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Fantasy: A Quick Guide in Writing by Bea Nicole Aguilan

Magic. When it comes to fantasy, it is the first word that pops out of our heads. But is magic all there is to fantasy? The fantasy genre had been one of the leading, popular genres for the last two decades and many writers have also chosen it as their chosen niche in writing.

But for those beginner fantasy writers who has no idea on where to start writing, here are 10 tips you need in writing fantasy:

1. Identify your niche.

Fantasy itself is a niche on its own, but it is such a broad genre that you have to have a deeper understanding of each subgenre to know what your niche is. By identifying your niche, you will know who your audience will be and what your writing will be focusing on.

Some of the most common subgenres in fantasy are: Alternate History, Arcanepunk Fantasy, Assassin Fantasy, Coming-of-age fantasy, and many more.

 2. Develop your world through short stories

Developing your world is one of the major key factors that play in fantasy writing. In order for you to start and begin your world, writing short stories is a good way to start. By featuring your characters into short stories while also building your world, you are able to hit two birds with one stone.

You can also think of it as building your plot and your story brick by brick.

3. Plot out your story

One thing most writers forget to do when writing a story is plotting out there story. Even I forgot writing one when I started writing. Fantasy stories are often complex and epic, which is why you need to plot and outline your story.

You don’t want to end up being that person who trips over a hundred of their storylines, do you? In plotting your story, you must also outline and plan the flow of your story.

A good way for you to do that is by outlining first the three major parts of the story, also called the Three Act Structure where you summarize your supposedly beginning, middle, and ending of the story. Once you have finishsed the Three Act Strucuture, you can then start thinking of how you will cut the three parts into sections and placing them on each chapter.

You must also have a chapter outline wherein you will outline the events that would happen in each chapter that would lead to the major plot points of your story.

 4. Tie your worldbuilding to your plot

Worldbuilding is an essential in writing fantasy. You have to know how your world system works. Know your magic system, your government, how the people in your world lives and so on.

Your plot and your worldbuilding should see eye to eye. Your worldbuilding should be connected to your plot in order for it to work. You don’t want your worldbuilding to be out of place while the plot takes place, do you?

 5. Keep your story relevant to real-world themes

If you have any social issues you wish to discuss in your story or anything in particular, that is a real-world theme, you can include it into your story. The real-world theme may have to be relevant to the story in some way, whether you explicitly indicate or implicitly indicate it through foreshadowing.

Be creative on how you express these real-world themes. Make sure to fit it in into your worldbuilding.

 6. Use all your five senses

What makes your worldbuilding alive? The answer is simple, imagery. Be specific on how you describe things, especially since your story is fantasy. Be creative on how you use terms and words, express what your world is through the five senses.

Describe what your character is seeing, hearing, feeling, smelling, and tasting. Be detailed on how you write your world and your story. Describe it with creativity.

 7. Give your world internal rules

Worldbuilding is great as it is, but you must set rules in order for you not to jump into something that will never make sense in the story. If your world contains people who can use abilities and magic, remember to add a rule or a limit of their use of it.

Create grounded rules that are rational. Rules that makes sense. Rules that does not defy your worldbuilding. And don’t go breaking the same rules you also created.

 8. Have a mindset of a Cinematographer

Having the mindset of a cinematographer can be a good and a bad thing. While some writers may use this advice because it works for them, some may not.

Having a mindset similar to a cinematographer will help you visualize what the scenes in your story look like. You will have the ability to visualize how the scene will play out and how the setting will look like as the scene starts and ends.

 9. Don’t introduce all your characters at once

Just don’t. Introducing all your characters at once will give your readers information overload. It will be too much for them to handle, especially if they were still getting the hang of the world you created.

Introduce your characters one by one, starting with the main protagonist, down to the supporting characters and antagonists. It doesn’t necessarily mean you have to introduce them one by one in each chapter. It is up to you how you will introduce them.

 10. Pick a book and read it

And finally the last tip, reading a book. For many writers, this tip may have been burning in their ears for the longest time. It is a tip writers always give to other writers, especially to beginner writers. Choose a book you like and it must be in the genre you wish to write, in this case a fantasy.

