready for everyone to read. I write under the name Ninagracia. I am also proud of my involvement with my community as a volunteer tutor. Remember the novel that I kept in the bottom of my drawer? I don’t know what got me to do it, but I finally took it out, dusted it, and I am now ready to put my heart and soul into this project. No other job will make me happy except becoming a published author, writing nothing but novels and see my debut romance novel out there ready for everyone to read.

The Battle of the Block

by Ninagracia, posted in In the Margins, Writing

Fighting Writer’s Block

Writing your first sentence could be daunting, horrible, or even impossible. You watched that blinking cursor patiently waiting for you to type a word, but nothing is happening. You wished it would move on its own and miraculously type some words for you if not sentences would even be better.

Imagine finishing a whole article, when you are already struggling to write a simple sentence.

You wonder too how to begin.

.

 

If you see that vast space on top of this, that is something I purposely skipped. I’ve got nothing to write, as a matter of fact. I honestly at this time of the night, couldn’t come up with anything to begin my article. It has been three days that I have struggled to shake things off my head.


I shifted the time from the day and tried to write at night. There you go, I still have blank spaces in between.


If you think I’m talking nonsense, well I agree with you on that, and

If you’re saying I am experiencing “writer’s block”, you’re not wrong.


I have no definition of what writer’s block means, nor I can give advice on how to tackle such a thing.


What I can only imagine about writer’s block is like a brick wall in front of me. It is too close to my face, and that I couldn’t see what is behind it.

I can also associate writer’s block like a white canvas with nothing on it. Even traces of sketches that the artist have done is no longer visible. Just plain white canvas.

Like many other writers, I have experienced the pain of writer’s block, not only once, twice, but many times.

Imagine how difficult it is if you write for a living or working on a deadline. Experiencing the writer’s block is going to slow your writing process.

Right now, as I write this article, I am beginning to feel the flow of some words coming out of my head, simply because I just kept on typing anything. It is like talking to a friend, whining just about everything, including not being able to finish this article.

Fighting writer’s block is like fighting with a black belt ninja expert. You want to crash that brick wall, but you need steady hands and legs to kick it down to pieces.

For someone like my age, that is not even possible. To beat it, I gave my writer’s block a name: “TORA” meaning “tiger”.

Tigers are fierce and territorial animals. They won’t leave, and they will take over.

I know that whenever Tora is hanging around me again, I feel that I can’t write. I call out his name aloud, I yell, I get angry, and I order him to get out of my way. It is easy to release your frustration, especially if there is something you could focus on, like a name.

Sometimes, I take a break. I leave my computer and watch the TV briefly. There are other times that I take a nap and then wake up fresh to start again. I know that lack of sleep is one cause of the mental block.

I never cleared up my desk. The clutter makes me keep going back to my work if there were papers and books scattered on my desk. I always feel that I have some writing to finish right away.

Fighting writer’s block or Tora as I call it is quite tricky. It would stay for as long as it likes. It could take days, weeks, or even months.


WHEN THAT HAPPENS, IT CALLS FOR DRASTIC ACTION!

I use music as my weapon of destruction. Michael Bublé always comes to my aid. I like jazz, and I like almost all his songs. 

Some say, listening to music without the lyrics would calm us down. I have no personal preferences when it comes to that, for as long as they are my favourite songs.

TORA doesn’t like music. It makes him sleepy, lazy, and ineffective. He would still try to put in a fight and hang around for as long as he can.

He doesn’t like jazz. It would kill him to listen to me sing. The only way is to retreat and leave me alone. Having a lousy singing voice sometimes helps. Can you believe that?

There are countless of advice we could gather to help us overcome writer’s block. Some are more scientific, and some are simple personal take.

Whichever you want to proceed, it all depends on how you handle it.

We all have a writing system that we could change or simplify to make our writing process more accessible.

Writer’s block or mental block is never going to leave us. It will always be around any time or any day. If we develop a system, then, we could always go around it and beat it to the ground.

