Last week ended with a news so grand, it took me so many days to let it all sink in. It happened. Hands were shaken. A painful no was whispered, a yes was said so loud it echoed right in the cavities of my empty ribs. I want to tell you the story, but I think I must, like all good gifts, wait for it until everything is wrapped in a bundle and is given to me, ribbon and all.
So, what am I going to write about right now? Nothing. It’s just your regular girl who is trying to speed-draft two things at once, because one WIP is not enough for things about to come. And because I have the time, thank you very much. I have the silence and the space, and it is a privilege to be tucked in this corner of my room on a quiet Sunday morning, listening to Lang Lang and trying to create.
If you’d notice (peer your eyes atop your browser, please), there’s a name added to my name. I’m proud of it. When I was asked of my author name, I had to go back to Melanie and ask permission to add this, because other than ‘Caris Cruz’ sounds too bland, I have always wanted to add Avendaño for so many reasons. One, there’s a funny history behind it. And two, this name completes me. Caris Avendaño Cruz is my entirety and I’m giving it to the world.
I now feel whole.
But, for real, my thought process: because I literally have no other family, it would be easier for people to trace my roots with that additional name. Anyone in Luzon can trace where Avendaños are from, given that Cruz is so common. They’d know where I’m from. Who my people are. And how I’m proud of them.
I wish I told you about September
September 2020 was a life changer. It had me on the edge of my seat. Then out of my seat screaming and shrieking at the arrival of an inconceivable joy. It happened to me. It happened in the fastest, most incredibly sweeping way that I still couldn’t swallow the grandness of it all. Please bear with me as I write heretic vagueness. Nothing about this is worth keeping a secret, but I want to write a post about this little journey, and to properly thank the people who made it all worth it.
More on that soon.
What I could tell you is this: remember the name Marikit.
Plus, it’s October now.
The Jack-o-lanterns are popping on my timeline. Spooky Halloween movies left and right. I’m working on two WIPs, one of which I just began this Monday, October 5, a couple of days since a handshake started. That means slightly straying from my little library monster book and into something closer to home.
That’s cheating! you’d say. Why the switch? Because I may never get another opportunity as this (and by this, I meant having a Filipinx editor), I should be making the most out of things. And this means another Filipino setting. More Pinoy culture. And of course, more monsters.
I already have 10k down for Candelaria and I am looking at another 10k this week for Ground 0 (me laying the foundation of the story before I expound everything into proper narratives and conversations in my next passes). I do want to share with you how I write, and I will do just that once I got the basic things nailed down for this story.
Alright, it’s past eleven a.m. and I still haven’t gotten a proper breakfast. I’m pulling myself away from this small desk, with a half-finished blog (yes, because I am a responsible blogger). I’ll come back to you soon with more things, but for now, let’s eat.
The Weekend Closing: Celebrating the doors we need to close to get to the ones we need to open.
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