CAN the recession spur Singapore to produce an author with the magic touch of the creator of the hit series, Harry Potter?

Perhaps it can, if a broke professional out there does something about his or her long-held dream to write a book.

That is the view of Ms Irene Ng, Member of Parliament for Tampines GRC.

After all, that's how J K Rowling got started, noted Ms Ng. Rowling finished her first novel while out of a job and struggling to make ends meet as a divorced, single mother with an infant daughter to take care of in a tiny public housing flat.

'While her baby slept, she began to write her book,' said Ms Ng. 'But she could not get by, so she applied for a writer's bursary from the Arts Council where she stayed and although she was not a published author, no track record to speak of in writing, she received financial support to write her book.'

The Harry Potter series made Rowling a multi-millionaire.

Can this fairy-tale ending be re-enacted in Singapore?

'I am not sure, but chances are, if Rowling is a Singaporean and were to live in Singapore, we would have sent her to a CDC for public assistance for being a divorced single mother, encourage her to get a job and say, do not be choosy,' said Ms Ng.

'But then again, perhaps she might have signed up for the First Time Writers and Publishing Initiative.'

This initiative offers practical assistance to help aspiring authors get their stories published and also read by a wider audience.

Indeed, the organisers of the initiative - Media Development Authority and the National Book Development Council of Singapore - want to bring Singapore writing to the world.

The initiative has already produced results, in the area of children's books. Ms Lee Jin Pyn, a recipient of the 2006 award, has sold the international English language rights of her work, The Elephant and the Tree, to Running Press, one of America's largest independent publishers.

Ms Adeline Foo, another recipient of the 2006 award, has since expanded her maiden work Ben's Friends from the Rainforest to produce a series of four books.

Animated series

And the recipient of the 2007 award, Emily Lim's Prince Bear & Pauper Bear, is the first in South-east Asia to win the Independent Publisher's Book Awards. Her book won the award alongside Lerner Publishing, one of the largest independent presses in the US.

Some of the stories produced through this initiative will be brought to life in a 2D animated series, Tales Alive, by top local animation studio Peach Blossom Media.

'We are going through the worst recession since our independence. I am sure book publishing and sales will be affected by this. However, the investment in writers should not only continue but be stepped up. We should also support publishers, especially independent ones willing to take a risk with new writers,' said Ms Ng.

She was speaking at the book launch of the third edition of the First Time Writers and Illustrators Publishing Initiative at the National Library last Wednesday . The event was co-organised by the Straits Times Press, which will publish the books.

Ms Ng revealed that she is also writing a book.

'It is a biography on S Rajaratnam. Although it is written for the masses, it is published by ISEAS (Institute of Southeast Asian Studies), an academic institution.

'Why did I choose ISEAS? Because it has a director, (Mr K) Kesavapany, who believed in me and is willing to take a leap of faith with me.'

Ms Ng added that since February, she has become a 'full-time' Writer-in-Residence at ISEAS.

'I had found it hard to juggle two full-time jobs - one at NTUC, and another as MP - and at the same time, write a book.

'I think I am the first MP in Singapore who has 'writer' as a job designation.'

The book will be launched later this year.

This article was first published in The New Paper.