Wattpad Filipino - Writer Spotlights

Meet the Star: hadji_light

I was actually creating and selling comics when I was in elementary (Grade 2, I believe). My drawing was terrible even today. I wonder how and why my friends bought it. That was the beginning of weaving my own stories and creating my own world. I got into "writing" when I entered high school. I wrote a story about my two classmates. I remembered, it was only two to three paragraphs and it went viral in our class. After that event, I did write a whole page of stories dedicated to some of my classmates. 

I was in grade 9 and my classmates were always talking about Diary ng Pangit. I was curious about it but I did not have the time to read it because it became a movie. So, my classmates pushed me to upload my stories. I uploaded them on Wattpad because they thought that those had some potential to be known by others. That was the story of how I discovered Wattpad.

I'm most proud of my first ever Historical Fantasy story on Wattpad. Crossing Centuries won the 2020 Wattys and for me, it was a big achievement. I am fond of learning about our culture and heritage that's why writing this story was a rollercoaster since I need some facts to back up some scenes and information in the story. However, some parts of the story are purely fictional. I was learning about our culture and searching articles about our Pre-Colonial history. It was difficult since most of the written history of the Philippines started when the Spanish arrived and colonized the islands. I am proud that I made this one even though I was having a hard time asking for some support from my friends. I was kind of sad because the support they gave, when I started writing back then, was different now. I do understand them that's why I am now focusing on myself and the people who really support me to continue moving forward. That is why this story is also my story. I was struggling while writing this however it was worth it when it was announced as one of the winners of the Wattys 2020.