Writer's Manifesto

She tells me that my skin smells like coffee. I tell her it's what happens after a few months of the same thing. Sometimes it's necessary, I say. At least I don't smell like a chain smoker. She looks away and plays with a pencil. If it's a bother to you, I say, I can put on cologne or something. She admits she likes the aroma of coffee. But coffee and sweat is a little strange at times. Then she laughs. The sound is feeble before the darkness swallows it, like heavy smog on a summer day.

To someone like her, or anyone sane, living like this isn't living at all. But a dark room, or perhaps physical blindness, opens the eyes of the soul. That is what I believe. It's months since I've withdrawn from the "world", but to me, the world I reside in is much more fascinating than what lies outside my doorstep. She still comes to visit, bringing in with her a light fragrance of rose and lavender, maybe a few petals of cherry blossoms in April, maybe the scent of rain and wet grass, maybe the hint of alcohol in her breath. Outside, I might hear the sound of a Saint-saens or Chopin playing from the radio I leave on. On summer days, some Abba or Bob Dylan. Every time she walks in, with her the taste of an old life, it's like a jolt through my body, wrenching my spirit from a distant land where there is no anchor, no gender, no construct.

When someone asks why I write, I tell them that I have no choice. Sometimes it's conscription and other times, imprisonment. In either case, it is warfare. I am called to march into another realm - most of the time, alone and reluctant - but I do so anyway. There isn't a choice, because I don't belong in the world that she belongs in. I exist on the vertical axis; I am called to transcend the concrete matters of history and politics, events and people, construct and subjectivity, experience and emotion, system and structure, into a world where abstraction and spontaneity of imagination and romance reign, a world of eternal philosophies and myths, interconnection between all that humankind has accumulated through the millennia, all of which are no longer contained within clear order or rules, where colours whirl and spin around like dancing cartoons on Saturday mornings and palpitate like a Pollock in ecstatic merciless orchestration of a grand symphony of human consciousness composed of ideas, thoughts, memories, archetypes and hidden themes and sharp insight and wise old sages; it all converges into a myriad of particles, and light shines through these particles. This is a world where there is no up and down, no left and right, no right direction. Being called to walk in this world, takes tremendous energy, but it is a noble task and a privilege.

When I am compelled to write, my hands tremble, my mind ricochets with automatic gunfire and my heart bloats with unbearable intensity, threatening to detonate if there is no release. But even when I'm not filled with the Muses, still, I heed the call and sit down and force myself to. Lock myself away from the world with a cup of coffee and begin to transcend to the realm of ancient imagination. There are not many who have access to this world above, and if I do not make use of every moment, what will my purpose in life be?

Those who are called to walk in pace with the eternal spirits, have a purpose. It is to show this otherworld to those who cannot perceive it. It is to create a bridge and merge both worlds together. Those who read will catch a glimpse of the wonder, heights and the depths and the infinite horizons of such a realm. It will resonate deep in the soul. We reveal truth behind the horizontal plane, the prophetic meaning behind symbols, the truth and lies behind monumental history, the conspiracies and secrets behind the system, the human condition behind the storm of emotions and conflict, the ebb and flow of the universe, the darkness and the light of life itself. We unlock minds so that they too can live a little more.

If someone asks, "why must you write?" my response is that my heart aches for those who are lost, hurt and broken; those who are blind and see no future; those who have fallen into the clutches of the tyranny of the system; those who are drained everyday of individuality, life and hope; those who can love no more and fight no more. To those, I must extend a hand, send a letter and open a window, however large or small. I have a conviction that I must provide what I've come to see and understand, share how I've grown, how my mind has matured, the philosophies and visions I've developed and received, a worldview on society, human life and the system around that decays. I wish to at least help my readers, one at a time, towards new perception, a new consciousness, one that will give and breathe life.

From Interviews

How would you describe yourself, your approach and your work?

I'm somewhat of a "contemporary mystic" when it comes to literature or writing or perhaps the other arts I'm involved in: music and visual arts. I am influenced hugely by Haruki Murakami and all his magical-realistic or surrealistic philosophical strangeness, as well as names like Kafka, Hemingway, Orwell, DeLillo, Carver, David Foster Wallace, and the ideas of Jung, Freud, Mumford, Baudrillard, Berkeley, Hegel, Emerson and Marx and onwards. But moreover, I kind of follow the traditions of the "visionaries" such as Dante, Rumi, Rimbaud, Whitman, Blake, or Kerouac, Dickinson and so on - the idea of the greater Collective mind, the divine imagination, ancient wisdom or the transcendental unconsciousness, the universal intelligence of all humankind - which can be seen or understood in a variety of forms, whether people tend to look at it spiritually or religiously, as a historical and archetypal psychology, as the intertextual cross-pollenation of all myths, literature, beliefs and onwards, or just as a moment of solitude and reflective silence in nature, maybe as creative energy or inspiration – all of this, also a major concept in my novel.

