Yes, You Can Be A Published Author, Too!

(The spy novel Project GrandSlam & The Zhongguo Orchestra is rated Five-Star by the Readers’ Favorite.)

So, do you want to write a book? A full-length novel? I’m telling you it’s not an easy goal. But if you have discipline and perseverance, yes, you can be a published author, too.

Okay, let me tell you this to motivate you. It took me 15 years to finish my novel, Project GrandSlam & The Zhongguo Orchestra—ten years of daydreaming and five years of actual writing.

Yes, those ten lost years didn’t amount to anything except that they filled my dream basket with buts and ifs.  Doubts were my unwelcome visitors and later became my unwanted companions.  In those fledgling years, my enthusiasm for writing waned, and at times, a week passed by without even a single page to credit.  Unbelief led to procrastination.  I almost gave up on writing and thought of letting Project GrandSlam & The Zhongguo Orchestra die a natural death.  I prepared for its wake and was ready to mourn its passing.

You see, unlike other writers who pride themselves on a BA in English or an MFA in Creative Writing, I admit I have neither one of those coveted degrees.  Nevertheless, the dearth of writing skills didn’t discourage me from moving on; on the contrary, it bolstered me even more to work harder. Who Dares Wins, just like what the SAS motto says.

To hone my writing skills, I became a self-educated writer.  I read some "How to Write" articles online and borrowed reference materials from the library.  I also bought books on creative writing and slowly built myself a mini library.  I went further and subscribed to magazines like Writer’s Digest and Poets & Writers.  A writer must be a reader first!

Some of the books I read were How to Write a Thriller, Grammatically Correct, 38 Most Common Fiction Writing Mistakes, Rewrite Right, St. Martin's Guide to Writing, Writer to Writer, Self-Editing for Fiction Writers, Plot & Structure, and other self-help books.  I also read the works of some great novelists, such as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Frederick Forsyth, Robert Ludlum, and Ken Follett.  Tom Clancy showed up later in my writing life.

If you want to improve your writing skills, you must study the great works of those master storytellers.

My manuscript didn't come out easily.  I juggled everything in life – family, full-time job, and church activities. Writing always showed up at the bottom of my schedule.  Especially during the times my son had out-of-state soccer tournaments! 

I got my solitude only when everyone at home (or at the hotel) was asleep.  My creative juices usually flowed from ten at night to one in the morning.  So, imagine it was hard for me to go to my real job the following morning, half-dead like a zombie.

The last two years of writing Project GrandSlam & The Zhongguo Orchestra were a grueling experience for me.  I felt like I’d sailed into the unknown depths of literary seas, fishing for elusive words that often escaped my convoluted mind.  It was an arduous struggle from the start, and more than anything else, the process tested my patience and sanity. Really.

My indomitable will compelled me to endure those difficult years.  And during these times, a small voice, which could have been from an angel, cajoled me relentlessly, saying, "You have a good story to share with the world, so don't give up." Well, that was my daughter.

So, I pressed on, and I worked harder than ever before. My creative thoughts flowed naturally this time.  I saw how my story metamorphosed from a lethargic draft to a promising manuscript.  Afterwards, I started forming Beta Readers—friends who’d provided critiques of my manuscript without getting any compensation. Bless their souls. The last year was nerve-racking for me, given all the writing and rewriting and editing, and everything that came in between that cycle.

Finally, my novel Project GrandSlam & The Zhongguo Orchestra came out, but not without experiencing the blood, sweat, and tears of writing.  Oh, the joy and pain of writing!

You see, some writers have natural flair, and their literary wells overflow with an abundance of words.  Those skilled ones could produce a novel in three months or even in one month! You heard about NaNoWriMo?  I really envy those gifted writers.  Me? I’m just an ordinary guy with two simple writing traits:  discipline and perseverance – two enviable qualities that helped me complete my spy novel, and two non-fiction books titled Creating the Department of Homeland Security: A Public Policy Process and Managing the Philippines’ War on Terror from 1969 to 2005: A Case Study in Public Administration.

