The Writing Room

  Writing is one of those pursuits that either excites some people or fills others with dread. I met a brilliant person ages ago. She spent six years studying for a PhD in a subject in the Arts. However, after those six years of study, she did not leave university with that piece of paper that should have validated her expertise in her area of study. She stopped along the last mile of the way. She did not write her thesis. Why? She convinced herself that she couldn't write. What gave her that idea? Did somebody criticise her writing and she took that criticism to heart? The answers to those questions will continue to reside with that person who was adamant that she couldn't write. She didn't display any regret for having given up on six years of her life. This attitude should not be the norm for reluctant writers. It is true that writing poses some challenges, even for the seasoned writer. Writer's block is one of the most pervasive challenges that writers will face. In...

  About Novel Writing Novel Writing is a complex but not daunting task. It is creative writing, taking the ordinary, the mundane bits of life (real or imagined) and weaving them into a narrative that takes the reader on an exhilarating journey with the protagonist and the supporting cast in the story.  Characters in a Novel The protagonist and the other people in the novel are referred to as characters . These characters reflect human hopes, joys and foibles. Think about people you know when you are creating your characters. Most people have personalities that are multi-dimensional, so your characters must reflect this multi-dimensionality to be considered interesting.  Character Motivation in a Novel In the novel, the major character has a need that she/he needs to fulfill, a motivation to keep going towards the goal he/she has set out to achieve. This need may be psychological, grounded in doubts, fears, desires... Or the need may be a practical one - to find someone o...

I am not a fan of talk shows, so I don’t purposely watch them or listen to them. But occasionally I catch snippets of the conversations. Recently, I overheard a conversation between a mother and the host of a talk show. The mother said that when her child was in primary school, he was obsessed with drawing. He once drew a picture of a celebrity whom he had never met, and the resemblance was uncanny. However, when it was time for him to do the primary school exit test, she badgered him to study and forget about drawing. She told him that there was no future in drawing (or something like that) and that he should focus on his lessons at school, which apparently could take him places where drawing couldn’t. He studied, went on to high school and probably beyond, (I missed that bit) and has never touched a pencil again. This child clearly had talent which could have been nurtured. His mother gave him one choice. He had to walk the academic path. She now regrets her actions. At the tim...