Do you remember the first time you opened up a book?

My uncle had a HUGE collection of story books that had started to collect dust in the bookshelves at my grandparents’ home. These were books that smelled like books. Not like the new ones we have now.

I was about 5 years old. I could barely read novels, but I was amazed with his collection. I picked up one of the books and started to flip through the pages. The letters were too small that it gave me a headache. I flipped the book to its cover and tried to read the title out loud.

“The Perfect Spy.” I didn’t understand what it meant.

Two years later I remembered that same book, and I became curious as to what it was about. When I reached the bookshelf, I noticed all the  books were gone. I got upset. I wanted to read a story book that had more than fifty pages.

The next day I went to our school’s library and picked up a random book from the shelves at the ‘Fiction’ section. I couldn’t remember what it was, but I’m pretty sure it was a Hardy Boys book by Franklin W. Dixon.

Little did I know that I would end up reading every Hardy Boys book in our school library. Once I was finished with all of them, I moved on to the other Hardy Boys books sold in book stores. This was where my obsession with spies, detectives and espionage began.

I became a spy, a warrior and a dragonslayer

I was in elementary school when I started documenting my adventures. Stories that were about me and my daring mission in war-torn lands. I was a great master-spy. The James Bond that would surpass all James Bonds. But it was nowhere near a professionally written book.

In high school I got to read books about knights and their adventures. I wrote about stories of how in one of my missions, I was transported back in time, and transitioned from a modern-day spy into a medieval knight, sword to protect my king and save countless princesses that I would be making love to. I was also know as ‘the slayer of dragons’.

I wrote a total of 10 short stories about my adventures as a knight. Those were good times.

I was all this, and more (even in real life)

My life from then was like an adventure to me.

I hadn’t written a single short story in years. My life became dry. Until that fateful day when I fell in love with a real-life princess.

I didn’t know how to ask her to go out with me, so I turned to what I loved doing since I was a kid. Writing.

I had written the one love letter that would rule all love letters.

We’ve been together since then.

Stories and other people’s writing shaped my life

And now that I’m at that age where I need to make a living, I turned to writing.

But this time, it was weird. Back in school I was one of the most creative writers among my peers. Today, I’m someone who could only dream of standing out in the crowd and write words that would inspire other people. It’s not that I lost my creative side. It’s because I lacked the skills of a professional writer.

But it was my dream, nonetheless. To bring stories to people. To bring meaning to lifeless words. To end poverty. To bring world peace.

All this with my writing.

There’s nothing else that I would love to do more than to write words that other people enjoy reading.

To bring meaning and beauty to simple letters, numbers and text.

You have this dream too

I know you do. You also dream of writing beautiful art and making the whole world to not only listen, but to believe your writing.

You want to make a living doing the one thing that you love. Writing.

This is where mentors come in.

There are writers out there, skilled writers who would love to share their knowledge and professional advice on bringing your words to life.

And they can help you become the writer that you’ve always dreamed of. They can shape you to write your own amazing stories. To use words to enlighten people, and make them want to listen to you more. Whether you’re a blogger, author, writer or dreamer, these people can help you.

And you’re in luck.

James Chartrand of Men with Pens is on her own mission to bring out the professional writer in you.

She’s currently doing Damn Fine Words.

It’s a writing course aimed to molding dreamers into professional writers, so that you could write intense content that would boost your business to heights you could never achieve alone.

I want this course, and you should too

I’m not only here to write amazing stories. I’m also here to make a living.

There are thousands of freelance writers who are already reaping the benefits of their words.

And I want in on that. I want to hone my writing so I could make a living out of it. Because at the end of every day, it’s always about how much I can afford to give my family the life they deserve. A good life. No. A great life.

I want to inspire and teach people to write amazing stories. I want to write books that people want to buy, and talk about for years to come.

And this is how I can do that. It’s Damn Fine Words.

Because every spy, warrior, dragon slayer and of course, every writer needs to have a mentor.

Ruin it enough to make it perfect

How many times do you give your blog post a makeover before publishing it?

I was writing the previous post and I noticed that I spent almost half an hour just to iron out the edges.

I then started tracing back my writing habits in the past and realized that I spend more time editing my work compared to the actual brainstorming.

I usually take about 5-10 minutes to think of what to write on a blog post, then the actual writing takes 20-30 minutes. It wouldn’t have taken that long if I weren’t in love with sipping coffee and closing my eyes to savor the taste.

But when I get to the ‘rewriting’ phase, it takes a whole lot of my time. Usually half an hour.

Is this a bad thing?

