Alia Al Hazami, a literature student at Al Ma’arifa International Private School, had her first novel, Alatash, published last November at the age of 17.
She is now a columnist for Sail eMagazine, a monthly online magazine for Emiratis, and is head of reporters for the Hear My Echo website. She is also an active member of the Twitter community.
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We met up with Alia recently and asked her what inspires her to write and what advice she has for other young Emirati writers.
- When did you first become interested in writing?
I was nine years old, when I started writing little poems. My interest kept on growing and when I reached 14 I started to write articles. I submitted my first article to an online platform – it was about forgiveness. It was very short but I was so proud of it because it was the first thing I ever got published. Looking back, it was then that I decided I’d like to one day be an author.
- When did you decide you wanted to write a published novel?
I got the idea for Alatash when I was 14, wrote the first chapter, then stopped. I thought ‘this is just mindless dreaming – I’m never going to be an author! I should just stop and not get my hopes up’. I wrote the second chapter when I was 16; I had a bucket list before graduation, and publishing a book was on it. I believed the story had potential. It took me six months to write, then I talked to the publisher at Kuttab Publishing, and they approved the manuscript. I submitted the manuscript in July and got a response mid-September.
- What is the book about and where did the idea come from?
Alatash is a tragic story of an African woman and the life experiences she went through. One of the main themes is that maturity isn’t determined by age. I met this African lady and she told me her story, and I felt like her story needed to be heard. But I didn’t want my first novel to be a biography so I just took five percent of the incidents she told me and put it in the book. The other 95 percent is completely from my imagination. The main character in the book is called Alicia Anderson, but the real person’s name is Alatash. The other reason I chose it as the title is that the African meaning of the word is “wherever you go, I’d like to see you” and that’s how I feel about my book; wherever I go, I’d like to see it being read, or on the shelves.
- Some writers stick to very rigid work habits, while others are more spontaneous in their approach. What is the process behind your writing?
Normally I just write whenever I feel like writing, but towards the end of the book I would set myself a goal of writing, say, 3,000 words one day and that’s what I’d do. Other times I’ll be walking through a mall and I’d feel like writing so I’d grab my notebook from my bag and start writing.
- Which writers/books do you most admire?
JK Rowling, definitely. I’m a huge fan of the Harry Potter series. I visited the studios a few months back and I started crying, I was so overwhelmed. To Kill a Mocking Bird is another favorite, and I also like The Color Purple.
- How would you describe your writing style?
I’m a teenager so I can get a bit emotional and I go through a lot of phases, and that’s what I basically write about. I write about stuff that will help people my age. We all have voices, and I want mine to be heard. My Hidden Promises column (for Sail eMagazine) is about what teenagers believe in. It’s about false hopes and false promises. I’m kind of a realist, I’m not into the whole fantasy thing.
- So, what’s your next big writing project?
I’m kind of brainstorming right now. I want to start writing a trilogy as soon as I graduate from school. I’m hoping to approach an international publisher. I’m kind of a feminist, and I want that theme to be part of the trilogy. People think of feminism in the wrong way. Being a feminist isn’t about destroying the rights of men, attacking them or whatever. It’s about equality. I feel some women try to rob men of their rights. I want to portray that false image.
- What advice do you have for aspiring Emirati writers?
It’s all mental. Dreaming is believing – you have to believe in yourself. I could have been a published author when I was 14, but what stopped me is that I didn’t believe in myself. I allowed people to get to me. The problem is a lot of young Emirati writers don’t believe in their own potential. I spend a lot of time convincing them they’re good and they can do it.
Follow Alia on her blog or twitter. You can also read her articles on Sail eMagazine.
Reviews of Alatash can be found on Goodreads.