Category: Writing

Life, Opinion, Writing

The 25 best stories for women this year – and mine’s included!

Raidah Shah Idil

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I’m thrilled to share that Daily Life has included my first article on their list of 25 best stories for women this year!

Working as a freelance writer isn’t easy. Anyone who tells you it’s a piece of cake is either well into the trade, or trying to sell you something. Writing for Daily Life was one of the best writing decisions I’ve made, and I’m still figuring out the right kinds of article to pitch! I’d like to thank Sarah Oakes, the Daily Life editor, as well as Candice Chung for being so encouraging and for helping me shape my articles into what they are today.

Some stories, like Clem Ford’s opinion piece on Jill Meagher and victim blaming, became national talking points. Others, including Raidah Shah Idil’s essay on what it’s like to wear a hijab, stayed with us because of their frankness and steadfast bravery.

Perhaps most importantly, each of these fresh female voices reminds us of the joy of sharing good writing. They inspired, challenged, and artfully reflected on the female condition in a way that only women could.

And another one…

What it’s really like to wear a hijab , By Raidah Shah Idil 
“I wear a hijab so when I’m in the public eye, I am unmistakably Muslim. If you look at me, you’ll see that I’m Asian. If you talk to me, you’ll see how much I love fantasy novels.” Shah Idil reminds us that the rest of the world, there are layers to her you can’t immediately see.

Thank you, Daily Life team, for brightening up my day 🙂

 

Poetry, Writing

Killing Submission Phobia

Raidah Shah Idil

This is what Michelle Seaton has to say about battling submission phobia:

In 12 years of teaching at Grub Street, I’ve learned three truths about students:

  1. They don’t submit enough, especially the most talented ones. Read that sentence again and then ask yourself how many times you’ve submitted something in the past year. Yeah, I thought so.
  2. Many of my most talented students never submit anything. This makes me crazy.
  3. The students who publish most often submit constantly, as though it’s their job, or their final year on Earth. And guess what? It works.

Read the rest of Michelle’s article here. I vividly remember being a starry-eyed English major in Ye Olde Uni days – I had submitted a portfolio of my prose and poetry to my creative writing teacher, Associate Professor Anne Brewster, from UNSW. She loved my work, and said to me, “You should submit your work to a literary journal.” I remember feeling delighted and embarrassed. Her writing was phenomenal, and to have her praise my work was a serious ego-boost. But did I submit any of my work to any literary journal? Nope. Not until late Tuesday night. After more than ten years of writing since my creative writing days at uni (this is not counting all my angsty teenage writing), I finally bit the bullet and submitted two of my poems to Overland journal. Eeek! It could take several months before they get back to me, and it could very well be a rejection letter, but you know what? It’s only upward from here. The more I submit my work, the more likely it’ll get published. It’s scary to put yourself out there, and rejection isn’t fun either, but as Michelle puts it, “Rejection is all powerful. You think rejection is proof that you have no talent or that the work is no good. Actually, the only thing a rejection proves is that you sent out your work. Good for you. I suggest you collect ten of these and then reward yourself.” 

 

Writing

On Conflict

Raidah Shah Idil

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When you think of the word ‘conflict’ – what words come to mind?

My thoughts: good guys vs bad guys, character growth, intergalactic war….but there’s actually much more to conflict. Joe Bunting from the Write Practice wrote a brilliant post titled The Secret To Creating Good Conflict

Here’s a quote from the original post (read it!) – “Conflict, in good sto­ries, is not about spec­tac­u­lar events or painful emo­tions. Good con­flict is about values.”

I had a light-bulb moment while reading that post. Harry Potter valued family, justice and peace. Voldermort valued chaos, destruction and pain. No wonder they were enemies. It all boils down to what they valued. If Voldermort was also a family guy, I doubt he would have, well, destroyed Harry Potter’s family and effectively stopped the entire series from taking off.

