Author Archives: writebeyondborders

A masterclass with Farah Ghuznavi by Shaiq Ali If it moves you, if it crawls inside your head while you sleep, if it bleeds within you, you write it – then, there and in all its flesh and skin. This is the message I came away with after attending the brilliant Farah Ghuznavi’s masterclass onContinue reading “Finding Inspiration”

Adding the funnies to fiction by Safrah Fazal She scratched her head. “What do I write for the Write Beyond Borders blog post?” she pondered, leaning back a bit too much on her office chair only to reflexively jerk forward with the fear of falling over. She could never live through such humiliation. It didn’tContinue reading “Mentees Speak Series”

A masterclass with Amanthi Harris by Tara Joshi The concept of ‘finding your voice’ as a writer can feel a slightly nebulous one. It is something that feels like it should be innate, and therefore as though it would be impossible to teach. And yet, for all this supposed innateness, our voice can feel unwieldyContinue reading “Finding your voice”

Writing isn’t a lonely craft by Zahra Mayeesha Why is it that though the heart of writing as an art form is connection and communication, the quintessential picture of a ‘writer’ is one who, burning the midnight oil, creates at her desk alone? The act of writing might be a solitary act, but being aContinue reading “Mentees Speak Series”

Thank you for all your fantastic submissions from across the globe! It was an honour to read your stories. We are very happy to announce the 15 writers whose stories will be included in our Bridges not Borders Anthology: Anita Goveas, UK, “The difference between gestures and symbols” Jyothi Seshan, India, “Athu eats a mango!”Continue reading “Announcement: Stories selected for Bridges not Borders Anthology”

A masterclass with Prajwal Parajuly by Madri Kalugala Long before we became, or even aspired to become, writers, all of us were almost certainly at some point readers. Whether or not we managed to retain that reading practice­ – that voracious appetite for reading that we had as children, that capacity to devour entire booksContinue reading “Learning the art of reading like a writer”

On Writing the City by Shahriar Shaams When you are born and live in the same city all your life, as have I in Dhaka, what else can you write about? Any city invariably becomes Dhaka for me. Whether it is the futuristic citadels in my genre fiction or the unnamed exteriors in my pursuitsContinue reading “Mentees Speak Series”

A masterclass with Gita Ralleigh by Zahra Mayeesha As writers, we often get stalled along the boundary between storytelling and technique. When a draft is complete: there, the story is told! What next? What, then, distinguishes a good writer from an amateur writer? How do we develop our ability to execute skilful writing? From poetContinue reading “The art of writing: what editing brings to our craft”

American Fiction, Yellowface, and the lessons of publishing industry satires by Tara Joshi I’ve been thinking a lot about a recent trip to the cinema. My partner and I guzzled ill-advised amounts of popcorn, our necks tilted awkwardly as we sat in the front row for American Fiction, the Oscar-nominated satire about race and theContinue reading “Mentees Speak Series”

A masterclass with Catherine Menon by Safrah Fazal The greatest part of a writer’s time is spent in reading, in order to write: a man will turn over half a library to make one book – Samuel Johnson You will never feel as though you have everything you need to know about a niche topicContinue reading “Beyond the monument: Integrating research into fiction”