The young and the published

Ahead of the upcoming Emirates Airline Festival of Literature, we look at some bright and talented youngsters who are proving that age is no barrier when it comes to penning their stories

In October last year, UAE resident Maddi J ten Bohmer launched her first book Elements of Straefor in Dubai. The young adult fantasy novel follows a teenage girl with special powers who is on the run from her father through a fictional kingdom, and features plenty of world building, magic, ferocious animals and fearsome warriors. What makes this novel all the more impressive is that Maddi was only 12 years old when she started writing it, and 14 when it was published.
Now, having a novel to your name before you hit 20 is undoubtedly remarkable - but it is not a new phenomenon. Christopher Paolini, the author of the Eragon series, famously wrote the first book when he was just 15. Alec Greven, author of the adorable How to Talk to Girls became a New York Times bestselling author at age 9. And who can forget Anne Frank's posthumous publication that seared the world with its honesty? Age may be just a number - but it's not one that can be used to measure creativity or talent.
Meeting challenges head-on
Other than being a voracious reader - and published author - Maddi is also the founder of blog www.novelgurl.com where she reviews other books. It's clear that this Australian national is a fan of all forms of writing, and it's a passion that developed early.
"I've always written stories," says Maddi. "I've only finished about a couple of them before; but then I did this a course at the Dubai International Writing Centre and the instructor there, Nicolas Forzy, really encouraged me to finish my own novel and get it published."
So, whilst balancing class and homework (Maddi studies at English College Dubai), she decided to work on her book. It meant a lot of missed social invitations and dealing with writer's block, but she made sure to spend a little time every day writing. It wasn't until Elements of Straefor was finished that she and her mum Jill decided to take a chance and approach publishing houses in the US, UK and even Singapore. When they met Kira Jean, founder of The DreamWork Collective, a boutique publishing and consulting agency in the UAE, everything seemed to fall into place. But no matter which country you're in, or how old you are, publishing is a hard industry to get into, and they soon realised that penning the novel was just the beginning.
"I don't think we were really prepared for it," says Jill. "The script came back weeks later, and we thought it would be just grammar and spelling corrections but it had real creative suggestions. It was a real experience sending the manuscript back and forth, and we had to commit to deadlines for the publisher and the printer. When we went on vacation, the book came with us!"
"There was the editing, the cover, the illustrations, the book launch. it was challenging," adds Maddi. "It took up a lot of our time. I think the biggest challenge was that I thought I was finished after the writing stage. But then, during the editing process, it was picked apart bit by bit. It was really hard to see someone criticise my work, to the point where I thought I'm not good at writing. But when I did follow Kira's advice, I thought the book was a lot better."
Accepting constructive criticism is something even seasoned writers have difficulty with, and it says a lot that she was able to handle it at all. Of course, criticism always has an important role to play - it's done by editors with years of experience and separates good writing from mediocre work. So, it helped that she had an editor who could be frank with clients - no matter their age.
"Honestly, age is never a factor when publishing an author's work," says Kira Jean, who has worked with other young authors in the past. "What we look at is the quality of the author's work, their marketability as a brand (both the author and the book), their professionalism, commitment and reasons for wanting to be published. So, we approach editing the books of a minor and adult in the same way. And believe it would be wrong not to provide young writers with a true experience of what is required to become a published author!"
According to Kira, editing copies from young writers is not too different from editing novels by more mature writers. "Young authors make the same mistakes all authors make. One mistake is biting off more than they can chew or wanting to be an overnight success. Writing a book is not something you do, it's something you try and then you try again. That being said, it's difficult to have long-term focus when you're young so I suggest authors look at a book as a single brick in a house being built. There are many more bricks to come and, although you want the house to be finished quickly, you don't want to build the house on a foundation that is wobbly. So, build it slowly, brick by brick."
It may have been a gruelling process, but it only shows the power of perseverance. Today, all kids can enjoy flipping through print copies of Elements of Straefor which can be bought through www.novelgurl.com or The DreamWork Collective Bookstore. As Jill puts it, "It all worked out great".