Luke Skywalker valued freedom, family and peace. Darth Vader valued power, chaos and the dark side of the Force. Then he surprised everyone by having a value shift (i.e. from loving chaos to loving family) when he saved his son from Emperor Palpatine, at the cost of his own life. That goes to show that character values definitely don’t have to remain static. I’d say that makes a character much more interesting. Many of us go through life and have value shifts….maybe not as dramatic as Darth Vader’s, but of a more subtle variety. Interesting!

Books, Classics, Life, Writing

On Antagonists and Peacocks

Raidah Shah Idil

“You know my powers, my dear Watson, and yet at the end of three months I was forced to confess that I had at last met an antagonist who was my intellectual equal. My horror at his crimes was lost in my admiration at his skill.” – Arthur Conan Doyle, Sr (1859-1930)

What makes a good antagonist? Here’s a quick list of what comes to mind:

  • Lord Of The Rings: Sauron
  • Star Wars: Darth Vader & Emperor Palpatine
  • Moby-Dick: Moby-Dick
  • Little Red Riding Hood: The Big Bad Wolf

If you scan that list, it’s easy to spot why I’ve picked them as the antagonists. They were clearly trying to endanger the protagonist. However, I read a blog post by K.M. Welland that suggests something different – antagonists don’t have to be actually bad guys. An antagonist could even be, as she says, the weather! Of course, antagonists are most commonly crafted as characters whom the protagonist can flee from or fight. It’s interesting though, to think of a protagonist grappling with inner demons as being his own antagonist – inside his own mind. I remember being fascinated by the protagonist Rodion Romanovich Raskolnikov in Crime and Punishment. He was the narrator of the story who committed a hideous crime, then drove himself insane with the guilt. Who’s the antagonist there? Well…to a large degree, I think he was. Sure, you could argue that Ilya Petrovich, the police inspector who was tracking him down, was the antagonist, but it was Raskolnikov’s decision to confess that ultimately sent him into exile.

Black and white, cookie-cutter bad guys are a lot less interesting than far more complex antagonists, who are determined to push back against the protagonist. And when they’re all bundled up in the same person…well. Definitely interesting.

On another note, I’ve been hearing these loud and bizzare sounds in the middle of the night. My husband and I think that maybe it’s some kind of bird. Except what kind of bird squawks so loudly at two in the morning? I need to find closure with this, so I’ve been trawling the web.  It kind of has the volume of the Great Malay Argus, but it’s missing something…then I found the sound of a peacock! I honestly think it is peacock mating season. And it is NOISY. You know, there must be some cosmic irony in this. We moved to this lovely apartment to escape the rock-hammering at our old place, and now, we’re being trolled by MATING PEACOCKS! *facepalm*

Movies, Reading, Writing

What makes a great character?

Raidah Shah Idil

Think of your favourite books and movies, and ask yourself – what made you love or hate these characters? What made them so…compelling? The Write Practice wrote a post on this, titled Han Solo, Scarlett O’Hara, and Your Characters: What Makes Them Compelling? Definitely worth a read! To me, I can think of a few memorable characters, right off the bat:

Bella Swan. Now, when I think of Bella, I immediately think of the following synonyms: annoying, insipid and ungrateful. Read this great article on Fifty Shades of Sexism: Why Are Our Modern Heroines So Weak? and you’ll see what I mean.

On the other hand, when I think of Anne of Green Gables, I think of a very flawed girl-turned-woman with agency, passion and determination. I’m telling you, the classics are called the classics for good reason.

Having read the Lord of the Rings trilogy and watched the movies, I vastly prefer Eowyn over Arwen. Eowyn is a strong, focused, brave heroine who literally jumped into the jaws of death. Remember that scene? “I am no man!” Oh, goosebumps! Her courage is way cool. Arwen actually didn’t feature much in the LOTR books, unlike the movie, and..well…she was very ephemeral, beautiful, and useful for Aragon’s dream-scenes 😛 She doesn’t have as much independent substance as Eowyn.

