This... Is My Journey
Hey! I'm YJC!
In most platforms, I'm using my username yjcollins_. I'm formerly known as Star Cross/Jade Star and had my previous UN, jadestarstories. But after all the changes, I finally settled to yjcollins which is actually Yati Jade Collins—an anagram of my real name.
It all began on my highschool sophomore year. My friend brought a book and show us one afternoon on a weekdays. Lunch time.
I remembered the humid on my skin as the breeze blew, as I felt like the sun was directed to our school. Even with a high temperature, the air keeps blowing, thanks to the trees the giving us air and enough shade to go around, since our canteen and our room that time was like the north and east pole. On the both ends our department.
After having a lunch full of gossips and laughters, we came back to our room, traveling the L shape architecture of our department. We passed the visitor's office wherein the school's secretary was stationed, together with the principal's and Prefect of Discipline's office; the faculty room of teachers; AVR; an organization room and also the sound system booth where dissemination of announcements was held and connected to the speaker around the school; the school's kitchen which was used in subjects like TLE where me and my friends always hangout before; and then next to it is the cemented stairs to the second floor of the building.
All those rooms are at our left while there are plant boxes of red santan flowers on our right, with few triangular trees in shape I thought it was a real Christmas tree. But I just found out now that we do have pine trees but that's another tree from the triangular one.
When we entered the hallway then turned left, we faced the hallway which brought us to the rooms. I can see the huge field where our flag ceremony was held from the window on my right. I remembered seeing two benches with sampaloc tree in the middle giving shades to few students there.
We walked until we reached the end of the hallway where our room can be found that was just beside our science laboratory. On the second floor of the building, just above the science lab was the chapel.
Lights was turned off, armchairs were everywhere. Some of my classmates were sleeping while are some are in circles, one in the group was talking animatedly. Phones are not allowed that time so we need to hide it, so while the teachers were away, we checked our phones, looking for notifications, reading messages, scrolling on social sites, paying games and anything that we can do on our phones.
Then one of my friend sat on her chair, show us the book she was talking about about that she borrowed to her sister. It was Diary ng Panget of HaveYouSeenThisGirl. I was curious why she was reading a book since I don't really like reading specially academic related stuffs. So I gave it a try. And I was hooked.
I borrowed the book. Until I finished it. And that's the start. I met Lance Mariano from Sadist Lover. My ultimate fiction character crush. Then I started reading and reading, I didn't know how many books I've already read until I read ebooks. Then I met wattpad.
I was on my third year when I started reading international novels. Then based on my logged on my first written novel—since I'm not really good at dates— I started writing by 2016.
I entered journalism that time. I also join different wattpad groups and WRARH (Wattpad Readers and Writers Here) was the best group I've been. I even had a crush for long to one of the dummy users there. in which, I get the surname Collins until I couldn't stop using it. [LOL.]
Then I met these people who are not professional but knew something about writing since there's a writing tips day before on the said group.
I think, I was inlove in writing then. Even though I'm not a good journalists, even though I'm not good at english until now.
With the help of WRAWR people, I learned the dos and don'ts of writing. I've been part of different writing community and even met few people I didn't know will be part of my life in dummy world that I started since the beginning of my writing journey.
I met people in dummy world and became part of different GCs but this group in particular, was what I loved the most. We were all aspiring writers that somehow knew something about writing. Or maybe it was just me who have few knowledge since I was beginner then and still am.
We make a page that wanted to share whatever knowledge we had. We entered different writing contest in the writing community, supporting each other. I stopped writing novels and wrote competition entries instead, while still learning about writing. Some competition made me cry while some stretched a smile on my face. The worst experience I had was submiting an entry a minute late because the fuckin' internet slowed down and I was disqualified for the next round. It was a good year of my writing journey with them. But nothing is permanent.
I left the group. And the pressure of chosing the right track in SHS made me think if I should really pursue writing and forget the program I thought I should took since I don't really know what program I should really enrolled myself into.
I cried not knowing what to do. There wasn't much to earn in writing. I need to admit, and I wasn't really financially stable. So I chose the track that will help me on my program in college that I decided to take when I was on my 9th grade. I left writing behind, thinking I should focus on my track.
But I kept coming back. I've been writing some parts of my novel one at a time on my SHS years. I was on grade 12 when I entered journalism again. Since I was graduating that time, I'm really need to decide what career should I took. And I didn't choose writing. But it was my choice in my top 3 on every entrance form I filled in for college.
Then I asked God to gave me a sign if I should stop writing. Because to be honest, I am a lost soul, finding my purpose in this world and looking what talent/skills do I have. And when I received his answers I thought I was dreaming.
In 2017, there were a lot of writing competition in the writing community. I passed a short one shot horror manuscript to a publishing company for their called for submission; I passed a slice of life entry for a known writing group that was for a cause; and a romance one shot for a Valentine's special of a small publishing company.
I had this thought that if no one from my work got accepted, I'll stop writing for good. But all my works was chosen to be a part of different anthologies.
God, you're so good to me.
Tho, I was naive I allowed my work to be a part of an anthology without getting anything but a discount if I buy a book and only if I refer it to someone else and buy a book. Well, being an aspiring writer, a lot of us just wanted to see our works in books even without getting anything.
It was became a problem in writing community because small start up publishing companies abuses aspiring writers by having a call for submissions with the promise that the writer's work will be publish but the writer didn't get anything even a copy of the book. So if you're an aspiring writer, beware. Not because it was our dream to see our works in books doesn't meal we will allowed them use our works.
The other one, the anthologies for a cause, it was stated beforehand that we won't receive anything since all the funds that will be collected will all go to the chosen beneficiary. I'm glad to be part of something that will help others.
And last and the most unforgettable event in my writing journey was when I was called to sign a conract.
I felt like flying that time. The publishing company is well known and I didn't really expect that my story will be chosen. I signed the contract and get my first sweldo. I felt like dreaming the whole day.
God is indeed have His own way to answer us.
And with those answers, I promised to myself that I won't stop writing. With a purpose. I decided to continue my chosen path and writing at the same time because why not? A lot of writers was like that so I don't really know why I even stopped and doubted myself.
Now, 2020, was the most active year I've been since there was a pandemic called Covid19. Wattpad was still the main platform I used but I also tried other writing platforms so I can deliver my messages to a bigger audience.
I started writing novels with the thought of educating my readers because maybe it was God's plan to use me as His instrument because there are lot of times that I'm still asking myself if I should write and He instantly gave me a yes.
Looking back, I realized that I am connected to literature since I was a kid. I remember having a Filipino booklet of different short stories. I have two Disney princess book and a Barbie book that I still kept and I'm 20. Yeap, I'm this kind of human. Masinop, like what my cousin told me.
On my grade 1, I remember reading a story for our English class about a Vinta. I forgot the story but the blue color and the vintas are still vivid in my mind as of the moment. Maybe... I'm really for this.
And I was happy because now, after years, I have few stars[readers] that I know I will forever cherish because they are the one cheering me up when I'm starting to doubt myself again.
They are stars. Stars that crossed paths with me—while they're on their own journey—and we produce a beautiful bond, that I think of constellations. Constellations that serves as a guide to a dark journey and help travellers to the righ path.
They are stars that will forever connected to me. That are linked to me.
They are my Collinx.
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