You must make yourself familiar and knowledgeable about different fantasy books and troupes, that way you know what kind of writing styles to use and what to look out for. Reading a book is the number one tip any writer can give you and it is very effective for starters.

 And with that, you can now start and write your fantasy. With the help of these 10 tips, you can improve and make your story as fantastic and magical as you can.

Sources: 

Image is made in Canva

“Where do we look for heroes these days?”

When you hear the word hero, what comes into your mind? Is it a buff man, wearing a cape; like Superman and Batman, who is ready to fight and save the human kind for the greater glory? Or is it just an ordinary person giving his/her fair share of good deeds in silent?

The heroes you know may no longer dressed in a cape or katipunero and flaunt their weapons as they charged through the enemy’s defense. The hero you might be looking for may be the girl next door, the one you admired for her saintly appearance. Or the guy who offers his seat to you on your bus journey to school. Perhaps, your classmate who gave you a paper so you can start on your essay in Creative Writing?

Well, whoever it is, we have this person in mind that we considered our own hero. Which in mostly of our case, it is our mom.

Many highly famous people quickly attribute their successes to their mothers. Abraham Lincoln once noted that “all that I am, or can be, I owe to my angel mother.” Andrew Jackson also stated that “there never was a woman like my mother.  She was as gentle as a dove and as brave as a lioness.” With these words, the precise reason why we view our mothers as heroes is because of their loving generosity.

And, mostly because they have this affectionate yet overbearing qualities. They’re both annoying and at the same time funny. Well, at some part it is indeed that our mothers have this loving attitude but unfortunately, they’re also having this magic to get us on our nerves.

EVERTIME (capitalized for emphasization) I got home from school, my mom’s commanding voice will be heard across the neighborhood.”Utangi ko’g tuyo kang tita soling nimo dadto. Kanang pouch ha! Ug apilig suka. Igna ugma ra nako baryan!” I, having just been came from school.”Unsa? Kapoy kayo uy!” She spun around and gave me a glare so deathly that I turned pale “Pagdali!”

And not only that, she also remarks my ‘not so fragrant smell’ in front of my friends, IN FRONT OF MY FRIENDS! “Pagligo na dadto! Gabaho nakag anghit”, Well, it’s reasonable because I just got out from an intense basketball. I gave her my innocent smile, thinking how to make a comeback in front of her kumares. But kidding aside, we can’t live through this arduous world without their guidance.

There are numerous ways that mothers gave their time to us. According to the majority of people, mothers tended to us when we were sick. They’re the people that will wake up before dawn to make us breakfast and go to sleep well past sunset just to make sure you’re home and in bed safe. Even though they’re tired, they still manage to go about the day with a smile on their face. She juggles her problems, work and being there for your family at all times.

They accompanied us to school and support us on our school activities. They also read us stories when we were still a child and sleep with us when we can’t go back to sleep due to vivid nightmares. They wore old clothes so that we could wear new clothes; they took on part-time jobs to buy us gifts; they saved money for us to attend college; they gave us our weekly allowance; and they made sure we had food on the table.

But what do we do in return? Did we reciprocate their love? Or did we become an ungrateful brat?

George Washington give credits to his mom, “all I am I owe to my mother.  I attribute all my success in life to the moral, intellectual and physical education I received from her.” The fact that our mothers are the one who’s there for us, we should thank and appreciate their efforts on becoming a great mother to us.

But why are mothers so heroically loving?

Seven-time Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong once said, “My mother gave me more than any teacher or father figure ever had.” 

According to the research, it has shown that women tend to have more common characteristics, such as love, affection, warmth, and nurturance, than men. In the sense of raising children,these social characteristics are highly regarded and are synonymous with honesty and goodness. Furthermore, it is well recognized that our main attachment figures are mothers during childhood. As an infant, we are likely to interact and bond with our mother than our father. Our society is no doubt evolving toward fathers having more communal traits and showing more attachment behaviors, but mothers still hold the edge.