Actually, no. It shouldn’t be.

The first draft is never perfect

The first draft could be concise. It might be packed with information. It could even sound professional.

But it’s never perfect. No matter how you look at it.

Why is this so?

When we’re pouring our thoughts into writing, chances are there will definitely be a lot of words thrown just about everywhere.

Too many fluffs, words, feelings.

Don’t get me wrong. It’s great to put feelings into your writing.

But when you look at your first draft, everything is cluttered. It needs a makeover. It needs to be ruined.

Ruin your first few drafts

I’m not talking about writing bad content, on the contrary, you’re shaping your writing into something better.

I remember my old high school teacher telling us that if our books weren’t overused to the point of almost falling apart, then we’re not reading them properly.

Though you should understand that it’s not supposed to be taken that literally, there’s a hint of wisdom in what my teacher had said.

Before we hit the publish button, let’s wear out our writing by ruining it for the first couple of tries.

Edit every single word, every sentence in every line.

Edit the hell out of it until it’s polished enough for your standards.

Never settle with publishing your first draft. Ruin your first few drafts.

What to check in your writing

Since I’m writing on a blog, let’s talk about editing blog posts.

There are a number of things that we need to check before hitting the ‘Publish’ button. This is to improve the quality of our content. Making it a little better than the first draft. Shorter if possible.

1. Spelling and Grammar – This is insanely important if you want to let people know that you’re not just a blogger, but a writer. A little spell-check works wonders.

2. Triple check your ‘Headline‘- The title of your blog post is the first thing your audience gets to read before even getting to your content. Make sure your title grabs attention.

3. See if your ‘Introduction‘ is engaging – The introduction to your content is the second trigger point where people wonder if they should continue reading or not. Try to keep your readers engaged.

4. Make sure you have strong ‘Content‘ – You don’t want to work so hard on your headline and introduction just to ruin everything with weak content, right? To assure good content, try to stay within your scope. And don’t forget to avoid talking too much.

5. Is your content unique – There are thousands of active bloggers all over the world. Quite difficult to always think of unique content. What you can do is add your own ‘voice’ and style to your blog post to make it your own.

6. Is it for the right people – Knowing who you are writing to is adamant to having good readership and conversion rates. It’s hard to write for everyone. There are just too many people, with different interests and preferences. Find out who you want to write for, try to shape your content to match for a certain personality.

7. Does it convince you – In a non-bias way, try reading your content just to check if it would convince you enough to believe in the message, or the product you’re trying to sell. If it doesn’t convince you right away, edit it again. Try to make it as convincing as you can, without sounding pushy. How? Information all throughout the body of the post, and just a single call to action at the very end.

Wear out your work

What else do you do before hitting the ‘Publish’ button? What are some of your best editing habits? Share them with use below, at the comments section.

A lot of people who run blogs eventually get one of those days where they get tired of drafting, double checking and triple checking their blog post content.

Of course, you just might have a lot of junk going on that you somehow lack inspiration.

But what happens when they get too tired to do a whole lot of research and content planning?

They publish posts that aren’t really that good. And this is somewhat unfair to the readers.

The third part of your blog post, which is your content, is the ‘Prestige’, it’s when the magician re-attaches his lovely assistant after just sawing her in half. It’s where you deliver whatever you said in your ‘Pledge’. The meat of your blog post.

If you’re having one of those days when your brain just doesn’t want to go deep-dive your post, here are some quick and easy tips to write quality content every time.

1. Try to keep it as simple as you can

When you’re writing something relevant to your niche, you don’t have to pull out all the stops all the time.

It’s ideal to always  have Master-Class content, but when you’re new to the game, it’s best to save all the extra effort for when you’re writing a guest post.

The secret here is to mix simplicity with relevance.

Want proof on simple yet magical blog posts?

Leo Babauta has a blog chock full of them.

2. Make it short and sweet

Some people have problems when it comes to the length of their blog posts.

They make them too long that it almost feels like a whole chapter of a book.

I love reading books just like any other guy, but sometimes when I see posts that are too long I just skip the whole thing and just check the words in the <h2> tags.

Posts that have a higher word count aren’t always better than posts that are short and sweet.

They may have more information, but there’s such a thing as too much of it.

And too much information is never a good thing.

State your point, then go to the next one.

3. Try not to write too much

Or simply put, keep your content focused on what your ‘Pledge’ and ‘Turn’ talk about.

A lot of people find it annoying when they’re suddenly ambushed by a tangent.

Now it’s your responsibility as a writer to keep your readers engaged as best as you can.

