eHomemakers Malaysia

When Sara decided that her memoir would focus on what happened at work from October 2016 to May 2016, what she had is called a ‘set-up’. It is the germ of an idea for the story. Could she expand it into an entire story? Creating a synopsis will help keep you on track for any story that you plan to write. A word of caution, though. You must remember that you’re creating a synopsis at this stage and not a simple blurb. When is it too simple?  A few weeks ago, I received a message via Whatsapp from a writer. In less than 50 words, he told me that it was an inter-galactic tale and it had an ‘exciting ending’. The manuscript was 120,000 words-long and he wanted me to edit it. He was considering writing the story as a trilogy. Although I could guess what was happening, I asked him to send me the synopsis for his manuscript. What I received in my inbox the next day was the same message he’d sent by Whatsapp with the addition of one character and the description of the home planet. ...

“What if I spend all this time writing my story and no one wants to buy it? Or even read it? Then what?” Sara lamented. Sara had a point. After all, there are thousands of books being published each year. What would make her story so interesting that everyone else will want to read it? When faced with such a dilemma, the elements of writing fiction become very useful even if your focus is non-fiction. The relevant elements are to look for ideas for your story and put a spin on old ideas. Finding Strong Ideas To do this, you must become a keen observer and listen to what people say and how they say it. Sometimes, a poignant remark is made with a turn of the head or a particular inflection in the voice. Such observations, when added to the text of your story, will make the story resonate with readers that much more. For example, say Sara lost her father recently and couldn’t make it in time home for his funeral. These are some of the things writers will observe to help them unders...

“What if I write the truth?” Sara’s question came after I wanted to know why she struggled to go past the first 1,500 words of her story. Here were some of her fears. “If I write about what really happened, people will know I’m a failure.” “If I write about my ex-boss, will I be sued?” “If I try to share what I’ve learnt, it’ll be old news. No one wants that.” I decided to help her by analysing the kind of book she wanted to write. In particular, she wanted to understand the difference between fiction, non-fiction, a memoir and an autobiography. I want to tell a story  We started with fiction. Like Sara, many people think these are story books or novels. That is, generally, true. Novels can be broken down into two broad types: a) A plot-based novel where the events often appear in a sensible order and the emphasis is on the pace of the story, the twists and the plot. b) A character-based novel where characters behaviour is analysed and the emphasis is on creating det...

“I want to become a writer,” Sara declared about one-and-a-half years ago. This 49-year-old single mother was retrenched from her workplace of 25 years. Having been in the financial industry, she was in charge of the publication side of the organisation. Sara wanted to chronicle her experiences. “Very good,”I replied. I was about to offer some advice about what to do next when she said, “I will do this on my own and start in January.” I wished her well, but remained curious about what would happen next. I’ve met people who utter such words and that’s it. They have no clue what to do next. Some find they have time. Some don’t know where to start. Some are sure that absolutely everyone is going to read their story. As I expected, by the end of the month, Sara was close to tears because she realised how large a task it was to write a book. To help Sara, we started all over again. This time, I told her that she needed to keep in mind three things before writing the first word: the ...

Introduction  “When are you going to write my book?” The flippant way Sara spoke made me wonder if she was joking and I laughed in reply. But she was persistent and several days later, I received an email from her. This time, she wrote, ‘You know, I’ve done some crazy things in my life.’ It piqued my interest and I agreed to meet her to discuss all the work she would need to do. Also, by then, she’d changed her mind and decided that she would write the story herself. After a few false starts, I decided to guide Sara through the entire process of working on her story. I took notes as we went through the entire process. When it was over, I compiled all my notes and wrote a series of articles about all I had shared with her and what she had learnt. These are the articles which I will now share with you. There are ten articles altogether. Published on a weekly basis, they will, effectively, tell of Sara’s journey to completing her story. We start with vital preparation that all w...

Two years ago when I was in my final year of secondary school , I promised myself that I was going to get a job at ClubMed. My uncle who had worked at different ClubMeds around the world as a trapeze instructor had sat me down , on my 17th birthday, and practically converted me to a ClubMed lover and from that day on it was a plan. Now, two years later, after college, I got an opportunity to follow some friends to ClubMed for a sponsored seven day stay in return for some promotional work. So of course I followed them! Although the holiday I pictured in my mind was going to be filled with fun it wasn't so simple. Let me explain. I am the type of person who searches for things I'm afraid of and challenge's myself to overcome them. I do not want fear to stand in the way of me living my life and experiencing everything life has to offer and so instead, I seek them out to be conquered. And of course, for the rush. Whats the fun of walking to a place when u can swim , bung...

There was a writer who used to go to the seaside to his writing. He had a habit of walking along the beach before he began his work. One day, along the shore, he saw a human figure moving like a dancer. Intrigued, he began to walk faster to catch up. As he got closer, he saw that it was a young man and he was not dancing. Instead he was picking up something and very gently throwing it into the sea. He asked the young man what he was doing, and the latter replied that he was throwing starfish into the sea. When asked why he was doing that, he replied that the tide was going out and if he did not throw them out in the seas, they would die. The writer said, “Young man, don’t you realise that there are miles and miles of beach and starfish along it. You can’t possibly make a difference!” The young man listened politely then he bent down, picked up another starfish, threw it into the sea, and said, “It made a difference for that one.” We are all...