by S H Israel

EXPLORING DIFFERENT AVENUES OF WRITING BECAUSE WRITING AS A CAREER CAN BE MORE. 

Today we had the privilege of listening to a talk by Yen Ooi, a notable narrative director, writer and editor—whose catalogue of work explores cultural storytelling and its impact on identity. She’s a science fiction fanatic who unearths stories exposing and exploring the variations of culture between genres. Yen is an author of profound works such as ‘Rén: The Ancient Chinese Art of Finding Peace and Fulfilment’, ‘Sun: Queens of Earth’ (novel) and ‘A Suspicious Collection of Short Stories and Poetry’ (collection) and she is also a narrative designer on ‘Road to Guangdong’.  

As a person who has only understood writing (as a career) to be limited to specific roles in which one can succeed, this talk with Yen has expanded my perception as to what is possible. Typically, when people ask me what I’m studying these are the responses they dart at my ego; ‘Oh you want to be a teacher, then?’ or personal favourite ‘A writer?! They don’t make much do they?’. 

What Yen did with this talk not only gave us a portal into what is possible for writers, but she also shared a life-changing revelation; if there is something you want to see, create it. 

Yen disclosed the two things she did when she decided that she wanted to be a writer; first, she joined an online writing course run by Oxford University and second, she created a website where she could share her short stories and other pieces of writing. This eventually led to her pursuing a master’s degree in English Literature at the University of Westminster. She stated that this enabled her to explore how “literature and stories come about in a specific time and space and culture” which helped in shaping her focus on the practical aspect of writing, in terms of skills, genre, etc. Moreover, she lists the practical things she did to push start her career, she volunteered, sought internships and other entry-level work in publishing. Yen credits ‘The Literary Consultancy’ (where she began as an intern, shadowing some of the managers) which helped to give her a practical framework for the business of writing.  

The scope of her career expanded when she collaborated with a friend on a trans media story *(is a narrative structure that breaks through both language and media) and mobile games. She explained that writing for games taught her the importance of timing, the quality of your writing, the platform and whether your audience is aware and involved.  

Listening to Yen share the early parts of her career whether it’s her starting out living in Japan where she joined the online writing class or pursuing her master’s degree, collaborating with a friend on writing for mobile games, to being a managing director in publishing, to publishing her novels, short stories and now pursuing a PhD exploring ‘East and South-East Asian Culture Identity and Values, her ever-expanding career incites both pride and jealousy. 

What is very clear is this: Yen is an exemplary writer who has forged her path within the field of writing and applied her talents through different mediums.  

This was not a simple talk about Yens’ career and consequently her successes, no this was a discussion of what is possible. 

To keep abreast of the exciting works by Yen Ooi then, please check out her website and Instagram! https://www.yenooi.com/ https://www.instagram.com/yenooi/?hl=en