𝑷 𝒆 𝒂 𝒓 𝒍

https://open.spotify.com/track/1SjsfeDad0F7QFIZxLZrqY?si=PDf-1ezdR96pXrwsESBk0A
          
          — I think you'll like this song 

I meant to do this yesterday, phew! Finally squeezing some time.
          
          I think it's obvious now how much I actually like novel writers, most importantly, I get enviously inspired by how fast they write. But good things come with practice.
          
          So perhaps just like it's poetry for me, it's novel writing for them. Anyways, back to what I was actually saying.
          
          You must have heard of @Shivran86 before. I've been seeing her for a long time now, needless to say. I've read her poems and short stories here and there but novellas or novel books? Never ever.
          
          At the same time, there's a book of hers that caught my interest, "Sikander, don't die." This is her ONC book from last year that appeared in the long list. Honestly speaking, after completing reading this now — I'm thinking why the fudge I have delayed to read for a year?
          
          Good would be an understatement, I don't read queer stories often. On top of that, I don't even like love triangles, but this book showed me that love has no face, love is just pure that my heart ached for three of them equally, especially Hridayank.
          
          And what can I say about Srijita's writing?
          
          Stylistic description isn't really easy to pull off, and not many of the writers have the lyrical writing. With her writing, I'm sure she doesn't even need grandiose words to describe anything; words literally danced to make every vision alive!
          
          I'll stop here. The only regret I have is that I haven't read her long works before, but better late than never.
          
          Do check out her book, "Sikander, don't die," the perfect mixture of history and love where the end will tug at your heart furiously.
          
          https://www.wattpad.com/story/361830890-sikander-don%27t-die

So, the ONC submission for the first round is closed already, we're supposed to get the results in ten days. Here's the real problem: should I wait for the results or write for the second round already?
          
          Ideally I should, since I have to reach the 8,000-word mark by this month. It shouldn't be a problem since so many others have already completed their novellas. But then again, I don't have high hopes of getting a pass. I can even put my bet on getting rejected lol. It's fair enough since I haven't revealed my plot, although the prompts can give a hint already (that's why, it's not disclosed yet).
          
          Anyway, I will try and see if I can finish for the second round whether I pass the first round or not. Wish me luck since this month is going to be really busy for me as well.
          
          In the meantime, you should check out these authors. I kid you not, I'm sure some of them are going to win in the final round:
          
          @Monrosey — Girl in the Mirror
          @lyttlejoe — Kilroy Is Back!
          @EvelynHail — Returnal
          @wdhenning — Bound Souls
          @novelistASH — Falling with an Angel & 
          Love Like Wine.
          
          @donnaf1828 — Train Guy
          @-olliee — Hate You, Want You
          @elveloy — The Spare
          @Nhyterides — The Perfects
          @SilviaKrpatova — Of Love Tales and Rabbit Tails
          @amaryll28 — When the Swallows Come
          @AprilJester — Freedom
          
          And there are more I couldn't read yet but do check out their astounding works. I absolutely love them!

So, I'm really not doing ONC this time either, which is a let down. I might just jot down all the prompts and write the story a little later in the year. I'll be supporting anyone who is writing it this year though. Good luck, Pearl. I've still  got to catch up with your ONC which I will do soon

Oh, see the irony! The trend I hate most is being jumped over. A new poem, "The Rim of a Mug," has been added to my latest poetry collection. Give it a read if you have a few seconds to spare.
          
          https://www.wattpad.com/1517970950-traveller%27s-heart-the-rim-of-a-mug
          
          ______________
          
          I don't know how many of you know truly versatile writers. For me, there's been only one, and that's @gideoneaston. Call me biased or anything, but when I say versatile, I mean the ability to write in different tones and genres in ways that feel distinct. Most writers I know have a single style. Now, there's nothing wrong with having your permanent voice. In fact, congratulations if you've found yours already.
          
          To return to what I was saying, I think the second closest I've found is @novelistASH. Trust me, I really want to throw away my phone because of how many ideas ASH keeps pitching, all in different genres! (In a good way of course). To say I'm impressed would be an understatement — he is hell-bent on breaking stereotypes.
          
          I knew he was a great writer, but versatile? He truly is. I don't know what he'll choose for his final ONC book(s), but if you aren't reading his works already, go check them out! I'm sure you won't be disappointed.
          
