What they’re saying

AWARD-winning British author and professional speaker

says she will be part of a panel on censorship and free speech at #Word: The Cooler Lumpur Festival. It will see her imparting tips on writing for teenage fiction; she will also talk about her fascination for the reading brain.

“The workshop will be for writers wanting to write for teenagers, since my own novels are mostly for this age group and I have written much about the teenage brain.”

Morgan’s book Blame My Brain published in 2005 was shortlisted for the prestigious Aventis Prize; she’s also won two Scottish Art Council prizes for her other work.

“I’ll also conduct a lecture that

Morgan

Nicola

touches on digital reading and the differences between fiction and non-fiction in terms of reading and the brain,” Morgan says in an e-mail interview.

She is especially excited to be at the festival, as she has never been to Asia and considers it an honour to be invited to another country.

“I’m really looking forward to experiencing different people, ideas, food and climate. And to be at the very first #Word is hugely exciting,” she adds.

With some 90 books and a slew of awards to her name, Morgan has this advice for budding writers hoping to get published: that they must be writers first and only think about being published later.

“Writers need to practise using their talent. When you think about becoming published, understand the market and the industry. Publishing is easy but selling books at a profit is hard.

“I had many years of rejection before I had my first novel published – and the reason was that I hadn’t yet written the right book or written it well enough.

“So, be businesslike, be deter- mined, be brave, be aware, but first be a writer. Write the first draft with your heart and the second with your head,” she shares.

Morgan opines that the first draft is a combination of inspiration and perspiration, but the rest requires an attempt at objectivity by the person about his/her own work.

Having written both fiction and non-fiction stories, Morgan says the two genres are totally different.

“I like writing non-fiction because it’s easier, while fiction is more satisfying and special,” she says.

Her current projects include a (non-fiction) guide to teenage stress, to be published next year, and two novels for children.

Meanwhile, prominent local publisher says this

Amir Muhammad

festival, if anything, creates a nice excuse for authors to come out and party, especially as most of them are solitary individuals who work in isolation.

“Given that this is its inaugural year, I don’t really know what to expect.

“But I’m definitely excited, and hope it can become bigger next year.

“It’s always hard starting out and staying consistent after that,” says Amir, who will be part of a panel on publishing.

He adds that he will be launching his six short series online called Futura, as well as a newly-published book by one of his writers.

“I hope and look forward to meeting nice people at the fest.”