An Author's Nightmare

Prologue

"I just published the book I've been working on for years," I murmured quietly as I looked at my laptop. "The Pretty Necklace Around My Neck," pagbasa ko sa title ng libro na I published online.

Nakakatuwa kasi sa wakas ay tapos na ito, ngunit pakiramdam ko ay parang may napakahalagang bagay na nawala sa akin. My current emotions are comparable to those of a mother who has lost a child. It's probably because matagal na panahon ko itong sinulat, and now it's finally done. I'm sure mawawala rin 'tong pakiramdam na 'to once na nakapagsimula akong magsulat ulit ng panibagong libro.

I decided to take a break for two weeks before writing again. Hindi lang kasi pagsusulat ang aking ginagawa, I'm also studying for senior high school and super daming pinapagawa sa amin na school works. Gusto ko ay wala na akong iniintinding school works bago magsulat. I feel like dying nung mga panahon na pinagsabay ko ang paggawa ng research and pagsusulat ng isang chapter sa libro ko. Hindi ko na talaga iyon uulitin. But ang goal ko kasi is to publish a new chapter online kahit once a week lang.

I know naman na writing a book while studying sounds stressful. Lalo na kapag tamad ka! Pero after publishing new chapters every once a week, tapos mababasa mo na lang online na your readers are craving for more chapters really relieve stress.

Isa pa sa mga ikinatutuwa ko bilang isang teenage writer ay yung mga magagandang feedbacks na nakukuha ko mula sa mga readers ko. Humahanga ang iba dahil hindi sila makapaniwala na ang isang seventeen years old na katulad ko ay nagsusulat na. Humahanga rin sa akin ang mga tao rito sa amin because no one my age in our community likes to hold or read a book, unless kailangan nila ito sa kanilang pag-aaral. Dahil nga maliit lang 'tong town namin, halos lahat ng teenager ay kilala ang isa't-isa and they spend their free time partying.

So being a teenage writer, who's not really famous, by the way, is an honor. Especially here in our small town, kung saan wala namang ibang writer or aspiring writers. Kaya naman talagang sinisikap ko na makapagsulat, it's also my passion kasi.

During my two weeks of relaxation, I've had a lot of ideas that could be the beginning of the story I'll write. Kaya naman ngayon na tapos na ang dalawang linggong pahinga ko, excited kong kinuha ang aking laptop na s'yang ginagamit ko sa aking pagsusulat. Inalala ko lahat ng aking mga idea at nagsimula na sa pagsusulat.

"It doesn't make sense!" I growled. Binura ko ang lahat ng aking sinulat hanggang sa wala ng text na makikita sa screen. "Ano bang nangyayari sa utak ko. Ba't noong mga panahong hindi ako nagsusulat ay ang dami kong ideas na naiisip?!" Inis kong pinatay ang laptop ko at padabog na humiga sa kama ko.

"I hate writer's block! Why now pa kung kailan ginaganahan akong magsulat? Kainis!" Hiyaw ko at nagwala sa aking higaan. Maya-maya lang ay nahinto ako dahil sa aking naisip. "I know... bakit hindi na lang ako magsearch ng writing prompts sa Google— Nope. That feels like stealing, so no."

With nothing better to do, tumingala na lang ako at tinitigan ang kisame ng aking kwarto. Sinubukan kong mag-isip ng mga maaari kong gamitin upang masimulan ang libro na balak kong isulat. Ngunit wala. Wala talagang pumapasok sa isip ko, kaya naman naisipan kong matulog na lang. Baka sakaling paggising ko ay magkaroon ng magandang ideya ang utak ko.

But I was wrong. Because one week had passed, then another, and another, but nothing had changed. I still have no idea what to write. Writer's block slammed me so hard that every single idea that I thought of had no destination. This writer's block is hunting me! I kept having nightmares every night! Isang umaga nga ay nagising na lang ako ng pawis na pawis. My dream felt so real na para bang nandoon talaga ako. Nakakakilabot!

Every night ay lagi akong binabangungot, siguro nga ay dahil ito sa aking writer's block, pero anong connect noon? Wala na ata akong maayos na tulog simula nang magkaroon ako ng writer's block. Wala na akong tulog na hindi ako nagkakaroon ng bangungot. And it's scaring me!

"I've had enough of these sleepless nights because of my nightmares and my writer's block!" Puyat na puyat na ako dahil ilang linggo na ata akong nananaginip ng masama gabi-gabi. "Even though horror is not my cup of tea, I'm going to write a story about it!"

Turning my nightmares into a story is such a good idea! When I published its prologue and its first chapter, my readers liked it! It's such a click! Every night, kapag ako ay nagkakaroon ng masamang panaginip ay isinusulat ko ito and when I finish it I publish it online.

It's almost been a month since I started writing about my nightmares, and it caught the attention of many people online. A lot of people are posting it on different social media sites! My story is trending! I was loving this at first, until I just found myself opening a door for two police officers in the evening.

"Good evening, ma'am. Are you the author of the An Author's Nightmare?" I replied yes, and what he said next nearly knocked my heart out. "How come the unsolved cases in your town are all solved in your book?"