World-Building, Story Themes, and Reaching from Within.THE MODERN HIDALGO: Entry_011
Written: Monday. July 15, 2019.
My head is aching right now, because of actions I cannot share, or would not want to share. Anyway, I have to commit to this. Therefore, I must get on with the journal entry.
Today’s topic is about books. Funny, since I already talked about books in my last entry. It was about the dilemma I was having when it came to reading The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas, the Richard Peaver translation. I specifically said that if you people are planning to grab a copy of 3M, then by all means, don’t grab the Peaver/CollinsClassics version. Buy the Bair/BantamClassics version.
Cause Lowell Bair’s version has a more modern touch to it. Not that it’s bad to translate a classic that way. It’s just plain easier to read, than what Peaver did with his translation, which came off more as old-style writing, which is hard to read. Trust me. When you read a lot of books, you notice these things.
So, read a lot of books.Speaking of books, since the topic is clearly all about that today, I wanna share with you guys a short story I wrote last year.
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It’s called Liyabe. And it’s literally the last legit piece of work that I've done since. The reason being was because I had to “focus” on other things, that ultimately didn't go anywhere. Now I’m stuck having not written anything of actual storytelling-format.
The short story is about a bank robbery that takes place in the middle of a most-anticipated boxing match of the year. What most people would probably think is “why?”, and I completely understand. The story takes place in the Philippines, which is where I grew up, and am still currently in (though it’ll probably be called something like Chilippines once China takes over, oops).
Here in the country, when a boxing match is being broadcast, and it’s between a foreign boxer against our “Pambansang Kamao” (translates to: National Fist), you bet that almost every household would lock their doors, the streets would be empty, and all the drivers are huddled inside the nearest karinderia (translates to: public cafeteria/canteen/diner). Even the cops—as lazy as they already are—would join in to watch the match.
That’s what happens on days like that here in the Philippines. You best believe it.So I used that scenario for the short story. What if a bank robbery, or hell, another 9/11, occurred on the day of a most awaited boxing match? The 9/11 thing was too grandiose, so I went with something smaller, such as a bank robbery.
Anyway, if you’re interested in what would go down in a scenario like that, feel free to read my short story. You could read it here in my blog, or read it on my Tablo.com profile. Or my Wattpad profile, if you guys prefer that site.
The story itself, the main character, and the whole world that I laid out in that short story alone, was supposedly, or is supposedly an even longer story, and a larger universe. I've always meant for it to be explored in a more epic scale, but going that level requires complete focus, which I totally lack, not because I can’t focus, but because there are a lot of outside forces that prevent me from ever being able to focus on this story.
Liyabe, in a very condensed way of explaining it, is going to be my Obra Maestra. My Magnum Opus. My Master Piece. It will be the piece of work that I want generations after me to remember me by. That’s how important this piece of work is to me.
This isn't some petty game I’m playing at. It’s my way of trying to immortalize myself through literature. It’s me setting up my legacy. A legacy that will hopefully stand on its own even after I’m gone.
I've taken a lot of my own identity, my own personality, my own history and experience, to come up with Liyabe. Cause it’s not just a story I’m working on. Well, it was, when it was still a young idea. No.
Right now, it’s a universe that I’m trying to create here.This idea traces back to 2016. It just occurs to me that the year 2016, at least for me, is really the point-of-no-return type of year. More on that on other entries.
For now, let’s focus on Liyabe.
Where I base the story is through my own life. The main character will go through an exaggerated perspective of my own experiences. I feel like, in order for the main protagonist to really become synonymous to its creator, he has to endure the same things that his creator endured. And it wont stop there, of course. The main protagonist must overcome more obstacles, more hardships, more pain.
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That’s how I want the protagonist to be. I want him to be me, but also how I would imagine myself to be. I want him to be more than his creator. To be a character that lives and breathes even outside of the words and letters to which he exists in.
The setting of the world is based on the city of Manila. And other parts would also be based on other cities within Metro Manila. Though I’ve always hated how colorless the real world feels. The colors of culture, traditions, mythos, beliefs, whatnot, are very flat. It’s not that visible.
Yet, we shall never forget the darker aspects, to which create our reality. I want a deeper examination of common Politics happening in reality, and trying to adapt that into the world of Liyabe. Come to think of it, much of the world-building must rely on the political situation of things. Since that’s basically 80% of what Filipinos argue or worry about in the country. And in a way, it’s what keeps the Philippines an interesting character study.
Because there’s so much twisted and upside-down politics happening in the country, that you can never get enough of the scoop.
Word of the Day: Kibitzer
Give me your opinions on the matter to which I spoke of today on this entry.
Be a kibitzer,
fool…
The setting of the world is based on the city of Manila. And other parts would also be based on other cities within Metro Manila. Though I’ve always hated how colorless the real world feels. The colors of culture, traditions, mythos, beliefs, whatnot, are very flat. It’s not that visible.
I want my fictional world to reflect the best parts of the real world.There should be more of children running around the streets with their friends. A lot more visible practice when it comes to our Martial Arts. And a lot more folk tales coming into play with how the world works, how society adapts with these supernatural occurrences, etc.
Yet, we shall never forget the darker aspects, to which create our reality. I want a deeper examination of common Politics happening in reality, and trying to adapt that into the world of Liyabe. Come to think of it, much of the world-building must rely on the political situation of things. Since that’s basically 80% of what Filipinos argue or worry about in the country. And in a way, it’s what keeps the Philippines an interesting character study.
Because there’s so much twisted and upside-down politics happening in the country, that you can never get enough of the scoop.
Word of the Day: Kibitzer
- one who looks on and often offers unwanted advice or comment.
- one who offers opinions.
Give me your opinions on the matter to which I spoke of today on this entry.
Be a kibitzer,
fool…
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