Dear Readers, As you may know, I am currently working on my book, Shattered, which is consuming most of my writing capacity. I should be finished in two weeks, freeing up time to continue with the blog. In the meantime: What is on your mind? Would you like to ask me something?
This is from @leonie I’m the messenger until she can get here in person :)
Hanif, I’m a keen writer but feel too discouraged by what I hear about modern agents and publishers to actually submit anything for consideration. Why? Because I’m just a middle aged white Australian woman not writing particularly about gender or race or any of the (deservedly) topical subjects of today. I just write fiction that stirs me. I am not super-active on social media or a marketer’s dream in terms of looks and youth (not now I’m on the far side of 50 anyway!). Sadly, I had to work when I was young and only have time to write now.
I suspect I should give up my dream of publishing a book because I won’t be seen as a marketable prospect no matter how good my writing is. But somehow I can’t bear to. What is your advice?
By the way, you’re a courageous man and I wish you the very best. Leonie
I know you are seeking HK’s advice and he may offer more insight but I wanted to encourage you to write. Yes, you can write and publish your work at any age. If you aren’t open to self-publishing you will need to research publishers who have comparable work to what you have already written or prefer to write.
The writing and creative process should not be hindered because getting published seems impossible. Writing is separate from publishing. Publishing is never easy. But having your work read by an audience of fans is now so simple thanks to Substack! If you haven’t already, you might want to try serializing stories here first! You can use notes to help get your Substack seen and read.
I promised to make you a coat , you suggested in exchange for a short story. We met at St Stephens church in Westbourne Park the night of your book signing for I am still up for making you that coat, the style might change but I can would love to run one up.
I was born in 1964 in Manchester, both parents are Pakistani but not married, I was adopted by an English family. I suggested you come to be fitted at my studio but “ fuck that I’m not coming to Suffolk “ was your answer , still makes me laugh. Lemme me know if the deal is still on !
Hello Hanif, I wondered if you had any spiritual practice that has been sustaining you through the sudden loss that you experienced a year ago? Has your belief around who or what you are changed in the last year? It would be incredible if it hadn’t I guess! 💕Alison
Hello from Ireland Hanif. I am trying to organise my mind, to how to lay down a plan for a book. It overwhelms me and I find I cannot begin! I would love to get some of my memories down, about my parents. They were in London during WW2. I just cant seem to see an ending? or when the story should begin... Thank you in advance, looking forward to your new book. You have an incredibly strong mind, in such difficult circumstances, truly extraordinary and amazing. All the best. Kitti
In case Hanif doesn't get to this one... Read other memoirs and see if you like (or dislike!) how they start. End, well VE Day is an obvious option . Or else, curve back to wherever you started. Third idea if stuck for a beginning just start writing a middle bit that feels important. Which might even turn out to be your beginning!
Hi Ronald, thank you so much for this reply! Their story started in Ireland, as like many others they left for England, circumstances were not good at my Mothers. Her father, my grandfather, was an Army man, who was violent and abusive! He also was awarded medals for his service in the Merchant Navy. Its a hard story, of love and loss. My Dad also was a Merchant Navy man, Mum was in the ATS. After the war, life changed, so ending it there wont work! I have the story, but must put it in context to how the world looked back then! How it shaped the people who lived through it. That's just a little idea of where I'm stuck, I guess upon consideration, I must begin in Ireland. Having a conversation about it, seems to make it more real, the possibility of writing it...
Hi Hanif: given your current project, which do you find the hardest to write-fiction or non fiction? Is the process the same?
I greatly admire your fortitude but, as someone who lives alone, feel that the love & support of your family will be making a critical difference to your daily life-where would you be without them?
Hello is it possible im 2024 to build a career (even part time) as a writer without engaging in social media? I'm an aspiring writer with a lot of ideas but I detest Facebook, Instagram and the like.
I know you are seeking HK’s reply and advice, but I highly recommend you put all your effort to build an audience on Substack at this time. It’s a great place to discover new writers and form supportive communities.
Do you have a favourite film that you recently watched? And what did you think especially enjoy about it?
These are the last three I watched - Dirty, Pretty Things - (dir. Stephen Frears), Moonlight and Mustang (an engaging Turkish film about arranged marriages)
I am now using MUBI (among other streaming options) which is providing some new ideas about films and I read their updates on the 'notebook' which I find provides a well written commentary on film.
