To be fair, writing a book is no walk in the park, requiring a considerable investment of time and energy, as well as creativity and imagination.
However, for those willing to go down that path, seeing one’s work published is an achievement that will make all the hard work worthwhile.
Such was the case for young and budding author, Aishah Zainal, whose debut novel, “Hades” was launched just this month.
Aishah’s story is set in 2012 and centres around the lives of two young characters living in the seedy underbelly of Ipoh.
On one side, is 16-year-old miscreant Kei and on the other is Maryam, a young teenage mother; both of whom bond over their low societal status.
However, not all is well as the ghosts of their past catch up with them and it’s hard to tell if fate will grant them any form of reprieve.
Speaking to FMT at the official launch of her book at Gerakbudaya, Aishah said that she still finds it “surreal” that she is a published author. “I am still processing the whole thing. It feels like this is just a dream. This is my wildest dream come true.”
According to Aishah, she has dreamt of being an author since her childhood, largely inspired by her own grandfather’s writing habit.
Apparently, like his granddaughter, he longed to be a writer but passed away before he could realise his dream.
“He kept many journals and I read them even up to this day,” said Aishah, adding that she learnt many details about her family through his writings.
While she has her own writing style, Aishah said that she admires the writings of Margaret Atwood, famed author of “The Handmaid’s Tale”.
“Her writing is very direct and simple but if you read it carefully, it is quite poetic. She could write about anything, be it about eggs or the colour red,” she said of Atwood.
She also has great respect for Malaysian novelist A Samad Said, whom she hopes to meet in person one day.
Speaking about her debut novel, Aishah said it was a time-consuming process and took two years to complete.
“Before I write a chapter, I write up some scenes; random scenes for that chapter. Then, I begin to fit them together and smooth them out afterwards.” It was also at this point that she would decide how and where to place the scenes in the story.
If a chapter was not to her liking, she would add another scene until she was satisfied with the finished product. “I had to modify a lot.”
Unlike some writers who plan out the story in full before getting down to writing, Aishah said that she developed the plot as she went along.
“It wasn’t written in my head at all. I didn’t have any direction in writing my story. I just had the characters. I discovered the plot together with my characters.”
Aishah said that despite the bond her two characters share, “Hades” is not a romance novel but more a slice-of-life tale.
In fact, her characters are partly based on herself. “Kei has a bit of my personality, and so does Maryam.”
And why the title “Hades”? According to Greek mythology, Hades refers to either the ancient Greek god of the underworld, or the underworld itself.
In explaining the title of her book, Aishah referred to the myth of the brothers Zeus, Poseidon and Hades, who divided the world among themselves after vanquishing their father, Chronos.
“Zeus was handed the sky, Poseidon the seas and Hades ended up with the underworld. Like him, the people in my story are trying to make do with whatever they have.”
Interestingly enough, while Aishah is currently working on a new novel, she doubts she will ever revisit the world of “Hades” in a sequel or a prequel.
As for advice for fellow novice writers, she recommended staying diligent with one’s writing.
“Write every day. Even if it’s just one sentence, the magic which inspires you will continue to grant you more brilliant ideas. Consistency is the key in writing.”
‘Hades’ can be ordered direct from Gerakbudaya here. Alternatively, visit a Gerakbudaya outlet to pick up your copy.
Gerakbudaya
2, Jalan Bukit 11/2
Seksyen 11 Petaling Jaya
Selangor