Finding your voice
THIS is the second year that Popular Book Co ( M) Sdn Bhd is running a writing workshop during its annual book fair, BookFest @ Malaysia. The reception to last year’s workshop was certainly encouraging enough for this second instalment, with seats snapped up within days of the event being announced.
One participant from last year has even published a book of creative writing since then.
Prof Dr Gan Siew Hua discovered the workshop after reading about it at The Star Online during a lunch break.
“The advertisement seemed to appear at the right time for me. I wanted to explore my potential and grow out of my comfort zone by doing something different. I did something I don’t usually do, which was to call the number listed and book my seat there and then!” Prof Gan says in an e- mail interview earlier this week.
After getting the details, Prof Gan, a mother of four who lectures on pharmacogenetics at Universiti Sains Malaysia in Kota Baru, flew down to Kuala Lumpur where the workshop was being held.
She was impressed by the variety of the participants, who ranged from teenagers to the elderly.
“The workshop allowed me to rub shoulders with those having similar interests. It was a good platform to exchange information, tips, tricks and the challenges of writing a book to completion,” she says.
Indeed, the author enjoyed her experience so much, she was disappointed when it came to an end in just one day. The speakers, she says, were all very friendly and helpful.
One of them, Robert Raymer – who is a speaker again this year – gave the participants 45 minutes to brainstorm a short story and write it out. One might think that this limited time frame would stifle one’s creativity – Prof Gan, however, felt freed by it. A story just flew out of her head and on to the paper, as she put it!
“The most important lesson learnt was to ‘ just write’. Do not worry about the errors you may make when writing. This can be taken care of later. The most important part is to get the idea down.
“In other words, do not let ‘ perfectionism’ get in the way of the actual writing!” Prof Gan says.
Her story, Given Another Chance, was about her staring death in the face after her boat capsized near Perhentian Island last year, and the out- of- body experience she had in the process.
The professor was soon inspired to write about other real life events. Soon, she had written stories like Finding My Motivation To Study, a poignant tale inspired by an experience involving her mother.
Once she started writing, Prof Gan found she could not stop, and managed to complete her short story collection within three months. Today, her book, Given Another Chance, can be bought at selected outlets of bookstores such as MPH, Borders, Times, WH Smith and Popular.
Prof Gan says she plans to attend the workshop again this year, this time bringing her daughter with her.
“The workshop was very easy to follow. The speakers were very approachable and experienced. It opened up my own potential which I never realised. My perception changed from ‘ I wish I could write a book’ to ‘ I can write a book’,” Prof Gan says, her enthusiasm coming across in e- mail.
“The exposure and opportunities to share information, challenges and frustrations with other writers were indispensable, especially for novices like me.”
This year’s workshop, held on July 4 and 5, is about how to write engaging children’s books. See “Holding A Child’s Interest”( left) for details of how to register.