My Free Upcoming Novelette: Progress Report

Assalamualaikum and greetings dear Bits and Pieces readers,

It has been quite a while since I update about my free upcoming novelette, Letters to God. I believe I owe my readers an apology too for not publishing it soon enough. Time is flying and I have to focus more on my PhD studies for the time being. I was an expert at juggling various tasks once but not anymore; at least not in these few months.

Photo credit: SerenaWong

But tonight, I feel compelled to write. I really want to share the current status of this novelette of mine.


Novelette edited but not yet send to beta reader
The editor is a good friend of mine and we lost contact for awhile. Thankfully, I managed to track her down and she finished the work. But the novelette transcript is raw; full of corrections that I haven't been able to address yet. This has caused a major delay for the next stage i.e. sending it to a beta reader to read. But I don't think it will be a long process because my cousin has already agreed to be the beta reader. For your information, the task of a beta reader(s) is to identify whether the story line ties in smoothly. Readers definitely hate haphazard stories.  

Method to attach novelette in subscription email
As is my intention, I would like Letters to God be attach to the confirmation email when a person subscribes to my blog. But as of today, I haven't yet find an application (am I using the right term?) that offers this service. I would appreciate it so much if you can comment some suggestions for me. It will make my task easier :) I thank you in advance!

Don't worry, the novelette is definitely free
There are two reasons for this: (1) recognition and, (2) marketing.

I want people to be able to read my writing and judge whether it is good or bad. If it is bad, at least people won't feel disheartened because they got the novelette for free. Hopefully too, readers will be more willing to give feed backs so that I can improve my writing. I aspire to be a writer of substance where my words can reach the heart of readers and hopefully change their lives for the better.

By making the Letters to God free, I can also gain more followers. When I have followers, there is a high possibility that they will buy the books I sell in the future. You see, I have a dream of retiring early and make an income from being a fiction writer whose words touch lives.

   

Lessons on Writing: Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult (Spoiler Alert!)

Assalamualaikum and greetings dear Bits and Pieces readers,

It has been long since I post about a novel for one simple reason; I rarely have the time to read for leisure. But I needed to rest my mind so I skeptically bought Leaving Time. When I finish reading it however, I felt glad that I bought it. Not only that I felt refreshed, I also learned a few writing pointers.

But before I delve into those pointers, you need to know the story. Do read the synopsis here and let me fill in the ending later. Read the link, already? Alright then.

Jenna Metcalf and Virgil Stanhope are actually dead and living in the spirit world; of which they did not realise. Hence it's not that Alice didn't want to come back for Jenna but because she can't; she's alive and Jenna is not. Serenity Jones on the other hand, did not know that she was helping two spirits at first.


1. Introducing a riveting element of surprise

Photo credit: Christopher Michel

I find this to be extremely difficult to craft while Jodi Picoult exceeded expectations. Her trick was to make the life of Jenna and Virgil as mundane as possible by narrating the spirit world like our world, like the world of the living just so we do not suspect anything. For example, Jenna riding a bicycle, Jenna browsing the internet, Jenna living with her grandma, Virgil pretending to flirt with a lab attendant, and many others. To not make it look dull, the author added the element of mystery to the story. What I mean by mystery is, readers can't help but want to know why Alice left her daughter. From what Jenna describes her, surely Alice is in some kind of trouble. Maybe she's dead. Maybe she's in captive. So readers would just keep on reading and cling to their curiosity because they NEED to find out why. When the author dropped in casual (and some not so casual) hints throughout the story, the readers just read through them without giving much thought. Combining these three aspects: mundane, mystery, and casual hints will in the end have the awe effect on readers.    


2. Different ways to create awareness in story 

Photo credit: kikatani

More often than not, we write a story because we want to teach certain message(s), make the readers aware of certain issue(s), or provoke readers to think. As a result, we make these the main focus of our story. Take for instance the Hunger Games trilogy. We can easily see that the main message of the story is about political injustice (okay I didn't read the books but I watched the movie which is based on the books). We start to notice that this is happening in the real world.

Focusing back to Leaving Time, Jodi Picoult raised awareness on elephant exploitation and how we need to protect this majestic creature without making it the center stage. She does this by fashioning Alice as a scientist who studies elephant grief of which intertwines with Alice's own grief from losing her own daughter (of course the readers didn't realise it at first). Therefore, Jodi Picoult indirectly speaks to the readers' heart and conscience about the elephants, without making elephants the main focus.


3. The power of story that can reach minds and change hearts

Photo credit: ecooper99

I am an animal lover but now I have a special spot for elephants in my heart. All of this is because I read Leaving Time. So the fact that a book can do this to me becomes my motivation to work harder for my novelette and later writing projects. It made me realise more that writing is a gift from God and it should be used to impact the lives of HIS creatures on earth. Otherwise, we are just being ungrateful to HIM.

I also believe that bearing this in mind can help authors and bloggers to rise up to the grueling task of writing. The same can be said to those who dreams to be a writer. The possibility to change hearts can crush the wall of fear and lack of confidence that often surrounds a future writer.


I sincerely hope that you gain something from this week's post. I also hope that this post has touch or at least brush your lives. Until the next post...do take care! 
  

