“We should write, above all, because we are writers whether we call ourselves writers or not. The right to write is a birth write, a spiritual dowry that gives us the keys of the kingdom”  – Julia Cameron * The Right to Write

Within every person there is a story to be told, may it be influenced by their own experiences or a tiny bubble that has been floating in our self conscience. Either way, there is a story waiting to be shown to the rest of the world.

This is primarily why Publishers are still looking for new writers, despite having signed with multiple best selling authors already. They know that out there is a story that only one person can tell and they are always on the hunt for the next best selling novel or series.

That thought or tiny bubble of your imagination could be the key to the making of the next J.K Rowling or the next Stephen King.

It just needs to be written first.

“But I’m not as good as J.K Rowling or Stephen King, there is no way I will be able to do what they have achieved” some people might say.

My response to people who say that comment is:

How do you know? You will never know until you have written it and you will never know until it gets published.

Its a simple truth.

I will admit that it is rather ambitious to aim for the success that the authors who were mentioned in this blog however it is not impossible.

Though I must stress one point, if you want to write because you think it is easy or that it will make you rich then I think that a wake up call is in order. Writing is certainly not easy, especially a book that is of quality that a publisher is looking for. It takes time and effort to have a whole book finished, which isn’t even going to be your final draft I might add because you will have to revise it as part of the writing process. Very rare where a writer was able to get his first draft published and if so then he is envied by writers everywhere, published and unpublished.

Writing a book will make you rich.

This is one of the most misleading statement but writing and publishing that I personally have heard. Not only does it not make you rich, the payment that most authors get doesn’t even pay the bill therefore they sustain a day job. Shocked? Don’t be, this is the reality of the situation

If you want to write a book, it should be something that you are passionate about, it should be something that you are willing to spend months and even years working on a single story because it is something that you are passionate about and that you want to tell the world your story no matter how much fame or money you will be receiving in the end. Yes those things are very nice to have as a writer, who doesn’t want to be a best selling author whose books have been turned into blockbuster movies? That can be achieved, but only if your book is something that is of quality and had grabbed the attention of so many people. How is that achieved? Passion and dedication for writing can help you achieve that. Now I am not promising a fabulous career for everyone who gets published and get popular, I am just saying that money and fame shouldn’t be the first things a writer thinks about when wanting to write a book.

In that perspective, I would like to share my favorite writing quote of all time:

“There is nothing to writing, all you have to do is sit down at the typewriter and open a vein” – Walter Wellesley “Red” Smith

That is exactly what writing is all about, it is you wanting to dive into your inner self and conscience to find that story within you. If you decide to write it you expose yourself and your thoughts fully to the world to judge, something that is terrifying if you ask me, which a lot of stories don’t become published because of that fear from their creators. Having that fear is natural to all writers, new or experienced and it is always their love for storytelling that helps them to overcome that fear and get their books out there.

The reason why this community has been set up; to have a hub for Emiratis who have a passion for writing and want to share their work with other people, perhaps in order to enhance their skills, have critic groups or maybe become published authors one day. The market has limited fictional stories about Emiratis and this region which are written by Emiratis therefore the ideas will be fresh and the demand will be there if the story that you have written is something that would catch a publishers eye.