To the extent that you can discern, what aspects of your writing practice were (ironically, Pyrrhically) *improved*, or pleasingly changed in some way, by the dictation and editing methods you've had to develop post-accident, which produced Shattered. Economy? Simplicity? Focus? Less patience for woolgathering? More time to woolgather, then condense for a conversation with an intermediary/ proxy to the reader/editor?
Hello from Deeside in Scotland, Hanif. You are generous with your energy - I know from personal experience how neurological conditions can sap energy as the day goes by. I am currently doing the same ie turning a blog into.... something. A collection of posts about life after a severe stroke, I suppose, and general nonsense, some of it produced by my whippet, some of it about the difficulties of finding decent rehab in Scotland. The blog was a follow-up to the book about this unpleasant experience - so the other way round from you. My question is: do you think there is a market for such a thing? Any tips? (as brief as you like)
Thank you for the opportunity to ask you a question.
I am currently taking the first gingerly steps into becoming an aspiring writer, and one problem that keeps cropping up for me is that I often want to write about technical subjects, but in a non-academic sort of way. For example, to write about the life and work of a particular chemist, but in the form of literary essay that deploys metaphor, allusion, imagery, the aesthetics of language, etc outwards from, and on top of, the hard facts and technical detail.
To what extent should I write the more technical passages at the level of detail that I would like to read, or to what extent should I show mercy for the general reader by not getting into the detail (to my mind, to the detriment of the work)?
I suppose a more general way to phrase the question is: how much empathy for the general reader should the writer have re: the readability and approachability of their work?
Should one sacrifice substance for a narrow audience for general readability for a larger audience?
Thank you HK. ThIs is an interesting opportunity. I am not a subscriber not because I don’t care or want to freeload. I just don’t have the time for my own reading and writing alone, as it is.
My question.
I am in the process of writing a living will. Considering issues like non resuscitation. What would have happened to you if you had written a Non resuscitation living will? Do you wish you had? This may be an impossible question to answer because of the people who surround you. You owe much and give much in your changed state.
I am grappling with not becoming a burden. I’m fit and healthy unmediated 70 year old poet/ artist.
Hello Hanif, It's likely you have already talked about it (think I've read all your posts but sorry if I missed it) but I wondered how much you feel your 'talking writing' differs from your 'writing writing' and do you find it more difficult/preferable or 'needs must'? I find it amazing that you have done this from early on after your accident (and well done and thank you to your family for supporting you.) I ask because I feel what I want to say only comes out as I write and I am no good at 'thinking' it. Have you surprised yourself with this?
Thanks for all your books, you are one of a very few writers whose books I have read a few of. I just googled your books to see how many I had read and what I still need to read and came across this https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/feb/17/how-the-buddha-of-suburbia-wider-world-hanif-kureishi-nikesh-shukla which you likely saw at the time but I thought it might be nice to share here if you need another reminder of the impact it had-Buddha spoke to all of us children of migrants even the ones like me with white skin, the Irish. Best wishes, Annie x
Would echo those sentiments Annie, for Hanif's writings and voice proves one of the most relatable for those of us who found themselves slightly bewildered by life in Britain!
Do you ever get fed up with words? Since they are the material of your art, but also the material of life, doesn’t it become obsessive to think about words all the time?
Hannif, Do I need to know what something is while I'm writing it? I have been pouring these stories and scenes and mini memoirs and short fictions and poems out of me, all related to mothering. They all feel urgent to me. But together they are not anything yet. Do I need to stop and plan what this might become or should I just keep going as I am and figure it out at the end?
I have a different type of question about writing, which concerns how to express one’s self, and in different contexts. I love the fluidity of the English language. Different forms of expression are noticeable online or on social media or between different groups of people. To me, colloquial expression is equally valid as other forms. The nature of language is that it grows and develops - it is not fixed. I therefore find inflexibility and grammar pedantry a bit annoying. I have a friend who owns multiple editions of Fowler’s Modern Usage and seeks to apply this as the “correct” form of expression. I think this likely views some people’s self expression as lesser. So my question Hanif is whether you have ever felt particularly bound by grammatical rules or “proper” ways to communicate. I like to imagine your joy at a beautifully formed sentence is not rooted in its grammatical propriety. Or am I wrong about that?
This is from @leonie I’m the messenger until she can get here in person :)
Hanif, I’m a keen writer but feel too discouraged by what I hear about modern agents and publishers to actually submit anything for consideration. Why? Because I’m just a middle aged white Australian woman not writing particularly about gender or race or any of the (deservedly) topical subjects of today. I just write fiction that stirs me. I am not super-active on social media or a marketer’s dream in terms of looks and youth (not now I’m on the far side of 50 anyway!). Sadly, I had to work when I was young and only have time to write now.
