Sometimes writing has to make way for living (Part II)
I’ve kept this a bit quiet but guess what? I’m scheduled to appear at the Singapore Writers Festival soon.
I’m participating in two events, both scheduled for the same day – a panel on humour and a reading. Details below:
Why so Serious?
29 Oct 2011
11:30 am – 12:30 pmFeaturing: Tom Cho, Neil Humphreys, Chuah Guat Eng
Venue: Transaction Pavilion, Campus Green, Singapore Management University
Moderator: Carolyn CamoensWhat does it take to maintain a good sense of humour in your writing? And how do we ensure we don’t cross the border into slapstick territory? Let Australian artist-writer Tom Cho (Look Who’s Morphing), Chuah Guat Eng (Echoes of Silence, Days of Change) and British author Neil Humphreys (Notes from an Even Smaller Island, Premier Leech) share with you how they strike the right balance in their approaches towards humour.
Reading
29 Oct 2011
5:45 pm – 6:00 pm
Venue: Festival Pavilion, Campus Green, Singapore Management University
Free Admission
So why have I kept it quiet that I’m scheduled to appear at the Singapore Writers Festival? Well, there is a chance that I may not be going due to the health of someone in my family. Over the past couple of months, due to this family situation, progress on my second book has slowed considerably and various things have been put aside or postponed, including an interstate residency (that’s been postponed).
Years ago, I had to take time out from writing my first book because of personal reasons. As I put it to myself at the time, “Sometimes writing has to make way for living.” Well, it feels like living has well and truly intervened again. But then again, this reminds me of one of my long-standing arguments with myself about writing. Too often, in my moments of guilt about whether I am being a productive writer, my view of what constitutes writing narrows rather alarmingly. During those times, I have to remind myself that all those activities that seem to fall in between composing – thinking, berating myself for not composing and, well, probably even ‘living’ – are also part of my creative process. So often, I view these activities as gaps in my productivity, but let me commit it to writing here: gaps are from where things emerge.