Writing...

I have had ambition to write since I learn how to read. As my mom's souvenir every fortnightly when she left me to live with my grandma for 3 years, when she came to visit, is a book, I am addicted to books like anyone who smokes. Leave me in a bookstore and I can wander in there for hours on end; nowadays with at least 1 book being bought. The tax benefit alone has kept me adding to the growing stack on my bedside table and the only bookshelf in my house.

Taking the first step to writing, I have enrolled myself for a 1 day seminar with the Malaysian Millionaire Coach who claims that he made RM1 Million in royalty in 2007 from his 30 books which he has written. This course is supposed to help me churn out a book in 88 days. As much as I want it to be worthwhile, RM790 worthwhile at that, I am also taking the iniatiative of sharpening my writing skills by starting this blog.

As for comments and brickbats, with my bad grammar and a temper to boot about the state of affairs in Malaysia, I am sharing this blog on my Facebook and hope there is enough reader who are willing to comment on whether I have it in me to be a writer.

Stephen King with his twisted Americana novels, John Grisham twisted view of American justice system, the twisted world of spies by Robert Ludlum and John Le Carre, twisted science fiction stories by Isaac Asimov and Michael Crichton, twisted alternate world by Terry Pratchett and Eoin Colfer, twisted Japanese novelist like Koji Suzuki and Haruki Murakami, twisted tales by Jeffrey Archer; these are some of my inspiration for writing. Nowadays, I am adding foreign novelist (translated, of course), classic, how-to, political and biographies to the list of book that I try to finish reading. As time doesn't permit me to really read, I try speed read and not really enjoy books like I used to.

I did write before in school about a fictionalised event which really did happen to a friend who was kicked out of school although he was framed and a 6 years biography of my batch in UKM. It was a one-off thing and the current ideas swirling in my head was never put on paper although it was told so many time to my long suffering wife that she already know the climax of the novel before it was even written. This is also due to her being a part of the story. The story of how I met her with her being introduced by my then girlfriend, if I fictionalised enough of it, I think I can make it a tear jerker to be remembered. My small legal firm which I built from nothing with a partner that is the envy to some of my friends, is another story I want to tell.

All these are reasons why writing is going to be the next frontier for my personal development. Here's to dreams...