From Inspiration to Publication at the Sharjah International Book Fair

A panel of authors at the Sharjah International Book Fair (SIBF) has spoken of the first steps, the paths they take and the destinations they reach on the journey through their novels. Inspiration, understandably, is the spark that ignites the flames. British novelist Helena Frith Powell is the author of 11 books and a columnist for the Daily Mail, The Daily Telegraph and The Times, and draws her inspiration from events as well as emotions.

“I had a very strange childhood, and didn’t meet my father and his family until I was 12 years old, which was a natural motivation for a book. It has always been instances which influence me rather than an innate will to write.

“I started as a financial journalist, and you won’t find anyone who knows less about finance than me, but I write many different genres. I am a character actor in many ways. You must be the person you are writing about and become that character.”

Also on the panel was Daawy, the pen name of a young Emirati author who overcame her lack of self-confidence and fear of failure to publish her novels and short stories.

“Since I was a child, I had always wanted to be a writer, but as I grew up I realised that I wasn’t being realistic and instead, trained to be a lawyer. I was writing privately but under a blanket of fear. I wanted to write in secret so that no one could read my work. I then set myself a schedule where I would write every day, which came very naturally. I gained more courage and sent away some of my short stories and started being published in Germany.

“A lot of my stories were non-fiction and included heartfelt and traumatic moments such as when my Aunt passed away. She was very dear to me and I wanted to write about the way I felt and the woman she was. I had another story published in Germany about the transition from past to present in Dubai and this gave me the support, belief and confidence I needed to put my novel forward to be published.”

Helena, who has lived in the UAE and written for the National Newspaper and Life 360, likens a book to a baby.

“You love your baby when you are pregnant, you nurture it and care for it and it is yours, and yours alone. And when that baby is born, it is out on its own to fend for itself in the world. It is there for everyone to see and it’s not just yours anymore.”

The moderator of the session, Fathia Al Nimr continued the theme, adding: “We must remember that talent is the child of creativity and we have to help that child grow and mature.”