Budding scribes unite to get the write advice

Writers in the Emirates find it difficult to get works published. However, a new joint initiative has been mooted that could change that.

Dedra Stevenson, the founder of Emirates Litarary Group, says people just need a good idea to write a book or poem.

DUBAI // Aspiring writers might soon have a better forum to explore their talents and get their work published.

The Dubai Writers' Group and the Emirates Literary Group are contemplating a merger that would allow members from both groups to attend each others' meetings.

"We have about 20 members in our group now and we are wanting to focus our efforts to help people get published," said Dedra Stevenson, the American-Emirati president of the Emirates Literary Group and author of the Hakima's Tale trilogy of children's fantasy books.

The books, published in 2007, 2009 and 2010, follow the adventures of Phoenix Kassim, a young Arab-American woman, as she struggles to defend the Earth against the evil Jinn.

"There is so much talent in this country but it's not finding its way out and that is what we want to achieve," she said.

The Emirates Literary Group aims to help budding writers find publishers and provide a platform to exchange information.

They meet once a month at JamJar, in Al Quoz, Dubai, where advice is offered and invited speakers listened to.

"The aim is to get someone to talk about different topics at each meeting to look at things like self-publishing, artwork, photos and book jackets," Mrs Stevenson said.

"People have this idea that they just need to have a good idea to write a book or poetry but it's more complicated than that.

"If you want to get published then you have to look at the business side of things, and we have a few published writers in our group who can impart their experience and advice."

While the group's membership is made up of a mix of nationalities, Mrs Stevenson wants to encourage more Emiratis to attend.

Kurt Frenier, a Belgium expatriate and member of the Emirates Literary Group, has had two children's books published in the US and two others went into print in the Netherlands.

"I went through a joint-publishing company in the US where myself and the publisher paid the costs," he said.

"If you are a writer in Dubai, or the UAE in general, it can be very difficult to get published, so groups like this are invaluable.

"For me this is my passion and most of my spare time is devoted to this hobby. I just enjoy writing and this group helps push people in the right direction if that is what they want to do."

By joining forces, the two groups hope to share their respective knowledge.

"The Dubai Writers' Group is more focused on teaching people how to write, and ours is to advise people more on the business side of things," said Veronique Davidson, from France, who is the group's vice-president.

She said the aim of the Emirates Literary Group is to get more writers published.

"In our future meetings we are looking to have literary agents and graphic designers come in to talk about their fields of expertise."

Briton Will Rankin, who took over running the Dubai Writers' Group in February, said the two groups would work well with one another.

"We have some 822 members registered with us and I want to start doing monthly meetings where we can talk about the craft of writing," he said.

His group is on the hunt for a regular venue - and sponsors to cover the cost of hiring it. Without that, he said, it might have to start charging members.

"We held a short-story competition a few weeks ago and the response we got was fantastic. We got entries on topics from everything from gender politics to science fiction.

"There is real writing talent in this country but many people are not sure how to take their passion and turn it into a business."

For details visit http://elg.groupsite.com/main/summary or http://www.meetup.com/dubaiwriters