My Free Upcoming Novelette: Front Cover of Letters to God

Assalamualaikum and greetings dear avid Bits and Pieces readers,

It's amazing how two months has passed since I updated my blog. And we're in 2016 already! I was under heaps of study and mountains of pressure that when I emerged out of them, I was knocked back down again out of shock. As I was slowly recovering and emerging, I managed to go through the first draft of Letters to God; albeit half way. Now that I've fully surfaced and alert, I hope I can get it done this month (please say ameen).

There is however one aspect of the book that I managed to get done (well it was my husband who did most of the work) out of God's mercy. The front cover of Letters to God has been completed!

My husband was learning Adobe Photoshop and so I enlisted his help to design the front cover. I first told him a general idea that I had in mind. The design I pictured is an ancient mailbox perched on a mysterious snowy area somewhere. Since the main character writes letters of complaint to God, I thought the ancient mailbox would symbolize the perfect place to drop those letters. I also chosen a snowy backdrop because I see snow as pure and mysterious, a place where God could live.

So we sat together in front of his computer and flick through picture by picture at Creative Commons. My husband had also done an independent research of book covers and found that white and black are very common backdrop themes. I thought for a bit and decided to give up the snow setting because I want my front cover to be unique.

By then, we had several selection of mailbox pictures but no design ideas. Disheartened, I shifted my focus to study instead while my husband continued. After a few days of creative drainage, my husband sat still on his chair, his right hand in a frenzy, eyes fixed at his computer. Hours after, he showed me his design.

I looked at it in awe. I love it! Except for one thing. The word "Letters" in "Letters to God" is the same color as the mailbox whereas "to God" are in white. I asked him and my husband showed a few book covers that others had done online. Almost all of them used different colors for their title too. After much thought, I asked him to change "Letters" into white. I don't know, I just think it looks much better. Thus behold, the front cover of my free upcoming novelette!!!


 

What do you think? Does it look good? Do you think it needs improvement? In what way? Please, do tell me in the comments.

My Free Upcoming Novelette: Tackling the First Draft

Assalamualaikum and greetings dear Bits and Pieces readers,

I had accepted my naive past thus achieving my first milestone. Now, I am proud to announce that I had overcome the second milestone:

The first draft of my free upcoming novelette, Letters to God is done! 

To be honest, it was quite a challenge for me to complete it; what with my studies, motivation swings, and the laziness in between. Still, I prayed for effort and reminded myself why I wrote it in the first place. In the end, I was able to cajole my hands to finish writing the story.

However joyous I may be, several milestones have yet pass. The destination is still far. And to get to the third milestone, I need to tackle a few hurdles on the road.

1) Self Edit
Ali Luke says that it is very important to self edit and I believe so too. Self edit allows me to rewrite, edit, and proofread my work so that it comes close to perfection. I want to make sure that what I write is of quality and conveys what I intend to write clearly. In order to become a successful author, I also want readers to be moved by my writing.    

2) Asking for beta readers to read my work
Next, I intend to ask my beta readers to read the novelette. I strongly believe that this is a MUST step; other authors would agree with me as well. I especially want beta readers to identify any illogical story flow, confusing characters' personality, and other aspects that disappoint them as readers. Based on their comments and critics, I will again repair the story. 

3) Send out for professional editing
This will be a bit of a pinch because it could be more than what I can afford. Besides, this novelette will be free hence there will be absolutely no profit; not in terms of money. Still I understand, a professional editor can bring my work to the next level.  

4) Cover design
This is the most exciting hurdle! One at which I've already tackled and will soon be releasing, actually. But just like the story, the cover design is a first draft. Designed by my husband, I intend to share it online to gather comments and see if I should improve the design further. I will talk about this more in other post. 

All in all, I need months to take up these hurdles. I also need courage, confidence, effort, and patience. Please pray for my success.

My Free Upcoming Novelette: Enlightened Writing

Assalamualaikum and greetings dear Bits and Pieces readers,

As was posted before, Letters to God tells of a woman named Sarah who is contemplating suicide. This very fact goes against all her moral fiber since she considers herself religious. However, she feels that the load on her shoulder is wearing her off. She feels that all the prayers that she had offered to God were for nothing.

The near epitome of this dilemma inside her is what I try to narrate in Letters to God. In my attempt to do this, I need to understand various concepts in Islam among others. This simultaneously help me as an author to grow spiritually.
              

1. The Names of ALLAH
Letters to God mostly centers on the Names of Ar-Rahman, Ar-Rahim and Al-Alim. Ar-Rahman and Ar-Rahim, in crude translation, means the Most Beneficient and the Most Merciful. Meanwhile, Al-Alim means the All Knowing.

In her depression, Sarah struggles to understand these attributes of ALLAH. Ar-Rahman and Ar-Rahim mean that God always love her and never intend evil on her. Al-Alim on the other hand, should put her heart at ease safe in the fact that there's wisdom behind her situation, good or "bad". These Names show that God loves her deeply and that everything happens for a reason. Hence it is imperative that Sarah registers this should she want to rise up from depression.      

2. al-Qada' wa'l-Qadar (Divine Will and Decree)
I have to admit, I never really understood the concept of al Qada' wa'l-Qadar. I mean, if our destiny has already been planned for us, why should we try and pray to God for whatever we want in the first place? In Sarah's context, if she were meant to kill herself, why must she put a stop to this thought? Might as well go on with it.

