Introduction: Qalb Writers Collective
What to expect and how to make the most of the community: a rough guide
Hello and Salam alaykum (peace be upon you),
Today’s email is a quick intro to who I am, a bit about my writing life, and what to expect from Qalb Writers Collective (QWC).
I’m Suad, a writer, editorial assistant, proofreader, engineering graduate and so on. I’m a self-proclaimed multi-potentialite with a million and one interests and skills.
📝 My Writing
I used to write when I was much younger and dreamt of being an author, but life happened and my writing took a backseat.
I completed the first draft for my first ever (proper) book – a young adult (YA) novel, Never Enough – back in 2016, and it took me five years to write a second draft, due to having to heal from some of my experiences which were mirrored in the book at the time.
In the five years away from my YA, I started working on an adult novel, The Stories We Told Ourselves, and I’m still working on it 😭. I’ve written about five drafts of this one (there were quite a few stops / breaks in between), and I’m hoping and praying the current (on-hold) draft will be the final draft (!). I’m ready to be done and dusted with it.
However, the several rewriting processes have taught me so much about writing, and I’ve witnessed my writing grow in leaps and bounds because of this. It’s evident in my YA being shortlisted for FAB Prize 2021, and recently on the longlist for the SI Leeds Literary Prize 2022, as well as my adult novel being shortlisted for the Stylist Prize for Feminist Fiction 2021. Rewriting and editing are all part of writing, and possibly my favourite part of the process (more about this in a future letter).
I recently signed with a literary agent, Alice Lutyens, from Curtis Brown Creative, with my YA. So, at the moment, my adult novel has been put to the side, and I’m working on polishing my YA, and hopefully moving on to developing a second YA idea I have.
💜 About Qalb Writers Collective
Qalb Writers Collective is the community and resource I wish I had when I began taking my writing a lot more seriously. It took me a long while after I finished the first draft of my first manuscript to know about the next steps in publishing. I had no idea what a literary agent was, how to get one, what the submission process entailed, the competitions I could enter into, critique groups for writing feedback and so on.
I approached writing the way I did a lot of things: from an academic standpoint. I read several books about craft, signed up for online writing classes, though not entirely sure what my end goal was. The one thing I knew for sure was I wanted to improve my writing to the point where it was half as good as the books I read.
It wasn’t until attending a writing workshop in May 2020 which I’d stumbled upon that my entire journey changed for the better. Since then, I’ve attended several other workshops, submitted my writing to several competitions, and finally secured an agent.
I hope to use the knowledge I’ve gained, and connections I’ve formed, to ensure other Black + Muslim women (aspiring) writers have a better, smoother and hopefully quicker journey than I’ve had. Some things are much easier with a community, and I think writing is one of them especially because it can be a lonely craft.
❓Why the name “Qalb”?
Qalb means heart in Arabic, and this is significant because I believe stories come from the heart. Also, qalb stems from the Arabic root word qa-la-ba which means to change or turn something, and I think as Black and Muslim writers, we hope to inspire change with our stories. Or simply have fun while being authentically represented on the page.
🎯 What to expect from QWC?
Here are the goals I have for the first half of the year (this is mostly to hold myself accountable):
Tri-weekly newsletter focused on going from idea to first draft with writing prompts
Building community
For the second half of the year:
The emails will focus on the journey from first draft to submissions to an agent
Monthly workshop sessions (giving feedback to one another in a group session)
Weekly drop-in writing sessions
Possibly an online session with an agent/editor
and hopefully so much more.
An important part of this community is accountability, building consistency and providing feedback on writing, so I urge you to try to use this community as a springboard for getting comfortable with putting your work out in the world.
✍🏾 Prompt
I read an interesting article earlier this month on why different writers write, and how writing felt for them. A quote which stood out to me:
“Writing isn’t hard the way physical labor, or recovery from surgery, is hard; it’s hard the way math or physics is hard, the way chess is hard. What’s hard about art is getting any good—and then getting better. What’s hard is solving problems with infinite solutions and your finite brain.”
I invite you to explore the question:
Why do you write?
📚 What I’m reading or have recently enjoyed
What’s on your reading list?
To make this about you, and to ensure I’m serving your needs in the manner most useful to you, can you kindly drop an email responding to these questions?
What’s your biggest fear about writing?
What’s the one question about writing or publishing you wish you had an answer to?
Feel free to share this letter with anyone you think may benefit from it.
I hope you have a lovely weekend and week ahead. I’ll be back in your inbox next Friday!
Till next time,
Suad