Seema M. Fazil asked Intisar Khanani:

What's your advice for beginner writers?

Intisar Khanani Oh, this is a tough question, in large part because every writer comes with their own personal context, including how their brain is wired to tell stories.

My advice, therefore, is to figure out how story works for *you* - do you tell stories better when you have time to let them grow through daydreams before writing anything, or do you do better if you sit down and outline the whole story, or do you actually do better with a combination of both - or something else entirely? You're the only person who can answer that question. I would suggest keeping a small notebook / document / what-have-you, and whenever you have a really good writing day, pause and look back at what the context was that led to that. I've found that I literally need time to daydream; if I don't have that, when I sit down at my computer, the story is simply not there. So figure out what you need, and do that.

My other bit of advice is to ignore the advice that doesn't work for you - including mine. So much writing advice seems to assume that everyone works the same. "Write every day. If you're stuck, make an outline. If you don't know what you're doing, read a book on craft." Literally none of these have helped me. XD So... you do you. I guess the most important thing is to keep believing in yourself and the stories you have to tell. Give yourself the space and grace to tell them, and try to enjoy the process. I'm cheering you on!

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