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How I Started To Own My Story

Hello Poetteers,


As a young girl with a mother who sold Islamic books that was all I read. As I grew up I started going to the public library and bookstore. I didn't find any books with Muslim characters. I would occasionally find a non fiction book stating the basic facts of Islam.

I have a love for story telling and am an avid reader. At a young age I started to write my own stories. They weren't exactly my own. My characters weren't Muslim and had white sounding names. I didn't feel any emotion in these stories because I wasn't attached. I kept writing them, though. It was all I knew.

Eventually I found a novel that had a Muslim character. Reading that story gave me the push to write my actual own story. It takes one story for you to get going and keep going. Write the story for yourself first. Ask yourself what you want to hear and read. Since then I barely find any Muslim driven stories but I keep writing.

In the back of my head, though, I was scared to write because I thought I wouldn't do it justice but it's my experience and my story to tell. I was scared to write because I thought I had to write everyone's story.

I continue to write because I found a community that is like-minded. I hope you check out #OwnYourOwn. It opened me up and gave me the inspiration, encouragement and motivation to keep writing and one day share them.

It is okay to have fear but channel it for good things.

Stay inspired,
Fida

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