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Making Metafiction

  • About Ayah
    • Bio / CV
    • Artist Statement
  • Films
    • Shorts
    • YouTube
    • Delta Phi (2017)
  • Writing
    • Blog
    • The Fox and The Stag
    • Scripts
    • Paint-a novel
    • Say You're Sorry
    • Stories & Poems
    • Goodreads
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Live Interview on Publishing and Representation

August 29, 2018 Ayah Abdul-Rauf
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Yesterday I interviewed author Andrew Patterson over instagram, and it went well. It was certainly a highlight over the last month. My content creation is, for all intents and purposes, going well so far. I'm working a lot more hours than I did at my day job, getting up even earlier, and it's been good. My health problems have, for the most part, resolved. My part time job is going well. I have more time to write.

I'm learning a great deal about human nature these days, and I've discovered that there are others like me. Cities full of them. People who would rather be pain free than have paid vacation time, people who are drained by certain environments and would rather be judged by unsupportive family and friends than be clinically depressed. People who would rather have roommates and work fifteen hours a day than go home to a luxury apartment after 8 hours of supporting someone else's dream, while their own dream hides under the pillow. 

If I'm not alone, then I'm not special. But let me tell you, I'd sure as hell love to live closer to some of these people. 

Once you know what your true work is--more than just a feeling that you are meant for something, but a specific calling that you know has your name written on it--you can't do things that go against that. There's just no way. It doesn't mean you can't follow a traditional path, but if things about that path are prohibiting you from acting on your purpose, then stop. Take the risk. Take the judgement. Someone out there needs you to be you. 

In inspiration, work habits Tags dreams, career, content creator, writing, writer, hsp, garyvee, hustle, ambition
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Medium

August 17, 2018 Ayah Abdul-Rauf
Photo by Nicole Honeywill on Unsplash

Photo by Nicole Honeywill on Unsplash

I've switched over to being a full-time content creator, and it's an uphill battle that I love. I would really like to use this blog exclusively for honest updates, so that I can have a separate place for my articles on metafiction, short fiction and writing in general. That place is medium! You can find my stories here: https://medium.com/@shethewriter

Here is my content strategy as it stands:

Youtube: 3 videos a week

Instagram: live interviews and daily updates

Medium: Weekly articles for writers/readers

IGTV: Book notes (reviewing my personal library)

Paint is still slated for an October release, although I am on hold in my process right now so I can hear back from an agency I know and trust. There's a good chance it will come back to me and I can roll forward with the cover. I am so excited! 

I've been grappling with some other health issues lately, which is especially tricky when you are working more hours than ever. But luckily I have more flexibility now than I did with a full-time brick&mortar job, so that helps enormously. I don't want to think about the kind of stress I would have otherwise. Of course, working 15 hours a day will cause some stress anyway, but it's good stress when you're doing what you love!

If you are looking to learn more and improve your craft, I really do think you should check out my youtube channel. There are a lot of tools and methods I've developed over the years that I haven't gotten from any workshop, and I'm only just now learning how to share them. Youtube has been the perfect avenue for this. I'm so excited to see what will come of it, because I genuinely want to help people write better fiction. It's not a zero sum game. The more decent fiction is out there, the better all writers will be, and the more people will want to read. It's really quite simple. I am through reading the same crap over and over again (follow me on IGTV later this week if you really want to hear my frustrations) and I want to read something new. That's why I write and that's why I share. 

There's so much more to learn from this process than I thought. From making an editorial calendar to trying to pick up more client work. The internet is extremely competitive. But I've been showing up a long time, and I'm ready to get my piece. Thanks for following me on this journey. 

In publishing, work habits Tags writing, medium, fiction, metafiction, short stories
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Bye Bye Social Media

July 26, 2017 Ayah Abdul-Rauf

It was fun while it lasted, but it was distracting. I'm glad I gave it a shot. It seems to me, though, that updating instagram and twitter (on personal accounts) merely waters down the ideas and research that I could otherwise bake into something meatier, like a new book or script ;) 

Yes, I'm writing a new script. That's all I can say for now, though. 

I've also invested my downtime into new research (another thing that was not especially helped by my social media habits), I'm studying more about story structure, as always, and the history of violence (truly fascinating). I would recommend Steven Pinker's book, The Better Angels of our Nature, if you're at all interested in that topic. 

The Better Angels of Our Nature: Why Violence Has Declined
By Steven Pinker
Buy on Amazon
In entertainment, film, work habits Tags writing, writing habits, social media, book, script
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