Final-year medical student embraces creative writing

May 18, 2014 News

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…gets first book published through Caribbean Press

By Sharmain Grainger

While some may be torn between pursuing a career in medicine or dabbling in the art of writing, there is one young man who has easily held down both endeavours. At just 22 years of age, Andrew Hutson is currently in his final year of the Medicine Programme at the University of Guyana and has simultaneously published his first book, even as he puts thoughtful efforts into penning more.

Although his gravitation to the field of Medicine occurred over time, Hutson recounted that his passion for writing started while he was yet a student of The Bishops’ High School. In fact his passion to put his creative writing to the test was on par with his obsession for reading stimulating novels.
However, his writing enthusiasm would burgeon by the time he entered Sixth Form at Queen’s College when he found himself in a peculiar situation.
Hutson, in a recent conversation, recalled that around this time his girlfriend had left for Cuba to undertake studies leaving him in “a little bit of a haze.” As a means of escape he would plunge himself into writing each opportunity he got.
Before long he had completed his first manuscript which he entitled ‘Walking Along Dream Street’. It amounted to about 67,000 words but somehow he just wasn’t satisfied that it was ideally completed.
“I read and re-read it and realised I didn’t like how it was written…so I decided to read a few more novels; a lot more novels actually,” recalled Hutson.
Some of the novels he delved into were ‘Cold Mountain’ by Charles Frazier and a whole lot of V. S. Naipaul’s work, in order to conceptualise a Caribbean twist for the book he was struggling to complete.  And it was while curiously flipping through the pages of Naipaul’s Miguel Street that Hutson would come up with the idea for a whole new book idea.
This time he was going to put his all into writing ‘My Father’s Wish’, a publication he was only this year able to publish through the Caribbean Press.
Although fictional, two of the main characters in the book were inspired by yet another girlfriend of his, and his mother, Joy Jennifer Ming. But of course you would have to read this masterpiece for yourself to learn of the intriguing plot, since the focus today is not to analyse the publication but rather to highlight the ambitious strides of a blossoming young writer.
Hutson recounted how with excitement he started his book but soon was reined-in by the realisation that it was no ‘walk in the park’.
“When you start writing, you start with a theme…you write one chapter, probably two, and then it gets a bit confusing because you want to know how you are going to intermingle these stories and get the thought that you want out…”
In about a year, Hutson had completed 14 chapters, but was quite overwhelmed with thoughts of not being able to complete an entire book. So frustrated he was that for a period he simply “tossed it aside.”
He eventually mustered-up enough courage to return his focus to the book and completed 10 additional chapters, signalling its completion.
“I read a whole lot of books in-between to get an idea of how to intermingle the characters and it eventually worked out,” Hutson recalled.
The book started in 2012 and was completed last year. When he wasn’t studying Hutson was engrossed in his writing.
“Sometimes just to kill time after I finished reading in the night I was writing…My plan was to do a chapter a day or a bit more, but sometimes it didn’t work out that way…”
By the time he completed the final line of his book, Hutson was soon perusing the internet to find possible publishers. He eventually came into contact with renowned Guyana-born academic Dr David Dabydeen, who not only expertly critiqued his work but also helped him access the Caribbean Press.
“He (Dr Dabydeen) was so happy to read my work; he said ‘send it through right away I would be glad to have a look’ and he did just that…He read it line by line and made suggestions about what I should change here and there and what would be better,” Hutson said.
After his work was refined it was further critiqued by a Caribbean Press Committee including Dr Dabydeen and Dr Lynne Macedo, both of whom agreed that it was publishable; but not without a cover illustration.

Moreover, Hutson solicited the help of close friend, Omesh Balmacoon, who wasted no time in utilising his artistic ability to design an intellectually appropriate image.
The actual publication of the book was completed 10 months later, allaying all the anxiety that had overcome Hutson as he waited in anticipation to see the finished product.
Hutson’s book is dedicated to his mother, who he resides with at Austin Place, Stabroek, Georgetown,  along with his three brothers.
Meanwhile, Hutson has in mind a whole other idea for his first manuscript which he plans on re-writing with a view of making it more descriptive and in-depth.
“I want to write it mostly about my mother; so I am going to review some things she has been through; I am going to speak to her a bit more and I want it to be at least 100,000 words because it must tell a total story.”
He has also written about four other manuscripts which he hopes to eventually have published.
According to Hutson, writing to him is more of a comforting hobby and not work. “I don’t really care about money so if I can write something that affects one person I am happy enough,” he confided.
Moreover, the simple, fun-loving young man noted that his continued writing will certainly not be merely focused on the Caribbean but even further afield.
“We can’t just focus on the Caribbean, we have the whole world to worry about; and somebody has to worry about the world.”
And it was this very level of worry that saw Hutson embracing the field of Medicine.  According to him “in the event that one of my family members becomes sick, I would like to be an active participant in helping them, rather than to be standing on the sidelines…More important than anything is family,” he confidently asserted.
Even as he balances his studies with his writing enthusiasm, Hutson has dared to enter the competitive writing arena through the inaugural 2014 Walter Rodney Creative Writing Short Story Competition.  The Competition entailed two aspects – Short Story and Poetry – with Hutson opting for the former.
His entry piece was a rather humorous piece entitled ‘The English Man’, which interestingly enough incorporated a touch of racism, but in quite an innovative way.
“Most people think that you would like to have a fair complexion to be more attractive, but my story highlights how having a dark complexion could be more attractive,” Hutson explained.
Moreover, an entire community, conceptualised by Hutson, were doing just about everything possible in order to impress a persona that they all were convinced was an ‘English Man’.
Although his work was not the most outstanding entry, it was certainly good enough to be selected among the ‘Special Mentions’, even earning him a certificate and monetary award.

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