Hopefully, it would never come back.

Happy writing!

Desperately Looking for Inspiration

by Ninagracia, posted in In the Margins, Writing

Our society today is full of surprises. One minute you are a nobody, then suddenly, you have that glittering fifteen minutes that shoot you to fame and stardom. All you did is act silly, say something to create a mass debate, or do nothing, but you still get the attention.

It doesn’t work in the writing world. We don’t get the fifteen minutes to stardom because we need more than fifteen minutes. It takes a long time and many hours of work just to come up with some right materials or ideas.

Most of us, especially new writers or authors, struggle most of the time to find a consistent flow of ideas for our story.

It looks like this is the common denominator for everyone who is in the creative writing world.

We need the inspiration to make our writing flow smoothly. We want to showcase our artistic talent, and at the same time, we want the balance to project to our readers our style without compromising delivering good quality stories.

Waiting for inspiration to come to us is near to impossible. Where do we get it, or where can we find it? If it is something that I can buy, I will buy them all and keep them in my fridge.

Inspiration comes in different forms to any writer. It could be the object of your affection if you are in a romantic relationship, or it could be anything that makes your mind race, and your heartbeats.

Inspiration could be just the state of our mind. It is something like this – we are not feeling it, or not in the mood to do such a thing.

Remember when you don’t feel like cooking dinner for your family? What about when you couldn’t be bothered answering your emails or your text messages? Hey, what about cleaning your house too?

We don’t need the inspiration to do all those things. We don’t feel like doing them.

I, for one, am guilty of the above. I’m not particularly eager to do those things not because I need to be inspired. I was feeling lazy at that time.

Most of us associate inspiration to love or being in love. We look at our muse as our source of strength. It powers our mind to be artistic, imaginative, and creative. It empowers us to take the leap and transport our vision from pen to paper.

What happens when inspiration did not come to us? Indeed, we don’t know where to find it. So, all we could do was wait for it to come to us.

And, if it doesn’t come to us, does it mean we can’t start that story that’s been on our head for a long time?

Should our writing take a second spot because inspiration didn’t come to us?

If we wait, then we will never be able to start writing that story. Just imagine finishing it too.

Personally, I have issues with inspiration. Waiting for it to come to me had cost me so much time. It was a complete waste of time because it will never occur to you.

I’ve learned to look for it, hunt it down, and I used it while I have it.

I discovered that I could get inspiration anywhere. I love chocolates, so I write down what I felt when I ate that bar of chocolate.

I like watching people too. So, I watched people walked past my street while I vacuumed the floor. When I’m done, I sit near the window and watch. I came up with some good descriptions I thought I could use for my characters.

I hunted down my inspiration and used it to the max until it leaves me again.

I am no longer worried about where to find inspiration. I know how to look for it, and at the same time, I felt that I don’t need it anymore.

It doesn’t stop me from sitting in front of my computer and writing. I typed any word that I could think of, not sentences, just word. One word became two, then three, it became a sentence, and more sentences, and so on, and so on.

Getting into the habit of sitting in front of my computer every day helped me improved my attitudes towards working consistently and having a positive approach towards achieving an undertaking.

Once in while I still need to be inspired to write effectively. It doesn’t hurt to want it so badly. I go through some bad days every now and then, and it’s not all too bad to wish that my muse would come and generously throw his magic dust on to me.

Always remember, we create magic, not our muse.

Where to Get Ideas for Your Story

by Ninagracia, posted in In the Margins, Writing

Okay, I listened to what everyone was saying. I’ve been reading a lot, especially in the genre I want to write.  I also read anything I could get my hands to like catalogues in my mailbox and old local papers that were left in the shop’s windows. There are stories and countless advice on the internet too. I’ve learnt to keep a pen and papers handy in case I need them. 

After all these preparations, I started wondering what to write and where I should get those bits and pieces of ideas for my story. I was like a tradie equipped with tools but no place of work to go.

