In truth, the future is still bright, as there are many youths out there with vivid ideas waiting to be shared. Not convinced? Just pick up a copy of “The Eye”, a collection of 20 short stories by young Malaysian authors.
This is the latest release from the Juniors Writers Programme, which was launched in 2018 by seasoned writer Brigitte Rozario. The annual workshop gives young writers a chance to have their works published after learning the basics of writing from Rozario herself.
At the recent launch of “The Eye” – which, as the title may suggest, focuses on eyes! – FMT Lifestyle spoke with four junior writers whose stories feature in the anthology.
Robin Wong, 15, lives with cerebral palsy but did not let this dampen his interest in joining the programme. “It was a few weeks of non-stop writing, but I think it was fun!” he enthused.
His story, “Unorthodox”, is based on George Orwell’s “1984” – a “dystopian story, with a society without sickness”.
While outwardly a perfect world, the measures the authorities take to maintain the façade makes the tale a truly terrifying one.
Up next is Dominic Lim who, at 16, is the oldest workshop participant. A romance author at heart, Lim found the programme to be eye-opening, pun perhaps intended.
“There were many things I could improve on. With Brigitte’s guidance, I was able to write a really good story,” he shared.
“The Gift” centres around a boy who goes blind but gains the ability to look into the future. “For the rest of the story,” said Lim, “you’ll have to read it yourself!”
Jocelyn Chua, 15, was lucky to get into the programme as she learnt about it just a few days before the submission deadline. “I edited one of my past stories and sent it in,” she revealed.
Apparently, she writes a lot during her free time, although completing her projects is a rarity. “This is the first time I actually finished a story!” she added with a laugh.
“Hang on to Hope” follows Iris, a lass with a half-blind grandmother, who stumbles across a strange shop that sells eyes.
“It appears only to people in need of its services. So she makes a deal with the shopkeeper,” Chua teased, adding that it feels “surreal” to have her story read by fellow Malaysians.
Then there’s Augustina Kitabiri, 15, a keen journal writer. “I think that really helped me,” she observed.
Still, journal writing is different to story writing: excessive length proved to be an issue, and it took several revisions to cut her story down to size.
Her tale, “In the Blink of an Eye”, deals with the bittersweet memories of a girl whose best friend recently passed away. It’s a relatively sombre outing among the lot.
FMT Lifestyle also spoke with Rozario, who said this year’s batch of writers had many good talents and certainly more than a handful of standouts.
And given that previous years’ themes dealt with serious topics, this time around, she chose one that could give her writers a chance to be imaginative.
“The strange, the bizarre, the surreal, the weird. A bit like ‘The Twilight Zone’! So you have stories about people with three eyes, floating eyes, people who see ghosts, that sort of thing.”
As with last year, proceeds from sales of “The Eye” will be channelled to charity, with this year’s organisation of choice being Yayasan Chow Kit.
Get your copy of ‘The Eye’ here.
Aspiring authors aged 16 and below can apply to join the Junior Writers Programme in 2025. Click here for more information.