Crafting sparkling short stories
Less is more, they say – an adage that is especially true of creative writing. Here’s your chance to earn how to use elegant restraint and attention-grabbing brevity in short stories from the professionals at the upcoming BookFest@Malaysia 2018.
HAVE you always wanted to be a writer but don’t know where to start? What makes a short story tick, anyway? How can you possibly cram all your ideas into such a limited space?
Save all your questions for Bernice Chauly, Kris Williamson, Sharon Bakar, and Tunku Halim at BookFest@Malaysia’s fourth Writing Workshop: Short Stories.
The workshop is held in conjunction with this year’s BookFest@Malaysia fair that will take place at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC) from June 9 to 17. The fair is organised by Popular Book Co (M) Sdn Bhd and the workshop is part of its “Popular Supports Local Authors” initiative.
The first day (June 10) of the two-day workshop will help paint a picture of what a short story is and the pitfalls you should look out for.
What are the essential elements of a short story and what rules, if any, are there? Bakar will share her thoughts on this, as well as how to make your short story publishable.
Williamson will then take over with a session on inspiration.
You don’t want to be stuck with writer’s block even before you start, so lean in close and listen well to his words of wisdom on how to get inspired, how to keep the flow going, and how to stay on track from start to finish.
Bright and early the next morning (June 11), Chauly will zoom in on the finer details of finding your voice.
How do you make your characters work for you? How does your voice fit in with your story’s theme, plot and general direction?
What kind of journey do you want your story to take the reader on? What is your narrator’s voice and how does that change things?
The workshop will end with Tunku Halim’s (in full, Tunku Halim Tunku Tan Sri Abdullah) sessions on creating realistic settings and dialogue that will draw the reader into your world.
And it is OK to be a perfectionist here, because he will also be taking you through the often tedious but absolutely necessary process of rewriting and self-editing.
You will be in good hands with these speakers: Bakar is a creative writing teacher, editor and publisher; Williamson is a publishing consultant, editor and author; Chauly is an award-winning novelist and poet; and Tunku Halim is a bestselling novelist and short story writer.
The Writing Workshop: Short Stories will take place from 10am to 5pm on June 10 and 11 at Hall 5, Hospitality Lounge 5, of BookFest@Malaysia at the KLCC. Participants must be at least 16 years old. Registration is RM80 and includes an entry ticket to BookFest@Malaysia and exclusive notes from the speakers.
Tickets can be purchased at selected Popular outlets; visit bit.ly/bfmww18 for the list of outlets. You can also reserve your seat at that website.
For more information, call Carmen at 03-9179 6154 or e-mail prevents5@ popularworld.com.
The previous three workshops – which covered topics such as how to write horror stories, children’s books, and how to get published – filled up almost as soon as they were announced, so you might want to register for this year’s workshop right now!
The other aspect of the bookstore chain’s “Popular Supports Local Authors” initiative is the Popular-The Star Readers’ Choice Awards, which is held annually to support and encourage local authors and to foster a love of reading in Malaysians.
Its nominees are chosen from last year’s bestselling local fiction and nonfiction titles in Popular and Harris bookstores nationwide – see the list of 20 nominated titles on the right.
Winning authors will be presented with their awards during a ceremony at the Main Stage of Hall 1 of the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre at 10.30am on June 9.
By voting for your top three favourites in each category (that’s six titles all together), you will be in the running for the following prizes: 100 voters will receive a oneyear-free-membership Popular Card and a RM50 gift voucher each.
To vote, fill up contest forms that you can get at Popular and Harris bookstore outlets nationwide or in Star2 – today’s form is on the right.
You can also vote online at popular.com. my, facebook.com/popularmalaysia, bookfestmalaysia.com or facebook.com/bookfestmalaysia.
Get cracking and vote, because voting closes on May 13!
All nominated titles will be sold at a 20% discount at Popular and Harris outlets worldwide during the voting period. – Rouwen Lin
BookFest@Malaysia 2018 will be on daily, from 10am to 10pm, from June 9 to 17, at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre. Admission is with purchase of the BookFest catalogue at RM2.50 per entry or RM10 for multiple entries over the nine days. Catalogues are available at all Popular and Harris bookstore outlets nationwide and also at the event’s entrance. Entrance is free for students who are 18 years old and below and for senior citizens aged 60 and above. For more information, visit facebook.com/BookFestMalaysia.
Star Media Group Bhd is a media partner of BookFest@Malaysia 2018.