Monday, April 30, 2007

One Step Closer to Another Big (and Shared) Dream

I beat the official deadline by an hour and 58 minutes. At 10:02 PM tonight, I clicked "SEND" to an email I sent to the Board of Judges of the Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards for Literature. Attached were my scanned official forms, my resume and of course, a copy of my story. But I really should say our story, or even better, his story.

I have always dreamed of submitting an entry to the Palanca Awards (okay, another tick on my checklist!), but my friend has always dreamed of having his own children's storybook. I find myself drawn to helping other people realize their dreams (yes, it's pay-it-forward time), so when I found out last year, I told him to join the upcoming PBBY-Salanga and the Palanca Awards. He felt stuck and didn't know where to begin; I really wanted to help so it was but natural for me to volunteer and write a story for and with him.

The result is a collaborative story: one I wrote with a lot of inspiration and guidance from my friend, with the help of YM messages, Skype calls, email and SMS exchanges. It's the first time I collaborated with someone to write a story and it was a very good experience. I'm happy with how the story turned out. We submitted it to the 2007 PBBY-Salanga Prize last year but unfortunately, it did not make it. We'll see if the stars are aligned to get us the Palanca Award... and sending it out is a big step closer to our dream! It must be the craziest, fastest-and-most-furious time in my life right now (get this: editing a book on leaders, running after a big sales prospect, managing a regional project, preparing for an upcoming four-week trip to Korea, getting ready for my dad's big 60th birthday... whew!), but I'm really happy I took time out to do this. Once again, it's the most perfect time to quote one of my most favorite quotes of all time: Dreams mean work. (It's the last line in Coelho's By The River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept and has been my YM status message for the last few weeks.)

As much as I want to go public, I can't quite disclose the subject, plot and the name of my friend just yet. We'll have to wait until the results are out on September 1st. When we hear the great news then, we'll definitely celebrate with a bang!

5 comments:

Mall said...

Hello dear!

Yey, you submitted your entry to the Palanca Awards!!! I really hope and pray that you will win! Let's crossfinger together!

Wow, your plans are so busy! You go to Korea??? I envy you! hee hee! I'm sure your character Yellow Paperclip with Bright Purple Spots will travel to Korea! *winks* I love that quote "Dreams mean work", that's so lovely and strong. Let's follow our dreams! ;)

Please greet happy birthday to your papa (and your mama, say hi to her!) from me.

Cheers!

Agie said...

hi,
i just dropped by and saw that you submitted a Palanca entry. I wish you the best in the competition. I joined it a couple of years back but I didn't win. Now, I'm trying my luck in other competitions...

oh, by the way i am andrea uy...you can visit my blog to know a little about my realm here's the address...www.impenetrable-reverie-agie.blogspot.com...

---hope to hear from you....God Bless...:-)

Yellow said...

Hi May Ann - thanks for the prayers and crossing your fingers (and toes?) for me! I hope to have good news about the Palanca in September! We'll see...

I'm back in Manila from an amazing month in Korea... and have so many thought bubbles and images (I have almost 3,000 photos!) that can be turned into stories. Now I just have to find time to write...

Yellow said...

Hello Andrea! Thanks for dropping by my blog. One of the best tips that I always get: KEEP WRITING... and keep submitting. I have a friend who has been submitting to the Palanca Awards every year for the last ten or so years. He hasn't won YET but I'm sure he will one day. I'm sure you will too!

Anonymous said...

can't wait to find out what happens! - mia