Holding a child’s interest
Interested in learning how to write books that grab the attention of children and keep them enthralled? Check out how Popular’s Children’s Book Writing Workshop can help.
CHILDREN’S books? Easy to write, what. String together the most nonsensical story you can think of, write it in the simplest words you can find, add a few pictures, and voilà – instant bestselling children’s book!
The reality, however, is considerably different. Most children are more intelligent than we adults give them credit for being, and are drawn to a good story just as much as adults are. Talk down to them in your writing and you risk alienating them forever.
Roald Dahl, who wrote bestselling books for both adults and children, put it best when he said, “Children’s books are harder to write. It’s tougher to keep a child interested because a child doesn’t have the concentration of an adult. The child knows the television is in the next room. It’s tough to hold a child, but it’s a lovely thing to try to do.”
Dahl, of course, is right – there’s nothing lovelier than seeing a child enraptured in a wonderful story. And more and more Malaysians are leaning that way judging by the number of workshops and seminars being offered in the area lately.
One such workshop coming up is Popular’s Children’s Book Writing Workshop, which will be held at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre in early July in conjunction with the BookFest@ Malaysia 2016 book fair. This is the second workshop that the book fair’s organiser, Popular Book Co ( M) Sdn Bhd, is holding to support and encourage aspiring local authors, following last year’s packed- out event.
The workshop is open to anyone aged 16 and above who is passionate about writing for children and aiming to be a published children’s book writer. Participants will get the chance to meet experienced children’s book authors in the local literary scene and learn first- hand the fundamentals of writing for a younger audience.
The workshop will be spread over two days: the first day offers discussions about topics such as finding inspiration, creating characters and building a world; the second day will delve into the slightly more technical aspects of writing, such as finding a voice, writing and rewriting, and of course, understanding the market and the business of publishing.
The following is a brief introduction to the five speakers who will be sharing their expertise at the workshop.
Heidi Shamsuddin is a prominent children’s book author who won the Daekyo Culture Foundation’s Eye Level Children’s Literature Competition in 2012 with her short story Johan The Bee Hunter. She is also the author of the Door Under The Stairs series published by Oyez Publications, which includes the books The Mystery Of The Missing National Anthem and The Case Of The Talented Trio.
Mohamad Yusof Ismail, better known as Yusof Gajah, is an author, artist and illustrator who has won numerous awards, including the Best Children’s Book Illustration from Malaysia’s National Book Council and the Grand Prix at the prestigious Noma Concours for Picture Book Illustrations organised by the AsiaPacific Cultural Centre for Unesco biennially in Tokyo. His books have been translated into Japanese and Korean. Yusof also conducts workshops on children’s picture books, and is actively involved in storytelling and various international cooperations in children’s literature.
Robert Raymer is an American author and writing facilitator who has been based in Kuching for more than a decade. He has taught creative writing for 13 years at two Malaysian universities and was one of the speakers at Popular’s writing workshop last year. He has been published over 500 times in various local and international publications. Lovers And Strangers Revisited ( 2008), a collection of short stories set in Malaysia, won the top fiction prize in the 2009 Popular- The Star Readers’ Choice Awards Raymer has also written three novels that were finalists in the Faulkner- Wisdom Novel Competition in 2009 ( A Season For Fools), 2011 ( The Resurrection Of Jonathan Brady) and 2015 ( The Girl In The Bathtub).
Eliza Teoh is a former Singaporean political journalist who now runs a publishing company called Bubbly Books. Her Ellie Belly series, which is based on her real- life children, Gabby and Ellie, has sold more than 85,000 copies in Singapore alone.
Jonathan Ng is an agent and the founder of the Jonathan Ng Publishing Agency and has over 20 years of experience in the children’s book publishing business.
Who knows, you could end up writing the next Goodnight Moon or The Cat In The Hat to name just two classic books that have entertained generations of children....
Popular’s Children’s Book Writing Workshop will be held from 10.30am- 5pm on July 4 and 5 at Hall 5, Hospitality Lounge 5, of the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre. Registration is RM80, which is inclusive of an entry ticket to BookFest@ Malaysia 2016, and exclusive notes and handouts from the speakers.
To reserve a seat, register at Popular outlets or at bit.ly/writingworkshopbfm16. You can also call 03- 9179 6137 ( ask for Vynee) or e- mail prevents4@popularworld.com.
BookFest@ Malaysia 2016 will be on from July 2 to 10 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 will be available from the middle of this month onwards at all Popular and Harris bookstore outlets nationwide and will also be sold 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 popular. com. my or facebook. com/ BookFestMalaysia. Star Media Group is a media partner of BookFest@ Malaysia 2016.