To me, the best kinds of characters are the ones who grow throughout the story. I want to see someone who is flawed bumble through the pages of his/her story, and then triumph over his/her inadequacies and be in a better place by the end of the book. There needs to be some kind of motivation behind their actions, something I can understand and perhaps even relate to. Samwise Gamgee had so much love and loyalty for Frodo, and that made him my favourite hobbit 🙂

On the other hand, the biggest turn-off in any character is the P word – perfection. The last thing I want is to pick up a book, invest my time and emotional energy engaging in the story and character(s), only to find him/her in the exact same headspace, 600 pages later! I don’t want to read about a static character who is beautiful in the start of the novel and is still beautiful by the end of it. Give me some real, messy, problematic points that shake up the protagonist and compels him/her into motion. Give me something I can relate to.

With that in mind, it’s my hope that Jamilah, the protagonist in Finding Jamilah, did just that. She grew into a different young woman by the end of the story, and in all honesty, so did I!

Opinion, Writing

On writing opinion pieces

Raidah Shah Idil

I’ve always been a lover of fiction. Since I was a little girl, I’ve had my nose in some kind of book. I always imagined myself as a writer of fiction, especially after focusing my English major on creative writing. That’s how Finding Jamilah came about – I had the tools and motivation to craft a fictional story from the bits and bobs of my own life experience.

Over the past few months, however, I’ve started to delve into writing opinion articles for the mainstream audience. What It’s Really Like To Wear Hijab received a lot of FB likes, which is always exciting. HSC: The Not-So-Final Frontier was just published today, and I’m feeling all kinds of happy by the positive responses. I was also very pleased with my piece From Lakemba To Lane Cove. Opinion articles require a different style of writing entirely, and I’m enjoying the break from writing fiction. There’s a whole new level of vulnerability and honesty that comes with writing opinion articles. There’s also the ongoing challenge of refining my writerly voice. I can’t hide behind a character in an opinion piece. It’s all me.

Because I’m still new to the world of opinion articles, great editors have made all the difference for me – Sarah Oakes from Daily Life and Josephine Mandarano from Lip Mag have been nothing short of supportive.

The world of writing and getting published is always fraught with rejection, and it helps to remember that the key is to keep trying and refining your work, and not to take an article rejection personally. Because really, it isn’t. What you’ve written probably isn’t suited to the publication, in which case, look for another one. Look at J.K. Rowling! It took a lot of courage for her to keep sending her manuscript after multiple rejections (12 publishing houses turned her down!), but it finally paid off, and well, the rest is history. This article describes why rejection is good for you. Think of it as an exercise of pushing yourself, and then growing as a result. If you don’t try, then you’ll never know.

Keep writing! Your opinion is an important one, and the only way to get it out there is to keep at it.

Interview, Marketing, Reading, Writing

Book interview

Raidah Shah Idil

Hello world!

Sorry about my hiatus. I got married in January, and that tends to throw a spanner in the works 🙂 Irfan is my personal non-pharmaceutical kind of joy, but now that I’m out of the newlywed cave, I’m back on the marketing bandwagon! Check out my book interview with Mehal Krayem.

I feel like one of the best ways I can promote my book is by writing another one! More info on that, later…

As I write this, I’m listening to some ambient nature sounds in the background. How do you write best? Do you need silence, the sound of nature, or anything goes?

On another note, I’ve just finished reading the three Dragonships books by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. Brilliant work, as always. I adored the Weis and Hickman Death Gate Cycle series (from ye olde highschool days), but their Dragonships series is an entirely different ballgame. It’s inspired by Norse mythology, with its own twists on magic and mayhem. If you love fantasy and dragons, you won’t be disappointed!

Reading, Writing

On reading

Raidah Shah Idil

When I decide to write in a set genre, one of the first things I do is to read only in that genre. Tunnel vision! I find that by doing that, I’m better able to find my voice when I write.