The self-publishing story
Although there is talent out there, getting published is no easy process - for adults and youngsters alike. According to Kira, "there are few publishers that will take a chance on a new or young author". So, in some ways, it's a blessing that, today, there's more than one way to publish a novel.
"There is a growing trend towards self-publishing," says Isobel Abulhoul, OBE, CEO and Trustee of the Emirates Literature Foundation and Director of the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature. "This makes it easier for debut writers to get their books printed. Plus, if they are media-savvy, they can publicise their book without huge costs. I think there is a rise in young authors worldwide, particularly with self-published books."
It's the route Tirpata RL decided to take when her 11-year-old daughter Krystal expressed an interest in writing. It started out as something of a project, where Krystal dictated a basic story and her graphic designer mum decided to illustrate it for her.
"I had this tiny plan in my head and it grew bigger and bigger as I kept on writing," says Krystal. "I wanted to inspire kids to believe in themselves. So, I took a normal character who was surrounded by talented friends and showed how he was talented in his own way."
"The hardest part was getting all the illustrations together," laughs Tirpata. "She would tell me specifically the emotion of the face that she had in mind and we would work on it together until it was perfect."
"Illustrations are really important for younger children," says Krystal, which makes sense as the book is targeted at 3 to 5 year olds. "It helps them with their imagination."
The book, I Am A Star And You Are One Too, took about six months to complete, and Tirpata decided to self-publish it once it was done, setting about to get the necessary clearances required to put the book on shelves.
"It wasn't too long a process, and everyone was very encouraging," says Tirpata. "Representatives at the National Media Council were very supportive and actually told me to attend the Emirates Literature Festival and feature the book there last year - so we did! We had a little slot where Krystal read to other children. It was like a little meet-and-greet."
Krystal has now clearly caught the writing bug - she's already written and published her second book Jo the Giraffe Saves the Day, also meant for youngsters. A third book is in the pipeline. Does she think more kids her age should try and write stories? "Yes," says Krystal. "But you have to read first!"
Nurturing young interest
Most authors agree that reading is an important part of being a good writer and can influence one's style of writing. However, simply being a voracious reader does not mean one will eventually pick up a pen. That could depend on the person - as well as his or her support system.
"I do think, as adults, we have a responsibility to remember writing is a craft, a practice, and encourage young people to treat it as such," says Kira. "Parents should take their aspirations seriously. Help them connect with other published authors at festivals or workshops. Encourage them to write every day to develop discipline and release the need for it to be perfect. I think we do a disservice to our young people when we fail to nurture their interest."
These thoughts are clearly shared by Jumana Al Darwish, co-founder of The Happy Box, a UAE-based delivery service that aims to help parents connect with their kids over arts and crafts by sending monthly supplies. Keen to inculcate a reading culture amongst her young subscribers, Jumana decided to send one book with every box. Which is what led to a fun project with her six-and-a-half-year-old daughter Ayla that eventually led to a self-published book - The ABCs of Happiness.
"It started when we were back home in Jordan on a holiday and we started asking Ayla to name out all the things she loves most," explains Jumana. "And we found that her concept of happiness actually seemed pretty universal - it was the simple stuff like hugs and chocolate!"
So, Jumana got Ayla to write out her favourite things, classified them in alphabetical order and then had the book illustrated, printed, and distributed with The Happy Box. It was an instant hit amongst younger kids, and it certainly got Ayla more interested in both reading and writing.
"Right now, I like reading books on animals," says Ayla, who also expresses interest in reading to other children, and writing another book in the future. "I'm also getting started with chapter books."
For Jumana, this is proof that the right encouragement can truly work wonders. "Whether you're self-publishing or going down the traditional route, I think it really empowers children," she says. "It gives them confidence and strength when they have something that is their own. These kids are the future and they're capable of anything."
Isobel has some words of advice for aspiring writers - no matter their age. "Read!" she says. "Sign up to join book clubs and creative writing workshops. Keep a diary. And always set aside time to write every single day."
janice@khaleejtimes.com