The above arguments spell the need to research al-Qada' wa'l-Qadar. Thanks to ALLAH, I came across these videos: The Pen and the Tablet, Divine Decree, The Content Believer, and Altering Destiny.

According to the videos, ALLAH has instructed the Pen to write down every detail of our life in the Tablet; whether we will be successful or fail, have children or barren, died later or earlier, happy or miserable etc. But still, we can change our course of destiny by making do'a (pray). At the same time, know that that particular destiny has also been written already. In other words, the Tablet already contains that at which will happen if we make do'a and what happens if we do not. If we ponder this concept deeply, we can handle whatever live throws at us and come to terms with it.

Merging points 1 and point 2, it is imperative to try and pray; and whatever the end result is, good or "bad", Sarah should be contended with the decree of ALLAH. Therefore, this is another concept that Sarah has to understand before deciding to take her own life.

3. Humans as 'abd
'abd when translated roughly, means slaves; people that are abused, used, and given no wage. In the Quran however, 'abd are slaves that are loved, being taken care of, and rewarded according to their deeds. In other words, 'abd has a Master which is ALLAH and ALLAH loves, cares, and rewards us accordingly. On top of that, ALLAH is the creator of 'abd while slaves in human definition was not created by their master.

In her depression, Sarah has to acknowledge the fact that by being 'abd and the created, she does not have the right to rebel to God. She doesn't have the right to decide anything simply because she wasn't there when ALLAH created her. Instead, she needs to submit her logic, intellect and rationale to ALLAH; taking comfort in the attributes of Ar-Rahman, Ar-Rahim, and Al-Alim (point 1). Concurrently, she can also make do'a to change her situation and be satisfied with whatever the result of her do'a is.


All in all, writing Letters to God (which I still am doing) is also an effort of mine to embody these three concepts in Islam. When my novelette is out (which I seriously don't know when), I feel that I've accomplished something; even if nobody wants to read it.

But still, aren't you a wee bit curious? Don't you want to know whether Sarah, being religious, truly understand these concepts? And if she does or doesn't, will that influence her decision about taking her own life?

My Free Upcoming Novelette: The Origin of Letters to God

Assalamualaikum and greetings dear Bits and Pieces readers,

We bound to feel intense emotion at some point in our life. The feeling of elation when we get married, outrage when we experience betrayal, or anguish when our most beloved pass away. These feelings lead to two extremes which is either intoxication or death. And Letters to God is mostly born from the latter extreme.

I sat quietly in my room one day, pondering on the gloomy events of my life. I'd imagine how much more severe things can turn out; and the choices I have if they indeed become reality. One of the few options that I have is to give up. But giving up itself has many definitions; walk away, sink into depression, ignore reality, or taking ones own life. However in my religion Islam, giving up is abhorred. And this is where ALLAH gave me an idea for a story.

      
Thus I began to ponder further. What pushes a person to the point where suicide was the only option left? For a religious person, how come s(he) was able to defy God by not valuing life and be thankful of it?

I come to realise that I'm stepping into the realm of psychology which I have zero knowledge in. Despite the fact that info dumping is taboo in the realm of fiction writing, adequate knowledge is still needed to make a story appear realistic. With almost all efforts used to finish my Doctoral degree on time, I am certain that I can't spare time for another research area. On top of that, studying all religions in existence can be overwhelming (in fact I have much to learn about Islam). Also to be honest, the story can be a bore if not written artfully.

I almost gave up on the story before ALLAH inspired me again. Instead of a novel, why not a novelette? This way, I can create a fast pace story and a surface knowledge of psychology is all that I need. Since I'm more familiar with the major religions in Malaysia, I decide to focus on that. One downfall is that the study of religions can take years. Therefore I must admit that Letters to God won't do justice to some religions.

I refuse to take that as a setback though. Besides, my story is fiction and no story is perfect. So I switched on my laptop and started writing. Now and then, I would pause and browse the internet for real suicide stories and religious talks on the issue.

At present however, Letters to God is at a stand still. I'm suffering from writer's block and due to my P.h.D requirements, I am forced to take a short break from writing fiction. But be sure, I am never going to give up...ever!

My Free Upcoming Novelette: The Main Characters in Letters to God (Part 2)

Assalamualaikum and greetings dear Bits and Pieces readers,

I have introduced Sarah, Wafi, Rahman, Rahmah and Rahim. So today, I am going to introduce you to the non-human character and the Indian family.

NEKO

Personality:
Neko is an intelligent male cat. He has the highest EQ and IQ among fellow domestic cats. Ever since Rahmah's passing, Neko has been especially close to Rahim. It is as though he can sense that Rahim needs love and guidance that Rahman rarely provides. Being a cat, he is also playful and annoys Rahim from time to time.
On a side note, Neko is my favourite character in this novelette. He makes the story move and provides an opportunity for readers to relax after tense scenes.

Origin:
Neko means cat in Japanese. I got this character idea from Rurouni Kenshin movie trilogy. There's a cat scene in each of those movies, and I'd say, "The cat is so cute!". After that, serious scenes came in. Aoshi tried to kill Okina before getting to Kenshin, and Kaoru was almost killed by an impostor of Hitokiri Battousai. Then I realise that two of the cat's function is to give more impact on unexpected scenes and to provide flow to the story.
Incidentally, I got stuck between scenes and I don't know what I should put in between. Plus my story was quite dry. All thanks to God, I was inspired to put Neko in and Letters to God started to flow smoothly.