Here’s a list of some YA/coming-0f-age books which I read while writing Finding Jamilah:

Now that I’m working on my next novel, I’m delighted to finally be able to read some epic fantasy novels! A good friend of mine recommended C.J. Cherryh’s work, and I have been an avid fan of her work since her Morgaine Stories. If you enjoy a blend of sci-fi, fantasy, brilliant prose and horses (lol), read her work!

Now that I’m back to writing and reading fantasy, I’m happily devouring the second book from the Fortress Series, Fortress of Eagles, and I continue to be astounded by C.J. Cherryh’s masterful prose and vivid characterisation. And yes, Tristen is my favourite character. lol.

Audiobook-wise, I’m currently listening to Samuel Butler’s translation of The Iliad. (Audibly is one iPhone app you must have! Classics! For free!) I love the beautifully crafted language. Be warned, there’s a lot of blood and gore in the battle scenes. You can almost imagine yourself there, in the thick of battle, watching men fall beneath the slash of swords and spears.

But with all this reading, listening and pondering, what of writing? Ha. Procrastination has many forms!

Writing

Why write?

Raidah Shah Idil

“The role of a writer is not to say what we can all say, but what we are unable to say.”

— Anaïs Nin

I’ve lived an interesting life spanning many continents. My childhood, adolescence and adulthood each had their raptures and ruptures, and the threads that kept me together were faith and fiction. I remember being 12, new to Australia and the labyrinth of highschool. I had my own minotaurs, and no Ariadne to guide my way. My sanctuary, however, was the school library, where I was safe in the cocoon of Tamora Pierce’s Wild Magic. There, I lived vicariously through Daine, who was more afraid than I was, yet she grew through her trials and, of course, saved the day. Now that was a good book – it gave me respite from reality! Most of all, I could relate to Daine, and hoped for her courage in the face of adversity.

As an adult, writing gives me a healthy outlet for the drama of daily life; my “Are You Married Yet?” article spawned a lively debate. I’m very grateful for the outpouring of support, and as for those who disagreed…well, there’s always two sides to a fence 🙂 Writing that piece was fun and therapeutic, and personally, I find writing opinion pieces much, much easier than fiction.

Finding Jamilah, on the other hand, took months of concentrated effort. I made a point of writing every day. When I procrastinated, my mental “You should be writing!” would finally reach melting point, and tip me over to writing something. It could be a word, it could be a sentence, sometimes two…but that first step of opening up my word document was the hardest thing. Akin to pulling a tooth out. Minus anaesthetic.  Once that was done, then usually, the story flowed. Usually.

When it didn’t flow, I would try another day, and another day, and another day, and slowly, my story came together. Supportive friends and family made all the difference during my writing slumps! Friends and family are a tremendous blessing, particularly when it’s late, you’re tired and wondering why you started writing this story to begin with. They remind you that your story is a a story worth reading, so get on with the writing! So if you’re writing your own book – keep going. Don’t stop. Have a supportive group of friends and family around you who 1) encourage you 2) hold you accountable when you get lazy and start chilling out at Writer’s Block!

Writing

Hello world!

Raidah Shah Idil

Welcome! To mark the publication of my first eBook,  Finding Jamilah, I’ve started up this blog. Figuring out how to use it well is another story!

I wrote Finding Jamilah during the last few months during my (almost) two-year stay in Jordan. Being so far away from my friends and family made me long for home, hence the impetus behind my story. For nearly two years, I was an Aussie Muslim woman, born in Singapore, living in a sea of Western foreigners, in the middle of the Arabian desert! Fun times, fun times.

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Remember that kid in high school who always said she was writing a novel? And then life happened, and dusty manuscripts piled up in different computers? Well, that was me.  Through the mercy of God and amazing friends who have been relentless in their support, my book is finally up, and I can look back and feel so relieved that hey, I actually did it 🙂 Like many other writers, I have an embarrassing amount of half-finished stories that haven’t seen the light of day, so I’m thrilled that Finding Jamilah made it out into the big wide world.