So, I went surfing. The “net” is very friendly and has so much to share. Some said I could get ideas just by simply listening in to people talk. Anywhere – in the bus, train, shopping centre, at the coffee shop, or even eavesdrop on people talking on their mobile phones. People speak too loudly while on their mobile phones. Don’t they irritate you sometimes?

I tried the train. It was easy and not very much people use the train after peak hours. After moving around seats and looking for the right spot, I finally found one near the window. A couple sitting behind me were talking to each other. Perfect! It was true, there were nuggets of ideas you could get from people like the words they say, or even what they were talking. So, I took my pen out and my notebook ready.

I pressed myself close to the back of my seat so I could hear them very well. They even whisper but I managed to pick some words, so I started jotting them down one by one.

For me to understand them very well, I closed my eyes, trying to listen very carefully on what they were saying. I wanted to capture every word, every pause, and even their breathing.

What I didn’t realise was, two young girls sat in front of me. They giggled and commented that I was probably so tired, I fell asleep writing notes. I kept my eyes closed and pretended to be asleep. I want to hear everything they were saying about me.

They argued that I was either a teacher or a reporter, or if not, I am a train inspector. Gosh! Really? Then, they started to pick on my looks. They talked about my make-up. Funny, girls always look at the make-up first before anything else. (I wonder what boys look at first, hmm!)

There was total silence after that.

Suddenly, I felt a gentle tap on my shoulder, and a tall guy in blue asked me which station I was getting off. Apparently, it was the last station. I looked around, and there was no one except me. Before I got off, he commented, that I was probably very tired, I fell asleep writing notes. Really? Did I? Has it been that long?

It was a long ride back home, but I still have my pen and notebook with me. This time, I was writing down everything I heard and everything that I could remember from those girls. There was some funny stuff, and I giggled too, especially how they argued about it. There were a few slang words that I did not understand, but I could check them out with my children.

I realised that I could find ideas for my book anywhere, even by just looking at myself in front of the mirror.

I could also cultivate story ideas from my spontaneous trip and experience at the train.

If we know where and how to gather information, we will never run out of materials to write.

Sometimes, hanging out with people, even any brief interaction to strangers can give us tons of ideas for our writing project.

Don’t forget too that good old newspapers we used to love to read. It still provide us buckets of information about the daily happenings and incidents in our community.

And lastly, check your favourite book. There maybe a chapter or passages that you like so much, and write down what made you love that story. Use it to come up with your own materials for your story.

My writing journey was not easy and was not hard either, but there were so much to learn and a few things to laugh about.

It wasn’t all hard work, but with a little bit of funny stuff on the side as well. All in all, dedication, tons of imaginations, and commitment kept me from doing what I love to do most.

I am not done yet, but I am learning so much.

So, till next time. I’ve got to catch the bus this time. Fingers crossed, I’ll try not to fall asleep again.

See ya!

The Number One Common Obstacle Most Writer Faces: Where’s the Pen and Paper?

by Ninagracia, posted in In the Margins, Writing

Staring at your ceiling at night and trying to get some sleep is not an easy task.

Rest is like a regular job. It comes after your exhausting day when all the hard chores of running around are finally over (for that day) like cooking, cleaning, washing.

You take a rest or try to get some sleep, and if not, you stare at your ceiling trying to figure out how you are going to work out your characters in your book, not to mention what your story is going to be.

Then, bingo! Something popped into your head: some great storylines and excellent character descriptions. It was a great story as a matter of fact.

You extended your arm to your bedside table searching for a pen and paper. Where are those pens and paper when you needed it? There is always one hanging around here and there when you don’t need them. But, they seemed to have gone on an epic holiday now that you want them all.

Your irritations started to flare up. It’s crucial. You don’t want to lose those big words and story lines that kept on flowing out from the corner of your brain.

 It’s late, and you don’t want to turn the lights on and wake everybody up. So you try to memorise them one by one…repeatedly…repeatedly.

But how could you, when there is another human being sleeping in your bed making a horrible noise.