          And yes, this is me humbly bragging about his versatile skills.
          
          Signing off to take time to clear my head. Please pardon my late responses. And nope, I won't really give up on ONC!

Lately, I've been craving a change or some kind of refreshment—I'm not quite sure which. You can see the result of this restlessness in my profile. As I find myself swiping between alternatives, I wonder if it's just me feeling this way. Why do I feel compelled to scribble a few thoughts in the midst of chaos, leaving everything else in the corner? It's only been four days, but it feels like forever. In one of those moments, all I want is to breathe life into a few words—that's my solace. But something else is demanding my attention, so I'm leaving this piece unfinished until I can return to find my peace here.
          
          __________
          
          If God exists he isn't just butter and good luck. He's also in the tick that killed my wonderful dog Luke. Said the river: imagine everything you can imagine, then keep going.
          
          Imagine how the lily (who may also be a part of God) would sing to you if it could sing, if you would pause to hear it. And how are you so certain anyway that it doesn't sing?
          
          If God exists he isn't just churches and mathematics. He's the forest, He's the desert. He's the ice caps, that are dying. He's the ghetto and the Museum of Fine Arts.
          
          He's van Gogh and Allen Ginsberg and Robert Motherwell.
          
          He's the many desperate hands, cleaning and preparing their weapons.
          
          He's every one of us, potentially.
          
          The leaf of grass, the genius, the politician, the poet.
          
          And if this is true, isn't it something very important?
          
          Yes, it could be that I am a tiny piece of God, and each of you too, or at least of his intention and his hope.
          
          Which is a delight beyond measure.
          
          I don't know how you get to suspect such an idea.
          
          I only know that the river kept singing.
          
          It wasn't a persuasion, it was all the river's own constant joy
          
          which was better by far than a lecture, which was comfortable, exciting, unforgettable.
          
          — Mary Oliver.

i read somewhere that a bad man's karma will always be a good daughter cursed with loving men exactly like her father and i wonder what mine did in his youth that was so terrible that this must be my fate. i can run as far as my body will allow me to but i will always find myself at the feet of a shitty man begging for just a droplet of his love the same way i have chased my father down driveways pleading with him to stay. they say you can drown in even a teaspoon of water so maybe that is why i am so hellbent on even a sip of love being enough to sustain me for a lifetime but a belief doesn't outweigh a truth.
          
          i am tired of being the price of a man's sins and the beginning of another daughter's fate.
          
          — Mae setrova.

I don't want a boyfriend who can't cook. I want a husband who is a chef. I keep covering certain deficits, like I have a million more chances left. I say, but this one is nice. Like I'm still picking just for me. He's funny and tall, sure, but what kind of father would he be? 
          
          He's pretty in the kind of way that will have you crying by the end of the night because something incredibly normal and valid that you said sparked yet another fight. I'm too old for this. I always have been too mature for my own good. But I waited to be something like a good Mexican daughter should. Like I'm serving a plate that I can't even eat, waiting to be acknowledged while he takes what should have been my seat. 
          
          Like I'm good for a Latina. Pretty but not like pretty should be pretty. Like I'm lucky that he even thought I was pretty the day that he saw me. He's protective in the sense that you can never go out. Cares about you so much that he never asked what your new book is about. To be a chef is to respect the baker. To know how to cook is to let someone else eat. My type of man would have gotten up so I could have taken his seat and watches from behind me as I win the entire game. 
          
          I don't want a boyfriend who thinks it's too hard to correctly pronounce my name but instead yells it from the front row of yet another sold out show. I don't want to have a boyfriend take up the space where my future husband is supposed to go who admires because of admiration, not because of the photos to take.
          
          part (ii) is pasted below!

I like that to remain a mystery wrapped in layers. Any guesses on your end?

thank you so much pearl, for all that you read. it really means a lot to me. i read all your thoughtful and lovely comments and they surely made me feel validated. so i really thank you for your support.
          i loved reading your work, and i would have loved to read more but i don't think i would be here now. your work has been amazingly unique, the poetry really beautifully penned with a wonderful combination of resonance and eccentricity to it, which makes one feel comforted as well as curious. i really hope you continue to write and hopefully publish someday, so i could buy a copy!
          
          i wish you well in life and literature <3