The women’s majlis: An idea is the first step to writing

I still remember the day I got a personal journal and starting scribbling, trying my best to write. I also remember the first unshared short story I had written – but as I said, it was unshared.

Four years ago, I struggled to share my writings with others for fear of failure and people's judgements. I thought it was better to keep it to myself. However, in 2012, my perspective changed. I was inspired by the young Emirati author Alia AlHazami, who published Alatash, and also by Safiya Al Nuaimi's blog.

These two sparked the writer in me, paving the way to me having my own blog. My first blog post seemed bizarre to me. But my fear of failure soon began to fade slowly when Shahd Thani – the author of Just Another Emirati ­Kinda Love Story – came across my blog

I wanted to write. It kept me going and maintained my sanity, but back then my words were nothing but rambles from my mind. I thought people wouldn’t understand my thoughts, but Shahd changed that. She guided me through and introduced me to the writer that lived in me. I know there’s a lot that need to be discovered and learnt in this journey, but I’m truly grateful that Shahd led me to this path.

The path to writing is more than knowing the steps of writing your first story or figuring the rhythm or rhymes of your poems. Through writing, you grow and get to know yourself better. If you’re an aspiring writer, then there are a few things that you need to know as you start.

Don’t be scared to fail, because in writing there’s no such thing as failure. Keep on writing. No matter how many times you fail, no one will look at your first draft, so write and edit until you get it right. For example, I’m writing now and my thoughts are all over the place because I’m scared that you won’t understand me, but I promise you by the end of this process we’ll both know what I’m talking about.

Remember, you’re fearless and your words are fierce. Write it out and show others what you’re capable of. Don’t hold back, because just as you need to let your thoughts out, others need to read your words. You’re like a messenger who people need to hear from.

Every human was created for a purpose, and if your purpose is to be a writer, then remember that words can be wake-up calls to others, so use that to help them. A word is just a word when you keep it to yourself, but once you set it free and let others know about it, it can be the wave that changes the motion of the ocean; let go of your words.

Constantly remind yourself that if you’re a writer, the greatest acts start with an idea – and you’ve got that idea.

Maitha Alhosani, is a 21-year-old aspiring writer studying at the American University of Sharjah.

If you have a good story to tell or an interesting issue to debate, email Melinda Healy at [e-mail].