I am almost done with my second book. Originally, I was supposed to get this one published first but....well, you know how things are. Anyway, considering this is a full novel along the chic lit genre or the romance genre, thinking of getting it published the conventional method but I've heard horror stories about how the process can be completely HELL!!!

So, I don't know yet.

Anyway, for Lulu people, I will be publishing another short story via lulu or createspace. For now, I will be printing my short stories this way. I've got SSSSSOOOOO MMMMMAAAANNNNNNYNYYYYYYY..... So, keep an eye out for some funier ones.

'Imperfect' was such a solemn one....that I want to hop onto something a little bit more....erm, cheerful? Hopeful? Maybe even magical? Hey, know what? I've got one magical one in the pipeline, so, you can expect that out soon!!!


Always Marsha....

Posted on Thursday 29 of May, 2008 [04:41:31 UTC]

I know 'Imperfect' is not an award-winning material but how come I am so intensely proud of it? No idea but maybe it's because it's very Malaysianized, that's why. It's like I've input-ed (no such word but who cares!! In Malaysia, anything is possible where English is concerned) a bit about the Malaysian culture.

In a lot of ways, the reason why I've never managed to complete a single book in the past was because I had a lot of Malaysian culture to write about but I didn't know how to perfect the art of writing without anticipating what others might think of it.

It's like anxiety hitting me while I write and I can't think straight because I get boggled with thoughts like....

"Oh, that sounds so off. Nobody's going to understand a thing I've just said. Scrape that!"

"Oh, I can't write that swear word in so many times, what are people going to think of me?"

My biggest problem was to find an identity for the main character. Why are they always so hopelessly lifeless?????? Maybe it's because they're not Malaysian, and they're supposed to be from another culture but I've never experienced another culture so I am kind of afraid that it's going to sound so fake.

Yeah....there....there's my problem.

Let me go sit down and figure out how to overcome this one. It's a toughie....

Posted on Saturday 24 of May, 2008 [14:50:14 UTC]

I finally released my first fiction!! !!! Believe me, it's a short story....I mean a really short one...like 8 pages or something. But I got dragged on and it stretched to 62 pages. It's a good thing, isn't it?

I realized that writing facts may be something that I am used to, but I got bored with it. One can only tolerate pushing your creative side to the back only for so long. I needed that break and it came in this short novella which I called Imperfect.

To be frank, 'Imperfect' was one of the many skeleton books that I wrote but left collecting cob webs in my PC.

One night, I was talking to a girl about 12 years of age and she spoke to me about her angst (with teenage hormones coarsing through her blood stream) and frustrations with her own family that I decided that "Hey! You know what? It's about time I continued with that story".

I got the inspiration for the cover from this little picture book called 'Stickmen'. I really didn't want to use the Lulu.com template covers because it looked so common, and all I wanted was something truly simple....so I drew the cover myself. It took all of 2 minutes to draw but hours (close to a day) to customize as a book cover! And there I was thinking it was going to be a piece of cake because I freelance as a graphic designer too.

Anyway, 'Imperfect' is about the journey of a girl and her mother and her mother's mother.

It sounded so common, you get tons of those everywhere on the Internet these days and I desperately wanted to make it a little bit different. So, what do I do? I Malaysianized.

It was much easier for me to write like a Malaysian with curt sentences and emulate the way the local Malaysian speak but I think it might come off as some what strange for other readers.

It was a tough balance, though. Never realized how difficult it would be to make the Malaysian culture and style apparent in a book without turning people off.

Well, this is the first time I am actually publishing a fiction, needless to say, I am incredibly proud of this one.

For those of you who accidentally came to this blog (a blog that I abandoned since Jan 2005! Aiks!), please check out 'Imperfect'.

I am now addicted to writing stories, so you can definitely expect something from me very soon. Trust me, I have tons of stories!! Hee hee hee....and the next one's already in the pipeline.

http://www.lulu.com/content/2553146

Posted on Sunday 18 of May, 2008 [04:02:07 UTC]

Man! I don't know how others do it but I REALLY, REALLY need a good tube of.....no, can of.....wait, let's just go for a massive barrel of butt-glue! Investment in something that can help you keep your laurels on the chair is essential to writing.

Well, I have somehow managed to write out the first 30 pages of my first ever fiction book. I don't even know the name of the book yet but it features this certain in-and-out-of-hell girl who found a new career in journalism. She has the uncanny knack of finding trouble....or maybe it's the other way round....so, her life is a constant whirlwind of activities.

Being single after a failed marriage to a man she still lusts after is of no help

I wonder where the story'll go now.....

Posted on Thursday 27 of January, 2005 [02:09:37 UTC]