The Art of Writing a Story

by Low Kay Hwa

Want to learn how to create convincing characters? Want to understand the key elements of a story?Low Kay Hwa is a Singapore best-selling award-winning author, having published twelve novels. His novels have reached the bestsellers lists in both bookstore chains and national newspaper, and also in several international e-vendors bestsellers lists.Learn the basics of writing a story from someone who writes stories for a living now!

Genres: Writing, Nonfiction

24 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 26, 2014

About the author

Low Kay Hwa, born in 1985, is the youngest bestselling author in Singapore, having been on many Singapore bestsellers lists (major bookstores and national newspapers) together with international authors like Jodi Picoult and Nicholas Sparks. In his country, he is the only local writer to have entered the list for years.

In 2012, he has over 117,000 "Likes" in his Facebook Page and over 10,000 double opt-in subscribers. He is often invited to schools to give talks and is a mentor to many aspiring authors.

He has been writing since seven and published his first novel when he was seventeen. He is currently pursuing a B.A. (Honours) in English Language and Literature, and will be getting his M.A. in English by 2015.

Low Kay Hwa prefers to keep a low profile (in his words, "Let my books do the talking"), and therefore does not show his face online except for newspaper and magazine articles. His books are often sleeper hits; they usually stay in the normal bookstores shelves for one to two months before reaching the bestsellers lists through positive word-of-mouth marketing by his readers.

Reviews

[Matt · Rating 3 out of 5]

simple, easy and easy to follow but not too informative. Hate to say it but it sounded like the author wrote this, in part, to plug his novel backlist.

[Lydia Willcock · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating: 4.5 stars

I would highly recommend this book for anyone just beginning to write. It is a short, easy read that presents the basics of writing in a clear, concise way.

[Angela Maher · Rating 2 out of 5]

A brief outline of the basics of good story writing. Suitable for a beginner, or for a fan of the author who is also interested in writing. Although short, it didn't really hold my interest.

[Athena Greek · Rating 3 out of 5]

For me it was more an introduction to writing a novel or short story more than anything. A quick read, but not exactly what I was searching for.

[Aimee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok

This book was very straightforward. Most of the information was not applicable to me, so it wasn't very helpful. I also disagreed with part of it on revising and editing. But that's the author's method and it works for him. This is good if you have no idea where to start writing, but I've been writing, if not consistently, for years, so it felt a little underwhelming.

[Renae Rogers · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't know that this book told me anything I didn't already really know. Quick, simple read.

[Andrew Gagne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book. The author is very strait foward about the importance points on writing a story. Plus the book is real easy to read.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Seemed focused more on selling her books ‘as examples’ rather than helping people write

[D. Darko · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad

If you are just starting out, this is a nice introduction. He covers most areas, and is nicely written, clear and on point.

[Reginald Detabali · Rating 4 out of 5]

Basic yet profound piece of art! Goodread!

[Scott Whitney · Rating 4 out of 5]

I picked up this book to prepare my lessons for a creative writing course. At first, I thought this would be more trite information which I already teach to my general education classes about understanding fiction. The first chapter dealt mainly with such topics as plot, tone, characterization and on and on. The author also referred to his own books a lot without giving many examples within this book. I then came to chapter two where he talks about the writing process and the third chapter where he talks about what it takes to be a writer. These two chapters are much better than the first. I will be using this information in my classes.

[Pat Stanford · Rating 2 out of 5]

Basic

This is a very basic book, meant only for newcomers to writing.
It is also blatant self promotion. He lists his books but also mentions them with links to buy them. His short story at the beginning is pretty bad, with incredible overuse of the word "promise". He tells you what the short story is about because I can guarantee that you will quit read it.
For an extreme newbie, it has basic info and for that I give it two stars.

[J.E. Grace · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Art of Writing a Story by Low Kay Hwa was an interesting read. He covers several key elements every story needs to have and does it in such a way that it is easier to understand. The section on POV was good and he finishes up with what it really takes to be a novelist. I would recommend this for the author who is just starting out.

[Petite · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good advice and suggestions.

I will definitely try this method of discipline on daily writing . Very impressive, very smart young man.
I chose to read this book because of the title, I was seeking tips on writing to better myself as a writer.
I would suggest that it has good information for those that are beginner writers as myself.

[Elizabeth Houseman · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book was almost completely self-promotion. Some of the writing information wasn't necessarily wrong, but it wasn't presented well, and wasn't helpful. There were also wide (incorrect) statements such as: If you don't plan every scene of your book before you write it, you can't be a successful writer.

[steve strader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Simple

Cant beat a free hand book, Simple yet informative approach to writing and or getting yourself into that mode. Check it out!

[Almudena Aguirre · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really like it!

It goes straight to the point. Very useful for people who want to start writing. A lot of good advice.

[Danielle Cuddy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay

Would recommend this only if it is for a quick read for one more perspective and still offered for free.