Stay relevant.

4. Tell a quick story

One of the more interesting and effective ways to write your content is to tell it through a story.

This way your readers are completely engaged.

But the question now is, what type of story should you tell?

Well to be honest, you can tell any kind of story that you like.

Yup. Anything. Movies. Books. TV shows. Real life.

Easy right?

The catch is you have to relate it to your content.

But if you’re able to do that, then you shouldn’t be having any problems.

So what do you think?

What would you like to add to this list of ways to write better content for your blog posts? If you have anything in mind, tell me. Let’s talk about it in the comments section below.

A great headline mixed with a lame opening is like inviting someone into your house, only to slam the door in their face as they approach. – Brian Clark, Copyblogger

"Good people, I missed my introduction!"

How do you get people to keep reading your content past the headline?

The first few lines of your blog post is where people decide whether they still want to continue reading your content.

It is also the short introduction that comes up on search engines results and social media platforms.

If you don’t take advantage of this crucial part of your blog post, you’re missing out on a lot of readers.

After your headline, they encounter ‘The Turn’

The ‘Turn’ is the part of your post where you introduce your content, and give them idea what it’s about, and what it’s for.

It’s not yet about the details. It’s similar to when Paul Bettany’s character in the movie A Knight’s Tale introduces his the late Heath Ledger’s character, William.

He calls the people’s attention with a powerful headline (the ‘Pledge’), and then he proceeds with his ‘Turn’.

Paul’s character gives a short and sweet introduction that makes the audience go crazy.

Here’s are three ways to write a beautiful ‘turn’.

1. Quoting a famous line

When you quote someone that people recognize right away, it gives them the impression that you did your research for that blog post, and that you know your stuff.

Here’s a shot of Martyn Chamberlain’s post about him deciding to go to college. He started off his blog post with a quote from someone you probably have heard about at one point in your life.

Another way to use quotes is to get one from a famous movie, TV show or a common saying that is relevant to your content.

Here’s a shot of Brian Clark’s blog post about commonly misused words.

2. Asking a trigger question

Another neat way to write the introduction to your content is to ask a question that would get your target audience thinking.

Ask something that would be relevant, something people can’t stop thinking about.

It gets your readers to ask themselves that question, and more often become interested in what you have to say.

It somehow ‘triggers’ the need to know more by reading onward, and finding the ‘magic bullet’, or the ‘ninja secret’.

Here’s a shot of Brian Clark’s introduction for his post on persuasive writing.

3. Inflict Pain

One of the most effective ways to write an introduction for your blog post is to inflict some pain.

I’m not talking about writing insults or derogatory comments.

It’s when you make people imagine being in a bad situation where you can tell them how important your content is going to be.

When you get people to imagine something in their heads that they can relate to, you can get their attention enough to listen what you have to say next.

A great example is how Derek Halpern makes you imagine the pain of not finding what you want when you visit other websites.

Here’s a quick shot. Notice that he also uses a question to get you thinking. This example is actually a combo.

Bonus Tip: Tell A Story

We are all made up of stories.

And when you tell a story as an introduction for your blog post, you’re combining all three of the key points I mentioned above.

• You may not be quoting someone, but a story feels like a quote nonetheless
• Stories make people wonder if the problem that your story is about is happening to them
• When people read stories, they use their imagination along every word they come across

Here is a example of how Roger Dooley starts his blog post with a story to grab attention, and get people to keep reading:

How to Write Weapons-Grade Copy

So what do you think?

How do you usually start off your blog posts? Do you have anything in mind that you can add to the list above? If so, please tell me and we’ll talk about it in the comments section below.

Have your ever wondered why your blog-posts don’t get read?

Let’s see if this sounds familiar.

You get an idea for a blog post that you think is truly awesome, so you decide to write about it.

After hours of research and studying, you finally publish your spectacular blog post.

But nothing happens. You don’t get a comment. No one shares your post.

But it’s okay, right? You’re doing this for art’s sake.

Writing is art, people should love it

That’s true. Writing is indeed a beautiful art, all the more reason it should be read.

So what’s causing this dilemma? You’re dishing out great content, right? Right.

What’s the problem then?

Whether we’re talking about blogs, magazines, newspapers, movies or TV, they reason why people take an interest to them is primarily because of one thing.

The ‘Pledge’. The magnetic headline. The awesome blog post title.

What is this ‘Pledge’ that you speak of?

In the movie The Prestige, there are 3 parts or stages of a magic act.

The ‘Pledge’ is the opener. The headline.

