M.R.R. Arcega graduated from the University of the Philippines with a bachelor’s degree in Journalism. In 2001, her Filipino-language screenplay, Pagkatapos ng Paalam, took second place in the Carlos Palanca Memorial Awards. In 2009, her short story collection, Post-it Notes from Far Away, was among those recognized by the National Book Development Board in their Galing Pinoy, Basahin! program. Several of her features, essays, poems, and short stories in both English and Filipino have been published locally and internationally. Currently, she works as a manager for a small Philippines-based translation company.
Her story, Ang Mahiwagang Kahong Pamasko, was the first Filipino story published by PGS in December, 2011.

Welcome back to Philippine Genre Stories, Bhex! How long has it been since you last wrote a short story? 

Hi! It’s great to be back 🙂 

Truth is, it’s been years since I last wrote a new story, but I’ve been trying to get back into it this year. The last time I wrote one was just a few months ago. 

And what made you answer the call for submissions this time?

I actually finished “Pink” and posted it on Facebook, ages ago! Ms. Mia Tijam, who’s my friend on FB, saw it and encouraged me to fix it up for submission. For that, I am grateful 🙂

We are so happy you sent it!

How did you start exploring the genre/s to begin with? Were there specific books and authors that influenced you? 

My parents liked to say that I was “pinaglihi” on The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien. My mom used to sleep with the book open on her stomach, and the assumption was that fetus!me continued reading the book while she slept. 

My parents understandably worried that I was going to be born with furry feet. I was not born with furry feet. Instead, I started life with a fascination for fantasy and science fiction (and Sherlock Holmes stories). Below are some of the books that blew me away as a child:

(Laughing) Thank you for sharing that memory! Wonderful formative reading! 

And what about Filipino-authored works, which ones have influenced your writing and why? 

I also grew up reading Liwayway and local komiks, but did not have easy access to Filipino-authored books, until I got to university. I was so happy when I could finally afford to collect standalone Pinoy komiks! Here are some Filipino-authored works I’ve enjoyed:

Hope the readers do check these books out. 🙂 Among recently published Filipino-authored speculative fiction books, which top 3 did you find most interesting and why?

I don’t know if the Janus Silang books count as “recently published”, but I find it awesome that young readers are hyped about them. And I’m really impressed by this series!

I have a copy of Thea Guanzon’s The Hurricane Wars and am eager to try it soon.

Vibal is coming out with some interesting titles, and I’m intrigued about the Alfars’ new books. I don’t think this counts as just one title though 😀

Winners! And what about the published stories in Philippine Genre Stories, which have you found the most memorable (and why)?

I’m especially drawn to stories told in local languages, so I had a lot of fun reading Efmer E. Agustin’s “The Woman Who Sloughs” and its Waray original, “An Babaye nga Naglulunó”. Stories that are told in local languages first just hit different, I can’t quite explain how!

We agree! Onto your story: what inspired you to write PINK?

I have written quite a few flood-inspired flash pieces, because it floods a lot in my hometown – where I live now – and I write about not drowning to cope with the anxiety of ever-rising water levels. “Pink” was one one of those flash pieces, until Ms. Tijam encouraged me to flesh it out into a full story.

(Laughing.) Marianne Villanueva went through the same expansion with Why Didn’t You Tell Me which was originally a flash fiction piece. 

And what came easy and hard in writing your story? 

The easy part was describing the stuff I see in my head. The hard part was expanding it! As a flash piece, it was self-contained; some parts were intentionally left unwritten. Expanding it meant scrambling for words to assign to those parts.

Thank you once again for working on it! 

As someone who’s already been published, what tips can you share with aspiring storytellers out there?

I feel I have little wisdom to impart. Even if I’ve already been published, I still consider myself an aspiring storyteller – as opposed to an “established” storyteller. I’m still trying!

But as an older storyteller, I can assure others that there are way more avenues for publication now, than there were when I was younger and had mightier writing mojo. Make use of tools like Duotrope, Submittable and The Submission Grinder. If your story gets rejected somewhere, it’s easier to find another medium for it.

Don’t look down on self-publishing! A lot of great work has been self-published. Do justice to the ideas in your head simply by sending them out into the world. The right audience will find them, down the line.

I’d like to say that last one especially loudly to people who write in their native languages.

Also, for the love of God, backup your stuff in the cloud – in multiple places, if possible. Don’t lose stuff like I did. Floods have taken too much from my physical archives, and I no longer have an idea where my old electronic drafts are.

Loud and clear and noted! 

As someone who’s been given recognition for writing: to what extent do these affect your writing? 

I don’t think it does. Does it??

(Laughing) 

Since you write in both Filip[ino and English: is there a difference in your writing based on language? 

Definitely. I work harder when I write in English 😀 A lot of times, words flow out more easily in Filipino, specifically my native Bulacan Tagalog. But it’s also harder to find an audience for writing in my mother tongue.

Is there a next project that you’re already working on? 

Yep. But it’s a secret!

(Laughing). Ah-ha! Looking forward to the reveal! And is there anything else that you’d like your current and future readers to know about you?

I’m probably going to be an “aspiring storyteller” all my life, and frequently a frustrated one.

(Laughing.) Thank you once again, Bhex, and we really enjoyed reading your story and this chat with you! 

Thank you for giving it a home <3