These 4 blogs are already completely written and ready to post I just need to decide the order, thus the poll.

Arab/Desi Writing Prompts Part 5

Hear me out-

We've all seen those soulmate tattoo writing prompts where their soulmate's name appears as a tattoo on their wrist/they have a matching symbol tattoo on their wrist.

BUT what if this was Desi?

We already have a huge tradition about hiding your partner's name in your mehndi and they have to find it before the night ends. So what if we combined this tradition with the soulmate trope?

Even better- what if it was enemies to lovers? Scenario inspo:

The once joyful female protagonist stares at her wrist in horror as she realises the name forming in her mehndi pattern was that of her enemy.

She feels horrified and knows she has to hide her hand for the rest of the night, because if he sees it, they're bound for life (this also stems from our actual tradition, which states you're meant to be together if he finds his name).

The night is almost over and she is convinced she can leave the function hall and forget all about the name on her wrist, but suddenly someone catches her wrist, tugging on it and pulling her along with them.

She's ready to scream out and protest, but that's before she realises her assailant is none other than her enemy. Who is staring at his name with wide eyes.

A mere stare from him makes his name darker than the rest of her mehndi, sealing their fate.

(Protagonist name) was now bound to spend the rest of her life with (antagonist). The very man she was sworn to kill.

Extra points:

Prompt Masterlist

Arab/Desi Writing Prompts Pt 4

"The young Maharaj has sent a katar for our Shehzadi."

The poor knight's voice shook with fear as he presented the dagger to the king. A long silence encompassed the throne room, but it was soon replaced with His Highness's regal voice.

"Tell them we accept."

The princess rose to protest at the sound of her father's compliance, but she found herself falling silent in shock. The crown prince of their rival kingdom had just asked for her hand in marriage.

And her father accepted.

Prompt Masterlist

Arab/Desi Writing Prompts Part Three

His hand shifted to scribble on the corner of her page, but he moved away just as quickly, leaving her to stare at his note in surprise.

21 2.

Ekis do. Or in English, give me a kiss.

A scoff left her lips as she scribbled back with a number of her own.

9. No.

"Ghamandi."

The sound of his annoyed voice made a small smile tug on her lips as she turned back to her notes.

Writing Prompts Masterlist

Arab/Desi Writing Prompts List:

Desi/Arab Writing Prompts Part 2

"The bride hides the groom's name in her Mehndi and if he finds it then they're meant to be together for all eternity."

"And if he doesn't?"

She looked over his shoulder nervously at the question, her eyes locking on the tall figure hiding amongst the shadows of their wedding hall with wide black eyes transfixed on the man before her.

"Well, then they don't last very long." 

How to Develop a Memorable Antagonist

Antagonists are one of the most important characters in your book. Without an antagonist, writers wouldn’t have a story to write in the first place. They bring the action, drama, trauma and many other factors that are often the reason for a book’s success. However, their pivotal role in the book is often why antagonists can come across as poorly-written one-dimensional characters. 

From stereotypical backstories to a lack of humanisation, authors often make simple mistakes that can result in a cliche or boring antagonist. Are you struggling to create a compelling antagonist for your WIP? Here are some tips to help you get started. 

How To Write And Create A Subplot

A subplot is an essential aspect of any book. It helps drive your story forward and hook your readers in with a compelling narrative. A good subplot raises the stakes for the main character by introducing side characters, creating plot twists, adding another dimension to the story or revealing information from the past or future. 

However, if executed incorrectly subplots can overshadow your main plot and deviate from the heart of your story. Unsure how to create and execute a subplot? Here are some helpful tips to get you started! 

How To Immerse Your Readers With Indirect Characterisation

If you are a writer you’ve probably come across the term ‘show, don’t tell’. This is a popular piece of advice passed down from one writer to the next, however, some writers have wrongly presumed this applies solely to one’s description. 

Much like description, your characterisation can directly impact your reader’s immersion and understanding of your characters. While direct characterisation tells your reader about your character, indirect characterisation unveils their true personality. Unsure how to correctly characterise your characters? Here are some tips on how to immerse your readers with indirect characterisation! 

How To Write A Disabled Character: The Dos And Don’ts 

As an author, it’s important to ensure the content you create doesn’t accidentally offend or misrepresent a community, especially one you don’t belong to. This is why I made my previous post talking about how to write POC characters without seeming racist, and why I decided to write this blog post on how to write a disabled character. 