It’s where the magician shows you something ordinary, and tells you that he will be doing an amazing magic trick with it.

It’s where you, the writer, will tell your readers about something amazing in your blog post.

The headlines are the first part of your post that people get to see. This is where the first trigger will happen. Should I read his post? Does his title interest me in any way?

Now, how would one go about writing an effective ‘Pledge’?

1. Act like a superhero

When you write your headlines, think of a specific problem that your blog post will fix.

After all, the main reason as to why you’re writing in your blog in the first place is to help other people, right?

Write kick-ass headlines that tell people you’re here to rescue them from the nightmares of (insert problem here).

• 10 Ways to Simplify Your Writing Routine Forever
• How to Get Your Boss to Give You A Raise, A Promotion And A New Car
• Give me 15 Minutes And I’ll Teach You How to House-Train Your Dog

Here’s one example of a post that uses a headline to help writers with a very common problem.

2. Act like a dastardly villain

Headlines are a great way to get people’s attention.

The previous method attracts people through their needs and wants.

This second method capture’s people with their fears, mistakes, worries.

• 5 Posture Mistakes You Are Making Right Now
• The Number One Reason Why You Will Never Win An Ironman Triathlon
• 12 Social Media Blunders Your Business should NEVER do

Here’s a hugely popular example of a headline that is downright mean, but gets the message across.

3. Act like a sleazy salesman

Jon Morrow said the scariest Halloween costume he could think of is that of a sleazy salesman.

We don’t like them coming to our front doors because they’re annoying as hell.

But one trait they have that can be of use when you’re trying to write headlines is they make their offers sound so beautiful, it’s hard to believe they’re real.

• 3 Simple Ways You Can Lose 50 Pounds In A Month Without Breaking A Sweat
• 5 Easy Tactics to Get Your Website Tons of Traffic
• How to Lose A Guy In 10 Days (heh)

Here’s a great example for a headline where Derek Halpern talks about blog conversions.

4. Act like a “snitch”

Sounding like a snitch isn’t a bad thing.

This is when you’re formulating headlines to sound like you’re revealing  ”ultimate guides” or “ninja secrets”.

• Gordon Ramsay’s Biggest Secret to Cooking the World’s Greatest Beef Wellington
• 10 Basketball Secrets the NBA pros don’t want you to know
• The Biggest Adsense Secrets to Making Bags of Money From Your Blog

5. Rock it like a troubadour

Remember the Middle Ages?

The troubadours and the minstrels were the storytellers of their time.

They used their words together with  music to capture the hearts and minds of their audience.

Here are a some of the most well-written blog posts written through stories:

• The Cowardly Lion’s Guide to Conquering Your Entrepreneurial Fears
• A Tale of Two Bloggers: Our Individual Journey To Success

When you’re writing your headline, keep in mind that it is the first thing that your reader sees.

To get your content read, you must first hook your readers with a stunning ‘Pledge’.

So, what do you think?

The personas I gave above are great, but do you have anything else that you can add? If so, tell me. And let’s talk about it in the comments section below.

Every Bush Is Burning

Have you ever read a book that made you furious, depressed, ecstatic and happy all at the same time?

Well, I have, just recently. And it’s because of this book. It is officially my second most favorite book. My favorite is still Rant.

Now before I get into my thoughts on the book, let me explain how I got to reading it in the first place.

I’ve been reading posts from a lot of writing blogs lately and as I’ve been a regular reader of Jeff Goins, I’ve never really “checked out” his sidebar until now. This was when I noticed a banner about the book “Every Bush is Burning” by Brandon Clements. I had nothing better to do with my spare time, plus I haven’t read a book for months, so I decided to get a kindle copy and read it over the weekend.

Now let me tell you what I think about the book, without giving away a lot of the juicy details.

Here’s a little summary that I got from the About page over at http://everybushisburning.com.

Jack Bennett has a wife, two kids, the perfect job—and the perfect affair. When he is caught and it all comes crashing down, Jack is left with no one to turn to. No friends. No family, except his recovering drug addict of a sister.

On a Sunday morning drive, he sees a homeless man locked out of a church service, banging on the door. He stops and offers the guy a cup of coffee. He asks the man his name, and the guy says Yeshua. As in, Jesus.

Jack’s not stupid. This isn’t the real Jesus. But with nowhere else to turn, Jack forms an unlikely friendship—one that will test his idea of truth, faith, love, and forgiveness. And Jack is completely unprepared for the real-life twists his story is going to take.

This book is for the faithful

Not only does this book talk about cheating in general, but it also talks about faith.