That said, my writing process will be something like self-discovery or self-rediscovery: I make sure I am clear of who I am, what my core values and beliefs are. What are my current thoughts and insights of the world and society around. Afterwards, perhaps a lot of conscious planning for the basic concept, the philosophies I will adhere to and the messages I want to convey, as well as the history, economy, politics, the concrete physical details of the context, and sometimes just a little bit of plot planning. But otherwise, as a crazy "contemporary mystic" I would sit down and tap into my subconscious, call on the Muses so to speak, bridge my subconscious and unconsciousness to a greater wisdom that is beyond me, make myself like an empty vessel or channel from which words will flow. It is often that I always feel this metaphysical connection that is beyond words, so I tend to be able to write anywhere and at any time, silence or music, as long as I focus and sink deep within. I do become influenced of course by my surroundings or what I've been reading or listening to, but for the most part, it doesn't matter - something wells up from within. I adhered to a schedule of at least 2000 words a day, sometimes 3000-5000, to finish my novel and didn't sway from it. It is something like a meditative state but it is not necessarily religious or magical or anything at all – it's something I believe all human beings are already connected to, just that we're too busy or occupied with physical reality and the mundane, routines, to tap into it.

I think my work has several layers and on the superficial layer, there is a plot and lots of action or character tension/chemistry, but there are just many things that I don't really control consciously and readers would point out many symbols or ideas and interpretations that I never realized were actually there. (For example, many writers will say their characters come to life and lead the story onwards; that happens to me at a very intense and overwhelming extent.) My focus is not on plot and my reading preferences are also works that don't focus on plot - it may be there, but it is just the surface. I believe literature of great power will carry itself through the reader like oxygen in cells, in natural flow of style and deep thought and resonance.

What is it about writing that you love?

First of all, I think I have to begin with the arts in general. I am involved in essentially all the arts, as a Youtuber, illustrator, graphic designer, musician, collaborator and so on, aside from writing. I believe the arts is about communication, without it, the world will not be able to transmit ideas and furthermore, to transcend the realm of this physical, concrete, often soul-draining society and its expectations and constructs. I see it this way, human beings are created to have soul, heart, mind, imagination and creativity. These things are beyond the mundane dailies, or even beyond materialistic, financial, academic responsibilities and ambitions, or physical necessities. Take Maslow's hierarchy or pyramid of needs for example, self-actualization at the very top, and I'd make a case to add one more level on top of that, which would be transcendence to the soul... I firmly believe that without the arts, we would not be able to engage that high level of thinking and imagination.

The arts, beyond the engaging of our minds, it is interconnected with everything past or future. There is no such thing as purely original art, and therefore, each work will actually draw influences, consciously or unknowingly from existing pieces or experiences that the creator has absorbed. Scholars would argue that the foundations of all Western literature comes from two sources, the Ancient Greeks and the Bible, and onwards from those building blocks, come Dante, Milton, and Shakespeare – you probably get the picture, from Shakespeare things continue to build in weblike intricacies. Eventually we can find fragments and glimpses of these things in all the present work, especially in those who have studied literature. This is the case with music, for example: African tribal music, moving into the Blues, which inspires rock, which inspires punk, classical which inspires metal, and onwards – my music history is nowhere near well learned enough though. There are probably traces of the Beatles in so many bands and artists. And art influences thought, or vice versa, and therefore, the ideas of philosophers like Plato and McLuhan are part of the construction of the fabric of our society, whether we know it or not. It is a part of human consciousness. We all exist and participate in this Oceanic collective community. And even to this day, we sit and breathe in this same air that the ancients had first breathed, and even just through osmosis we learn and absorb - for example just like culture that is observed and becomes a part of us.

Back to writing, why I enjoy writing is the ability to exist in this realm of transcendence, both away from the physical world into the abstract planes of philosophy, imagination, creativity and also the ability to tap into this "collective" pool of all past artistic work, which no doubt carries history, all human wisdom and understanding available. It's a mystical experience. However, many may not be able to catch a glimpse of this world, especially nowadays with the abundance of immediate technology and constant gratification of the senses - so it is a duty for me, and I think, all artists, to create a bridge into this realm. This bridge can be summarized in my opinion as the channel and communication from heart to heart, soul to soul, intellect to intellect. This is a huge privilege, and one that exhilarates me and makes me realize I am part of a big picture.

