How I write... Low Kay Hwa

The 26-year-old Singaporean novelist Low Kay Hwa had a rocky start in the publishing world. First he was duped into paying over $6,000 to get his launch book Destiny’s Cries published, after which only five out of 1,000 copies were sold. Then he received criticism for what detractors saw as over-simplified writing and cheesy plots. Now, with ten books published, 33,000 copies sold to date, over 110,000 Facebook fans and his own publishing firm to boot, Low is truly paving his own destiny.

You paid for the publishing of your first book out of your own pocket...
I was 18 and studying then, so I worked in many odd jobs just to pay the amount by installments to get my book published. I was given the promise that my book would be sold out within a year. I paid half of the total amount and was disappointed to learn that only five books were sold in the first six months. I was naïve, and continued to pay the rest of the amount after completing my National Service.

When did things start looking up for you?
I felt that print wasn’t going to work, so I decided to upload my second novel, I Believe You, to the internet. When you publish your book and no one buys it, you feel very demoralised. I just wanted someone to read it. [Eventually,] people started asking for the physical copy of the book. That was when I published ten to 20 copies and delivered them directly to my readers at MRT stations.

And that snowballed into the founding of your own publishing firm, Goody Books?
Yes. As the demand for my book grew, I ventured into offset printing. In my first experience, I didn’t have enough money to print by the thousand, so I made the request for 30 days’ credit from the printing company – which, to my surprise, was granted. I continued to meet all my customers to fulfil their orders. By then I knew all the colours of the MRT line.

Did you draw inspiration from the time you spent on public transport?
I get inspired by a lot of things, and by everyday occurrences. I can wait for the bus and all of a sudden a story can strike me. I enjoy people-watching to see how they behave and use that for my characters. But I have to be careful when I do that.

Why do you have to be careful?
Because I must avoid getting carried away. For example, if I am creating a romantic setting in my head, I would look at girls. That’s why I like to take the public transport. I would stare at the girl and play the scene in my head. It might sound a bit gross, but I have to do it [laughs]. Another instance is a true story. When I was in the army and writing Lilith, a story about an angry HIV-positive woman, I immersed myself in her character and I was practically angry at the world around me – so much so that I almost got into fights a few times.

Do you find it hard to snap out of being in character?
It’s slightly difficult and actually a very scary process. You can’t be in character for more than three hours, otherwise you might go crazy. Having that said, I need visualisation and I will try to be in control. If I am writing a story about a man who hates women, I will look at a woman and visualise ways to kill her. I won’t actually do it, of course. I haven’t reached a stage where I do whatever my characters wanted to do. There is a possibility, but I hope that it won’t occur.

Does this freak out your friends?
My friends understand. When they see me daydreaming, they know I’m playing scenes in my head. Or when I talk to myself. I talk to myself quite often.

Your most recent novel, A Singapore Love Story, is on The Sunday Times and Times Bookstores bestsellers list. What will your 11th book be about?
It is going to be a thriller revolving around terrorism. The main story is about man’s need to survive. The question is, if we need to kill in order to survive, will we do it? The story starts off with two terrorists talking to each other, and one of them asks the other if he would rape the woman of his dreams if she wouldn’t remember anything the next day. I am still in the process of writing it… This is going to be the best one I’ve written so far.

Excerpts from A Singapore Love Story:

• "You better call 995 now," Michael said. "I heard from one of my friends that one of her friends, she got blood come out from the ass. She ignored it and after one day, when she was sleeping, all her blood poured out. You know Redhill? Hers like Redbed." Michael laughed aloud.
   
• "When I saw Michael at the gates, I knew he was in trouble. He wore a body-hugging black No Fear T-shirt, bell-bottom jeans with a colourful dragon sewn near his back pocket, and had his long fringe parted at the centre. He had a long, sharp brown comb protruding from his back pocket. I was in a dress that Mummy had bought."
   
• "You're like the flower, and I'm shit," Michael said. He was either trying to hide his laugh or was nervous. "You may look beautiful, but every beautiful flower needs shit as fertilizer to grow. Let me grow with you. Together, flower and shit will bear fruit." I laughed a little. It was not the analogy; it was the image of Michael as dung. This confident young man had never relegated himself to something with such negative connotation before. "So, Noodles, will you take my shit? Will you marry me?".

Go to www.lowkayhwa.com for details on Low Kay Hwa’s upcoming releases.