I suspect I should give up my dream of publishing a book because I won’t be seen as a marketable prospect no matter how good my writing is. But somehow I can’t bear to. What is your advice?
By the way, you’re a courageous man and I wish you the very best. Leonie
My humble take on this @leonie is Never Give Up. I had to “hang up” my dream for 30 years but I am now ferociously into it and I am 70. 💜
I love how inspiring this comment is!
Thank you @Lisa Marks
I know you are seeking HK’s advice and he may offer more insight but I wanted to encourage you to write. Yes, you can write and publish your work at any age. If you aren’t open to self-publishing you will need to research publishers who have comparable work to what you have already written or prefer to write.
The writing and creative process should not be hindered because getting published seems impossible. Writing is separate from publishing. Publishing is never easy. But having your work read by an audience of fans is now so simple thanks to Substack! If you haven’t already, you might want to try serializing stories here first! You can use notes to help get your Substack seen and read.
Open your own Substack account and spin your yarn till your heart's content.
It's a way of reaching out to the international writing community and there's no financial obligations Be you own boss and build your own membership.
I promised to make you a coat , you suggested in exchange for a short story. We met at St Stephens church in Westbourne Park the night of your book signing for I am still up for making you that coat, the style might change but I can would love to run one up.
I was born in 1964 in Manchester, both parents are Pakistani but not married, I was adopted by an English family. I suggested you come to be fitted at my studio but “ fuck that I’m not coming to Suffolk “ was your answer , still makes me laugh. Lemme me know if the deal is still on !
Hello Hanif, I wondered if you had any spiritual practice that has been sustaining you through the sudden loss that you experienced a year ago? Has your belief around who or what you are changed in the last year? It would be incredible if it hadn’t I guess! 💕Alison
Hello from Ireland Hanif. I am trying to organise my mind, to how to lay down a plan for a book. It overwhelms me and I find I cannot begin! I would love to get some of my memories down, about my parents. They were in London during WW2. I just cant seem to see an ending? or when the story should begin... Thank you in advance, looking forward to your new book. You have an incredibly strong mind, in such difficult circumstances, truly extraordinary and amazing. All the best. Kitti
In case Hanif doesn't get to this one... Read other memoirs and see if you like (or dislike!) how they start. End, well VE Day is an obvious option . Or else, curve back to wherever you started. Third idea if stuck for a beginning just start writing a middle bit that feels important. Which might even turn out to be your beginning!
Hi Ronald, thank you so much for this reply! Their story started in Ireland, as like many others they left for England, circumstances were not good at my Mothers. Her father, my grandfather, was an Army man, who was violent and abusive! He also was awarded medals for his service in the Merchant Navy. Its a hard story, of love and loss. My Dad also was a Merchant Navy man, Mum was in the ATS. After the war, life changed, so ending it there wont work! I have the story, but must put it in context to how the world looked back then! How it shaped the people who lived through it. That's just a little idea of where I'm stuck, I guess upon consideration, I must begin in Ireland. Having a conversation about it, seems to make it more real, the possibility of writing it...
Hi Hanif: given your current project, which do you find the hardest to write-fiction or non fiction? Is the process the same?
I greatly admire your fortitude but, as someone who lives alone, feel that the love & support of your family will be making a critical difference to your daily life-where would you be without them?
Hello is it possible im 2024 to build a career (even part time) as a writer without engaging in social media? I'm an aspiring writer with a lot of ideas but I detest Facebook, Instagram and the like.
I know you are seeking HK’s reply and advice, but I highly recommend you put all your effort to build an audience on Substack at this time. It’s a great place to discover new writers and form supportive communities.
I have just begun a substack! My new post went to drafts, I cant seem to post it? I am missing something...aghhh
You should be able to go into your drafts and open it up then go to publish it.
I did it ! Yippee first one just arrived to my page! Phew...
It only gives me a publish time... but nothing happens? It just remains In the drafts, I'm definitely doing something wrong...
Are you scheduling these for a specific time instead of publishing them immediately?
I have tried both ways but nothing happens...sighs... I will try again, thank you for your reply. K
Do you have a favourite film that you recently watched? And what did you think especially enjoy about it?
These are the last three I watched - Dirty, Pretty Things - (dir. Stephen Frears), Moonlight and Mustang (an engaging Turkish film about arranged marriages)
I am now using MUBI (among other streaming options) which is providing some new ideas about films and I read their updates on the 'notebook' which I find provides a well written commentary on film.
