9 February 2023 – 8pm to 10pm, Rehearsal Studio at Centre 42

A. Speaker’s Sharing

work-life arrangements or accommodations to support writing work

1. do jobs on a part-time basis, i.e. working in a bookstore and teaching.
2. getting into a state of flow has been essential to the speaker’s writing and she guards it by meditating and avoiding her phone so she does not engage with the world.
3. to tell stories that only you as an individual can tell, need to shut out other voices.
4. validate yourself / your role as a writer.
5. for the speaker, shaping life around the path of writing is important. Important not to overwork it but to feel.
6. writers need to consider their finances, lower their expenditure if necessary to get by and cultivate a flexible lifestyle — sacrifices had to be made, say to social life.
7. practise very deliberate reading and optimise time by picking the more interesting books rather than ones popular with friends.

moments when writing stopped – what stopped the writing?

1. existential issues during the pandemic made it hard to write.
2. Between the Covers podcast by Tin House was enjoyable to listen to while not writing but to remain in touch with writing.

tips to enable writing

1. for ideation, try out different techniques and prompts.
2. It is essential not to edit/judge when writing – best to fix later.
3. how to tap on our unconscious when writing – From Where You Dream by Robert Olen Butler is a useful read.
4. keep a thesaurus open when writing to refer to other words.
5. (for novel) the speaker does not write in defined chapters but uses a DRAFT.docx document where she pours everything out in a flow of consciousness style.
6. moving your body can be useful to your writing process — get out the house for walks, etc. and do something different.

particular grants, initiatives or help that support writers

1. grants. In Singapore, NAC’s S$18,000 grant only amounted to about S$1,000/month which is minimal but was useful as it came with deadlines and provided useful pressure.
2. institutional validation is important, writers can prepare a cover letter, sample of writing, reference letter and show community participation.
3. residencies / visiting friends to live together and work can help writers to be accountable to themselves and ‘nag’ or nudge each other.
4. useful to have a support group for validation and assurance. This support group need not discuss writing tips.

B. Participants’ Sharing

The Google Doc summarised:

What is the one thing from the 8-9pm discussion that you could apply in your writing life?

• Writing without judgment.
• Writing without distractions / Protect the time to write.
• The characters lives. See the truth of characters.
• Not to be perfectionist / Not to let revisions interfere with further writing.
• Accountability – asking friends for help.

What is an obstacle that you or another writer you know is still struggling with? This could be something that the 8-9pm discussion did not address.

• Disappointments after submissions: not writing in the right genre for the market in Singapore. Not sure where to submit sometimes.
• Lots of work, no writing circles after moving to Singapore. Not knowing how to access support.
• Misconception that writing is only a hobby.
• Full time job depletes energy. Hobbies are lost. Justify time in writing for outcome. Hard to find a system that works.
• Loads of self doubt, dyslexia, lots of chores at home and 2 small kids to take care of.

And one participant emphasised, emphatically, that writing mentorships were vital to his continuing growth as a writer.

Event Details:

“Gotong Royong #1: Building a Life around Writing”

Join us in a discussion with Yu-Mei Balasingamchow, a writer working on her first novel. Yu-Mei and the participants will explore (i) work-life strategies, support networks and practical tools that enable a writing life; (ii) challenges and barriers to entry that a writer faces and/or surmounts.