MANIDHAR

Personality:
Manidhar is a serious and charming man. He has a wife, Devi, and a daughter, Aasha. Manidhar is Sarah's friend and one of her employees too. Not many can guess that he harbors evil motives.

Origin:
In the Indian language, Manidhar means mythical snake with jewel in its hood. And when a man is called a snake, that usually means he's a backstabber and sneaky. Thus the name suits this character perfectly.

DEVI

Personality:
Devi is beautiful and naive. So in some ways, Devi matches Sarah's personality. She also pretends to be strong when she's really not.

Origin:
Devi means goddess in the Sanskrit language. This meaning matches with her beauty which had attracted Manidhar to marry her in the first place.

AASHA

Personality:
Aasha is a smart and strong will girl. She's also not your average teenager. She finds talking about boys boring and that is not because she's a lesbian. It's simply that she's maturer than people her age.
Albeit these qualities, Aasha can be quite disrespectful to her mother.

Origin:
Aasha means hope, aspiration, righteousness, and also life. Without realising this herself, Aasha gives hope to the people around her. This is also the main reason I need Aasha in Letters to God. 


Now that you've met all of my main characters, do you like any of them? Do tell me in the comment section!

My Free Upcoming Novelette: The Main Characters in Letters to God (Part 1)

Assalamualaikum and greetings dear Bits and Pieces readers,

In today's post, I would like to introduce you the main characters in my upcoming free novelette, Letters to God.

I've given a lot of thought on how many characters that my novelette should have; more so their personalities. To make them more profound, I try my best to pick out names that match their personalities. Although most of my potential readers probably wouldn't care what the names meant, I feel a sense of satisfaction in picking them.

As can be seen in the picture below, the main characters come from two groups of families, one is a Malay family and the other is an Indian family. And yes, there's a non-human there too! So Wafi, Sarah, Rahman, Rahmah, Rahim, Neko, Manidhar, Devi, and Aasha, meet Bits and Pieces readers. Bits and Pieces readers, meet Wafi, Sarah, Rahman, Rahmah, Rahim, Neko, Manidhar, Devi, and Aasha. I hope you, Bits and Pieces readers, will find them fascinating! Just like they find you :)        

SARAH

Personality:
Sarah is the lead character. She is a beautiful, fashionable, and successful Muslim woman. She owns a successful bakery cafe that has chains throughout Peninsular Malaysia. These pointers of hers also make her stubborn, refusing to heed to his husband's advice at times. This closed mind of hers causes her to be naive.

Origin:
This novelette is about a woman who has been inflicted with many tragedies in her life. Just like my childhood neighbour Sarah. She's a Filipino who married a Pakistani and converted to Islam. I remember she'd asked me and another neighbour to teach her how to pray. During Ramadhan, the fasting month for Muslims, she'd give my family pancakes for break fast. She have two daughters. She was happy leaving in our neighbourhood. But a tragic incident occurred. Her husband was beaten to death by a group of unknown men on his way back from work. Then my father said she went and lived with her in-laws in Pakistan. After awhile, she came back to our residential area for a short visit. I can't entirely remember what happen back then. What I can remember is she was clad in white and she was hugging me and crying. It is as though her life has been miserable in Pakistan.

WAFI

Personality:
Wafi is Sarah's husband. He is a loving father towards his son, Rahman. Although Sarah doesn't respect his opinion and is stubborn most of the time, he remains loving, patient, and loyal to her. However, he is that type of person who forgives and never forgets. He's the type who bottles up all his emotions inside.

Origin:
Wafi is in Arabic and its meaning is loyal; a characteristic that Sarah's husband possess. I wanted to put Sabur, meaning patience but I never heard a Malay man named after that.
On a side note, it is normal in Malaysia and the rest of the Muslim countries to have Arabic names. This is because Islam was revealed in the Arabic language.

RAHMAN

Personality:
Rahman is the son of Sarah and Wafi. He's loved unconditionally by his parents. He's energetic, playful, and talkative. But due to the death of his father later in the story, he becomes cold and distant towards Sarah ever since. Rahman blames his mother for the death of his father. As a result of this tragedy, he's incapable of showing love even when he becomes an adult.

Origin:
The name Rahman is an Arabic term meaning mercy and compassion.

RAHMAH

Personality:
The adult Rahman is married to Rahmah. To Rahman, she is the most loving and caring human being. She understands Rahman the most.

Origin:
The term Rahmah has a similar meaning to Rahman.

RAHIM   

Personality:
The only son of Rahman and Rahmah is a rebellious teenager. He appears tough on the outside but inside, he inherits Rahmah's sensitivity.

Origin:
The term Rahim also has a similar meaning to Rahman.

The reason I pick the name Rahman, Rahmah, and Rahim is because the meaning of these names closely relate to love. Since Rahman is distant from his mother, Sarah, and his father had long ago died, he is in desperate need of love. So there comes Rahmah whose name incidentally meant compassion.
In an effort to show his love, Rahman also name their son Rahim. On top of that, Rahman dreams of a family that is full of love. The kind that he momentarily had when his father was alive.