Before I jump into my writing tips, I would like to put out a disclaimer. Unlike my previous post, where I could speak from personal experience, I am not disabled and thus am not attempting to be a spokesperson for the community. However, I have previously written several disabled characters and decided to make a guide of sorts for authors like me. 

I would also like to mention that I did some research into acceptable terminology before writing this, using this website and others, however, I am always open to learning and correcting myself if and when I do make a mistake. 

Don’t Make Their Disability Their Personality 

This is possibly one of the most important things to keep in mind when writing with a disabled character. This is an issue when writing about any minority, really, but it is especially true for this community. A person’s disability doesn’t define them or their personality, and the whole introverted disabled person trope gets a little tiring. 

It’s sort of like how every gay man isn’t overly feminine. Yes, there are disabled people who can be sad and quiet and introverted, just like there are others who are loud and obnoxious and extroverted. 

When writing a disabled character, you need to incorporate their disability into their personality rather than making it their personality. A fun-loving protagonist with a hearing aid might slap fun stickers onto it, showcasing their personality. Maybe a person in a wheelchair loves to paint it a new colour every other month. 

These are just examples of ways you could introduce your character with their personality rather than their disability. She saw a peak of pink behind the protagonist’s ears, he watched as a neon green wheelchair sped towards him with a whooping boy seated on it. 

When creating your OC forms, take the time to actually consider how their personality impacts their relationships with their disability and how that impacts their relations with others. 

Know What You’re Writing About 

Do your research! I sincerely cannot stress how important it is for a writer, or any sort of creator, to take the time to research the medical conditions their characters are going through. The same writers who pour over several articles to figure out how much blood would their character realistically lose by a stab wound are often the ones who choose to overlook the complexities and finer details when it comes to a disabled character. 

The issue with this is the spread of misinformation it can cause amongst your readers. This especially applies to factors such as sign language, brail, etc. Think of it this way, if you are bothered enough to use Google translate for dialogues written in a language you don’t speak, then why can’t you do the same for unspoken languages? 

Whether your character has an intellectual, physical, sensory, or other disability, it’s important to take the time to thoroughly research the issues you are portraying. 

Here are some things to consider when writing a disabled character: 

Show Don’t Tell 

Rather than simply telling us about their disabilities, it’s important for you to them show your readers. I previously mentioned how you can do this by incorporating their personalities into your writing, but that is only one aspect writers should consider. 

It’s also important to treat your character as you would treat any other character. Many authors often write long winding descriptions of the things their character can see, hear, or feel. It’s important to do the same when writing with a disabled character as well. Especially if they have a sensory disability! 

Maybe your character can’t see but their lips curl up into a smile when they hear a soft swish of fabric by their side, because they know it means their sister bought that dress she was talking about. 

Recognising a character’s limitations also gives you an idea of how your character would experience the world and allows you to accurately translate that to your readers. 

Flesh Out Their Relationships 

Finally, it’s very important for writers to break away from the cliches when writing about disabled characters. It gets tiring reading about a disabled character who is pitied by everyone around them until someone special comes along and sees them for themselves. It is also important to recognise that a disabled character doesn’t necessarily have to only befriend other disabled characters. 

Your disabled characters can have friends, rivals, love interests, mentors, etc. without these relationships tying into their disability. Don’t restrict your character’s experiences simply because of their disability! A great example of a well-written disabled character would be Isaac played by George Robinson. 

Final Words

Writing about a community you don’t come from can be scary because you need to consider whether or not you’re accidentally offending or misrepresenting someone. This is why writers often stick to the communities they come from, which directly impacts the amount of representation for marginalised communities. 

However, I feel that the right amount of research and a willingness to learn is all you really need to be able to write about a community you don’t come from.

I hope this blog on how to write a disabled character: the dos and don’ts will help you in your writing journey. Be sure to comment any tips of your own to help your fellow authors prosper, and follow my blog for new blog updates every Monday and Thursday.  

Looking For More Writing Tips And Tricks? 

Are you an author looking for writing tips and tricks to better your manuscript? Or do you want to learn about how to get a literary agent, get published and properly market your book? Consider checking out the rest of Haya’s book blog where I post writing and marketing tools for authors every Monday and Thursday. 

Want to learn more about me and my writing journey? Visit my social media pages under the handle @hayatheauthor where I post content about my WIP The Traitor’s Throne and life as a teenage author. 

