Several weeks ago I finished reading a collection of Short Stories by British writer Roald Dahl. This is the guy who wrote children's classics Charlie and The Chocolate Factory and the Fantastic Mr Fox.
I never knew he had plenty of adult stories until I read his collection of short stories entitled 'The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar'. This was the book which prevented me from going to Penang many times. My close friends know that I'd take every chance during my off days to drive to Penang, either to shop, drink Starbucks coffee or simply "kneed tired muscles".
I don't know what came over me, but every time I read this book I was hooked! I couldn't stop reading the stories. The stories became more interesting as I read it. The best was definitely The Henry Sugar story which is about a guy who acquires an ability to read through playing cards. After reading Henry Sugar I was like " Whoah..." I felt all tingly inside, the same feeling I get after I watched a good movie.
Then Dahl wrote a autobiography-like story called 'Lucky Break---How I Became a Writer'. In tehfirst part of the story Dahl outlines what it takes to be a good fiction writer. Among the criteria he says are good imagination, and ability to make a scene come alive in the reader's mind. I'll never forget what he wrote about this: "Not every body has this ability. It's a gift, and either you have or you don't." Wah gitu....
In most parts of the story, Dahl rambled on about his school days and the time he was introduced to English Literature. Then he goes on about his experience in World War II. His big break came after the war when he was stationed at the British Embassy in Washington DC. He was sitting in his office one day doing nothing when in walks famous writer C. S. Forester. He wanted to interview Dahl about his experience during the war.
Dahl was surprised at the ordinary-ness of Forester. He expected the famous writer to have "sparks coming out of his head".
What I took from this story was how details play a big role in a writer's job. There's this one paragraph in the story where Forester asked Dahl to write about his experience during the war so that Forester could write a story for a magazine. The two were in a fancy restaurant trying to get interview
(to be continued)
There's a line from a story written by Roald Dahl called 'Lucky Break'.
I never knew he had plenty of adult stories until I read his collection of short stories entitled 'The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar'. This was the book which prevented me from going to Penang many times. My close friends know that I'd take every chance during my off days to drive to Penang, either to shop, drink Starbucks coffee or simply "kneed tired muscles".
I don't know what came over me, but every time I read this book I was hooked! I couldn't stop reading the stories. The stories became more interesting as I read it. The best was definitely The Henry Sugar story which is about a guy who acquires an ability to read through playing cards. After reading Henry Sugar I was like " Whoah..." I felt all tingly inside, the same feeling I get after I watched a good movie.
Then Dahl wrote a autobiography-like story called 'Lucky Break---How I Became a Writer'. In tehfirst part of the story Dahl outlines what it takes to be a good fiction writer. Among the criteria he says are good imagination, and ability to make a scene come alive in the reader's mind. I'll never forget what he wrote about this: "Not every body has this ability. It's a gift, and either you have or you don't." Wah gitu....
In most parts of the story, Dahl rambled on about his school days and the time he was introduced to English Literature. Then he goes on about his experience in World War II. His big break came after the war when he was stationed at the British Embassy in Washington DC. He was sitting in his office one day doing nothing when in walks famous writer C. S. Forester. He wanted to interview Dahl about his experience during the war.
Dahl was surprised at the ordinary-ness of Forester. He expected the famous writer to have "sparks coming out of his head".
What I took from this story was how details play a big role in a writer's job. There's this one paragraph in the story where Forester asked Dahl to write about his experience during the war so that Forester could write a story for a magazine. The two were in a fancy restaurant trying to get interview
(to be continued)
There's a line from a story written by Roald Dahl called 'Lucky Break'.
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