Astonished to see you’ll be finished in two weeks -that’s some going.
To the extent that you can discern, what aspects of your writing practice were (ironically, Pyrrhically) *improved*, or pleasingly changed in some way, by the dictation and editing methods you've had to develop post-accident, which produced Shattered. Economy? Simplicity? Focus? Less patience for woolgathering? More time to woolgather, then condense for a conversation with an intermediary/ proxy to the reader/editor?
Hello from Deeside in Scotland, Hanif. You are generous with your energy - I know from personal experience how neurological conditions can sap energy as the day goes by. I am currently doing the same ie turning a blog into.... something. A collection of posts about life after a severe stroke, I suppose, and general nonsense, some of it produced by my whippet, some of it about the difficulties of finding decent rehab in Scotland. The blog was a follow-up to the book about this unpleasant experience - so the other way round from you. My question is: do you think there is a market for such a thing? Any tips? (as brief as you like)
Dear Hanif,
Thank you for the opportunity to ask you a question.
I am currently taking the first gingerly steps into becoming an aspiring writer, and one problem that keeps cropping up for me is that I often want to write about technical subjects, but in a non-academic sort of way. For example, to write about the life and work of a particular chemist, but in the form of literary essay that deploys metaphor, allusion, imagery, the aesthetics of language, etc outwards from, and on top of, the hard facts and technical detail.
To what extent should I write the more technical passages at the level of detail that I would like to read, or to what extent should I show mercy for the general reader by not getting into the detail (to my mind, to the detriment of the work)?
I suppose a more general way to phrase the question is: how much empathy for the general reader should the writer have re: the readability and approachability of their work?
Should one sacrifice substance for a narrow audience for general readability for a larger audience?
All the best to you.
Best,
Seamus
Thank you HK. ThIs is an interesting opportunity. I am not a subscriber not because I don’t care or want to freeload. I just don’t have the time for my own reading and writing alone, as it is.
My question.
I am in the process of writing a living will. Considering issues like non resuscitation. What would have happened to you if you had written a Non resuscitation living will? Do you wish you had? This may be an impossible question to answer because of the people who surround you. You owe much and give much in your changed state.
I am grappling with not becoming a burden. I’m fit and healthy unmediated 70 year old poet/ artist.
Very best to you, a special sort.
Dawn Collins.
Hello Hanif, It's likely you have already talked about it (think I've read all your posts but sorry if I missed it) but I wondered how much you feel your 'talking writing' differs from your 'writing writing' and do you find it more difficult/preferable or 'needs must'? I find it amazing that you have done this from early on after your accident (and well done and thank you to your family for supporting you.) I ask because I feel what I want to say only comes out as I write and I am no good at 'thinking' it. Have you surprised yourself with this?
Thanks for all your books, you are one of a very few writers whose books I have read a few of. I just googled your books to see how many I had read and what I still need to read and came across this https://www.theguardian.com/books/2017/feb/17/how-the-buddha-of-suburbia-wider-world-hanif-kureishi-nikesh-shukla which you likely saw at the time but I thought it might be nice to share here if you need another reminder of the impact it had-Buddha spoke to all of us children of migrants even the ones like me with white skin, the Irish. Best wishes, Annie x
Would echo those sentiments Annie, for Hanif's writings and voice proves one of the most relatable for those of us who found themselves slightly bewildered by life in Britain!
Do you ever get fed up with words? Since they are the material of your art, but also the material of life, doesn’t it become obsessive to think about words all the time?
Hannif, Do I need to know what something is while I'm writing it? I have been pouring these stories and scenes and mini memoirs and short fictions and poems out of me, all related to mothering. They all feel urgent to me. But together they are not anything yet. Do I need to stop and plan what this might become or should I just keep going as I am and figure it out at the end?
Thank you, by the way
I have a different type of question about writing, which concerns how to express one’s self, and in different contexts. I love the fluidity of the English language. Different forms of expression are noticeable online or on social media or between different groups of people. To me, colloquial expression is equally valid as other forms. The nature of language is that it grows and develops - it is not fixed. I therefore find inflexibility and grammar pedantry a bit annoying. I have a friend who owns multiple editions of Fowler’s Modern Usage and seeks to apply this as the “correct” form of expression. I think this likely views some people’s self expression as lesser. So my question Hanif is whether you have ever felt particularly bound by grammatical rules or “proper” ways to communicate. I like to imagine your joy at a beautifully formed sentence is not rooted in its grammatical propriety. Or am I wrong about that?