Feeling stuck when writing about difficult topics is an issue that often comes up with writers I work with. If you’re struggling with the same issue, I hope this helps! Why we feel stuck in the first place The feeling of stuckness or feeling blocked is often a sign that you’re avoiding writing about somethingContinue reading “Writing about heavy topics”
Author Archives: Hajera Khaja
Why critique won’t make you a better writer
In The Writers Lounge, my membership program for Muslim writers, every other month we have a live feedback session. Our members submit their work to me, and on the call we have a conversation about their writing and how they can make their stories stronger. I try to make sure it’s a collaborative process andContinue reading “Why critique won’t make you a better writer”
A roadmap for your writing journey
“How do I get started?” I hear this question often from writers who are new to writing and also from writers who have been writing for a while but want to start working towards a goal and want to get published. My answer to this question is really simple: read a lot and write aContinue reading “A roadmap for your writing journey”
Writing advice you should probably ignore
I’m working on a new course called Ease Into Fiction, which is designed for writers who are new to fiction and writers who want to write fiction but find it intimidating and can’t seem to move past writing about themselves. In prepping for the course, I asked writers on my Instagram to share their biggest challengesContinue reading “Writing advice you should probably ignore”
When motivation is hard to come by
When writers tell me their biggest struggle when it comes to their writing is actually finding time to write, I like to probe a little bit, and narrow down what the core issue really is. I’ve shared some thoughts about when your writing needs to take a backseat here, and when your writing is alwaysContinue reading “When motivation is hard to come by”
When your writing is always taking a backseat
When writers tell me their biggest struggle when it comes to their writing is actually finding time to write, I like to probe a little bit, and narrow down what the core issue really is. I talked about the first issue here: when your writing needs to take a backseat. In this post, I’m goingContinue reading “When your writing is always taking a backseat”
When your writing needs to take a backseat
When writers tell me their biggest struggle when it comes to their writing is actually finding time to write, I like to probe a little bit, and narrow down what the core issue really is. Usually it’s one of three things: I want to address the first scenario in this blog post. If you areContinue reading “When your writing needs to take a backseat”
Taking risks as a writer
I’m working on a short story collection and one of the stories that I’m writing is in the epistolary form. One character is writing a letter to another character, and that’s the structure in which the story is told. But the story didn’t start out that way. It started out like a regular story, aContinue reading “Taking risks as a writer”
Your first draft is not awful
First drafts always get such a bad rep — Sh*tty first draft. A vomit draft. Bad. Crappy. Terrible. Just google “first draft quotes” and you’ll see so many writers and authors talking about first drafts in this way. I get that a first draft will never be perfect. But is a final draft ever perfect?Continue reading “Your first draft is not awful”
What if you’re already good?
I recently shared this popular quote by Ira Glass with my Grounded Writers group. It’s a quote that I’ve shared on social media more than once and it’s even on the About page on my website where I say it’s my favourite writing quote. Here’s the quote: “Nobody tells this to people who are beginners,Continue reading “What if you’re already good?”