If you weren’t at MPH MidValley for the talk by Dina Zaman and Dr. Ong Kian Ming yesterday, you missed a treat! The writers gave some useful advice and pointers for young writers, particularly those interested to enter the Perdana Leadership Foundation-MPH Essay Competition 2010, themed “Malaysia in a Globalised World”.
Dr. Ong Kian Ming, a UCSI lecturer and Malaysiakini columnist, went straight to the point and outlined his three ‘P’s of writing advice:
1. PERSONALISE your writing – bring in your personal observations and experience to the essay. For example, if you were writing on globalisation, you may want to comment on the number of foreign labourers in Malaysia and your thoughts on this
2. Make your writing PUNCHY – make your titles, sub-titles and openings interesting enough that people want to read further
3. Make your narrative PERSUASIVE – this is where you need to have done your homework, ie: research, to bring in the facts, statistics and case studies that support your arguments
Dina Zaman then brought in her experience as Projects Editor of Malaysian Insider, where she works with a number of young writers in determining stories and editing them. One of her advice is to develop the ability to objectively judge your own work and to re-write as many times as needed to make the narrative better. “Don’t be too in love with your own voice,” she advised. Each writer needs to think of their readership, their level of education and understanding of the subject (Editor’s Note: For this Essay Competition, we want entrants to write as if to inform their own peers of the subject matter), and adjust their writing accordigly.
Dina again echoed Kian Ming’s exhortation to read widely and deeply, and to explore sources of research, even if they prove to be uncomfortable sources. “Writers should not be scared of the books they have to read,” she said. She related her own experience: in developing the thesis for her Ph.D in HIV/AIDS, she has had to read a lot of “uncomfortable” books on sexuality and STDs. The ideas may not fit your current ideas of the world and the subject, she said, but the new perspectives and interpretations would, more often than not, spark new lines of thinking.
Dina also reminded the audience that writing is a craft and needs constant practice and polishing. Language should be kept simple (and here, Kian Ming inserted the principle of K-I-S-S, Keep It Simple, Stupid), and always include the sources of your facts and opinions (Editor’s Note: Referencing is a major requirement of the Essay Competition, and all entrants must include endnotes /footnotes). Referencing also removes the suspicion of plagiarism, a major No-No in the writing world.
The writers then answered various questions on writing and research. One question was on developing “originality” and here both writers agreed that originality of ideas may not be possible, but originality of perspective (or angle, as the journalists would say) and presentation is always possible. For any subject, try to think of unique ways of interpreting the event and subject matter (for example, exploring the impact of the globalisation from the point of view of a young student struggling with student loans and debts); also, there are different ways to present a particular perspective (Editor’s Note: Agreed, and for the Essay Competition, while emphasis is still on good writing, we encourage entrants to be as creative as possible with their presentation, to include graphs, charts, interviews, dialogues – elements to support the main arguments of the essay). Here is where entrants should challenge themselves to see things differently.
The writers emphasised that constructive criticism of existing policies would be welcome (Editor’s Note: agreed!) as long as the critiques are based on fact, and argued well.
In terms of favourite columnists, both writers rattled off a long list of writers whose writings they admire, among them:
Malaysian Insider’s Art Harun
Imam Feisal (Cordoba Institute)
The Independent’s Yasmin Alibhai-Brown
and, of course
The session wrapped up with advice from the speakers for writers to do their research well, to read widely, to be creative and open-minded in their approach to their subject matter, and to structure their writing well for the benefit of their audience.
The next Public Talk will be on 22nd of August 2010, at MPH 1Utama, at 3pm. The talk will focus on personalising essays and on infusing passion into writing by Lydia Teh and Dr Ahmad Murad Merican. Circle the date in your calendar!
