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“How were they to know the moments that would define them?” A Place for Us – written by 27 year old Fatima Farheen Mirza – opens at a wedding. Hadia (the eldest daughter) is getting married, but what makes her happiest is that her younger brother Amar – who ran away from home and has not been heard from in three years – has come. The rest of the book taking us through memories of happy incidents, small betrayals, secrets, that have led to this day, and what follows after. So many of you have told me you loved this book, and there is so much I loved too. I don’t think I’ve ever read such an intimate portrayal of a practicing Muslim family. I loved how Mirza wove religion into the fabric of the story — the daily rituals, prayers, and stories from the Quran and from the Prophet’s life that make up the texture of religion that is practiced differently in every house. I love how well she described the special kind of love, resentment and absolute comfort that can exist between siblings. The book is essentially about Amar’s estrangement from his family but for me, Hadia was the most interesting character and the difference between their rebellions is the most interesting part of the story. Both feel confined, both fall in love, both fight for what they want, but in starkly different ways, and with starkly different consequences. Sometimes I felt that Mirza over-explained what the characters were thinking, and spelled out too much. I wish some things had been held back. Mirza is so good at showing us the good, the bad, and the ugly parts of family through what the characters say and do, that when she slips into long passages of interior monologue (and flashbacks within flashbacks) it feels less revelatory than as if we’re being told things we already know. I think because of this, I lost interest a few times and it took me a while to finish the book (this picture is from last month!) But I’m very glad I did. This is a quiet, moving portrayal of a family that everyone will relate to. #fatimafarheenmirza #aplaceforus #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #books #bibliophile #bookish #amreading #booksofinstagram

Look what just arrived in the mail 🤩🕺🏻 . . #bookstagram #books #jiatolentino #trickmirror #nonfictionbooks #nonfiction #essays #instabook #instareads #newbooks #bookish #bibliophile #readers #readersofinstagram #readersofig #reading #nowreading #booksbooksbooks #booksofinstagram #bookstagrammer #booksandtea #weekendreads

“Let it be loudly asserted that character, strong characters, are at the heart of all great literature and always will be.” Andrew Miller I couldn’t agree more! It’s been almost two weeks of exploring storytelling as part of my Writing Fiction online course. Week 3 is all about creating and developing characters in fiction. I always, always, use passages from my favourite novels to teach writing. This week, we’ll be reading from this delicious stack of novels to learn how to write compelling, unforgettable characters: how to describe them, how to show them in action, and how the choices they make is what fiction is all about. #writingquotes #onlinewritingcourse #writingfiction #charactersinfiction #writingofinstagram #writersofinsta #writersofinstagram #writing #writingcommunity #bookstagram #books #bookstagrammer #booksbooksbooks #bibliophile #readinglikeawriter #readersofinstagram #readersofig #amwriting #amreading #work #fatimabhutto #yaagyasi #gailhoneyman #fatimafarheenmirza #philippullman #ursulaleguin #faiqamansab #bilaltanweer

Happy Independence Day Pakistan 🇵🇰🇵🇰🇵🇰, keep writing. . . . #bookstagram #books #bookish #bookworm #books #bookstagrammer #pakistanibookstagram #pakistan #pakistanibooks #pakistaniauthors #pakistaniwriters #bookphotography #booksofinstagramfeature #booksofinstagram #bibliophile #pilesofbooks #bookcommunity #readersofinstagram #readersofig #instabook #booksofinsta #diversifybookstagram #readingpakistan #diversebooks

“Freeing yourself was one thing. Claiming ownership of that freed self was another.” (Beloved, 1987) . There are some writers you come across that completely change everything for you. Toni Morrison was foremost among them. Her writing is something else. I’m struggling to find the words to describe how her words have the power that they have. Words that questioned, words that were deeply honest and truthful, often painful to read, words touched by anger and grace. The power of a voice that does not bend to the expectations of the powerful. . She spoke to the world on her terms. She wrote for black people, black women in particular, and she said so plainly in her interviews. “What I’m interested in is writing without the gaze, without the white gaze. … In so many earlier books by African-American writers, particularly the men, I felt that they were not writing to me. But what interested me was the African-American experience throughout whichever time I spoke of. It was always about African-American culture and people — good, bad, indifferent, whatever — but that was, for me, the universe.” . At another time: “I never asked Tolstoy to write for me, a little colored girl in Lorain, Ohio. I never asked Joyce not to mention Catholicism or the world of Dublin. Never. And I don’t know why I should be asked to explain your life to you.” . She gave language to the incomprehensible. She gave language to feelings with no names. “Language alone protects us from the scariness of things with no names,” she said in her 1993 Nobel address. “Language alone is meditation.” . She was a single working mother and she woke up at 4 o’clock every morning to write books that needed to be written, and we are all better for having read them. Rest in peace, Toni Morrison. #tonimorrison

☀️⛈🌈🌿📚✏️This summer’s creative writing workshop for young writers ended last week. Over two (rainy) weeks we learned how to write stories, and describe character and setting using our five senses. We experimented with dialogue, learned new words, and analysed the plots of our favourite movies and books: The Lion King, Room on the Broom, Mary Poppins, Spider Man, Matilda. We got loud and rowdy when coming up with ideas, and quietly listened to instrumental music during writing time. We helped each other come up with ideas, and shared stationary and worksheets. Every year we come up with new ideas, activities, and exercises. Every year, we discover new books to read. Every year, our writing gets better and better! Until next time, kids. 🧡 #creativewritingclass #creativewriting #creativewritingworkshop #lahore #pakistanibookstagram #pakistan #howtowriteastory #writing #youngwriters #youngwritersprogram #iteachwriting #summercamp #summerwritingprogram #youngwritersclub #creativewritingforkids

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