How To Build Tension And Make Your Readers Feel Scared

Fear is possibly the hardest emotion to evoke in your readers. A good joke or the dramatic death of a beloved character might easily make readers laugh and cry, but authors seldom create scenes that truly send shivers down the reader’s back. 

Whether you’re writing a classic horror story or creating a tense scene in your novel, here are some tips every author needs to build tension and make your readers feel scared. From a horror and YA fantasy author. 

How To Get Out Of The Slush Pile And Make Your Agent Say Yes 

In the literary world, the term slush pile refers to a stack of unread, unsolicited manuscripts or queries from aspiring novelists. Authors can often find themselves in the slush pile due to cold queries, unprofessional letter formatting, or a generic pitch. 

Are you facing constant form rejections to your queries? Here is everything you need to know to get out of your publisher’s slush pile. 

Customise Your Query 

if you approach an agent as just another name on your list, they will treat you the same way. Agents and publishers receive an ample amount of queries every single day, many of which are cold queries that are automatically rejected with form responses. As an author, it is your job to create a compelling query that hooks your agent in. 

The easiest way to do this is by customising your query letter. 

I have already talked about easy ways to do this in some of my earlier blogs, but here’s a quick rundown of how to customise your query to hook your literary agent: 

Start with their name

Queries that start with ‘dear agent/team’ have a higher chance of ending up on an agent’s slush pile. It’s important to address your agent by their given name both at the start of the query letter and somewhere in between it (something as simple as ‘this is why I chose to work with you, their name’ can work wonders). 

Avoid using any terms like miss/mrs/mr since you might end up using the wrong term for an agent and get off on the wrong foot. 

Why them? 

When trying to convince your agent why they should pick you, it’s important to show them why you picked them. This helps create a bond of trust and makes your agent know you aren’t just blindly sending out queries to every agent who works in your genre. 

When I was querying agents, I would always make sure to include a line that went as follows: 

I found out about you on manuscript wishlist and decided to get in touch with you since you expressed interest in the genres and themes The Traitor’s Throne incorporates.

I would then make a quick nod to anything they might have said on their MSWL, agent page, or Twitter. A great way to do this is by scanning their manuscript wishlist for certain phrases that fit your book. Maybe they showed interest in a ‘high stakes murder mystery’ or ‘swoon-worthy romance’. You can use these short phrases to customise your query, so long as they fit your book. 

Mention their past projects 

Can’t find anything on their MSWL that fits your book’s themes? Instead just mention a past project of theirs that follows the same themes as your book. A quick line such as ‘your previous work with (author name) for (book name) encouraged me to get in touch with you’ can seamlessly customise your query without feeling too overbearing. 

Remember, only two to three lines of your query letter should talk about your agent. The rest is supposed to be about your book and your experience as an author. I would recommend putting this section at the end of your query letter, right before your synopsis and sample pages. 

Follow Their Guidelines 

Most literary agents and publishers have a set of guidelines in place for authors looking to query them. These guidelines help them sort through the queries and also ensure your query isn’t marked as a spam email. 

Some agencies will ask you to customise your subject line a certain way, others will ask authors to answer a set of questions that help them gain insight into your project. 

When querying an agent or publisher, remember to always check their website’s submissions or contact page (even if you’re reaching out via query manager or query tracker) and follow the guidelines mentioned there. 

This helps your agent know you were genuinely interested in reaching out to them and also ensures they actually read your query.

Keep Things Simple 

One of the most important things to remember when querying is to keep things simple. Don’t overstuff your query with information, don’t dive into a detailed analysis of what happens in every chapter of your book in the synopsis (unless the agent asks you to). 

The point of your query letter is to hook your agent, not bore them with the details. Make your query simple, short, and intriguing. Drop an introduction, hook your agent with the first paragraph, and end your query letter strongly. 

Here is how to format your query letter to make your agent say yes: 

Stay Professional 

Always remember to be courteous and professional when you’re interacting with an agent or publisher. Start and end all of your emails properly, make sure your query doesn’t have any SPAG mistakes, and always treat your agent kindly. Even if they reject you. 

Imagine how embarrassing it would be if you did end up getting an agent but they called you up one day and said their friend or colleague mentioned you sent them a very rude email after getting rejected! 

