5 Pieces of Advice For Aspiring Authors

Assalaamu alaykum and hello to you all,

So after spending ages trying to mentally compile a list of advices to give to my fellow aspiring authors out there, I finally thought of a few important ones, that I hope will be of benefit to all those who are dreaming of publishing a book.

I say dreaming, because that's how it all begins. Well, that's how it all began for me anyway. To summarise my writing journey thus far, I would say it's been a somewhat unimagined and unexpected journey. I never really can comprehend how it all happened because time just goes so fast and everything happened so super quickly. All I know, is that I never imagined actually ever publishing a book, but suddenly one day, it all became this huge, fascinating dream that I wished to pursue. And ever since that dream ignited, Allah opened doors for me from places I never imagined, in ways I couldn't fathom. So, here I am, an 'aspiring author' who is patiently awaiting the release of her first ever non-fiction book for all the confused and intrigued teens out there.

Despite it happening so quickly, I have no doubt learnt so much on this journey so far. So much about myself, so much about my writing, so much about publishing and how it all works. I've also learnt from my mistakes, my errors and regrets too. I've learnt about those things that are vital when publishing a book, that without them, none of it would be possible. So I wish to share just a few of them with you. If you also have any advice of your own - feel free to share, here on my blog, or over on my FB page. :)

Bismillah,

• Start small - This is so important. And I'l tell you why. I'm a dreamer. A BIG dreamer. This means, that when I begin to dream, it can get slightly dangerous, because I start working towards the inevitable, I dive into the deep end thinking I can swim in it, yet I end up drowning in despair and failure, only to have to struggle my way back to shore. And when I do that, wham, I am zapped back into reality. Okay, ignore what I just said there. But my point is, start small. Sometimes we get so excited over our goals and ambitions and dreams, that we want to achieve them right away, we feel so determined, that we take whatever road and path to get there, without realising that not all roads are straight, and unfortunatley sometimes, some roads will come to dead ends. We forget to take small, consistent steps and instead take huge leaps and end up falling. That's what I did. When I first realised my passion for writing, I straight away wrote down, that one day I wanted to publish a book. I began to work on it immediately, without realising that I was being too hasty. I needed to slow down. And that's my first advice to you; slow down and start small. Don't just jump to 'I want to write a book.' Sit down and write down daily targets, they don't have to be huge, but even things like, 'learn a new word every day', 'write a short story every week',  'brush up on my grammar knowledge.' These are all reasonable and reachable targets on your list. I only realised I should have done this, after completing most of my book, and although it wasn't too late, I still did regret not making the most of it all before diving into my book. Things like, learning about my writing a bit more, improving it a lot more, and learning new vocab before putting pen to paper and starting the book.

• Have a writing buddy - I can't emphasise how much this is needed! I don't think I'd ever have unleashed this love for writing, was it not for Allah blessing me with one of my closest friends to this day, Safaa Baig, who is a self-published author, and someone I hugely benefit from. She was the one in fact, who inspired me to write, whose encouraging words truly boosted my confidence, and most importantly, someone who believed in me and in my work. When I first met her (virtually), since we've never met in person (yet), I couldn't string a sentence together, but she held my hand and offered all the advice, support, encouragement, and help I needed to become better. So always have a writing buddy alongside you. Someone you can turn to for advice, someone who will give you honest feedback, someone who *believes* in you. Trust me, not everyone will. When you first start writing, you're not going to be Shakespeare, so don't let anyone belittle you or e way your write. You are your own person and you're unique! An honest writing buddy or buddies (because I have a few, such as mummy and daddy!) will not look down at your work, regardless of how rubbish you yourself may think it is, but will support you ever step of the way. Keep such people close!

• Read & Write - everywhere! - Yes. Everywhere. When I say everywhere, I mean everywhere. Believe it or not -  and I hope my Health and Social Care teachers don't stumble across this, but I wrote the majority of my book in their lessons! Now, no I actually won't advise you to do that. I only did that because when I had finished my work for that lesson or day, I needed a break from learning about conventional medicine, and what-not, so would spend the remaining time working on my book. I'd say in fact, all my book was written in college. Either in lessons or frees, or break times. I would just sit and write away. My advice would be to carry a notebook or journal wherever you go, you just don't know when inspiration might strike. Try to write something fun about the most mundane encounters or situations. Pen down your thoughts whenever they enter your brain. And read a lot. Read on the train, read in the garden, read in bed... (just don't read in the bathroom!). Read all different genres. Even children's books, read them. They will definitely help in your writing. I sometimes get nostalgic of the days I would read ALOT, and spend time writing ALOT of nonsense. Now, I write when I need to, for the organisations I work for, or for my blog - and occasionally I'll write dairy entries in my journal - so this advice is definitely a biggy for me personally.

• Trust Allah - Have faith in Allah. Nothing, and I don't say this out of fake humility, but I don't actually believe that any good that stems from this book is from me. In the sense that, if anyone is to benefit from the good in the book, then it is Allah you should praise, not me. He is the One who blessed my pen to write, He is the One who places in my heart a passion for writing. He is the One who granted me the ability and energy to fill up those hundred of pages with words. All Praise is due to Allah. And I remind you, that when you have a will, He will make a way. Always. So if you want to be a writer, and are struggling, turn to Him. I can't emphasise this point enough. No one can make your dreams a reality for you except Allah. So do your best and leave the rest to Him. Take the first steps and He will come rushing to you. Plant a beautiful intention and He will cause it to grow and flourish. Writing a book for me was just a huge dream, that I'd often think about, yet, He made it into a reality. Believe in Him, and His command of "Be, and it is." Work on your relationship with Allah, because that will help you in becoming more sincere and true when you write. 

• The Publishing Part - My final advice for this piece is in regards to the publishing part. I left it till last, because although everybody's concern is this before embarking on their writing venture, it should be least of your worries - for now anyway. You focus should not be on publishing the book, leave that for later. For now, just work on your writing. For me, the publishing part just fell into my hands, subhanAllah. A good friend of mine decided to open her own publishing company last year (A-Faaih), so after a couple of email exchanges, and signing of a contract, my book was ready to got for editing! Like I said, you'll be amazed how Allah will open doors for you. But what I will say is, begin your research. List some publishing companies, you'd like to publish a book with, perhaps speak to authors you know, and discuss the routes they took. Research on self-publishing as well, because although it is much more difficult, it is definitely more rewarding and fruitful in the long run. Also, keep a journal or scrapbook of your dream designs, book covers, colours - that sorf stuff. When you get bored of writing, you can go back to dreaming of the look of the book you wish to hold in your hand one day. :)

I really pray these five short advices shed some light for aspiring authors. I intend to write a part 2 on this, as and when I collect more gems on this journey. Feel free to contact me for any help or support - I'll be happy to lend a helping hand. :)

My email address: madiyah.r@gmail.com

May Allah bless you all and your pens and allow your writing to touch, inspire and benefit many hearts.

Written by an-exhuasted-from-typing-for-so-long traveller,
Madiyah