Not a lot of people will probably like the overall theme of the book, which is, on the surface, about American Christianity and the way  people use faith to make them rich.

But it also highlights how Brandon depicts what true faith really is.

This book is for the depressed

You think you have problems?

This book almost brought me to the point of breaking because of how bad the protagonist’s life is going.

There are times when you’d expect things to get better, only they’d get worse. Much worse.

But the great thing is, despite it talking a lot about someone’s problems, it still makes you smile every once in a while. All thanks to an awesome supporting-character. It shows you the value of life and love, and that no matter what you’re facing now, it’s nothing compared to losing the people you love so dearly.

I could go on, really

This book is generally for everyone  who struggles with something in their lives. Whether it be with your job, or with your family, or with your relationships with other people, it’s still a book that you will want to read.

In all honesty, when I first started reading the book I thought it was going to be as boring as it could possibly be. I was wrong.

There were happy times. There were funny times. There were sad times. There were also times when you just wanted to strangle someone. Of course, you shouldn’t do that.

What went on in my head

While I was reading Every Bush is Burning, I somehow pictured the main character, Jack, to look like Dylan McDermott in his role as Ben from American Horror Story. That’s probably how I could picture a guy who cheats on his wife. There were many times when he was actually trying to resist, but then life has a way of making your day go as bad as it can be, despite your efforts of trying to fix everything.

The supporting character, Yeshua, is the character that made the book so interesting. To reveal his role would spoil everything, so I won’t. His character somewhat looked like Zach Galifianakis in my head. I don’t know why, but if they ever made a  movie out of this book, he would be an awesome actor to play Yeshua’s role.

There were times that I wanted to stop reading because everything just seemed so hopeless for Jack. Throughout the book he tries to fix his marriage and take care of his distraught younger sister who is also battling some inner demons of her own, and yet things never really seem to go his way.

There were also times that I was most eager to continue reading, and mostly it was because of Yeshua’s antics. I was thinking, what is he going to do next? Is he really who he says he is? And if not, who is he really? Is he just here to help Jack out, or is he just another crazy guy from the streets?

Feeling pain from a book

Certain parts of the story made you just want to curl up in your bed, go to sleep and never wake up.

The story exploits human pain, of not being forgiven, and on not being able to forgive. On not being able to see your children anymore. On coping with the bullshit of life. On getting over the demons of the past. On actually making the first steps to recovery. Losing loved ones. Going insane.

This book covers it all.

Feeling peace from a book

It also made me feel at peace, a lot of times. From Yeshua’s antics, to his Sunday school ramblings, it makes you think that there might be hope for Jack after all.

And in the last parts  where the truth started to unravel, it almost made me want to scream. The twist near the end was something that I never had expected in a million years. It was when both being happy, sad and angry all at the same time happened.

Wide-eyed as I was, I was reading pages faster than I ever did before.

And the whole book didn’t disappoint.

The ending may not be anything that you could think of, but it certainly makes you feel at peace.

You don’t want to miss this book. You can find the main website here.  And no, that’s not an affiliate link, this is pure, whole-hearted recommendation.

This piece of fiction was written as my entry for Chuck Wendig’s Flash Fiction Challenge over at Terrible Minds. To know more about him and his writing, visit his blog at http://terribleminds.com.

………

Dear BB,

Hi! How are you doing? Me? I’m doing just fine. You know what? I’m not sure if you’re ever going to get this. Right now I’m in somewhat of a pickle. I’m trapped in a dark little room with not much place to move around in. It’s been awfully quiet here. I don’t have anyone to talk to around here. It’s such a bummer. Anyway, I’m really bored. And I also miss you a lot. So I decided to write this letter on the walls of this place, hoping it will reach you someday. I don’t know what to say, really. I just want someone to talk to. Did I mention it’s totally pitch-black here? I can’t see a thing. Anyway, I hope you’re having a swell time there. Oh, and advanced Merry Christmas!

Ted

……………….

Dear BB, 

Guess what? I’m still stuck here. Still alone in this dark room. Nothing to do and no one to talk to. I’m writing you this letter again. Gosh, it’s so lonely here. I wish we were all together again. It’s been a couple  of days. I’d love to take a walk and actually do something, but there’s not much room here. Anyway, I just remembered the time you invited me to your party. I loved that drink that Ken served to all of us guests. It made me a bit woozy. I also remembered that it was the first time we actually kissed. To be honest, it’s all I ever think about lately. Maybe we’ll see each other again in the future. I just wish we could all be together again.

