I've been toying with writing short stories since I was 19... and now I've braved longer stories that cross into novel categories. I will be humble and say that while I have my share of fans, I still am an amateur writer and still learning from some of the other writers within the guild as well as from published authors.
I had this conversation regarding the content of romance novels and sometimes I think it is so difficult at times to pick up a book and NOT see the cover of a man and a woman. I think I've stopped reading cheesy romance novels ever since I was 15. And nowadays if there are sexual content in the stories [even in murder/thriller ones], I just skip the part.
Truth is, some of these writers write the best plot and it's such a shame that they have their characters engage in pre-marital sex... although, I have found a book where sex is only mentioned between the married characters and the author doesn't go into details. Yes, that's good but if you're not married yet, skip that part please. -laughs-
So anyway, today, one of my fellow writers asked me what pen name should she use for publishing and I was a bit taken aback. We had talked about publishing our work together because we write the same genre and I didn't expect her to go ahead with it before me. =(
She's a few years older than me and had built up her reader base for two additional years so I guess she deserves it... and the moment I started feeling jealous... astaghfiruallah... I said to myself, what would my Prophet s.a.w. say? He would say Alhamdulillah for that person. And he would also say that you should not compare yourself to anyone. If you want that knowledge, you have to earn it and work hard for it.
So insyaallah, I will. Being a full time author is something I really am hoping to achieve some day. So for now... I'll have to improve on my writing, do more research for accurate historical backgrounds and then let my imagination develop. Writing takes time to mature and I should be grateful I have this skill and knowledge, instead of being jealous at others for having more of it. =)
