After establishing her literary career, Liz Fenwick decided to give something back.
The author of a series of romance novels set in the English county of Cornwall – her fourth, Under a Cornish Sky, was released in May – she wants to mentor an aspiring female Emirati novelist.
As part of a programme run by The Emirates Literature Foundation, the team behind the Emirates Airline Festival of Literature, Fenwick aims to guide a candidate in her writing journey.
“Many of the novels set in the Emirates are written by expats,” she says, “but there are not enough stories in the English language about Emirati life. It’s going to be immensely hard work for the eventual winner – but I’m here for them.”
The recipient of the mentorship position will be decided through a competition. Candidates have to submit online a 2,000-word beginning of their novel online, along with a brief synopsis and the theme of the book, before November 30.
A shortlist will be drawn up and the winner will be announced by January.
With no set duration, the mentorship tenure will continue as long as it is deemed beneficial.
“I want to see the quality of writing, and people thinking about the big picture, hence writing the synopsis and tag line of the book,” Fenwick says, regarding what she will be looking for in the submissions.
“I am not promising that it will end in publication, but I will be there during the process and look at the commercial aspects of the book. I want something that is local and, at the same time, exceedingly universal in a way that it can appeal to everyone.”
Fenwick’s advice during the mentorship will come from her own experience and struggles as an author.
A serial expat, Fenwick has followed her husband – who works in the oil and gas industry – around the world, living in nearly a dozen countries.
Her 11 years in Dubai were divided into two stints – the first of which was from 2001 to 2004. She now divides her time between the emirate and Cornwall.
She credits her UAE stay – in particular hearing British novelist Kate Mosse speak during the inaugural 2009 Emirates Airline Festival of Literature – with helping her to find her literary voice.
“She said you don’t have to be the writer you are as a reader,” says Fenwick. “That’s a kind of a funny concept, because when you are a new writer trying to find your voice it is really a game of exploration.
“I am a very positive person and quite light – but with each book that I wrote, I found myself getting darker than I anticipated.
“I learnt to read anything I want, but at the same time, know that I can follow my own voice as a writer – and that’s something each author has to find in their own journey.”
• For more information about the Emirates Literature Foundation Mentorship Programme, visit www.diwc.ae
sasaeed@thenational.ae