I think we should continue the rest of the introductions in my next post. Or the one after next. Until then...do take care!

My Free Upcoming Novelette: How I Defeated Writer's Block

Assalamualaikum and greetings dear Bits and Pieces readers.

My upcoming free novelette, Letters to God was a sudden burst of inspiration from God himself. Just like an artist, my fingers wouldn't stop dancing on the keyboards. Intermittently, I searched for names that best describe my characters and their personality, facts of life that will make my story more realistic, the perfect setup for my scenes, and writing skills that will satisfy my readers. I could see my career as an author shining brightly like the sun.

But suddenly, the sun was taken hostage by the dark sky. Thunderstorms then came to punish it. All my ideas for the middle of my story were dull. When I wrote those ideas down, the story sagged. My writing enthusiasm all gone.

At least I knew my diagnosis. I was suffering from writer's block.    

Unwillingly, I retreated. Procrastination may have won but I haven't lost my story. I backed away from my laptop, closed my eyes and emptied my mind. After some time, God made me remember an advice from my Corporate Finance lecturer. He said that whenever you don't understand something, you go back to the basics. So I went back to the structure of my story. And that's when I realised that I didn't have one.

Thus I summoned my notebook and visited K.M Weiland's The Secrets of Story Structure. Following K.M. Weiland's advice, I break my stories into three sections; first act, second act, and third act. Writing all of it down, I came to see that my first act is 70% completed, my second act is 40% done while my third act is 60% finished. I now understand that I already did the hook of my story, the first plot point, the inciting event and key event, the midpoint, the climax, and the resolution. All I need to do now is to focus on other aspects.

The thunderstorms release the sun. Although the dark sky is still here, the moon and the stars are too.

Plan of Action: Redefining My Image and Writing

Assalamualaikum and greetings dear Bits and Pieces readers,

I apologise for this late posting. I've been down with food poisoning these couple of days and the medications made me feel giddy most of the time.

But never mind that now, let's get down to business.

In my previous post, I promised that I'm going to share with you my plan of action:

1) Change my pen name to Azniza Ambrose
I have given this a lot of thought and I decided to change my pen name to Azniza Ambrose. This is also a part of my real name. I feel that by changing my pen name to a more realistic one will make people take my writings more seriously. Plus it adds a sense of growth in my so called "career" as a writer. Furthermore, the name truly reflects me and my origin.  


2) Write a free piece so readers can sample my writings
As I had posted before, I am currently writing a novelette entitled Letters to God. I want to give it out for free to my followers and those who like my page on Facebook so that they can assess for themselves whether my writings are good or vice versa. This hopefully will induce confidence in my writings and hopefully, they will buy my current and future writing projects. 

3) Put out a new version of The Last Will
If you notice, I have unpublished posts related to my first published book, The Last Will. This is because I want to do a revised version of it and sell it at a cheaper price. In my opinion, this will not only add more quality to The Last Will but also affordable to more readers. It is after all my dream for people to read my books.

4) Formulate the accurate scope of my writing topics
In order to keep my passion in writing alive and not to get me overwhelmed, I've redefine the scope of my writing. It's still quite the same but I've formulate it better in words which I have written in my "Bio" section of my Facebook page. This has helped me gain a sense of direction in my writing.

5) Learn a few marketing skills.
In order to sustain my writing "career", it is imperative to acquire some marketing knowledge. For instance, choosing a perfect book cover, how to self-promote, how to make a pitch, what to ignore and many many more!

6) Learn writing skills
Of course, this is the most important aspect of all. There's no use in marketing if my writings are bad. Personally to me, learning, whether it be writing, marketing or anything at all, is a life long process. I just need to constantly remind myself that perfection only belongs to God just so I would never give up!  


I hope that this post is beneficial; especially for the writers who are thinking about a makeover.

Until then...see you again in my next post, insyALLAH!

Why I Stop Writing for Almost a Year

Assalamualaikum and greetings dear Bits and Pieces readers,

I had promised that I will share with you the reasons I stop writing for awhile. And the two reasons are psychological and spiritual.


The Psychological Reason

I was over excited when I got the opportunity to publish my book. Instead of doing proper research, I straight away agreed to publish through a self publishing company. It was EXPENSIVE! But I told myself it was okay, it's my dream to write a book, to get it published, to let it be available around the world so that everyone can read it.

I was happy for about a few weeks seeing that my book is now officially published. As a marketing strategy, I gave away free books, shared blog posts about it, and I signed up for a marketing package which was also EXPENSIVE! But again I told myself, sacrifices need to be make in order to be successful.

But of course, my book sales never shot up. It wasn't a surprise actually because my book is EXPENSIVE! I wanted to change the price of the book but it was EXPENSIVE to do so! I said to myself that it is okay, it is the company's policy after all. Maybe I should learn more about the book industry. So I joined writing communities on Google+ and the fear that I kept on pushing down emerged.

Self publishing companies are rip offs.

This knowledge realisation had put me into a state of inferiority. I slowly lose confidence and quit writing.



