This is what it feels like to complete the first draft of a novel – an exhilarating experience!!!
I came across this post by Paulo Coelho and had to share it…absolutely amazing!
General provisions:
A – Whereas the saying “all is fair in love and war” is absolutely correct;
B – Whereas for war we have the Geneva Convention, approved on 22 August 1864, which provides for those wounded in the battlefield, but until now no convention has been signed concerning those wounded in love, who are far greater in number;
It is hereby decreed that:
Article 1 – All lovers, of any sex, are alerted that love, besides being a blessing, is also something extremely dangerous, unpredictable and capable of causing serious damage. Consequently, anyone planning to love should be aware that they are exposing their body and soul to various types of wounds, and that they shall not be able to blame their partner at any moment, since the risk is the same for both.
Read more at: http://paulocoelhoblog.com/2012/02/23/wounded-in-love-2/
La Ultima is a short story set in the Dominican Republic. It is a tale of best friends and lovers, of husbands and wives, and of the lives brought together — and torn apart — by love and betrayal.
www.readelynunez.com
Paulo Coelho takes us on a personal journey via the Trans-Siberian Railway as he seeks to find answers to the questions that continue to reemerge in his life. In this journey of self-discovery, personal growth, and spiritual encounter, Coelho will teach its readers that the most faithful human beings need to renew their faith as many times as necessary. For author Paulo Coelho a combination of traveling, meeting new people, seeing new sceneries, having new experiences, and experiencing the power of true love will set him free one more time.
The relationship he develops with a young woman, Hilal, will take us to a past that surpasses this time period and space. Embracing the belief of past lifetimes as he travels to the place where he betrayed this very woman five centuries earlier. Together they will confront the consequences of his cowardice, her gifts, and their story. A past that has hindered them for many eras, will resurface to test them once again, as they find a way to heal one another through forgiveness, art, and love.
Brazilian bestselling author Paulo Coelho had taken a similar journey before. This is most notably in his bestselling novel, The Alchemist, in which his main character Santiago goes in search of a treasure. The difference being that there is a distance between the narrator and the main character in The Alchemist. The Aleph is written in the first person, which gives Paulo more room to share his fears, doubts, and wisdom as an individual, often citing his work from previous novels. At times Coelho’s emotions spill over the page in a way that is distracting from the bigger story and interrupts the narration. If a lot of this interference were omitted from the text and consolidated to focus on the story being told, 150 pages will be sufficient to write this story. The message itself remains the same, as he reiterates the importance of seeking your personal legend. The significance of both trips lies not in the findings but in the journey itself.
In the author’s notes, Coelho writes, “Finally, I would like to warn against the use of the ring-of-light exercise. As I mentioned earlier, any return to the past with no knowledge of the process can have dramatic and disastrous consequences.” The exercise mentioned above is the method Paulo uses to travel back in time. The Aleph is one fascinating theory that will captivate its readers and leave them filled with questions and curiosity such as; who was I in another life? Are there people in my life for specific reasons? Is there anything from my past lives that is preventing me from reaching my full potential? And do I have the courage to confront my past?
Paulo Coelho dares to navigate a thin line between the past and the future, the seen and the unseen, the spiritual and the religious. People from all walks of lives would enjoy reading this book, as it is a quick read, and worth exploring.
Yesterday, December 13, the conversation of who will be attending the AWP Conference was brought up in class. I was ecstatic to learn about all the possibilities, such as; meeting published authors and aspiring writers, attending interesting workshops, receiving free books, meeting folks from the publishing industry, and just being in an environment where I didn’t have to be alone as a writer. I could already picture myself sitting down, drinking coffee or vodka as we all have intellectual conversations.
But, the daydream was soon over as the overwhelming thoughts of crowds, not knowing what to say, not knowing anybody, the bag filled with books being too heavy, the workshop not being everything I expected, bad food, long days and short nights invaded me.
So, being the proactive individual that I am, I decided to take my anxiety to a new level, I put together a list of resourceful items that will get me through my first 2012 AWP Conference:
- A box of red bull to keep me energize
- Two fedex slips to ship the books home instead of paying $50 of overweight for my luggage
- Three boxes of business cards to distribute to anyone who wants one
- Five cans of cafe bustelo to keep me up most of the night, writing, after my inspiration level goes sky rocket
- A 500 page notebook to take notes at workshops/events and ten pens (one for me and the other 9 for unprepared people)
- Ten pack of gums to distribute to people who speak too close to my face and whose breath is not kind to my nostrils
- Template of personalized “nice to meet you” emails
- A brand new iPhone to store all the contact information of the people I meet
- And a pair of the most sexy and comfortable shoes on earth
I think that’s it for now. If I forgot anything, feel free to let me know and I’ll add it. 
Ready or Not. Here I come 2012 AWP Conference.
Hugs, Ely!
“To turn your back on your dreams is a tragedy, but to turn your back on true love is suicide.” Ely N
“The craziest thing I ever did was stop loving myself to love someone else.” by Ely Nunez
There are issues that are so close to my heart that they linger at the edge of each heart beat
and live in a little corner call soul. I rarely speak of them because I fear that words will
diminish their value, but at times their intensity seem to drown me. And I spend more time
battling with the notion of killing their root by exposing them or keeping them locked inside for
fear of revealing too much about myself, than actually writing.
Today, I’ve decided to be a writer and put one of those issues on paper, because protecting
it is far more destructive than setting it free.
As I take this first step, afraid and unsure, I see an open door with nothing but a long path
with no signs ahead of me. This path may lead me to the same place, but maybe, just maybe, it’ll lead me to a new one.
with love, Ely N
Yesterday, I had a three hour break. There was so much I wanted and needed to do. A million thoughts crossed my mind of all the things I could do with that free time. Doing what I needed to do was tempting, such as catching up on my school work. To my luck, I ran into one of my favorite writers, who was heading to the library to take a nap. I convinced him to join me in a writing escapade and we wrote for 2 hours. I did some edits to my manuscript and wrote 3 pages. I got interrupted approximately 15 times but I kept going back to it. I didn’t stop. I was determined to make time for what I love.
Later that night, I received news that made me sad. And not sad for me but for a person in my life who has run out of chances to be a part of my life. It made me sad not because I will miss him but because he has only caused me pain and I know that one day he will wake up and ask himself, “why was I such a horrible person to my daughter?” And maybe that is a story to tell, but today I don’t feel it is worth telling. I’m just glad I’ve learned to love myself and the talents God has bless me with, to love and to write.
I fell asleep feeling grateful, not for what he had tried to rob me of but what I was capable of giving myself, the time to write.
Everyday is the perfect day to write or to chase your dream. Today is a perfect day to
take one step forward. But instead of working on a short story or my novel, I’m
distracted by my reactions to things and people. Because I’ve learned that I can’t
control what others do and say to me but I can control how I react to them. And the
fact that sometimes I nurture reactions that are not healthy to me or others, makes
me angry. It only bothers me so much because life changes in a matter of seconds
and I wouldn’t want to leave a love one with a sour feeling. In the next 28 days I
will pay attention to how I react to things and people.