But it’s not only our mother that can be a hero; the fact is a hero in one case is just a matter of courage. It could be a man, a woman or a kid. It may be a friend or a family member. In the end, someone courageous enough to make a positive change in the face of the hardship is a real hero.

Heroes can take the forms of doctors, professors, judges, nurses, police officers who take the responsibility for our health, our safety, the education of others, often for a modest salary. The businessmen who manage their businesses and give jobs for people who deserved the work. 

Heroes are survivors of terrible tragedies who seek to help others who share a similar fate and show them that they too can conquer difficult times. They also took the forms of journalists or artists who use their talent and skills in telling a story, shining a light, helping and inspiring others.

“Hindi lahat ng tahimik ay payapa—minsan, sila’y pinatahimik lamang.”

Ika-21 ng Setyembre, 1972: Maaaring sa ilan, ito ay isang simpleng petsa lamang na walang kahalagahan, ngunit dala nito ang bigat ng pagdurusa, pagkabalisa, at pagkawala ng kalayaan ng milyong-milyong Pilipino. Imbis na pairalin ang kapayapaan, katarungan, at kaligtasan, lalo na pagkatapos ng digmaan, umusbong ang mapaniil at marahas na presidente—si dating Pangulong Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos Sr.

WANSAPANATAYM

Si dating Pangulong Marcos Sr. ay nagsilbi bilang Pangulo ng Senado mula 1963 hanggang 1965 bago mahalal bilang presidente noong 30 Disyembre 1965 (Britannica Editors, 2026). Lingid sa kaalaman ng lahat, dalawang beses naihalal si Marcos Sr. bilang pangulo—na siyang ikinonsidera na legal ayon sa 1943 Constitution (Supreme Court E-Library, n.d.). Bagaman naging progresibo ang kaniyang unang termino sa larangan ng agrikultura at edukasyon, tila biglang nagbago ang ihip ng hangin.

Nilagdaan ni Marcos Sr. ang Proclamation No. 1081 na nagdidiktang mapasailalim ang Pilipinas sa batas militar. Ayon sa diktador, nararapat lamang ito upang maprotektahan ang ating sarili mula sa mga insurhensiya ng mga komunista at mga Muslim separatists. Dahil dito, linimitahan ang kapangyarihan ng Sangay Hudisyal, at sapilitang pinatahimik ang malayang pamamahayag—lahat ng ito ay para lamang sumibol ang “New Society” sa ilalim ng panibagong sistema ng gobyerno, ang “constitutional authoritarianism.” (EBSCO, n.d.).

WAT HAFEN, MARCOS?! 

Ayon sa ilang mga Pilipino, nakita nila ang Rehimeng Marcos bilang “Golden Age of the Philippines” dahil mas disiplinado umano ang mga mamamayan. Bumaba ang nibel ng krimen dahil sa ipinataw na curfew mula 12:00 ng hatinggabi hanggang 4:00 ng umaga (Supreme Court E-Library, n.d.). Ang korapsyon ng mga ahensiyang kilala sa pagiging kurakot, gaya ng Bureau of Customs at Bureau of Internal Revenue, ay biglang huminto. Panghuli, sa pangunguna ni dating Unang Ginang Imelda Romualdez Marcos, mabilis na natapos ang mga imprastraktura na hanggang ngayon ay ginagamit pa rin ng publiko—gaya ng Philippine Heart Center, Kidney Center, Cultural Center of the Philippines, Folk Arts Center, Manila Film Center, atbp (Sangil, 2024). Ngunit, iyon lamang ba ang dala ng batas militar?

Sa likod ng imahe ng kaayusan na pilit iginigiit ng mga Marcos, libo-libong Pilipino ang inaresto, pinahirapan, at pinatay nang walang awa—mga aktibistang lumalaban para sa karapatan ay pinatahimik, mga inosenteng binugbog upang makuha ang katotohanang hindi naman naroon, mga pamilyang nawasak dahil sa isang proklamasyon. Ang rason? Upang ipalaganap ang kanilang kapangyarihan—kapangyarihang walang makapipigil kahit pa ang mga pinakamalalakas, pinakamatatalino, at pinakamatatatag. Muli nating alalahanin ang mga Pilipinong lumaban sa kabila ng mapaniil na pamumuno ng Diktadurang Marcos. 