The Spiritual Reason

As time passes, as you know more people, and as you gain more experiences in life, you come to know yourself more. You'll see that others are better in writing about Islam, that others are more creative in writing, and others have this charming personality that seem to attract people. You start to feel that your being consist of more bad than good and you are unqualified to write in both Islamic and creatively. Slowly, you can't seem to find anymore words to write. Your ideas seem stupid. And you feel that you are just vain. You ended up becoming silent, like a stone.


The Lift         

Somehow, I was able to recall a talk from Nouman Ali Khan. He said that to not use your ability is an act of ingratitude to ALLAH. Because ALLAH has created us in the best of make:

"Certainly We created man in the best make." (The Quran, 95:4)

Not to mention that my best friend who happens to be my husband, has always lend me his ears, help me destroy my fear and showed me a new perspective in life.

So I begin my first step by changing my intention and the way I think. I now start to write because of ALLAH, because I have a burning passion for it, because I have a wild imagination, and because I do have an ability in writing.

I have started asking advice from the Self Publishing Google+ community and read blogs from experience authors posted in other writing related communities. Alhamdulillah now, I already have a plan of action. This I will tell you in the next post, insyALLAH.

An Upcoming Free Novelette: Letters to God

Assalamualaikum and greetings dear Bits and Pieces readers!

It has been almost a year since I updated my blog. I am terribly sorry for that. I got married, got busy with my PhD studies and I came to a point where I don't know what to write anymore. I'll explain the last point in my future post, God willing.

Right now, I want to announce that I got an idea of a novelette. The story came to me in the middle of a magical night. It just clicked in my head. Fumbling around for my notebook when which I found was covered in dust, I rapidly wrote a synopsis. I also thought carefully on the title of my novelette.

So here it is after several drafts! The synopsis to my upcoming free novelette entitled Letters to God:

Hi. I'm Sarah. I am a widow, ignored by my only son, shunned by my friends, and declared bankrupt. The wise said that everything happens for a reason while the pious preached that God took everything from me for a special purpose. I believed that with all my heart so I kept on praying for my peace and happiness. 

I prayed for a decade before I came to a harsh conclusion; words from the wise are just a load of crap and the pious was just trying to make money from their talks. As I let myself sink into this harsh reality, I realise that God didn't need to take everything from me to state His reason. I realise that God didn't have to inflict this excruciating pain for a special purpose. He is God after all, he is capable to do that in ways that doesn't include pain.

Hence, I am writing letters of complain, sadness, bitterness, anger, and angst to God. When I finish writing these, I want to experience whether God will take away my pain. Or whether I must do it myself. 

Intrigued? Want more? I'm afraid the synopsis is all that I have right now. And the worse part is, I can't promise you when this novelette will be completed. So I guess, patience is the best policy right now.

Until we meet again in my next post. InsyALLAH...

  

Ramadan and Writing

Assalamualaikum wbt and greetings dear Bits and Pieces readers,

Today marks the thirteenth day of Ramadhan, the holy month of fasting for Muslims. The main point in fasting is not "putting slim back into Muslim" (Ariffin, 2014); instead it is to improve our worship to ALLAH.

How does being hungry improve our worship to God?

Well, Ramadhan is not the month where Muslims merely refrain from food and drinks. Muslims must also exorcise bad habits and inculcate good habits as well as increasing our quality in praying. For instance, a person can actually quit smoking or reduce his smoking habit during Ramadhan. Since he is fasting, he is forced to refrain from smoking from dawn to dusk. A person who has anger issues will feel lazy enough to retort back for she will feel that it is a waste of energy. The rich can actually feel what it is like to be hungry resulting in empathy for the poor. Muslims who had never prayed the five daily prayers before are called to perform them because of the Ramadhan atmosphere. And above all, when Muslims are doing all these good deeds, it is hoped that Muslims will grow accustom with them and continue this quality in worship even after Ramadhan.

So...how can all of this relate to writing?

Ramadhan is like a boot camp or a correctional facility. In the camp, we will be forced to do things that we don't like but are in reality beneficial to us: waking up early, eating moderately, fulfill our responsibility etc.
Therefore, Ramadhan can actually help you with your writing. Only for a month, just commit yourself to waking up early so that you will have a couple of hours "extra" in a day. Then write at least 3-5 pages a day. Eat moderately so you won't feel sleepy and lazy thus neglecting your writing. You can even squeeze in more pages since you don't take a two hour nap anymore. So in a month you'll get 90-150 pages. Make this a normal routine and in a few months, God willing, your first draft is completed!

My Current Book Project

Assalamualaikum wbt and greetings dear Bits and Pieces readers,

Yesterday, I have pass the 10,000 words mark for my second book! Last night, inspiration had simply flowed from the heaven's above and my fingers were eagerly typing the keyboard. Coupled with internet research, I am happy with my story line so far. I'm also quite proud of myself because I had successfully overcome my writer's block and excessive procrastination.

In this second book, I have dared myself to delve deeper into history. A book written by Niall Ferguson is what drives me to write this current project. In his book, Civilization: The West and the Rest, he had put forward a few minor arguments alongside a major argument. One minor argument that had piqued my interest is the accounts of the world's history are becoming unknown to the younger generation. School textbooks are structured in such a way that we (because I belong in the younger generation too) learn history in fragments. It is upon this premise that I base my historical fiction on. I am basically narrating a fiction that forms a timeline on the world's history.

