How a Stay-at-Home Mom Wrote an Award-Winning Novel

A Singaporean mother of two has turned her early-morning routine into literary recognition, winning a national prize for her debut novel written during stolen hours before her children woke up.

Lim Shu Fen, a former marketing executive who became a full-time caregiver after her second child was born, began writing each day at 5 a.m., dedicating three uninterrupted hours to her manuscript while the household slept. Over six months, this disciplined routine produced a 300-page draft that would later earn her the Epigram Books Fiction Prize, one of Singapore’s most prestigious awards for emerging local writers.

The winning novel, titled The Quiet Hours, explores the interior lives of three women navigating motherhood, identity, and societal expectations in contemporary Singapore. Lim said the story emerged from her own experiences of isolation and introspection during the early years of parenting, particularly the quiet moments before dawn when she felt both most alone and most alive to her thoughts.

She described the writing process as an act of reclamation. “Those three hours weren’t just about putting words on a page,” Lim explained in an interview with CNA Lifestyle. “They were the only time I felt like myself again — not just a mother, not just a wife, but someone with a story to tell.”

Epigram Books, the independent publisher behind the award, confirmed that Lim’s manuscript stood out among over 150 submissions for its emotional precision and narrative restraint. The judging panel praised her ability to render domestic life with literary depth without veering into sentimentality.

Winning the prize includes a cash award of SGD 15,000 and a publishing contract with Epigram Books. The Quiet Hours is scheduled for release in early 2027, marking Lim’s formal entry into Singapore’s literary scene.

Her achievement has resonated within local literary circles, particularly among writers advocating for greater recognition of women’s domestic experiences in fiction. The Epigram Books Fiction Prize, established to spotlight new voices from Singapore and Southeast Asia, has previously launched the careers of authors such as Shubigi Rao and Jeremy Tiang.

Lim said she hopes her story encourages other caregivers — especially women who set aside creative ambitions for family — to consider that creativity doesn’t require large blocks of time, but rather consistency and self-belief.

She continues to write each morning, now working on a second novel that explores the theme of female friendship across decades. While her routine remains unchanged, Lim noted that the purpose behind those early hours has shifted: “It’s no longer about finding myself. It’s about seeing what I can build.”