15 September 2014, 1:43 a.m. – ACCLAIMED writers urged budding writers to adhere to the most basic
principles of writing on the second day of the 10th Creative Writing Workshop
sponsored by the Varsitarian, Sunday.

In a round-table discussion,
Palanca-winning poets Allan Pastrana, Mookie Katigbak-Lacuesta and Carlomar
Daoana emphasized the unwritten rules of poetry that need to be followed even
in free writing.

“Writing poetry also has restraints. By
writing it, you are trying to restrain yourself,” said Katigbak.

Daoana echoed Katigbak and warned the
writers against wordy contexts. “Beware of excesses. Too many metaphors,
even literal images, tend to reiterate what has already been said,” he said.

Rebecca Añonuevo, Vim Nadera and
Filipino fictionist Beverly Siy, panelists for the Tula category, stressed the
importance of simplicity and the basic understanding of writing.

“Mahalaga sa tula ang timbang ng
salita,” said Nadera, an award-winning writer and founder of Gawad Ustetika.

Renowned poet Rebecca Añonuevo said the
length of a literary work was important in determining its quality.

“Ang isang tinitingnan natin sa tula ay
ang haba o ikli [nito,]” Añonuevo. “Ang tula ay may katangiang maging
masinop—hindi ka puwedeng mag-aksaya, dapat siksik ang [bawat] salita,” she
said.

On the first day of the workshop, UP
professor Francezca Kwe, Philippines Free Press editor Angelo “Sarge” Lacuesta
and UST Center for Creative Writing and Literary Studies resident John Jack
Wigley shared their expertise in writing fiction.

According to Lacuesta, it is necessary
that writers create characters that are “alive” and not distant, for readers to
clearly understand the messages they wish to convey.

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Story-telling should “show and not
tell,” stressed multi-awarded fictionist Jun Cruz Reyes, who mentored the
fellows in Katha with Palanca awardee Eros Atalia and 2013 Makata ng Taon
awardee Joselito Delos Reyes.

“It is important that the characters
are known to the core by their creator so that when it is read by people, they
would be as authentic and real as they are, instead of being just creatures out
of words,” said Reyes.

Delos Reyes added that in molding firm
characters, writers should not be confined to a convention. 

“They should explore as many
possibilities and tendencies they could think of in creating them; they should
at the end, however, settle on what they really want and ultimately enrich its
identity,” he said.

The Creative Writing Workshop, formerly
called the Fiction Workshop, is held annually to hone young writers and prepare
them for Gawad Ustetika, the University’s annual literary derby, also organized
by the Varsitarian.

This year’s fellows were Erika Mariz Cunanan, Brenda Grifon, Monica
Leira Sasi, Marianne Nono, Paulo Miguel Gabuat, George Deoso, Genefrans De
Jesus, John Louise Sahagun, Maria Crisanta Paloma, Jan Reitchelle Atanacio,
Aimee Cando, and Jan Dennis Destajo. The 12 fellows were chosen by the
panelists based on literary pieces submitted for categories like Fiction,
Katha, Poetry and Tula.

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