Writer of the Week #7: Tahira Iqbal

Tahira's short story "The Queen" was included in the anthology Red Velvet and Absinthe

NAME - Tahira Iqbal

AGE - 32

WEBSITE - www.tahiraiqbal.com

LOCATION - United Kingdom

WHEN DID YOU REALISE YOU WANTED TO BE A PUBLISHED AUTHOR? 
I didn’t initially realise I wanted to be published, I just wanted to write. But when I realised that I loved writing and nothing else seemed to make me happy, I started to explore the idea of “getting my work out there”. I spent long years quietly working away before anything “got out there!”.

NAME FIVE AUTHORS AND 5 BOOKS (DO NOT NECESSARILY HAVE TO BE YOUR FAVOURITE)
Interview with a vampire – Anne Rice.
Bitten – Kelley Armstrong.
The Crow – James O’Barr (Okay, technically a graphic novel... But I love it!)
Sean Black - Lock Down
Jurassic Park – Michael Crichton

WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR INSPIRATION FROM?
 Anywhere and everywhere. Something someone says, or something that I see. The night sky, the dawn sky or just sitting in silence and letting something rise within.



WHAT DO YOU THINK IS THE BEST QUALITY A WRITER CAN HAVE? 
Patience. Sometimes you want to write, but you just can’t, it’s not flowing... So be kind and patient with yourself and the writing will return.



ANY LAST WORDS? (FUN FACTS, COMMENTS, SOMETHING YOU’D LIKE TO SHARE WITH THE WORLD ETC) 
If you’re a writer, or want to be a writer, then just write. Even if it’s one word on the back of a napkin or a whole paragraph tapped into an blank text  – keep your creativity alive!



CHALLENGE! WRITE A ONE SENTENCE STORY
Ooh.... I can’t just write one sentence! Writer’s curse... We like to ramble!


Thank you so much, Tahira! If anyone else is interested in being a writer of the week, please read the instructions here.

Writing Tip #1: Write Everyday!

Every writer has his or her own way of staying motivated about writing. For me, it's to keep on writing every single day, and to write down my progress everyday as well. Ever since I finished writing draft #1 of my novel, I've kept track of what I have been doing everyday when working on draft #2.

My progress log

I also wrote down dates in the margins when I was writing draft #1 in my notebook.

In the margin, it says "Day 129, 1/4/11, Wednesday"

So, to summarize my post, one tip I've learned to keep myself chipping away at my novel is to write everyday, no matter how small the effort is. As long as some progress is made every 24 hours, progress is progress (though, I must add, it's a lot more satisfying if you can break up a one-sentence-a-day rut and write more than one page at least every few days!).

Writer of the Week #6: Rebecca Coleman

Check out Rebecca's beautiful debut novel, The Kingdom of Childhood

Name:  Rebecca Coleman

Age: 35

Website: http://www.rebeccacoleman.net

Location: Maryland

When did you realize you wanted to be a published author?
It was an evolution. I'd written one of those books you write because you feel driven to write it, and so I figured the next step was to try to get an agent. Once I'd gotten a taste of the rejection, that's when it became an ambition. I wanted to prove that I could do this.

Name 5 authors and 5 books.
Authors: Eleanor Brown, Margaret Atwood, Barbara Kingsolver, Ann Hite, Cormac McCarthy.
Books: Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov, The Stolen Child by Keith Donohue, The Lonely Polygamist by Brady Udall, The Nobodies Album by Carolyn Parkhurst, The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde.

Where do you get your inspiration from?
From people I don't understand. I hear stories about them and think, "I can't imagine why they would do something like that"-- and then realize I want to understand it.

What do you think is the best quality a writer can have?
A sense of humility. It's very hard to accept criticism without it, and there's never a shortage of criticism.

Any last words?
"There is no such thing as a moral or an immoral book. Books are well written, or badly written. That is all." --Oscar Wilde

Challenge: Write a one-sentence story!
"His mind reels off a quick sensory memory, like a hiccup-- the snug heat of her body, the unsullied bliss of watching her surrendered face-- but the memory is gone as quickly as it arrived, and once again he’s standing impatiently on her porch in the rain."




Thank you so much Rebecca for your insightful answers! If anyone else is interested in being a writer of the week, please read the instructions here.

Sanguinary Soiree

An object of desire

Has me twisted like a wire

In a pain so dire

I might as well crawl through mire

As I transform into a vampire

Who is to burn in a pyre

For a love that will never tire

But will serve as a subject to inspire

A figure to admire

 
The poem is written in honor of the Sanguinary Soiree held at Holly's Horrorland.
In addition, if your embittered heart renders you hesitant to regurgitate "Valentine's Day," I whipped up an article for UC Berkeley's Caliber Magazine titled "Alternative Valentine's Day Names." 

Happy "Fatty Chocolate Day"!

February Issue of Underneath the Juniper Tree

The February issue of Underneath the Juniper Tree just came out! This is my first time being published in the magazine, which focuses on child-friendly macabre literature (one of my favorite types of literature, hehe!). I did not write (but I will, in the future!), but illustrated for a story titled Hannah, Gregory, and the Gingerbread Castle by C.E. Hyun, who I recommend you check out, as she writes lovely fairy-tale inspired short stories and has been published in other magazines, such as BFS Journal and The Red Penny Papers.

My illustration for C.E. Hyun's Hannah, Gregory and the Gingerbread Castle

And I highly recommend that you check out the rest of the magazine, too! Just look at the heartwarming cover.

Writer of the Week #4: David Gatward

 

Name: David Gatward

Age: 38 earth years, 2,7 million cosmic existences

Website (if you have one): www.davidgatward.com, www.booksurfers.co.uk

Location: UK

When did you realize you wanted to be a published author?
I was 11 and read a book called The Weirdstone of Brisingamen, by Alan Garner. It changed everything. Alan G has a lot to answer for...

Name 5 authors and 5 books.
Steven King, Salem's Lot; Gary Braunbeck, Mr Hands; Boston Teran, God is a Bullet; Jeff Noon, Pollen; Robert Louis Stephenson, Treasure Island.

Where do you get your inspiration from?
Everything I do, see, watch, hear, see, experience, taste...

What do you think is the best quality a writer can have?
Very shiny ears. And perhaps a decent imagination. And an addiction to writing. And a willingness to accept criticism and learn and develop and get better and make every book better than the last and to take the rough with the smooth and...

Any last words?
I've a new book coming out in about six months so keep an eye on my website (davidgatward.com) and fb page (http://www.facebook.com/davidgatward.author) for more info over the next few months...

Challenge: Write a one-sentence story!
It was the beginning of the end, and the end of the beginning, but Jack, for all he'd done before, and all he'd ever do after, was stuck somewhere in the middle, low on bullets, running out of time, and whether he liked it or not, would have to kill someone to get out of this alive.

Thank you so much for being interviewed, David! If anyone would like to be a writer of the week, please read the instructions here.

Modeling Digression: Laquel Wright Photography

A few weeks ago, I had an alternative boudoir session with Laquel Wright Photography. Laquel is a wonderful photographer who specializes with boudoir and portraits, and she was really open to experimenting with an different boudoir look, since women typically wear lacy pastels and in an intimate environment. But me? I decided to bust out one of my favorite scarves, stockings, and 5-inch stilettos!

Here are a few of my favorites from the session.

Here is Laquel's blog post on our session.
And please do click here for her website!