In 2019, the book was themed “Kuala Lumpur” and featured stories about characters living in the capital. It proved to be a challenge for the writers and pushed them out of their comfort zones because their media consumption, be it books, music or movies, has largely been westernised.
Most were not familiar with describing Malaysians and local settings. However, they rose to the occasion and did their research, some even going into parts of Kuala Lumpur they had never been before just so they would be able to describe them.

This programme may have started out merely to encourage writing in the young, but it has developed into so much more. The writers have learnt about collaboration and the process of enhancing their work. They found out that a story can be massaged until it is ready to be presented to the public. Most importantly, they learnt that they can employ their talents to help the community and make a difference in the lives of others.

While seven months were spent in class learning about descriptions, dialogue, drama and other writing elements, a further month or so was spent working with me through email. The online work was crucial in putting the book together, because this is where the writers learnt how to
patch plot holes, so that everything would make sense. I see great potential in each of the 20 youngsters in this year’s JWP. They have picked up the skill of storytelling. If they choose to go all the way in writing fiction or venture into any other field, this skill will give them a leg up in their chosen profession. The learning curve was steep yet all of them stayed the course. The stories here are immersive and some even belie the age of the writers.