Ted

………………

Dear BB, 

Hi. It’s been four days since I last wrote you a letter on the wall. I want to let you know that I think I’m going crazy. I’m starting to hear voices. A lot of them. Three different voices, I think. They’re not talking to me, though. I just hear them. It’s weird, right? Guess what? I’m still in that same room. No room to move around in, and no one else to talk to. I tried calling out to those voices, hoping they’ll talk back. They never do. I’m not going crazy, am I? I hope everyone’s doing well. Oh, aside from the voices I hear a lot of other things. I think there’s a dog outside. No, make that two of them. I heard a different dog just now. I’m going to try and talk to them again and see how things go. Bye for now. I miss you.

Ted

………….

Dear BB, 

Hey, guess what? I’m free. Yup. They let me go. I’m not in the dark room anymore. I’m so happy! Why? It’s kind of weird, but let me tell you anyway. Last night I heard some noise. Some really loud noises. Like a lot of people were having a party. Remember the dogs I heard? There were two back then, but now there are three. Looks like there’s a new puppy around. Oh, and the voices that I heard? Giants! Giants, I say. I was actually pretty scared at first. At first, there were these people having a party. Then after a while, I saw light for the first time in days. There were these huge giants out there who were waiting for me. This one giant, I think he was the leader, he took me in one hand (yeah I could fit in his hand, he was THAT big), and passed me on to his offspring. I thought I was going to get eaten, but no. The offspring just held me, and stared at me like I was a gift from heaven. I think the offspring was a girl, coz she got long hair, see? Then she started hugging me, and hugging me, and kissing me, and hugging me some more. It felt great. I felt like I was loved. 

A lot of things happened after that, and I’ll tell you more about it next time. Right now, I think the offspring is going to pick me up and play with me again. I got to go. Oh, and Barbie… I miss you.

Teddy <3

“I won’t turn out to be as great as my Dad.” Vann murmured under his breath as if he were afraid someone else might overhear. “He started out with…”

“Yeah yeah, I know. You’ve told us your dad’s story a couple dozen times already.” Criss interrupted, as he slowly sips his tea.

Smoke continues to fill up the living room as Kirk lights up his fifth stick of Marlboro reds for the night. His lips and teeth stained with nicotine, he cracks a smile at Criss Lindon while twirling his cigarette between his fingers. Marlboro red on his right hand, and a self-help book for Aspiring Writers on his left.

This is a typical Saturday night at at Vann Kendall’s apartment. Five packs of cigarettes, two cases of beer and a lot of junk food on the table laid out in a wonderful fashion called “a damn mess.”

“Your daddy started with nothing, but then he created something big and got filthy rich in a year. That’s the whole thing, right?” Criss continues to sip his tea. He adjusts his eyeglasses, loosens his collar and unbuttons his shirt. No one could ever tell this sharp-dressed man was a starving bum living in the most comfortable residential estate in the area, Vann’s dusty, mold-infested couch.

“I can never do that.” Vann stands up and walks toward the window blinds. “I can’t aim that high. I need to start small. Get some experience first, maybe for a couple of years, then I’ll think about starting my own business. But until then, I guess I have to start at the bottom. I’m not cut out to be the kind of guy my Dad was.”

“That’s great and all, buddy. But you’re not the only one who thinks you can’t make it big.” Criss leans back on his residential estate and puts his feet on the table, crushing some potato chips with the heel of his left shoe. “I’m the kind of guy that the whole world is mad at. For some insane reason, everyone hates me. I was born to be a broke loser. But it’s how I roll, baby!”

By now the smoke has started to clear, and while Kirk kills his cigarette with his right hand, his left turns the page of his  book. “At least you guys got awesome grades in school, I suck on that aspect. ” Kirk flips the page one more time. His page per minute ratio has become insanely high in the last few years. “I don’t have any of that fancy education stuff. I need to learn everything from the beginning. I have a long way to go.”

“Vann” – You need to be mediocre before you can succeed

Vann’s a spoiled little rich kid with a good college education. Brought to him by funds from his wealthy father.

His downfall comes from his perception that his Dad worked his butt off to get the money that he has, and that this is something he can never do. At least, not now.

You see, Vann believes he needs to start mediocre, and stick to doing that until heaven showers him with a gift check for a promotion.

Although a lot of us start small, it’s not cool to stick with it for a long time.

Keep hungering for growth. Do not settle. When you see an opportunity, grab it as fast as you can. Don’t be afraid to do great things.

“Kirk” – You need to be an expert

Chris Brogan just posted something about us not being total experts. None of us truly are.