So, you start to focus on him and what his snore resembles to something. He sounds like a lawnmower, or a motorbike running out of petrol. Seriously! You began to panic. You need to write everything down; you’re starting to lose them.

What the heck, you thought. You bravely reached for the light and turned it on. And there it was, a pen that is almost half empty, and a few pieces of yellow sticky note pad in the drawer of your bedside table.

Just when you’re about to start writing, suddenly, you realised that you already forgot everything. You sat on the bed, figuring out what to write. You already have your pen and your paper, but this time you are no longer staring at the ceiling anymore, but on the blank yellow sticky note pad on your hand.

My brain or maybe yours too sometimes functions in mysterious ways. When I want it to work into full capacity, it seems lazy, sleepy, and uncooperative. Worst of all, it might have “gone away” for the day.

I want to believe that it has something against me. When it is active and alert, it doesn’t care where I am or what I am doing. It’s always when I am in an awkward place or awkward position that those big, bright ideas and imaginations will burst out of my head in full colour.

And there I am again going in through my pile of things in desperation for pen and paper.

Just imagine the difficulty when our brain started to showcase its full potential with an explosion of ideas for our book, like fireworks with so many things to write, and we want them all. The sad thing was, we can’t keep a pen and paper in the shower.

 Ha, ha! Don’t laugh. It could happen to you too!

“Back to Work Blues” and Writer’s Block

by Ninagracia, posted in In the Margins, Writing

It is the beginning of the working week for the year 2020. Some of us are probably still feeling tired and lazy.

Some are wrapped up with plans and seriously thinking that something positive could happen this year. Of course, it’s New Year – a new idea, new hope, and a new beginning.

We all want to have a fresh start. That is what the new year means for all of us. It marks a new beginning – to restart and to do things better.

The holiday season may be a welcome break for all of us, but to others, it is a bit of disruption to their daily routine.

The gap between Christmas and New Year is so small, only one week to be exact. Yet, it felt like it was a lengthy vacation.

We allowed ourselves to overindulge with all the things we would never do in our regular daily routines. We drank too much alcohol. We ate junk foods, lots of sweets, stayed up late at night, and the list could go on and on.

Then, we all must face reality. We must go back to work.  

Going back to work to continue what we left behind is a struggle. It is hard to go back to our desk that was once cluttered with notes and papers, and where all electronic devices never get turned off.

Somehow, we must return to our desk to continue what we left behind during the festive season.

Whatever we have on our plate this year, our writing should always have a spot in our busy calendar. Otherwise, it will never get done.

I could understand the feeling of being a little bit anxious, especially turning on that computer again and thinking about what to write.

We feel that we have lost our momentum in writing. No matter how much we shake our heads, nothing is coming out, not a word or a single idea.

It felt like we are facing a brick wall, and we could not see anything behind it.

We want to break that wall in front of us, so we could think again, but it seems harder and frustrating.

It is hard when you are still feeling nostalgic about your vacation and wishing it never ended.

It is hard too when all you could think of is to check your social media content for photos and messages from your friends and families.

We shared a good laugh and memorable moments with them. Reminiscing those times how we acted silly and funny, and it was perfectly okay with them. Wiping off that smile on our face was hard because that was the only time, we let ourselves lose and vulnerable.

And that should have been enough.

Instead, we couldn’t shake them off our heads. We yawned in front of that bright screen on our computer. Our heads are empty. That brick wall in front of us seems to get bigger and taller. We couldn’t see anything except flashbacks of the best Christmas break we had.

Our daily writing routine would slowly come back to us. Perhaps, we would have already thought of something better to make our working schedules more achievable.

To ease back to work would take a little bit of time. But, whatever you do, make sure that it doesn’t take you that long.

There is no excuse for why we couldn’t write. We had our breaks, our time out from the daily grinds in our life.

It’s time to go back to work.

If we continue to make excuses, we will never write again.

