October 12, 2025
Dear Readers,
I wanted to share about my writing process in these next few posts before I return to sharing books I am interested in and think you will be interested in.
A lot of times, I am asked, "How much of this is true..." I think many beginning writers do write about experiences they have literally had-- that actually existed and is more thinly cloaked as fiction. As a professional writer, this question is more complicated to answer since more of my writing now (fiction that is) is not so much about me but perhaps a person I met at one point who inspired a character, or some theme that I myself have been grappling with or a subject such as Arab immigration that I experienced but retold in a way that was different than what I actually experienced.
So if you are an emerging writer as well as reader, feel free to write about literal experiences. Just be careful not to write about someone in explicit detail without their permission. You should contact a lawyer if you go that route-- even for fiction. But I more ardently encourage you to explore themes, subject matter that interest you versus what actually happened to you.
As usual, read. Read, read, read. Learn from established authors.
With Love,
Dina
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