The Writing Process Blog Tour

Photo credit: National Arts Council of Singapore

A couple of weeks ago, my friend and fellow author Anita Loughrey asked me to be part of an authors blog tour. First thought was that I'd get a ticket to the UK and I'd tour all over the country, talking and blogging and blogging and talking. WRONG! It's an internet tour!

Basically I have to write about myself which is what I've been doing for the past couple of years. I know, I know you want to log off right now, don't you? So I'll try to keep in short and sweet. So here goes:

What am I currently working on? 

I’m currently working on my chapter book first “The Shophouse”.

It is kind of a mystery suspense book with hopefully a lot of twists. It’s challenging but it’s about time I took a big step away from the picture book genre. I’m also working on another MG story that is part of a joint project with some other authors but that is confidential for now.

How does my work differ from others of its genre?

It’s hard to say how my work differs from others in the genre. I guess the way it differs is how every other author’s book differs from the others. Each author’s voice, perspective, and style is different. So while they may write the same genre, the approach may be very different.

Why do I write what I do?

I write what I write because I always have and probably always will. I started writing stories when I was in primary school and I’ve always had an over active imagination and although it has gotten me into lots of trouble in the past, it’s been very useful to me as an author.  I've written 30 or so picture books and I like writing picture books for the most part. I'm lucky because I what I've written has been published.  Having said that it's not easy being a picture book author in Singapore. It really isn't but there is nothing else I can do quite as well and that is why I write what I do.

How does my writing process work?

My process is one of no process. It changes every time I sit in front of the computer. I’ve never been one to follow a set of rules either when it comes to writing or anything else. I don’t follow a regular timetable. I think I operate on quite a different system. If I am writing a picture book, I'll usually find something funny in a picture or a phrase that someone says and I'll start from that. Writing a middle grade book is very different and extremely challenging and my process is usually to 'quit' after every chapter, proclaiming to everyone that  I'm done with writing and that I loathe writing before I eventually go back to it after a few days. I have a love/hate relationship with writing and I think I always will.

The three authors I'll be handing the blog tour over to next week are

Emily Lim

Emily Lim is an author of numerous children’s picture books which have been published in Singapore, Malaysia, China and Korea and also turned into animation, theatre and used throughout schools in Singapore. She is the first author outside North America to win 3 medals in children’s books at the IPPY awards and first in Southeast Asia to win the Moonbeam Children’s Book Award. She also won the Honourable Mention Award at Writer’s Digest 20th Self-Publishing Awards and has been shortlisted for a few other awards.  Emily's blog

Pauline Loh

Pauline has  been writing on a professional basis for more than two decades. I won first runner up for Scholastic Asian Book Award 2012 and First Time Writers and Illustrators Publishing Initiative 2009 award. Pauline's Blog

Jason Erik Lundberg

 An USian now living in Singapore, and the author of several books of the fantastic — Strange Mammals (2013), The Alchemy of Happiness (2012), Red Dot Irreal (2011), The Time Traveler’s Son (2008), and Four Seasons in One Day (with Janet Chui, 2003) — two children’s picture books — A New Home For Bo Bo and Cha Cha (2012) and Bo Bo and Cha Cha’s Big Day Out (2013) — and more than a hundred short stories, articles, and book reviews. 

Jason's Blog