Last month, when I first heard about Fully Booked's writing contest in the genres of science fiction, fantasy, and horror, I was determined to come up with something good, mainly because there would be a grand prize of P100,000 (around $2000) involved.

At the time, I thought that the contest guidelines are somewhat silly... possibly written by monkeys. For example, there's this clause:

Submissions must include four (4) hard copies, typewritten or computerized (preferably computerized).

Typewritten or computerized? Hmm, OK. But, later in the same paragraph, we get this:

The submission must include one (1) soft copy on a CD-ROM (files should be in .rtf [Rich Text Format]).

Hey genius, if I typed out my story on an antique typewriter, how am I supposed to put a soft copy on a freaking CD-ROM? Last time I checked, typewriters don't have CD burners. Sheesh.

But that's not important. The contest was a good thing for. For the first time in a very long time, I was motivated to write something more thoughtful and less retarded than my blog entries. That's a good thing, right?

Well, that was more than a month ago. Today is the deadline of the contest, and I've got nothing. Procrastination and laziness of course take part of the blame, but there's also something else. As I tried to squeeze words out of my dried-up brain last night, I came to the sad realization that I know squat about sci-fi, fantasy, or horror. I was the guy who fell asleep halfway through The Lord of the Rings. Hell, I haven't even "found the time" to check out the Dune boxset that my friends gave me on my birthday three years ago.

Writing gurus like to say that you can only write about what you know. Maybe they're right. Writers have to understand their subject matter thoroughly to come up with a coherent and believable story. Maybe I should learn from Mexican writer Jose Luis Calva who, as part of his research for a novel called "Cannibalistic Instincts," killed and cooked his girlfriend.

Heh. Isn't that such a lovely Halloween horror story?