Welcome Zeeshan!
Where are you in the world?
- I was born in Hyderabad, Sindh in Pakistan. It is the 6th largest city of Pakistan, and 2nd largest city in the state of Sindh.
Tell me about your writing...genre, audience, etc...
- Well, I am someone who writes with an open frame of mind, also known as free writing. Most of the times I build the characters, and let them go through the story. The story itself starts moving in the process. Yes, there are times when I come up with the conclusion of the story quite early, but a lot of times it gets changed when I reach that point. I have experimented with a lot of genres, the first story I ever wrote was fantasy, and since then I have written in numerous genres such as horror, science fiction and so on. I often experiment with multiple genres in a single story. Since I write mature stuff, they're targeted towards late teens and adults too.
Where do you obtain ideas?
- Rod Serling, a famous writer (and the creator of Twilight Zone) once said that the ideas are everywhere, in every atom of this universe. And this is exactly what I believe too. But in the end it’s all about thinking. We see things, different things, on a regular basis, but we tend to ignore them. I often pick up those little things, and start thinking, and there you go. There are times when an idea just comes up, all of a sudden. I often jot these little words, so I can remember them later on.
What do you like to write?
- I started writing when I was in 6th standard. They were mostly stories in Urdu, which revolved around superheroes. Of course, a lot has changed since then. I started writing in English when I was in school as well, but there came a gap. Someone who deserves a mention here is Mr. Noman H. Malik, who acted like my big brother at that time, and guided me. He informed me about a lot of things, mainly writing and helped me polish my skills, I am very grateful for his support. He was someone who encouraged me to keep on writing after reading my novella. I stopped writing, because of a number of reasons. I picked up writing once again in 2007. I used to write reviews for an English magazine DAWN’s Young World. I regularly blogged as well. I never posted my short stories on internet, but that changed when a dear friend of mine (Hina K.) told me about her cause (Specially Abled). I decided to write a story for the cause, and that was it. It was just this year (2012) that my stories were published in an online magazine. A few months later, a story of mine won second prize in a short story competition, organized by the same magazine with the collaboration of some other organizations. In August 2012, two of my short stories were published in the magazine, marking a milestone for me. Right now, I am also working in an online newspaper Shashca, which is the first of its kind. It is the first Roman Urdu newspaper of the world.
Do you have a favorite muse/inspiration?
- Not just one, actually. I often find inspiration in music, bands such as Pink Floyd, Keane, Poets of the Fall play a very important role in the whole process. When it comes to writing, writers such as R.L. Stine, Stephen King, J.K. Rowling, Charles Dickens, Saadat Hasan Manto, Isaac Asimov, Jules Verne inspire me. Personally, there are lot of people who have inspired me when it comes to writing, such as Aadil Aijaz, Aisha Yaqub, Tazeen Razi, @Todayhasbeenoky, Ifra Khaliq, Hafsa Khawaja, Hijab Minahil, Ali Suleman (in no particular order) and so on. Sorry, but I couldn't mention everyone. You know who you are.
How do you maintain thoughts and ideas?
- I often paste them on my cupboard, or use my cell phone to store the ideas.
- Keep writing, and never give up. As I mentioned earlier, look for inspiration in everything, you will find it. Good luck, and that comes from a young and aspiring writer.
Twitter: www.twitter.com/ImZeesh
Flickr: www.flickr.com/imzeeshan
Souncloud: www.soundcloud.com/imzeeshan
Shashca: www.shashca.com
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