In addition, I have learned much from my mistakes on my first published book, The Last Will. I have learned since then, on the practical aspects of writing (lighting up my writing, the optimum level of conflict, creating distinct character voices etc) and the virtue of patience. I am mixing all these combined factors, these things that I have learned and still learning, into my second book. So when I finally publish this piece, I hope it will be a great adventure for my readers and that I will be able to grow as a writer.

In the near future, I will tell you more about my book as I am progressing. Now, why don't you tell me about your upcoming book project?  

Becoming My Character

Assalamualaikum and greetings dear Bits and Pieces readers,

When I first started writing, I found it very hard to write about my characters. I didn't know how to describe them, how they must be feeling, how to translate their motivation into the right words or in short, it was really hard to completely understand them and put my understanding into words. It was a really frustrating period for me.

Of course, when writers write about the characters in their book, their characters almost always represent someone they know; friends, colleagues, family, people whom the writers' stalk (kidding :-P) etc. I find this quite complicated because I believe that it's very hard to definitely know a person.

Many also project their own personalities or emulate the dark monsters in them to their characters. But this method in my opinion, can only be put to use in two characters at the maximum. Plus, I'm quite shy to show to people my secrets inside; even though I can just lie about it should someone ask.

So I look for another outlet. And it came to me almost immediately; the characters from my favorite TV series, of course!

When I watch, my eyes can see the characters of the TV series. The expressions they have, the way they move, the way they talk, their sense of style...all are right in front of me. And it feels easier for me to get a sense of the characters because you see them exactly as they are. In addition, since it is a TV series, you can see exactly how they grow with you experiencing along with.

Now back to my characters. I analyse my characters and compare them with the characters of the various TV series I watch. Yes, it is hard to find an exact match but a correlation must exist. For instance, the character Harris Corlionessi from my published book is a brilliant and disciplined person. But he is also egotistical, conniving and emotionless. A TV series character that closely resembles him is Dr Gregory House from the TV series House. Thus I studied Dr House. I then fused my imagination together with the result of my study to write about Harris Corlionessi.

I bet you too have your own method of becoming your character. Care to share?  

When I'm Procrastinating

Assalamualaikum wbt and greetings dear Bits and Pieces readers,

Procrastinating is a bad thing for writers; so we've been told. But I beg to differ. In my opinion, procrastinating is only harmful to writers when it reaches a certain level. Below that level, procrastinating gives several opportunities to writers that is nonexistent when we are writing.

1. Daydream
When I procrastinate, I like to lie down on my bed and stare at the ceiling, or make a cup of hot chocolate and relax in my garden. It depends on the mood that I am in. But in both situations, I make sure that I bring my notebook along. Because it is during this time that inspiration would come to me suddenly. And I would quickly ruffle my notebook and scribble the ideas. Better yet for me because I have leave spaces in my novel structure so I can just write in exactly where those inspirations fit in. The inspiration would come in the form of a perfect dialogue, a perfect conflict, a perfect connection or a far more engaging character motivation for my book.

2. Research
I like to put some reality into my fiction; that is the sense that my story could be real or is possible to become real. This is mainly contributed by characters that my readers can relate to and real events that had occurred which could evolve into what I would imagine it to be in my book. Thus procrastinating allows me to explore further on these matters by doing more research and polish my writing skills.

3. Writer's motivation
The time when you procrastinate is the perfect time for you to replenish your body and soul. Listening to that motivational talk on Youtube which you thought you don't need, that exercise you assumed could wait, the prayer that you see as frivolous or the quality time with your loved ones that you had neglected can do miracles. That feeling of loved, de-stressed, healthy and motivated, plus support gained can boost your creativity further. And trust me, after you have attained these, you will be able to write with genuine gusto.  

Now a gentle reminder, procrastinating is only good up to a certain point. When you have passed that point, it is toxic. When, what or where is that point you may ask. Well, it is different from writer to writer. I am sorry to say that you can only figure that out with much experience in procrastinating. Maybe when you and other writers share your experiences in procrastinating, we all can somewhat determine that point together :-)

Bits and Pieces Makeover

Assalamualaikum and greetings dear Bits and Pieces readers!

I'm a writer, a novice writer to be precise so I'm trying to build followers, especially loyal readers of this blog and my book.

So what I did was:

1. I read blog posts on blogging tips
Among the number of posts that I've read about blogging tips, I found Anne R. Allen's to be the most practical and concise.

2. I examine other successful writers' blog
Among others, I am a subscriber of Jenn Flynn-Shon's, Deborah Chester's and K.M Weiland's blog. Each of them writes about different topic. For instance, I learned self publishing from Jenn, developing conflicts from Deb Chester and crafting characters from K.M. Weiland. Meaning to say, each and everyone of them have their own niche. Also, their blogs are presented in different ways too.

3. I gather those tips and examinations that I had perform
The average internet user only scans the internet content and rarely read word by word. So Anne said that numbered list can help. She also advises bloggers to make their blog content simple and use keywords in the header. She did not only mention these, there are other tips too.
In terms of successful writers' blog, I like K.M Weiland's choice of using big fonts, Jenn's simple and organized blog and the title of Deb's blog. What I noticed most was that the three of them made sure that their names are the first one that viewers see when viewers visit their blog.