Let me share with you some points to ponder from Andre Jute, the author of Reverse Negative.  In his book Writing a Thriller, he said, “A Nobel laureate told me that, within a six block radius of the pub we were in, there were a hundred better writers than either of us . . . The difference between us, as published writers, and them as unpublished writers . . . was merely that we sat down and wrote a page a day or ten pages a day . . . and they didn’t.”  He also said, “The writer’s greatest virtue is never to give up.  If you were born stubborn, obstinate, and plain pig-headed, you have a good start.”

So, do you really want to write a book and become a published author?  Well, the only thing that can stop you from achieving your goal is—You! Take this advice from an ESL author. I hope my story will motivate you to write if nothing else.  Quit dreaming and start writing! 

*The spy novel Project GrandSlam & The Zhongguo Orchestra is rated Five-Star by the Readers’ Favorite and available in paperback and eBook at Barnes & Noble, Amazon, and Rakuten Kobo.*

    

 

Since 1969, the Philippine government has been battling Communist Terrorists, yet it has not gained complete control of the security situation in the country in 2005. Considering the experiences gained in the long years of fighting terrorism, the police and the armed forces should have decimated the CPP/NPA and its Sparrow Unit and Alex Boncayao Brigade.  It could have successfully established peace and order throughout the nation, but the internal conditions during the period dictated otherwise.

The influx of foreign Islamists in Mindanao, like the Jemaah Islamiyah (JI), and their association with the local terror groups, such as the Abu Sayyaf Group (ASG), has aggravated the already combustible situation in the South.  Subsequently, their close collaboration has become a serious threat to national security. ASG’s operational ties with JI and the Al-Qaeda network developed stronger as time went by, with bombings in Metro Manila and other parts of the country as their signature accomplishments.

So, what kept the Philippine government from winning its War on Terror, considering its counter-terror infrastructure, anti-terror policies and programs, and seasoned police and military forces?  What served as obstacles to the War on Terror that forestalled strategic successes? How did the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial Branches miss the opportunity to collaborate in the War on Terror using the concepts and theories in public administration, as well as the utilization of the best practices in public governance?

The purpose of this case study is to analyze the anti-terrorism policies and programs of the Philippine government from 1969 to 2005 and examine why the governmental agencies responsible for enforcing them struggled to execute their mission, which consequently denied them complete victory.

This case study also focuses on the challenges faced by the Intelligence Community in its counter-terrorism operations. It presents how the system of governance hinders the Philippine government from achieving strategic success in the War on Terror.  Along this line, this book will examine how the prevailing culture in Philippine politics from 1969 to 2005 has impacted the intelligence operations against domestic and foreign terrorist groups.

: Available on eBook and Hard Copy. Order via amazon.com. 

 

For nine years, from the first bombing of the World Trade Center on February 26, 1993, to its second attack on September 11, 2001, the United States encountered ten major terrorist attacks on the US mainland and the United States' interests overseas. These attacks have resulted in the total death of 6101 and injuries to 19,735 people.

The blame game and political mudslinging from the Republican and Democratic parties have not produced any positive results to address the problems of terrorism. On the other hand, the crisis highlighted the years of a dysfunctional relationship within the Intelligence Community, which the United States Congress revisited through its fact-finding commission, ultimately leading to the creation of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

The establishment of DHS was a public policy statement by the United States government to counter threats to national security. It was the proactive approach of the Bush Administration to its domestic policy on terrorism. DHS carries out all the federal government's terrorism activities and programs.

The DHS was the result of a policy choice by elected officials, and their policy output led to the creation of the Department. On the other hand, the policy impact was the effect of both the policy choice and policy output, which was to protect the homeland against terrorist attacks from both domestic and transnational groups. The process of establishing DHS went through six stages in the public policy process, and these are: Agenda Setting, Policy Formulation, Decision Making, Implementation, and Evaluation.

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