Writing about ourselves can be challenging. How do we reconcile the vulnerability we feel about pouring our hearts out on the page with our desire to tell our story? For this month’s Personal Narrative Competition we’re asking you to open up and invite your readers into a scene from your life using rich descriptions, dynamic characters, conflict, and scene. Read on for writer and guest judge Wesley Leon Aroozoo’s tips for writing an essay that “push(es) the expectations of storytelling.”
You’re also a film writer and director. Can you tell us a bit about your decision to switch mediums and write your recently published book, I Want to Go Home?
I love the art of moving images, but writing has always been a form that has fascinated me. I love writing be it for the stage, for the screen, literary arts or even for an online article. My guess is that one of the reasons why I’m so fascinated by it is because it’s a form that challenges me the most. And the idea of failure pushes me to take on the literary arts.
After sometime communicating with Mr. Takamatsu [editor’s note: the person Wesley is writing about in I Want to Go Home], I felt a great need to share his story with more people on a wider platform. His story was on a news article but I felt that it came and went in a blink.
I wanted to share his story with more people as I hope to inspire people with his story just as how he has inspired me greatly. The form of a novel felt like a good form to tell his story. It allows the reader a ‘personal safe space’ with Mr. Takamatsu’s story.
What were some of the challenges of writing about your own experiences for an outside audience?
The main challenge was mainly in the form of finding the right balance of having my experience intertwine with Mr. Takamatsu’s. Another worry I had was whether my experiences would be a suitable point of exploration for the reader. Would the reader be able to relate to my experiences or would it be a distraction?
These were the challenges I struggled with.
What advice would you give to writers who don’t feel as though they have anything compelling to share in their personal narrative essays?
I feel that everyone has a story to share. Although, some stories are more intriguing than others. My advice to writers who don’t feel confident with their material is to share the story with someone. Notice their reaction to your story and how they feel about it. Look at your story and go back to the basics of storytelling. Why do we tell stories? What makes a story interesting? What makes a story relatable?
What are some of your favorite personal narrative essays?
I enjoy the writings of Jeremy Fernando, a talented writer and thinker in Singapore. I also love poems by Singaporean poets, Cyril Wong and Marc Nair. Recently, I read Rainbirds by Clarissa Goenawan and that was fantastic too.
What are you looking for in a winning entry?
I am looking for a story that will catch my attention by the first paragraph or two. I am hoping for interesting premises that are not convoluted and a direction that is focused. Pushing the expectations of storytelling is always a bonus too!