4. I undertake layout and format changes of my blog
This is the final and the most arduous step to take. Firstly, I need to remind myself again on why I write. I write because I want to inspire others, motivate my readers to embark on a spiritual journey and after a little over a decade, make writing novels a full time job. Secondly, I need to determine what this blog is about. So, when previous posts doesn't coincide with the purpose and the identity of this blog, I deleted them or reverted them into drafts. Lastly, based on these decisions, I identify those tips and examinations that are in harmony with the purpose and identity of my blog. And the result is what you see now!

5. I bear in my mind that blogging is always a learning process.
As I engage more in blogging, come across other blogs and blogging tips, and as I discover myself more, I might make changes again. So, blogging is definitely a learning process.

Now tell me, do you like the new Bits and Pieces appearance? Do you have other suggestions that can further improve my blog? And do tell me about your blog makeover!

Finding the Balance between Writing Fiction and Non Fiction

Assalamualaikum and greetings dear Bits and Pieces readers,

I have already started my PhD studies which is in research and course (subject) mode. I'm taking the courses next semester insyALLAH (God willing) so as for now, I'm going to concentrate on my thesis writing.

Thesis writing means non fiction writing. It's where you write based on evidence and literature that you reviewed: journals, conference papers, books etc and it must be straight to the point. As opposed to fiction writing, there's no such thing as creating meaningful characters, determining which writing point of view is the best or developing interesting story line etc.

Right there lies the problem I had before during my Masters Degree. When I first handed the Chapter 1 of my thesis to my supervisor, she told me that my style of writing is novel like. You see, it's hard for me to make the transition from a novel writing style to a thesis style writing. However, she did say that I'm gifted in writing :D So, I went back and redo the whole of Chapter 1 but in order to do that, I became like a robot. Meaning, I forbid my emotions from getting involved in thesis writing and refrain myself from writing poetic words. Regardless, with a bit of effort the transition became easy for me.

I deduced that the transition to thesis writing was easy for me before because my novel The Last Will had already been completed. Now however, along with writing my second novel, I can sense that it will be hard.

But no worries. I have a plan. Actually, it's a timetable. A revised time table to be precise. I decided that I'm going to be rational in the day, and I'll let my emotions and juices of imagination flow at night. Today is my first day to test this timetable so we will see later whether I can stay discipline or not.

How Your Emotions Can be of Use in Writing

Assalamualaikum and greetings dear readers :)

Malaysia had been experiencing hot weather and drought for almost a month. And it was only earlier this week that the rain had started falling. Mundane activities like covering oneself with a blanket, bathing with the water heater switched on and drying clothes for at least two days have becoming blessings these days.

This evening was especially magical. From the drizzling rain and evening light, a beautiful scene and a calming atmosphere had emerged. Excited, I carried one of my cats, Captain Hook, to accompany me to the garden to admire God's painting. Unconsciously, my fingers started typing on my phone:

The drizzling rain is very soothing when it falls down during an evening like this. The sound that the rain makes as it drops, the fresh smell that it brings, and the yellow remnants of sunlight shining at the flower pots... These combinations are simply beautiful.

Then a thought suddenly strikes me. I should record exactly how I feel each time I'm immersed in a powerful emotion; whether it be sad, angry, happy, peaceful, confused etc. These records, after some polishing, are highly useful to enhance my characters' personality; making them more lucid to my readers.

You see, a writer will write better when she knows exactly how her character feels like. For instance, I'm writing about an angry character and I have to express it in such a way that it is genuine. So, those words that I recorded when I was genuinely angry before, can be put to use as the character's monologue. Neat don't you think?



You can purchase my book, The Last Will at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and other major online bookstores.

Experimenting with Methods of Narration

Assalamualaikum and greetings dear Bits and Pieces readers!

Usually, authors will narrate his/her story in the first person or third person point of view throughout. I myself am using the first person narrative mode for my second book; though with a little twist. My idea is to make each chapter as a first person perspective of only one character. For example, Chapter 1 will expose readers to what one character is experiencing while Chapter 2 will tell readers what the other character is feeling.

As of now, it is quite challenging.

Firstly, each time I want to write another chapter, I must switch personalities and it is overwhelming. Imagine this: I must know how he/she feels, I have to understand the character's motivation and I need to be that character. Then when I want to start a new chapter, I must switch off the previous personality and switch on the new one. And on and on it goes until I finish the book.

Secondly, it is hard to lengthen a chapter when I allow only one character monologue. There is so much that a character can feel and experience in one chapter. To add in, I must avoid a sagging plot so over description of scenes, over romanticism and the likes are forbidden.

However, this method has its merits.

I will be able to bring my readers to the very depths of the characters' heart. My readers will be able to understand every single character; why did she do this, how did he cope with the situation, what he or she must be feeling and etc.

Moreover, I will be able to bring originality to my writings. I assumed that this will be refreshing and full of surprises for my readers. It is my hope that with this innovation in narration, my readers can engage more with my book.

Weighing between the advantages and disadvantages, I decided to continue with this experiment. After all, I pride myself for being a hard core learner so I can't help from trying something new. I must admit, I too want to grow as a writer.


You can purchase my first book, The Last Will at Amazon, Barnes & Noble and other major online bookstores.