Maaaring sabihin ng iba na wala namang biktima ang batas militar—isang propaganda upang paalisin sa kapangyarihan ang mga Marcos. Ngunit, mahigit 70,000 ang kinulong, 34,000 ang binugbog, at 3,200 ang pinatay (Bicker, 2022). Hindi biro ang mga numerong ito; nagsisilbi bilang paalala sa ating lahat ang kalupitan na idinulot ng Rehimeng Marcos. Si Nanay Lydia Sanchez, kasama ng kaniyang mister, ay dinakip ng mga awtoridad noong 1973. Bagaman pinalaya siya pagkaraan ng dalawang araw, ang kaniyang asawa, na si Tatay Nicolas, ay nagdusa sa loob ng kulungan ng limang buwan. Maaaring magmukhang maikli ang mga buwan na ito, ngunit araw-araw ay siya ay binugbog, nilulublob ang kaniyang ulo sa inidoro, at ilang beses pilit tinanong tungkol sa mga bagay na wala siyang muwang (Aznar & Gutierrez, 2022).

Bukod sa mga kaso ng paglabag sa karapatang pantao, lumubog din ang ating ekonomiya. Ang Gross Domestic Product (GDP) ay nanatili sa 3.8% sa kaniyang pamamahala. Lumaki rin ang utang ng Pilipinas, halos anim na beses—mula $4.1 bilyon hanggang $24.4 bilyon. Humina rin ang halaga ng peso kontra dolyar, mula Php3.92 hanggang Php18.61. Umabot naman sa 33% ang unemployment rate ng mga mamamayan. Para naman sa may mga trabaho, bumaba rin ang kanilang suweldo—mahigit triple ang kaltas dito (Pangilinan, n.d.).

PUWEDE NA ‘TO…?

Bagaman mahigit limang dekada na ang nakalipas mula nang pirmahan ni Ferdinand Marcos Sr. ang proklamasyon, nananatili pa ring anino na bumabalot at tumatakip sa sinag ng araw ang Rehimeng Marcos. Kinailangan ng Pilipinas ng dalawang dekada upang makabawi sa kasakiman ng pamilyang Marcos (Manila Chronicles Project, 2020).

Sa pamumuno ng Constitutional Commission, nabuo ang 1987 Constitution (Gavilan, 2016). Sa tulong ni dating Pangulo Corazon, unti-unting nanumbalik ang Pilipinas—masaya, payapa, at malaya. Ngunit gaya ng magagandang bagay, hindi rin ito nagtagal. Mula Nobyembre 1, 2011—mahigit dalawang dekada lamang mula nang ipatupad ang konstitusyon—hanggang Marso 16, 2019, ipinairal ni dating Pangulong Rodrigo Roa Duterte ang kampanyang war-on-drugs (International Criminal Court, n.d.) upang mawala umano ang mga nagtutulak ng droga, magnanakaw, at mga tambay (Human Rights Watch, n.d.). Sa kasalukuyan, nakakulong ang dating Pangulo sa International Criminal Court sa The Hague, Netherlands.

GOODNESS GRACIOUS!

Makalipas ang mahabang panahon, nasaksihan ng Pilipinas ang muling pag-upo sa pinakamataas na puwesto ni Ferdinand “Bongbong” Romualdez Marcos, Jr. noong 25 ng Mayo 2022 bilang ika-17 na presidente. Kasama ng kaniyang partidong pulitikal na Kilusang Bagong Lipunan o KBL, ginamit niya ang social media at mga propaganda para muling makilala ng mga botante. Sa pamamagitan nito, naipakita nila ang kaniyang mga nagawa, mga plano sa hinaharap, at kaniyang personalidad. Ginamit din nila ang social media upang sagutin at kontrahin ang mga negatibong balita tungkol sa kaniya. Mas pinalakas ng social media ang epekto ng propaganda sa paghubog ng opinyon ng mga botante (Wafiq, 2023).

