Author turned down scholarship to be better writer
Author Sebastian Sim won his first literary award after 35 years of writing
When he was 17, Mr Sebastian Sim had his life planned out for him.
He was studying at Hwa Chong Junior College and was on the Public Service Commission scholarship. A year before his A levels, he gave up his scholarship.
Mr Sim turned down his place at the National University of Singapore's Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences after his National Service to take on several jobs and be an author.
After 35 years of writing, Mr Sim, 52, won his first award at the Epigram Books Fiction Prize 2017 last year for his book The Riot Act.
On his decision to forego his scholarship and chance at university, he told The New Paper last Wednesday: "I saw myself 20 years down the road as someone who is financially secure. But that person will be less likely to take risks and write, with no assurance that it will eventually get published."
Over the past 31 years, Mr Sim has held nine different jobs - from a waiter at an Italian restaurant to a casino croupier and a prison warden. He is currently an office executive at a statutory board.
He said: "If I do what everybody else does, I wouldn't have many stories to tell. I need to do something different."
Mr Sim's jobs have led him to meet many different people who act as inspiration for his books. He spent one year working on The Riot Act.
Published by Epigram Books, The Riot Act tells the story of three women and their responses to the 2013 Little India riots.
Mr Sim has also published three Chinese novels and another English novel, Let's Give it Up for Gimme Lao. He is currently working on his third English novel.
Although it took a long time for Mr Sim's family to come to terms with his career choice, he has no regrets.
"Some of my friends are quite successful. But when I look at them, I realised that I am not jealous of what they have achieved. As long as you are clear on what you want in life, and you achieve it, that's your goal. There is no one correct path for everybody."
The Riot Act is available at bookstores at $26.64 inclusive of GST.
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