What inspires me to write nowadays are really the readers. Being in this "business of inspiration" and a part of this universal collective, having an audience is important. It isn't a one way communication, it is communication between two people, the writer and the reader, and also a two-way communication. It is really inspiring in return to realize that wow, I've really inspired someone else. Some readers will even say that I've changed their life, that my work has encouraged them to become a better person. That it had saved them from depression or given them more confidence and courage. That it had made them stop and think deeply about their life and the world around, see things differently from before they started reading my work. And that makes me stop and just sit in total awe of how much of a blessing it is to be able to be a part of someone else's life. This is completing the calling and my duty as an artist, seeing the circle being complete. Giving life to someone else, inspires me to write onwards.

What do you try to convey in your writing?

I think I try to convey several messages in most of my work. I try to address the base question of almost all literature or human thought: who am I in this world and system around? One common theme in my latest work is to do with philosophical Idealisms such as subjective idealism. The world is made up of a myriad of subjective interpretation and each person has their own views. Nothing is objective because once something is perceived by someone and attempted to be understood or expressed, it goes through the filters of each person's influences, upbringing, background, philosophies, mindsets, emotional states, culture, and so on. To say a tree, will bring up different images for different people and different ideas about it. In the same way, there are countless parallels at work.

I seek to become the bridge for readers to look at the whole world or life as a whole, and reach into that "higher consciousness" (bear with me). Reach a realization about the flow of the cosmos or the entire world, and that we are limited human beings, especially in our day and age in an immense powerful system and complex cultural landscapes. There are many things beyond what we see, what's on the surface, many things we don't understand, or cannot understand and is entirely beyond us. Yet at the same time, I aspire to inspire and encourage people in their journeys in life, so the idea that though we are infinitesimal, in our own small spheres we can strive to make our mark, leave our legacy no matter what suffering we may encounter and become a part of this bigger picture. I communicate that life is never static and hope continues on, and try to inspire determination, courage, and perseverance of pursuing dreams and ambitions, no matter what it takes, to struggle against the oppressive pressures of the system and expectations around us from external sources. There is always a next day, and life is never static but in constant flux. We will be able to look back one day and realize it all passed by really quickly, and that we made it through. My work will reflect the idea of a greater force or current in the river of life. Things take its course, sometimes in ways we don't understand, but if we hang on and ride the flow, we will emerge in a better place. In my novel, it ends off with the imagery of the galaxy, each star may not be visible but they all contribute to the glow and the current of the massive Milky Way.

Other than that, I will often write on the conflict between the emotional, primitive, instinctive self (i.e.Super Ego, Ego, and Id of Freud's theories), and the rational, intellectual, disciplined self. That our intellect controls the primitive emotional desires, and we need to balance it out in order to lead coherent lives of potential. I also tend to convey the idea that love means much more than just romance or lust, that there is a greater metaphysical deep, possibly spiritual, connections between people and between souls, in a form of agape unconditional love. Along that note, I follow the ideas of Plato/Socrates that the more abstract intellectual complementary connections between people (i.e. beliefs, values, ideas, goals, existential purpose, spirituality etc) are the strongest form, as emotions and desire and even personality tend to fluctuate, sometimes day to day, sometimes over years. For example, the difference between the level of fleeting emotions on whim based on a quick intuitive spark or sexual attraction between two people or a match of values and philosophy such as open communication and well thought out goals of creating a healthy collaborative marriage and joint career ambitions. The latter will result in a more long lasting relationship. As human beings, we are much more than animals running on emotion and instinct. I deal a lot with the self, and the different parts or sides of one person, and the death or ongoing change or journey of these selves, affected by the experience of life.

Still, all this aforementioned, readers often will have their own understanding of my work that sometimes blows my mind, beyond what I personally had tried to convey.

Espresso Love and your cell phone novel Secondhand Memories has built quite a following. How have you found the experience of people writing fan fiction about you?