 

365 NEW Days, and the Counting Begins

by Ninagracia, posted in In the Margins, Writing

Perhaps, we are still feeling exhausted after those endless preparations for Christmas, then New Year has just begun.

Just imagine a tree shedding off its old leaves and flowers, day after day, until the last leaf fell on the ground on December 31. With great anticipation, only one minute before the clock strikes 12:00 a.m. we welcome the new day and the new year.

Just imagine too, how we watched that leaf fell on the ground. And the much-awaited desire to see new foliage comes out as soon as the clock ticks to signify a new day.

Just imagine too, what is playing in our heads while watching that new leaf comes out from that tree. We feel the excitement of what the foliage will look like this time and the flowers it will bring us, or perhaps fear of the unknown, for nothing is certain anymore in this world.

Whatever the new year has brought us, we have 365 NEW days to re-start and begin all over again. It is like peeling off old or dead skin to allow the new and fresh coat to grow. While to other people, the new year is to continue what they have started.

Some of us make resolutions every new year promising to accomplish a personal goal or do something to improve one’s life.

Other people set up unrealistic goals with a list of Dos and Don’ts. It seems that they are sincerely following their guidelines from morn till night and changes have been made for themselves.

However, slight mistakes are unavoidable. One of the resolutions is beginning to miss. . . two. . . then three . . . and so on until the whole list is omitted. Afterwards, they feel sorry for what happened. They even find them funny objects of amusement, yet everything is wasted – the time and the effort used.

On the other hand, some devotedly fulfilled their missions. Still, it then takes time and patience to be successful in undertaking these goals.

Listed resolutions are not needed unless we have the so-called faith in determining and knowing ourselves our capacity to understand right from wrong. In other words, “self-study” is necessary for better living.

No matter what we are aiming to achieve in our life for this new year, determination and commitment to our goals would take us there.

If we aim every day to change something small in ourselves for personal growth, perhaps it would be accessible and achievable.

Remember, there are only 24 hours in a day, a small chunk to consider compared to 365 days to battle with, tirelessly which seems no end.

Change something in yourself, whatever comes to your mind, one bite size at a time would make us feel better and more accomplished than you would ever imagine.

Aiming for a change? Try it piece by piece, one chunk at a time. They are easier to swallow and more achievable.

Before you knew it, you would be looking at the mirror to a new YOU, and that would be the fresh flower that would be coming out of that old tree.

Happy New Year.

Pavlova, the Guinea Pig

by Ninagracia, posted in In the Margins, Writing

It’s hard to believe that Christmas is finally here. After weeks of preparations, most of our time was consumed to buying so many gifts for friends and family.

Decorating your home and planning that great Christmas party is not easy. Before you knew it, the BIG DAY is already here.

After all these big fusses, what you want is throw yourself on the couch to rest your aching feet. 

You waited for so long for that holiday break from your busy schedules at work and family. Let us not forget too, that you have been dreaming that long and uninterrupted sleep-in for so many days.

Well, Christmas has its way of making us happy like the music we hear, the gifts we received, and the food we eat.

We are always getting spoilt with so many delicious foods, especially desserts, and excuses for skipping dessert is not welcome this time of the year. No one wants to be on a diet on Christmas!

So, who likes Pavlova, anyone?

No, not that kind of pavlova.

But,

This kind of Pavlova, our little guinea pig with fluffy brown fur. He wears a white crest on top of his head like a crown. . .

He can’t resist the sweet smell and the bright colour of strawberries



So, he stole some strawberries from the pavlova (the dessert)

PAVLOVA is my upcoming project for young children.

I still have no idea how the story about Pavlova will turn out, but I will update everyone on the progress of this book. I am sure it’s not going to be hard to come up with a story because he is such a cheeky little thing.

Alongside with my contemporary romance novel, Thinner than Water, this book is for people like us who still believe that love is a beautiful piece of art.

The story is packed with drama, intrigue, and struggles to beat the odds. It is still a work in progress, but you’re all welcome to have a peek on the development of this book.

For the meantime, let’s have pavlova. Yes, the dessert!

