Assalaamu alaikum Reader,

If you’ve been on my mailing list for a while (thank you for being here!) and you open and read my emails (thank you even more!!), I had mentioned last summer that I am working on a memoir about my writing journey. I had asked if you would be interested in reading excerpts as I’m writing it and many of you replied and said you would like that (so many thanks if you did!!).

As an aside, even if you’ve never replied to my emails, I’m still grateful that you’re here. The truth is that if it weren’t for me doing this work of teaching and coaching writers, I wouldn’t be writing this memoir. And whether you’ve taken any of my courses/programs or not, your presence on this email list makes it possible for me to do my work. So, thank you. I pray that whatever your writing goals and dreams are, that Allah allows you to reach them.

Back to the memoir — I haven’t worked on it for a few months now. But last week, I was forced to revisit the project because I decided to apply for a grant; don’t recommend doing this last minute at all!

I had to submit a writing sample and, in keeping with my promise, I wanted to share with you a portion of that sample. This excerpt is about why having readers is important for us writers.

When I was in university, personal blogs were starting to become popular. Some of my friends had their own blogs. It was the first time that I wanted to jump on the bandwagon immediately and create my own blog because it would mean that I would get to write. But I didn’t rush into it. I wanted my blog to be perfect. The perfect name. The perfect template. Everything had to be just right.

My first blog was called “Finding Neverland." I wrote the first post by hand one night, sitting up in my bed, leaning against the flatted pillow, head buried in a notebook. I'm sure there were nerves before I hit ‘Post’ for the first time ever. I’m sure there was a sense of What am even I doing?!! What I do recall vividly was feeling excitement and contentment at doing something that I loved and enjoyed.

On that blog, I wrote about all kinds of things; silly things, serious things, and everything in between.

I remember one day, when I was sick and my nose was extremely stuffy, I wrote about the snot accumulating in my nose and their imagined conversation. I wrote about almost witnessing a murder in the parking lot of the strip mall across from where I lived, about the men who came the next night and laid flowers at the base of a light post, crumpled on the ground, their bodies heavy with grief. I wrote about finding used book sales in university buildings, the yellow-brown pages, the musty smell of old paper, the delight it brought me.

In short, I wrote about whatever I wanted.

My friends read every single post and commented on each one of them. I even garnered a small following of fellow bloggers. I did worry about whether I was a good writer or not. But I was having too much fun to let the worry consume me. I kept writing and kept hitting ‘Post’.

What I couldn’t know then, but recognize so easily now, is that it was my readers who kept me going.

In my copy of the novel, “Lullabies for Little Criminals” by Heather O’Neill, at the end of the book, there is an ‘About the book’ section where the author talks about how she wrote the novel. These lines from that section have stayed with me ever since I first read it: “It’s hard to have faith that you will ever finish a novel. Luckily my boyfriend read everything I wrote and loved it. All any writer needs is one single reader.”

I would love to be more empowering here and tell you, Write even if everyone says your writing is trash. But the truth is that we are more motivated to do something, to continue with it even when the odds of success feel low, when we have someone in our corner, encouraging us and telling us that they see value in what we’re doing.

The truth is that I owe my commitment to my writing to the readers of my old blog, “Finding Neverland.”

"All any writer needs is one single reader." Find that reader for yourself. It can be a parent, a sibling, a friend, or a loved one. For me, I was blessed enough to have not one, but at least two of my best friends who always, without expressing any hesitation, loved what I wrote.

Maybe they held back their criticism at times and weren’t entirely honest. Maybe there were things they read and didn’t love as much. But at the time, I was in a stage of my writing-life where I needed encouragement. I don’t know what would have happened if they critiqued my writing or told me about which posts they didn’t enjoy. I suspect I would have become hesitant, second-guessing myself every time I wrote something. And none of us need that, at least not in the beginning, when we’re experimenting with writing, finding our voice, being courageous and vulnerable, and feeling our way around what it means to be a writer.

I love my friends so much for that. If you have someone like that in your life, cherish them. If you don’t, find your readers. Start a Substack. Post on Instagram. You can start small – share a few lines that you’re especially proud of, or a short paragraph that conveys what you’ve never been able to say out loud.

Remember, you just need a single reader.

I hope you enjoyed that excerpt! I'd love to hear your thoughts so please let me know how this landed for you, and whether you'd like me to continue sharing excerpts every now and then.

With best wishes & duas for your writing,

Hajera

Here's how I can support you in your writing:

✍🏽 Transform your writing by learning craft and getting my feedback on your stories: Join me inside Grounded Writers, a creative writing membership 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.

📞 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.​