I write while walking a tightrope. Figuratively speaking, of course. What I mean to say is that I’m something of a humorist who writes about religion, specifically Islam. It is a high-wire act. My work requires seeking balance, hoping for grace and a healthy respect for the gravity of my situation. It also requires—and I apologize because I’m not sure how to say this without sounding egotistical—courage, and that is my subject today.
I’d like to spend a few minutes talking about the importance of being brave when you are a writer, and why that is a necessary quality that every author must cultivate.
Before we start, I feel like I should point out a couple of things. First, I am going to be referring here primarily my own work. This is because my topic is an experience. This article is about some things you may find daunting when you’re practicing your craft, and the why and how of how to continue writing in the face of uncertainty and, yes, sometimes even fear. I can only look at this through the lens of my own rather short career. I can’t rely on the work of other authors for this piece because I don’t want to presume what their lived realities were when their work was being done.
Second—on a lighter note—I’d like to assure you that your fiction does not require that you be a brave person