Ngunit, hindi lang si Marcos Jr. ang may posisyon sa pamahalaan. Ilang kilalang kamag-anak rin ang nahalal sa ibang posisyon. Ang kaniyang kapatid na si Maria Imelda “Imee” Romualdez Marcos, ang “baluarte” ng kanilang pamilya, ay dating gobernador ng Ilocos Norte mula taong 2010 hanggang 2019. Ngayon, siya ay isang senador sa 20th Congress (Rappler, 2025). Ang panganay din na anak ni Marcos Jr., si Ferdinand Alexander “Sandro” Araneta Marcos ay nainteresado sa mundo ng pulitika. Siya ngayon ay isang House Majority Leader at Chairman ng Committee on Rules simula Hulyo 28, 2025 (De Leon & Viloria, 2025).

Sa kasalukuyang sitwasyon ng Pilipinas sa termino ni PBBM, nahaharap ang bansa sa iba’t ibang isyu. Maraming naiulat na corruption scandals kung saan bilyon-bilyong piso ng pondo ng bayan ang sangkot. Mayroon ding mga palpak na flood control projects na hindi nakakatulong sa mga komunidad na madalas bahain (CenPEG, 2025). Kasabay nito ang sobrang pagtaas ng presyo ng mga pangunahing bilihin, lalo na ang pagkain, kaya mas nahihirapan ang maraming pamilya sa araw-araw na gastusin. Marami pa ring Pilipino ang nakararanas ng kahirapan at gutom. Ipinapakita ng mga isyung ito ang matagal nang problema sa sistema ng pamahalaan—tulad ng dominasyon ng mga political dynasty, laganap na palakasan, manipulasyon sa mga regulasyon, at pang-aabuso sa pondo ng publiko para sa pansariling interes at kapangyarihan (IBON Foundation, n.d.).

LOVE, JOY, HOPE!

Sa harap ng mapait ngunit mahahalagang aral ng kasaysayan, nararapat lamang na maging higit na mulat, mapanuri, at matatag ang sambayanan sa pagtatanggol ng ating demokrasya. Ang bawat boto ay isang sandata laban sa muling pag-iral ng pang-aabuso at katiwalian. Sa ating mga kamay nakasalalay ang kapalaran ng bansa; kaya’t huwag nating hahayaang manaig ang mga dinastiyang pulitikal na may bahid ng mapang-aping nakaraan. Sa halip, pairalin natin ang diwa ng pananagutan, katapatan, at pagmamalasakit sa pagpili ng mga lingkod-bayan.

When most people hear the word art, they picture museums, galleries, and framed masterpieces hanging perfectly under soft lights. But for many of us, art doesn’t only live behind glass or velvet ropes. Sometimes, it appears where we least expect it — on the side of a jeepney, in a tiny café corner, along a school hallway, and hidden in the walls of an alley. These surprising moments remind us that art is not just something to admire quietly in a formal space. It’s alive, breathing, and woven into everyday life.

Street Corners, Walls, and Sidewalks In cities across the Philippines and the world, street art has become a visual language. Murals brighten old buildings, turning gray concrete into colorful stories. Local artists transform cracked walls into canvases that reflect culture, pride, and history. Take Davao, for example — murals celebrating the Kadayawan Festival pop up in different spots across the city, showcasing vibrant flowers, tribal patterns, and everyday life. These artworks do more than decorate; they tell stories of identity and community. According to a study by the University of the Philippines Fine Arts Department, public art can increase community engagement and cultural appreciation, even for people who don’t visit museums. It's art meeting people where they are.

Art in the Smallest Corners Sometimes, unexpected art appears in more subtle places. A hand-painted signboard outside a bakery, decorated notebooks sold at a night market, a carefully arranged bowl of ramen in a restaurant — all these show creativity in everyday moments. During a casual conversation with a local café barista, she shared, “We decorate our drinks because it makes people smile, not just because it looks good online.” This simple statement shows how art can exist in small gestures that add joy to daily routines. Even students express it — through doodles on notebooks, decorated water bottles, and personalized laptop stickers. Art becomes a quiet form of self-expression, often overlooked but deeply meaningful.