The fanfictions were really something unexpected at first. In the beginning, it was a little strange and embarrassing, because I felt like I was being misinterpreted or that my private life was being invaded knowing someone out there is thinking about me! Then I realized, just like Espresso Love, wearing my pseudonym – rather, mononymous identity – I, myself, am a "text" for subjective interpretation. And that is totally part of my passion and ideal. I always try to share as much as I can with people, friends, family and the community out there. In a sense, I live like an open book and life, in my personal philosophy, life does not belong to us: I am here for a limited amount of time for a purpose, for a mission, and to be an inspiration, to help people with their walk in life towards a hopeful and positive direction. So, why was it bothering me that someone was writing something about me? When I realized that I am, in a way, a work of art, my perspective shifted and I welcomed seeing a myriad of different perceptions about me.

In my short story, "Sometimes I Think You Can't Hear Me", there is a passage where I describe how everything within our inner world exists separate from our outer appearance, and that our outer appearance similarly is separate from another person's subjective perception of us. There is no way someone will truly know much about someone's inner world – there are two barriers – and even if the person tries to express as much as possible, it then goes through the perceiver's interpretation, filtered through the perceiver's background, upbringing, philosophies, experiences, emotional state, and an abundant amount of influences. On the other hand, even we, ourselves, do not truly know what is within our inner worlds: we are only able to understand our consciousness, but not our subconscious and unconscious worlds. So again, fanfiction began to make sense to me.

In literary criticism there are scholars who will separate the work from the author, and try to take on as objective as a view as possible. But I think the author can be just as important and both the work and the author needs to be studied separately and then conjoined as one to grasp the fullest possible picture. I, the author, am also an object of study and am a part of my work.

Knowing there are people who will make efforts to study me and interpret me in their own ways is encouraging really – that as the author, or as a person, I may be interesting enough for such interpretation. In the end, it nurtured my confidence and I'm grateful to these writers and readers. What I hope for, is that they will continue to grow and using fanfiction as a form of inspiration, move on to create original characters.

What advice would you give to aspiring writers?

Now if I were to give advice to writers, it would be to truly know yourself as best as you can. Though we are all shifting, transforming and growing minds and individuals, it is necessary to continually discover and rediscover ourselves. What are the core values, core beliefs, what is that major message you would deliver to the world before you die? What is our purpose for being here on Earth? There are many major existential questions like that, which for me, I have my answers to them already. I think that will definitely aid in the writing process but also just life in general. What are we about? Our writing will gain power, gain passion, gain strength, gain focus and impact, and sharpen into a sword that pierces into the reader's heart. We are in the business of inspiration. We are in the business of transforming lives and helping people grow. Literature is amazingly powerful. We don't need schools if we can read and read a lot. Also, read a lot. That always helps. Build up a massive pool of influences, ideas, understanding about everything, the world, life, politics, history, economy, styles, how other writers write, etc. Everything helps because literature reflects every aspect of life and humanity. It is the collective language of consciousness. Fantasy, fanfiction, literary fiction, non-fiction, they all contain parts of the human soul and the questions of our existence. Northrop Frye looked for the underlying patterns in literature. What is that one question, one theme that prevails in all work? It is the question of Who Am I? Identity in the world that we live in. There is not a single piece of work no matter how many students tried who could disprove him. If we ourselves have an answer to that question or have an attempt or approach at the question, I think we are on the way to writing well. Studying, analyzing and imitating authors, writing developmental practice and literary technique, planning and research and other conscious efforts should be done outside of your project. All those things you do outside of writing become a part of you and eventually with enough familiarity, becomes instinct and intuition. When you have built yourself a firm foundation in literature, set aside time to commit to your project every day, to think and live through its lenses, and let it breathe through you, tap into your subconscious and natural flow, let your work come alive on the deepest levels in your heart, in your soul, in your being, and then welling up to the surface.

AUTHOR'S PRIMARY WORK

Espresso Love: A Literary Dystopian Magical-Realism Novel

The Elephant Girl and Other Short Stories: A Collection of Literary Shorts

Secondhand Memories: The Pioneer English Cell Phone Novel

Your Hands, Infinity: Collection of Visionary Poetry

ESPRESSO LOVE

In Tokyo, Japan, where identity, thoughts, memories and emotions decay, a strange clairvoyant and a literature student embark on a paranoiac escape against Kafkaesque system, oppression, mindless agents, civil unrest and reality itself, in a mind-blowing soul-searching journey for love, for what had been long lost and what it means to be human. Yet all that remains is a peculiar coffee shop order.

The literary novel examines the human condition, subjective perception, our socio-political system, capitalist mechanism and consumer culture, incorporating philosophy, surrealist dreamscapes, cosmic visions, circular symbolism and shifting parallel realities, with profound discussions of coffee, art, literature and music.

"System is Everything."

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