05/08/2025
| Flaming Embers
Amid the room of technically written pieces, there flickers a fading ember—a creative one once nearly forgotten. But all it needed was a spark, and it caught fire again.
For Mark Adrian Guillermo, a 20-year-old student-journalist from Solana, Cagayan, it was creativity that revived his passion for the world of Literary Writing. In his space where words are often bound by structures and phrases, sentences, and paragraphs in strict formation, he continues to be drawn back to the warmth of his first love: literature.
Fireplace of Warmth
Everyone has that one thing that defines their high school story—it may be a moment, a passion, or a place. For Mark, it was the way words filled the cup of his mind, overflowing until they demanded to be shared.
In Senior High School, he found himself captivated by the magic of Literary Writing. What started as an attractive hobby soon became a source of comfort and solace. Literary Writing made itself a personal fireplace that kept his creativity and heart ablaze.
Ignited Drive
College opened new doors for Mark. Newbie as he may seem, being a freshman didn't bother him in joining a story writing competition at the Cagayan Provincial Library and Research Center (CPLRC) in 2022. There, he made his participation a highlight for being the second best in the said event and gave his children's book titled "Ang Huling Bantay” to be published by the CPLRC.
In the same year, he widened his horizons for The CSU Promethean, the official campus student publication of Cagayan State University - Carig, where he's currently pursuing a degree in Bachelor of Science in Development Communication. However, while he may not have applied as a Literary Writer, he found a better fit in Opinion and Development Communication—categories that aligned more closely with his academic path.
Fading Flames
Transitioning from Literary Writing to Development Communication and Opinion gave Mark more room to grow in fields that anchored his chosen career path. With similar structures and technical demands not far from his program, he found it easier to correlate both his academic responsibilities and his writing commitments.
“Sa DevCom kasi, more on technical siya, seryoso, may structure na sinusunod. Unlike sa literary writing, malaya siya, and you may use your creative juices,” he shared.
However, as his passion for the two other categories began to ignite, his focus shifted to writing pieces with characteristics quite the opposite of those he used to create. From sparking conversations through opinion articles and publishing informative and engaging DevCom articles, his flame for writing literary pieces slowly began to fade.
Though he hasn’t forgotten his literary roots, he didn’t dwell much on what he had allowed to fade over the following years of his college life. The once-blazing flame of creativity now simmers quietly as an ember, waiting for the next spark.
Embers Sparking Again
Even in the slightest chances of hope, it is never wrong to believe that something nearly forgotten can still be revived. In his senior year at the university, Mark unknowingly approaches the final line with the very love he first carried in college.
The bursting flame may have seemed gone to him, but others still saw a spark, waiting to be ignited. That spark, indeed, came into an opportunity. His organization’s adviser, Yrmeliza Rodriguez, referred him to represent the campus in the SANGHAYA 2025: National Literary Youth Festival – a national event co-organized by the National Committee on Literary Arts of the National Commission on Culture and the Arts (NCCA), Philippine Association of State Universities and Colleges (PASUC), and Camarines Norte State College (CNSC).
As a platform aiming to promote and nurture literary talent among the youth, this fueled his creative freedom in writing he had quietly drifted away from. Instead of intensive training, he welcomed the experience without prior pressure and embraced himself to whatever may happen in the event. “Once in a blue moon lang ‘to, and last year ko na sa college—why not make it worthwhile din?” he thought.
Reigniting Flames
During the three-day literary event, Mark didn’t waste a second to reignite the fire of Literary Writing in him again. Among the four categories—Zine Making, Creative Writing, Filmmaking, and Performance making —he participated in Creative Writing. Among the participants, his piece was selected as one of the best five to perform on stage.
The event continued with LiteraTOUR, a series of destination-based workshops where participants wrote literary pieces inspired by their travels across Camarines Norte. With his signature free verse style and flexible techniques, two of his pieces, titled ‘Isa ka rin bang baliw?’ and ‘Sulasok’, which are about patriotism and bustling cities, respectively, earned a spot in one of the best pieces during the event. There, it was the moment that he felt that the ember was no longer just flickering, but flaming.
Written pieces mirror the mind, and to Mark, his literary pieces should reflect his principles and make sure they spark a conversation with his reader.
“Responsibilidad nating mga manunulat na mulatin ang mga tao, gisingin sila, at baguhin ang kanilang pananaw sa buhay,” he concludes as he reflects on all the literary pieces he has written. From his perspective upon reaching the podium, he learned that literature has come so far in the current system, yet it still has a further way to go, especially in the current generation whose mainstream is driven by screens.
Forward with Fire
Through igniting his creative skills, he also managed to bag various awards in the world of filmmaking. In the PelikulAgraryo Film Festival of the Department of Agrarian Reform, he won awards such as best film and best director—and is set to compete for the nationals this August 08.
From a flickering ember to roaring flames, Mark proves that passion–even the ones paused–can always be reignited when it's truly yours.
Eina Agustin | The CSU Promethean