Digital Spaces: Art You Scroll Past Today, unexpected art also lives online. Digital sketches on Instagram, animated short clips on YouTube, even simple aesthetic Pinterest boards — all of these reflect creativity in modern spaces. Many young artists share their work not in galleries, but through apps, building communities where inspiration travels through screens instead of halls.

Why Unexpected Art Matters Art in unexpected places does something powerful — it turns ordinary environments into experiences. It surprises people, sparks curiosity, and invites them to pause, even just for a second. Instead of waiting for people to enter museums, this kind of art brings creativity to everyone — commuters, students, busy parents, people who may not have time or access to formal art spaces. It reminds us that creativity isn't exclusive; it belongs to everyone.

by Rayzel R. Bernal 11 HUMSS 3

As we approached our destination, we could immediately hear the flow of water coming from one of the enchanted waterfalls in Laguna. When we entered, we were greeted by the chirping of birds as if they were singing, the flow of water in the river that was delightful to our ears and the deafening flow of water from the waterfall.

Photo by Oliver M. Bautista

The water here is very clear as crystal because you can see the rocks under the water. 

Photo by Google Images

Taytay Falls, Majayjay, Laguna. The waterfall is 10-15 meters high and features beautiful, chilly water that cascades into a 1,000-square-meter river basin. 

Its surroundings are densely forested with a variety of plants and trees. It has irrigation throughout its 2-kilometer trail and a cliff on the right side. Mt. Banahaw's cold spring water runs freely. The spot, which is about 8.0 kilometers from Majayjay town centre, may be reached by car or by walking a few hundred meters along a nature walk.

Majayjay is a municipality of the fourth class in the province of Laguna. It is 1,000 feet above sea level and lies at the foot of Mt. Banahaw. It lies 120 kilometers south of Manila and is flanked on the north by the municipality of Magdalena, on the south by Lucban, Quezon, on the east by Lusiana, and on the west by Liliw.

Majayjay was developed in 1571, and its name was taken from the word "Ma," which means "many." Some believe that in the past, to get to this steep town, one had to pant and shout "hay, hay" (which means "sigh"), and the name was then changed to Majayjay.

In 1571, the Spanish colonial administration declared it a town. Malay Barangay was one of the most populous villages in the newly formed province at the time. During the choosing of the province's capital, it contended with Bay and Pagsanjan.

Did you know that Majayjay / Taytay falls are also called Imelda Falls? 

Yes, it is, because ex-First Lady Imelda Marcos financed the promotion of tourism in this place.

It's a two-story high falls set in a secluded setting with plenty of greenery. To get to Taytay Falls, descend the stone stairs that lead to a kilometer-long footpath. Constructed in 2008, getting to Taytay Falls used to be a difficult endeavor because there were no established routes at the time. The World Bank has recently financed tourist promotion at Taytay Falls. 

Photo by Google Images

There are also delicious foods there that are so cheap and so worth it that you will almost certainly be satisfied.

According to  Jan Margarette Vasquez ‘ article she said that despite the fact that Majayjay, Laguna is a tiny town, it offers a diverse choice of cuisines and delicacies. Some of them are not from her hometown, but they have modified and created their own versions. 

The locals, like every Filipino, are passionate about cooking and eating, which is why they have managed to create their own and pass it on to the next generation. There are numerous unique cuisines in Majayjay, but she just included three of her favorites. Uraro, Pancit Habhab, Longganisang Lucban, and last is Lambanong, which is the preferred liquor of her relatives and other locals.

You will also be amazed at the giant rocks that can kill you when you are rolled by it, just kidding. It is dangerous to step on them because they are already mossed and because of the moss, it is slippery.

Despite of that, it is still beautiful and we should appreciate such places like this created by nature and a gift from God.

Sources:

https://www.vigattintourism.com/tourism/articles/The-Pristine-Water-of-Taytay-Falls-Majayjay

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Majayjay