We all have room for improvement in what we do. Those people claiming to be experts or gurus can go to hell for all I care.

No one person can know everything. We’re not God, if you’re into Christianity, or any other faith for that matter.

Kirk is someone who believes that he doesn’t deserve to go for an opportunity because he’s not as learned as his two other friends. He believes that he needs to learn more.

The kicker is, we all do. We all need to learn more, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t take on new challenges, or aspire to be greater than what we can imagine.

In Chris Brogan’s own words:

Let’s not be experts.

“Criss” – You don’t deserve to get more than what you have

Our third character, Criss, believes that just because he’s had a rough time growing up he doesn’t deserve to have shape a good life for himself.

We’ve been there at some point in our lives.

We’ve been bullied. We’ve been criticized. We’ve been called mediocre.

That doesn’t mean you don’t deserve your shot at fame, your hole-in-one, your big break, your ultimate business venture.

Whatever you have right now? It’s nothing compared to what you truly deserve, which is everything you’ve ever dreamed of.

But it doesn’t come to you. Again, you have to grab it. Take the first step. Launch that blog. Write that book. Pick up that cutting knife and start cooking the most amazing dish the world has ever seen.

So what do you think?

Do you deserve to do great things? Do you still need to become an expert before starting your business? Do you deserve to have your wildest dreams come true? Tell me what you feel, write it down below in the comments section.

P.S. –  I once felt like all three of the characters above. I just needed a little nudge. Share this post to people you know who need to realize that they deserve a lot more, and that they can do great things even though they’re not total experts. Let’s help them out.

Think about it.

Ever wondered what you wanted to do with your life?

I have. Plenty of times to be honest.

It goes along with personal worries on what I want to be doing for the rest of my days here. Which is probably on everyone’s mind at one point or another.

There are two things that have been crossing my mind for the past couple years. Those are writing a book, and cooking.

Getting back to writing

Writing is one of the things that have interested me since I was little. It was like an addiction to fiction.

I absolutely adored books. I loved reading them. When I’m reading a book, I felt like I was watching something far better than anything that TV or the movies could ever give me. Why? I was in charge of a lot of things.

There are times that you don’t agree with what the actor chosen to play a certain role in a TV show or a movie fiction. Sometimes you just have that burning feeling inside of you to scream at the casting directors for choosing actors that don’t really match  up to the who the character he/she is playing.

Well, with books it’s totally different. Even though the author describes how a character looks like in a story book, you still have the final say. You can choose to shave the antagonist’s beard, or give the main character a mohawk. Whatever you like, you can do it in a book. With your wild imagination, you can actually make the fiction into your own, kind of.

For the entirety of my life, I’ve been reading books from the Hardy Boys to stuff written by Chuck Palahniuk.

I’ve even written my own fantasy/adventure short stories when I was in high school, just for fun. I had so many stories and version that I wanted to write, I was able to fill up ten notebooks full of words, and drawings.

I’ve lost all of those notebooks by now, and I forgot the details of those stories. But I still remember what I felt when I was writing them down with my beloved pen.

I felt like a master fiction storyteller.

I’ve made humans and dwarves slay countless dragons.

I’ve helped a group of ten people save the world from an evil sorcerer.

I’ve guided a noble hero to slay the devil himself!

Those were awesome stories. And although my book writing was far from professional, I believe a lot of people would have enjoyed them as well. They had a similar feel to what the Lord of the Rings Trilogy gives you, and the neat thing was that I thought all those stories up even before I knew about Tolkien’s masterpieces.

And I want to experience that feeling again. The feeling of being a master storyteller. Being able to shape an entire masterpiece from scratch, as well as stolen ideas from other books. Creating something epic, and giving a new meaning to adventure.

All major breakthroughs start small

Ideas start small.

I have to admit, it’s been a while since I wrote those books. But I still believe whatever was inside me back then, is still in me today. Just cringing for the next opportunity to craft another story. To create an epic adventure. To slay the devil once more.

But I probably am going to start small. Maybe something like an e-book compilation of short stories that I’ll be writing. I’m not sure yet if I should stick to just my old style and genre, or to experiment by writing something like science fiction, or romance, or suspense. Maybe I’m going to be writing stuff with a little touch of Chuck, who is currently my favorite author to date.

Everything starts with an idea. A little baby spark that just grows and grows and grows until it becomes a huge and powerful supernova.

An idea that spreads like the G-virus, infecting every living person and animal little by little and turning them into mindless zombies.

Damn, this is giving me chills all over. I want to get back to writing. Whether it be stories and fiction, or a copy or sales letter.

