I help Muslim women reconnect with their writing and I teach creative writing in a way that's fun and intuitive. I love to see writers begin to believe in themselves again, break through their struggles and resistance, and show up on the page in all their brilliance.
Muslim representation in fiction
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This past weekend, my son participated in a ball hockey tournament. I am not a hockey mom but I had to be one that day because my husband was unavailable to take him. So while I sat in the stands and waited for the game to start, I posted a Q&A sticker on my Instagram stories to keep myself entertained. Turns out I am a hockey mom because I found myself paying attention to the game and groaning and cheering lol. I also got a lot of great questions about writing, which is still definitely more fun for me than hockey. One of those questions was about Muslim representation and whether I ever feel a burden to write ‘perfect’ Muslim characters. I shared some quick thoughts in my IG stories, but as a fiction writer, this is a topic that I’ve been thinking about for a long time and have had my own evolution in terms of how I approach it. So of course, I hammered out a 2,500 word essay in one sitting because once I get going it’s hard to stop 😅 You can my essay here on Substack. I would love to hear your thoughts and how you approach this issue so please do leave a comment. With best wishes & duas for your writing, Hajera Here's how I can support you in your writing:✍🏽 Learn craft and write stronger stories: Join the waitlist for Grounded Writers, a creative writing community for Muslim women 📖 Find fiction intimidating and not sure how to go from writing about your life to writing fictional stories? It's easier than you think. Take my Ease Into Fiction course now at 70% off 📞 Struggling with writing and need guidance from someone who has been where you are now? Book a call with me and get advice that works for you and gets you feeling excited about your writing again |
Hajera Khaja
I help Muslim women reconnect with their writing and I teach creative writing in a way that's fun and intuitive. I love to see writers begin to believe in themselves again, break through their struggles and resistance, and show up on the page in all their brilliance.
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Sometimes, the best way to tell a story is not in chronological order. If you're writing a short story or an essay, you can play around with the structure of your stories by rearranging the scenes and seeing what works best to build and main tension throughout the story. This is an especially useful activity to try if your story plays out over several years and/or includes flashbacks. Here's how it works. Print out your story and cut up all the scenes and lay them out on the floor. Mix them...
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