Debra Li

debra_lidan@163.com

TWENTY recruits, chosen out of nearly 50 who submitted their creative writing works to a government-subsidized writer-fostering camp, gathered with their tutors at a ceremony Sunday in Longhua District to mark the opening of the program.

The lucky 20 will sit through lectures given by established authors, literature critics and literary journal editors in the first phase of the program, and have their works revised with the help of 11 professional authors — among them Qiu Huadong, Yang Zhengguang and Deng Yiguang — in the second phase.

Endorsed by nine renowned Chinese literary journals, including Shiyue (October), Shouhuo (Harvest) and Dangdai (Contemporary Literature), the Shenzhen City Creative Writing Camp enlists potential young writers with new works in categories of city life-themed short stories, poetry and prose with specific themes.

“Creative writing has been a popular major in universities in many countries, but it’s fairly new in China,” explained Yang, an established writer and scriptwriter. “Peking University, Fudan University, Renmin University and Northwestern University in Shaanxi Province have all started to offer training in this subject in recent years.”

Unlike academic, journalistic and technical writing, creative writing is typically characterized by an emphasis on narrative craft, character development, and the use of literary or poetic devices. Although a good writer cannot actually be taught, in Yang’s opinion, there are certain techniques and ways to find one’s own unique voice that established authors can share with aspiring writers.

Chen Mo, one of the 20 recruits, said she appreciates this opportunity to learn from the tutors and exchange with fellow writers.

“For me, writing is a way of living and a dialogue with my inner self. You have to be self-aware enough to write creatively. With a curiosity for exploring life and awareness of your honest reactions to life in the first place, you also have to work like a craftsman to polish those ideas.”

Nie Xiongqian, editor-in-chief of Shenzhen Publishing Group, which organized the camp, wished the aspiring writers a good start.

“To create literary works, one needs to harbor a childlike curiosity and a non-compromising passion. The curiosity will help you discover things worthy of writing, and the passion will carry you on through the long, demanding and tedious process of actually writing them down.

“That said, you will harvest joy in the process. I wish you all can experience the joy of literary creation during this camp,” he said.