Writing from experience

AUTHOR Rudy Imran Shamsuddin explores the life of a celebrity model and an actress in his first novel Menangkah Cinta?
Rudy says he drew inspiration for this novel from his 22 years as an entertainment journalist. "I put down what I'd heard and seen in the entertainment scene." The 42-year-old, who writes under the pen-name Iman Imran, adds that the protagonist, Marissa, is a combination of many personalities from the entertainment industry.
"I have [also] taken lots of liberties with my [story] by adding lots of fictional [elements]."
Menangkah Cinta? is about a young girl named Marissa, who becomes the main breadwinner in her family after the death of her father.
Using her beauty, she joins the world of modelling and slowly, establishes herself as an actress. She also finds love with a businessman named Saiful Adly.

Dasha, a new model in the industry, becomes envious of Marissa's success and happiness. She plots Marissa's downfall, and even intends to seduce Saiful away from her.
When asked what is the message in his novel, Rudy says: "We always assume that a celebrity's life is beautiful and glamorous. My novel shows that this is not always the case.
"Like any normal human being, a celebrity also goes through painful and difficult moments."
The other message in his novel is that if you love someone wholeheartedly and are willing to sacrifice for the person, then your love will triumph.
There are also plans to turn his novel into a television series before the end of the year.
Rudy, who is currently working with a Malay daily and is also an award-winning lyricist, hopes that his book's adaptation into a TV series will see an increase in the sales of the novel.
Rudy himself has written scripts for at least 12 TV series. But he has no plans to write one for his own novel.
"I am curious to see how a scriptwriter will interpret my novel," he adds.
Like most authors, Rudy started off as an ardent reader when he was a young boy. He loved reading the short stories that appeared in the literature magazine, Dewan Siswa.
"Most students read Dewan Siswa because they want to improve their Bahasa Malaysia," he says. "But not me.
"I read Dewan Siswa because I was amazed at how the writers could come up with such stories. I was always impressed by their imagination."
He adds that as a reporter, he gets to see people from a different angle. "That gives you an advantage, and creates an interest in you to write fiction."
Rudy points out that even National Laureates like A. Samad Said and Usman Awang dabbled in the world of fiction.
As for his favourite local author, Rudy names fellow journalist-turned-novelist Lily Haslina Nasir, while his favourite international author is John Grisham.
"Haslina can write stories that will touch your heart, while Grisham's novels are always a page turner," he says.
He admits that writing a novel is not an easy task. "You have to stick with one story for a long time, and that can be difficult," he says.
"It took me four months to complete this novel. But when you finally hold your book in your hand, you can proudly say, 'Oh My God, I have done it'!"
When asked what advice he would give to a budding novelist, he says: "Write every day. If you cannot finish one chapter, then, at least finish half a chapter, [like the] Malay proverb that says 'sehari selembar benang, lama lama jadi kain' (little by little, a little makes a lot)."
Even on the days he suffered from writer's block, Rudy forced himself to sit in front of his laptop.
"You will feel restless and you will be fidgeting in your chair," he says. "But slowly, inspiration will come, and words will begin to form on your laptop."