Alexandra Wong is an Ipoh-born, internationally published journalist and author best-known for her heart-warming stories about the Malaysian experience, some of which were compiled into the best-selling book Made in Malaysia: Hometown Heroes and Hidden Gems. She was the principal writer and researcher for Beauty is More than Skin Deep, the biography of Dr Madhuri Majumder, Malaysia’s first woman dermatologist. For her other works, check out www.bunnysprints.com
Judge’s Tips:
- Be original. It’s tempting to play it safe, especially in competitions, by regurgitating formulaic ideas that are “inspired” by oast winning essays, but nothing is more attractive than a writer who has a voice of her own and fresh ideas.
- Try writing your first draft in one sitting – then edit like crazy. There is nothing more powerful than the adrenalin-fuelled rush of a first draft written in one sitting because that’s when your rawest emotions and thoughts come to the fore. After that, make sure you edit it because that first draft is usually full of mistakes and needs lots of improvement!
- Before hitting publish or send, show your work to an objective reviewer. By this, I mean a friend or family member whom you can trust to be honest yet tactful and can offer constructive criticism without scarring you emotionally for life! You may not take every piece of feedback, but a second pair of eyes always helps.