20 Questions for Kath
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Fiction. Mostly, chic lit romance stories.
2. What genres and/or topics do you write about?
I started writing short stories in high school. They were mostly romance stories for young adults. I wrote two romance-fantasy-sci-fi stories in college but I didn’t like it! I write about relationships—dating, to be exact. They’re mostly about my experiences when I was 27. Let’s just say my stories are very Cosmo.
3. How long have you been writing?
High school. Thank you, teenage angst.
4. Are you published?
Yes. My first published article was a review for a tennis racket. It was SPEED Magazine who gave me my first professional writer’s assignment with Manny Delos Reyes and Katrina Rivere as my first editors.
My good friend, Cheekie Albay, introduced me to the wonderful, crazy, amazing life of Cosmopolitan Philippines with Trixie Reyna as my editor. I wrote a relationship blog for them and it ran for almost 3 years with 7 seasons.
My first published short story is titled “Before I Do”. It was published by one of my favorite local authors, Mina Esguerra (I’m a super fan girl!!!) under the first New Adults Quick Reads (NAQR1). Check it out here.
5. What was the first story you ever wrote?
A fan fiction! It's a cross between Slam Dunk and Final Fantasy VIII.
6. Why do you write?
I like it. I hate it. I love the feeling of creating something out of nothing. I hate how writing takes something from you, drains you, depresses you, but it also gives you a sense of accomplishment that you can’t get from anything else.
I like writing lines in my head. I love reliving past moments in my head and crafting scenes where I do and say something else. I like stringing words together. And I feel so elated every time I read a review or a comment where strangers tell me how they can relate to something so personal to me.
7. How do you find time to write?
I cram. I had less than a month when I told Mina that I would join her first NAQR project. I spent most of the days Facebook-ing and playing games than actually writing.
8. When and where are the best times to write?
It depends on your mood for the day. I am very blessed to have a husband who understands what I do. He lets me “escape” from time to time and be “alone”.
I wrote most of "Bedroom Blog by Veronica" at Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf in McKinley Hill, Bonifacio Global City. I worked for our family business that time so I don’t really have a 9-to-5 job. I wrote “Before I Do” at this quaint restaurant called Main Street, also in McKinley Hill. Coffee shops are a writer’s best friends.
9. Favorite food/drinks while writing?
Red wine. When I wrote Bedroom Blog by Veronica, I was drunk (in wine and in unrequited love). Red wine with cheese and crackers, sometimes with grapes. Coffee--black coffee--when I edit.
10. Your writing playlist?
I don’t have a writing playlist. I find music a distraction when I write. So if I do listen to music, I do it before and after, never during.
11. What do family/friends/loved ones think of you writing?
My parents are big fans of Bedroom Blog by Veronica. When it first gained its following, my Mom would tell her friends, “You know that blog in Cosmopolitan Philippines? Yung daughter ko yung Veronica, pero secret lang yun ha.” She told a lot of people and I love her for it.
My Dad is always offering to print my stories (we have a small printing company) and is always quick to tell his friends about what I do. When he read that feature article about a Wattpad story that was made into a movie, he thought of me. That's not my story. Not yet, haha. My brother and sister are fans too and are always as proud. My husband, on the other hand, do not read my stories, mostly because they are about him.
12. Parts of writing you enjoy the most?
The dialogue. I love writing dialogue.
13. Parts of writing you find challenging?
Finding time to write, as in really, really write. Because you don’t find time, it finds you.
14. What do you use to write with and on?
I write longhand. I think it’s very romantic. I am still in search of the perfect notebook. I believe that if you find the right notebook, words will just flow freely. I always go for the nice ones, the good alternatives to Moleskine.
I hate cheap pens. So I make sure I have at least two Pilot V Ball Extra Fine pens with me all the time. I like expensive-looking papers too. Unlike other professions like architecture and medicine, I don’t need equipment like drafting tables and stethoscopes, which cost a lot. My only investments are pens and papers, so I spend on those things. But that’s just me.
15. How do you overcome writers block?
I listen to music, watch an episode of Gossip Girl or SATC. I Google. I go to Tumblr blogs for inspiration. I play games on Facebook. In short, I waste time.
16. How do you motivate yourself to write?
I visualize what I want to achieve through writing. I want to create stories that girls my age can relate to: like finding love and what to do with it when you finally have it. I want my stories to be turned into movies. And I visualize that last part in the first SATC movie where Carrie reads to a group of women. I like that very much. In other words, I daydream.
17. Authors who inspire you as a writer?
My first favorite Cosmo chic lit is "Wander Girl" by Tweet Sering. I find her stories amazing. They’re easy to read and incredibly funny. When I met her in person a few years back, I was so i awe of her! That’s the thing about me, I get star struck by my favorite writers, not celebrities. I also love stories by her sister, Tara FT Sering.
And then there’s Mina Esguerra, who, by the way, is the cousin of my bridesmaid and dear friend, Cor Carlos. I particularly love her book "Love Your Frenemies" and "That Kind of Guy". Her stories are just so...real. Her passion for helping young, new authors like me is so astig that I find myself encouraging some readers of Bedroom Blog to start writing their own stories as well.
18. Books that inspire you as a writer?
Books by John Grisham. I may have given up an old dream of becoming a corporate lawyer but I have not given up on the dream of being able to write witty and fast-paced dialogues Grisham-style.
19. Best advice you’ve gotten as a writer?
“Write drunk. Edit sober.” Ernest Hemingway. This works for me all the time.
20. Writing goals this year?
“Before I Do” was published last March. I am currently crafting another short story. This time, it’s about a beauty pageant contestant. *ding ding ding ding ding* Red wine, please.
