In Conversation with: Reem Gaafar, author of A Mouth Full of Salt
You need to write a lot, write badly, in order to get better. The hardest part of being a writer is having to actually write.
Salam alaykum friends,
I pray you’re well and your words are flowing like milk and honey. This month’s interview features Reem Gaafar, author of A Mouth Full of Salt. This book has been on my list for a very long time, but I only got around to reading it earlier this year. And I’m so glad I did because Gaafar is a phenomenal storyteller, and I was eager to learn about her writing/creative process. I hope you come away from this interview feeling less alone in your craft.
About Reem:
Reem Gaafar is a writer, physician and filmmaker. Her writing has appeared in African Arguments, African Feminism, Teakisi Magazine, Andariya and 500 Words Magazine, among others. Her short story ‘Light of the Desert’ was published in I Know Two Sudans (Gipping Press UK, 2014) where it was awarded an Honourable Mention. Her short story ‘Finding Descartes’ was published in Relations: An Anthology of African and Diaspora Voices (HarperVia, 2023). A Mouth Full of Salt is her debut novel and Winner of the Island Prize 2023.
Name: Reem Gaafar
Book title: A Mouth Full of Salt
Genre: Literary Fiction
Can you describe the first image, sentence, or question that sparked A Mouth Full of Salt?
It was a grandmother’s sorrowful apology to her daughter-in-law who had left her son in their care, and while he had been playing in front of the house he was hit by a speeding car and passed away. The very first version of A Mouth Full of Salt – which had actually been a short story – had a sweet old grandmother, and not the evil mother-in-law that made it to the published version.
What writers, living or dead, have most shaped your writing?
My writing has actually been shaped by the tribes that I descend from who are natural storytellers, and who are incredibly expressive with very little words. But some writers did influence the directions I take with my writing. For example, Leila Aboulela showed me it was possible to write about Sudan past and present, in English. I didn’t know that was possible before I read her books. Maaza Mengiste showed me it was cool to write about strong women characters.
How do you begin — with a character, a scene, a line, or something else entirely?
I start with an image or a sentence that invokes a strong emotion and a very clear picture or movie that carries itself forward. It’s like watching a movie, and often I let it take up space in my head until it’s clear enough to write down and describe in all its aspects, and once it’s down the rest of the story kind of follows along.
What’s the main drive behind your work? What motivates you?
Mostly it’s to get the story out of my head, because sometimes it gets to a point where it really bothers me and I need to get it out. It also allows me to channel my thoughts and views through the writing (and I have so many thoughts and views) while allowing myself to justify and contextualize these views.
What is your view on the way Muslim voices are represented in traditional publishing?
My view is that they are not represented at all, and when they are it’s by an incredibly small minority. Personally, I have come across only a handful of them but this is mainly because I read in English. One issue I feel overshadows this voice is that it almost always accompanies the cultural background of the writer, e.g. we read Sudanese fiction, not a Muslim writer who happens to come from Sudan. This should ideally widen the scope but I feel it doesn’t always do so, and is something that I’m guilty of myself as a reader.
What was the most difficult part of the writing process for you? How did you overcome it?
Definitely my belief in myself. I never overcame it and still suffer from an intense case of imposter syndrome, have such little confidence in my writing and am genuinely surprised people are even reading my book. I don’t have any advice about how to overcome this, but at this point – after the reception A Mouth Full of Salt got – I can tell myself that there are a few people out there who feel that my pitiful writing is okay-ish.
The second most difficult part is finding the time with my schedule of raising small children, doing a PhD and a few jobs on the side. Because of this I write in spurts and literally had to carve a few hours here, and few days there to sit down and write. This meant that other things suffered (mainly my studies) during those times, but with my poor time management skills and eternal exhaustion there was no way around it.
What’s the best writing advice you’ve ever received?
‘The worst draft you wrote is still better than the best draft you never wrote.’
Can you tell us a bit about your path to publication? How long did it take to get from idea to publication?
My path was not straightforward. I submitted my manuscript to The Island Prize because this particular competition promised editorial feedback and advice on publication for the longlisted and shortlisted writers. I never thought I would win, and when I did it was quite a big deal and the announcement caught the eye of my publisher Saqi Books, UK. Saqi Books specialises in literature from and about the Middle East and has published two books for the Sudanese writer Leila Aboulela, so they were able to understand and appreciate my writing and immediately gave me a book deal. The idea materialised years ago, I think it was five years, and I wrote it down as a short story which sat in my laptop for ages and I would add to it every now and then. I submitted to The Island Prize in December 2022, won in June 2023 and got my book deal in August of the same year. The book was published in April 2024 which is also quite fast by publishing standards: usually it takes around two years.
What was your biggest learning during the publishing process?
I learned that the way I write is the way I write, even if my writing isn’t very good. Because my writing process isn’t a process at all and is quite organic where I sit down with the image in my head and then the words just come out. For years I mistrusted this chaos and was self-censoring so much that I blocked several works halfway through. I allowed myself to write this way with A Mouth Full of Salt, and was surprised that an actual story came out of it. So I’ve learned that not everyone is organized and does outlines and tidy sentences, and that’s alright.
If you could share one piece of advice with an aspiring writer, what would it be?
Read, read, read and write, write, write. You need to write a lot, write badly, in order to get better. The hardest part of being a writer is having to actually write. I hear that some writers actually like the writing process and I wonder what’s wrong with them. Writing is like a muscle, you need to work it a lot in order to build it.
What questions do you seek to answer through your work?
What makes ordinary people do extraordinary things?
If there were no publishing barriers, what would your next book be on?
I am currently working (or should be working) on a book about Sudanese women freedom fighters who are involved in two landmark political movements in modern Sudanese history.
As someone juggling several responsibilities, what does your writing routine look like?
There is no routine. Ideally I would write after my kids are in bed, and on good days I do. I burn the midnight oil when I’m facing a deadline and would stay up to the morning hours.
Where can readers find your work?
A Mouth Full of Salt is available everywhere books are sold, from Saqi Books worldwide and Invisible Books in Canada. My short story Finding Descarte is published in Relations: An Anthology of African and Diaspora Voices by Harper Collins, and my very first published short story Light of The Desert is in the anthology ‘I Know Two Sudans’ which is now out of print.
As usual, if you found this post beneficial, please share with your family, friends, colleagues and acquaintances!
Love and duas,
Suad from Qalb Writers Collective
Great interview! Thanks for introducing me to my next read.