Maintaining a positive impression of yourself is always important. Remember, these agents might end up being important industry connections in the future. Or, they could casually mention your poor mannerism to other agents which could ruin your chances of getting traditionally published. 

It is good practice to follow up rejection emails with an email thanking the agent for their response and asking them whether they have any colleagues or fellow agents in mind who might be looking for a project like yours. 

Some agents might just ignore this message, but others will provide you with at least a couple of agents you can get in touch with. This gives you the advantage of a referral, and also makes the agent see you in a positive light, which can be beneficial when building industry connections. 

Conclusion 

I hope this blog on how to get out of the slush pile and make your agent say yes will help you in your writing journey. Be sure to comment any tips of your own to help your fellow authors prosper. 

Want to learn more about me and my writing journey? Visit my social media pages under the handle @hayatheauthor where I post content about my wip The Traitor’s Throne and life as a teenage author.

Seven Blogs You Need To Read As An Author

Writing a book mandates professional writing void of any errors. But oftentimes authors find themselves in a position where they can’t tell where they’ve gone wrong or how to improve their manuscript. 

One of the best ways to improve your writing is by reading. Or more specifically, reading professional advice from creative writing blogs. 

Don’t know where to start? Here are some of my favourite writing blogs to get advice, that helped me make my manuscript ready for queries. This list of blogs is effective for writers of all sizes, so whether you’re working on a short story or editing your manuscript, be sure to stick around till the end for seven blogs you need to read as a writer. 

How To Write With Colour 

Descriptions can be hard! But they are made harder when authors run the risk of coming off as racist by accidentally using the wrong set of words. 

Even as a POC, I too sometimes feel lost when trying to accurately describe my POC characters. One easy way to overcome this obstacle is by asking yourself ‘would I be describing this particular body part/feature if this character was white? Is this description something that people would realistically notice if they saw this character in real life?’

These questions, or ones similar to them, should help you overcome your concerns about your description, but making sure your writing doesn’t accidentally offend an entire country is only the first step! 

As an author, your biggest goal should be to immerse your readers with compelling prose that paints a clear picture in their heads. One easy way to do this is by following the advice in this how to write with colour blog. 

One thing I love about this blog is the various examples the author provides you with. They give you so much more than the typical rundown of things you shouldn’t do when writing POCs and provide authors with the examples they need to seamlessly create beautiful descriptions for their characters. 

I often leave this blog open while typing my manuscript and turn to it every time I feel stuck while writing my wip, and it really helped bring my characters to life while cutting down on any unnecessary or redundant phrases.    

Cheat Sheets For Writing Body Language 

Bringing your character’s emotions to life is possibly one of the biggest obstacles of writing. As authors, we need to paint a scene that doesn’t just explain our character’s feelings but also shows them. 

The occasional clenched fist or furrowed brows can go a long way when writing and turn a confusing passage into an insightful window to the character’s emotions. But if done wrong, these little descriptions can create distance between the reader and the character. 

Let’s be honest, most of us don’t curl our lips into a sneer every time we feel annoyed. And while eyes might be the window to a person’s soul, they aren’t nearly as descriptive as writers make them out to be. 

So, how can you avoid these cliche and underwhelming descriptions while also realistically conveying your character’s emotions? With this cheat sheet for writing body language! 

This is yet another blog I often leave open while working on my manuscript because it can give me the words I need to elevate my writing seamlessly. Once you skim the author’s list you might notice these gestures are things we often do in our daily life but fail to think of while writing. 

This blog might not incorporate some of the emotions your characters might feel, but its comprehensive list is still worth taking a look at. 

How To Write Dialogue— formatting, examples, and tips 

Writing dialogue is possibly one of the first skills writers pick up when their fingers hit the keyboard. But learning how to format your character’s conversations is only the first step. Authors also have to take their flow and tone into perspective. 

It’s easy for writers to overlook the impact their character’s vocabulary and tone can make on a scene. Maybe they use casual words and gesture widely with their hands when they’re speaking to their friends but have a clipped tone and place their hands behind their back while addressing their seniors. 

These small changes can help define your character’s relationship with the other person and also paint a clear picture of what they’re feeling throughout the conversation. How loud is their voice? How stable is their tone? Did they flinch when the other person asked them a question? Did their ‘eyes dance with amusement’ as they locked eyes with a friend helping them solidify a lie? 

The how to write dialogue blog provides writers with this advice and more and allows authors to easily create a realistic and descriptive conversation. 