I want to be a writer again. And this time, I want to make it professional. After all, I need to eat too, right?

Oh and eating, together with cooking, I want to do that as well. A writer and a chef. How neat is that, eh?

What about you?

Have you decided what you would want to do with the rest of your life? I bet most of you already have, and are living awesome lives doing things they love.

For some, who are still wondering about their path, don’t worry. You’ll get there. We all do. We just need some words of inspiration to help us go through crap, and figure out the stuff that makes us want to wake up the next day.

Whether you’ve already found your calling, I need you to do one thing for yourself.

Below this post is an opt-in form It’s where you can sign up for future posts and updates from this blog. When progress is made with my writing, or if I’ve written an e-book compilation of awesome writing, or maybe just future blog posts, you’ll know in an instant.

And it’s totally free!

All you need to do is put in your email address inside the white box, and hit the “Join Us!” button.

Talk to you soon.

P.S.  I’d like to ask you to tell me YOUR calling. What do you love to do? And how did you go about starting your path toward your dream?

Merry Christmas season everyone!

This is truly the most wonderful time of the year for me, personally. It’s the most awaited day of the entire year.

I’ve been blogging for a short while now, and in my journey I’ve known a lot of exemplary people who are masters of their craft, in one way or the other.

I’ve learned not to talk too much about personal topics, but I just can’t resist writing about this joyous occasion we call Christmas.

Or Hannukah. Or non-denominational holiday season for the rest of you.

It’s been a great year, and it all comes down to a wonderful month where the vast majority is at their happiest, regardless of where they are, and what they’re profession is in the world.

And now, I say this to all of you in advance, Merry Christmas everyone!

Christmas, why it’s awesome for me

Why shouldn’t it be?

It’s the only time my whole family is going to be together for some awesome bonding-time after my brother went to college at Manila.

We rarely get to hang out, all of us. And if we get the chance, it’s only for a very short while.

Christmas will be the longest, and most meaningful gathering for us.

A Merry Christmas it shall be.

It’s not even about the gifts

A lot of people think that Christmas is the time they all get bonuses, gifts and perks.

It’s not even about that for me anymore.

I cherish the moment that I get to share with my family. I’ve always suggested to friends that they come home and spend their Christmas with their families and loved ones.

What’s sad is, a lot of people don’t get that privilege. Which is why I feel I’m extremely blessed to be able to spend the most wonderful time of the year with my family.

So if you have that privilege, make it count. That’s one Christmas gift that  A LOT of people, because of their jobs, don’t get to experience.

Christmas belongs to the poor

I read a blog post by Jeff Goins about The True Spirit of Christmas. There he quote a line from an episode of Frasier about a homeless man who tells him what Christmas is all about. Here’s the line:

“The rest of the year belongs to rich people with their fancy houses and expensive foreign cars, but Christmas, Christmas belongs to guys like us.”

This reminds me of a little Christmas tradition at our Church where we are assigned a less fortunate family and give them some of the blessings we have. This would range from food, clothing and used items.

It’s a wonderful feeling. Making people light up with all smiles when you step in and give them a little  Christmas love.

It’s a rare moment that almost everyone in our country (except the Scrooges and Grinches hah) get to truly smile all at once.

Aside from yet another Manny Pacquiao victory.

Merry Christmas indeed.

Spreading some of that Merry Christmas blogging love

If you have a blog, here’s a suggestion.

I’m inviting you to write your own Christmas post about how it’s the most wonderful time of the year.

It doesn’t have to be a really long post. It doesn’t have to contain researched data.

Just a little something that you can say why you love this Yuletide season, and why you think Christmas is the most wonderful time of the year.

Now here’s one more thing.

After you publish your post, get the link from it and add it here in the comments section below. Once I find it, I’ll add it to the bottom of this post and give you some Christmas link juice.

And it’s totally up to you if you decide to give me some of that Christmas link juice or not.

I won’t mind. Christmas is all about giving after all. I just wish to spread a little Christmas cheer to the world in the little way I can, with this blog.

Again, Merry Christmas.

What others think/feel about Christmas

Rediscovering the True Spirit of Christmas [Jeff Goins - goinswriter]

How We’re Adventing [Melissa Nesdahl - Fill My Cup]

Twelve [Justin Farley - justinfarley.blogspot.com]

Letter from St. Nicholas [Allsupministries]

Joy Lives in the Simple Things [Dana - Cooking at Cafe D]

A Blogger’s Missionaries of the Poor, Little Lamb Center Experience [Narciso Tapia - Taste Cebu]