Merry Christmas.

Meet the Characters in “Gracie…Shhh!”

by Ninagracia, posted in In the Margins, Writing

Sorry to interrupt, but I thought you may want to take a break from all these Christmas poetry and letters you’ve been trying to write for your loved ones to be featured here on “Get Creative With Me”.

For the meantime, why not grab a cup of coffee and take a sip and allow me to introduce to you my characters in my Children’s Book, “Gracie…Shhh!”

If you haven’t read the book section of my site yet, I introduced the three main characters.

DONALD, GRACIE, AND MAKENA

Here’s an excerpt from that book. Gracie has some opinions of her own about Makena and Donald.

Okay, move your cursor up to my Book Section, and click Children’s. Come on, it’s not that hard. It’s a good exercise for your aching finger, you know (ha! Ha!)

I understand if you’re feeling tired. Christmas shopping is taking up all our energies lately. So, let me take you there. Come on, let’s go.

Get Creative With Me: Simple Thanks

by Ninagracia, posted in Once, Briefly, Writing

The Christmas carols we hear, the colourful decorations on the shops, the gifts, foods, and Christmas trees, mean only one thing: Christmas has arrived once again.

Christmas is the best time of the year to reach out to families and friends and let them know that we always think of them. No matter how far or near we are, a simple “thank you” could bring happiness into each other’s lives.

“Get Creative With Me”. This is an invitation from my Facebook Page to join me in celebrating Christmas by posting your original poetry or letter to friends and families, or to someone you love.

Here’s one from Nathan: A thank you message…

To Angela

  • Thank you for making me special-the things you do, the words you say, and the love you gave me.
  • Thank you for making allowances when I did not show my better side.
  • Thank you for showing me you care.
  • Thank you for your patience and the comfort of knowing you will always be there for me.
  • Thank you for putting everything down to be with me.
  • Thank you for letting me be ME.
  • Thank you for taking the time to prepare a lovely dinner for me.
  • Thank you for believing in my dreams.
  • I appreciate you so much for being truthful.
  • Your laughter is so contagious. Thank you for showing  me that life can be fun too.
  • Thank you for going to the dance with me and tried not to laugh at me when I struggle with my steps.

But most of all . . .

  • Thank you for loving me.  I’m so grateful I have you in my life.

Love, Nathan

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Get Creative With Me: Christmas Thoughts

by Ninagracia, posted in Quiet Verses, Writing

We all get reminded that Christmas is just around the corner. There are galore of colourful Christmas decorations in the shopping centres. We hear carols on the radio, which prompt us to sing along occasionally with those old favourite Christmas songs. The television has non-stop advertisements of gifts for the young and the old, and there are countless recipes for the coming festivity. Let us not forget too, that there are numerous requests for a charitable donation.

As soon as December slides in, we feel the change in the air, somewhat cooler in some countries, and warmer in other countries. Just like the weather, people change too when Christmas is near. We feel obligated, or nevertheless, encouraged to be good and kind to others, and most of all, to give to those who are in need. In other words, be generous.

So, why wait for December to be good and kind to other people. It looks like that this is the only time of the year where we can fit kindness and generosity into that small gap in our lives for those who need help the most. What about the other eleven months of the year? What do we do with those?

A few days ago, I invited everyone on my Facebook page to join me and celebrate Christmas by sending in Christmas poetry or letters.  Dedicate your original creation and extend good wishes and that special feeling to family and friends, or to someone you love.

So, let me start this first. I wrote my poem many years ago, and I want to share this with you.

To all the victims of the bush fire across Australia, let’s give each other a gift of hope.

Christmas Thoughts

Christmas brings
a special feeling
that bonds friends and family
to a heartstrings.

Our good wishes
that is warm and true
bring days of happiness
and take away the blues.

Together we’ll make a wish
for the coming year
in the hope that God
would bless us all.

We’ll be friends
and truthful to ourselves
and give each other
the time we deserve.

Ninagracia