Every week, Talking Points gives you a worksheet to practise your reading comprehension with exercises about the story we’ve written.
In the corner of a Mong Kok bookstore, a group of strangers sits together to discuss modernism.
“Do you know what the definition of ‘modern’ is?” Jerry Pun asks.
He runs these classes, which are part of Little DooDoo. Pun founded the literary organisation to encourage wider appreciation for creative writing in Hong Kong.
A few people exchange glances, unsure how to answer. Pun lets the question linger, then dives into the works of writer and novelist Franz Kafka – pushing attendees to reflect on the absurdity and alienation of modern society.
Most of these sessions begin not with a lecture but with a question intended to spark curiosity. Since 2021, Little DooDoo has regularly organised public writing classes covering Chinese and global authors, as well as school workshops that teach pupils devices and techniques from metaphors to character building.
But Pun, 26, did not grow up with plans to become a writer: “As a child, I preferred reading history and philosophy books. I wasn’t very interested in literature.”
Like many students, he once saw writing mainly as something done in exams, with specific formats, structures and styles. That changed during his first year at university when he took a creative writing course.
“[The course] made me realise that there is a type of writing where you don’t need to care so much about grades [and] right and wrong,” Pun said. “There is so much space to express yourself.”
Taking the plunge
Pun graduated from Baptist University with a degree in creative and professional writing. Not long after, in 2021, he and his friends decided to create an Instagram page to introduce literature to Hongkongers – Little DooDoo.
The page grew. When a university professor invited them to run public creative writing classes as part of a research project, Pun and his friends realised the power of this art form.
They began designing their own writing workshops. Now, Pun leads Little DooDoo’s classes when he is not working as a private tutor and a part-time lecturer for the Hong Kong College of Technology’s Applied Learning programme.
Literature and expression
For Pun, writing is more than storytelling – it is a way to better understand his own personal experiences.
He cited several authors who inspire him to delve deep, including Nobel Prize-winning Chinese novelist Mo Yan, known for writing about his hometown and childhood, and surrealist writer André Breton, whose works explored dreams and the subconscious.
Pun recalled writing about his childhood in Tin Shui Wai, a residential area in the northwestern New Territories near Yuen Long.
Initially, the memories did not seem important, but as Pun began writing, he started to examine moments with more care.
“I had to ask myself why I remember those things from my childhood. What do these memories mean to me?” he said.
Through writing, he started to view his past and present differently.
“This process forced me to think about what I was like as a child and how I now view that child,” he explained.
Pun added that our thoughts could disappear if we do not note them down and develop them.
“If I write a story or a piece, it seems to help me preserve that idea … finding [out] why I think this way or if there are other things that can link to it,” he said.
Making writing accessible
Pun wants to make writing feel less intimidating, especially for students. He recalled teaching a Form Four student who had grown up in different cities and struggled with writing in Chinese. To help, he introduced her to Chinese writer and scholar Yu Qiuyu. Yu’s writing about travel, culture, and nostalgia resonated with the student.
Pun said that once the student connected with Yu’s works and felt the author described her own feelings, she applied that writing technique to express herself.
For a more complete experience, Pun combines reading and writing in his classes.
He details an author’s background and analyses passages. Then, participants try their hand at writing, using literary techniques and themes they have just discussed and explored. This process helps his students better understand how and why authors write, not just their words and works.
Writing as an art form
While he does not oppose artificial intelligence (AI), Pun said he noticed more students relying on the technology to generate text for assignments.
But if students don’t understand the topics, “I think AI makes many skip the thinking process,” Pun said.
He noted that strong writing skills were still needed in crafting AI prompts.
Writing is not just about the final product, Pun said, but the entire process from initial idea to understanding emotions and organising thoughts.
“AI can make more perfect, flawless, structured articles, but the joy of writing [lies in] the process of thinking and organising your ideas – which AI can’t replace,” he said.