How To Describe Setting In Literature

Dialogue helps fill your reader in, but its description that makes them turn the page. But how can you accurately describe your story’s setting without seeming over or underwhelming? 

Painting a scene helps set the foundation of your story. But many authors restrict their description by only focusing on what their character sees rather than what they feel. The ringing in their ears, the sudden clamminess in their palms, the way their mouth dried as their watched the scene before them. 

This short yet informative blog on how to describe setting in literature tells you how to properly describe your character’s situation and the setting in one go without overwhelming your reader with long unnecessary passages. 

You don’t have to revisit this multiple times like some of the other blogs I’ve written about, but there are certain points the author mentions that, if taken into perspective while writing, can drastically improve your story’s setting. 

How To Dump Info Without Info Dumping 

Authors often stumble upon moments in their manuscripts that require a bit of background information to set the scene. But how much information is too much? 

A manuscript full of info dumping and purple prose is any editor’s worst nightmare and can negatively impact a literary industry professional’s attitude towards your manuscript. It also ruins a reader’s immersion. 

So how can you get set the scene for your story without overwhelming your reader with information they don’t need to know? My advice would be to check out Ellen Brock’s guide on how to dump info without info dumping. 

This blog doesn’t just talk about how to rid your manuscript of info dumping but also provides writers with a step-by-step process on how to effectively write a scene without accidentally info dumping. 

Fun fact: the initial example presented in this blog is actually reminiscent of the type of thing I would write during my fanfiction days, but I was lucky enough to stumble upon this blog while writing the first draft of The Traitor’s Throne and haven’t looked back since. 

If you’re an author who isn’t sure how to dump info without info dumping, I highly recommend sparing ten minutes to read through Ellen’s comprehensive guide.

World Building Tip— Writing Without The Info Dumping

Info dumping comes in various shapes and sizes. Sometimes it can look like an unnecessary passage that describes details of the past the reader doesn’t really need to know, like Ellen mentioned. But it can also look like an entire page of your book that describes the background story of the very important staff your antagonist just stole. 

Creating lore for your universe is possibly the most exciting part of world-building. But what most writers (including me) tend to forget is that only a small fraction of what you know about your world should make it into your writing.

Your protagonist’s great aunt’s wild collection of exotic magical creatures illegally stored under their family estate might make for a thrilling tale, but do your readers really need to know about that just because your character snuck into the basement to eavesdrop on their parent’s conversations? Probably not. 

The next time you itch to explore another aspect of your story’s lore or history, do yourself a favour and check out this blog on how to world-build without info dumping.

If you make it a point to remember these two blogs (Ellen’s and the one above) while you set the scene for your manuscript, then you can seamlessly eliminate any info dumping in your manuscript. 

Need help finding the right websites and writing apps for your worldbuilding? Visit my previous blog today! 

Eleven Ways To Draw Your Reader In 

Do you have the foundation for a good story but lack that special spark that can hook your reader and draw them in? Or maybe you just feel like your manuscript lacks that extra oomph to make it a compelling read? 

Whatever the case, if you’re facing difficulties with hooking your literary agent, beta readers, and potential audience, take a look at these eleven ways to draw your reader in, and make them stay. 

It can be easy to lure your reader in with a good hook, but much harder to make sure they stay interested. Whether it be little tweaks to make in your writing style or a drastic change in pacing that keeps the reader on the edge of their seat, this blog covers all the tips and tricks you need to draw your reader in and keep them hooked. 

I would suggest making a small list of your own that covers the pointers mentioned in this blog and leaving it somewhere you can easily see when you return to write your manuscript (if you type on your laptop, I would suggest keeping a note open on your desktop so you’re reminded of these pointers every time you open your laptop).

Conclusion

Robert Frost was certainly on to something when he said “no tears in the writer, no tears in the reader. No surprise in the writer, no surprise in the reader.” So I will end this blog with a timeless piece of advice every writer must heed— read your own work. And read it well. 

Think of it this way; if you can’t even hook yourself with your book, then how are you going to hook hundreds of strangers who already have an endless list of good books at their disposal? 

Writing your book is just the first step. But reading these seven blogs and keeping up with Haya’s Book Blog will help you climb the rest of the staircase and take your manuscript to the next level. 

Want to learn more about me and my writing journey? Visit my social media pages under the handle @hayatheauthor where I post content about my WIP and life as a teenage author.