Today we are celebrating Fizza Younis. Since 12 Short Stories started in 2017 we’ve seen many of our writers go on to publish and accomplish great things with their writing. The Prompt to Publication emails are all about celebrating these writers and their wonderful stories.
I hope these interviews will help you and teach you how to use Deadlines for Writers to build your author platform.
Watch the Interview. Link at the end of the post.
Author feature: I’d like to introduce Fizza Younis.
Fizza completed the 2019 and 2020 12SS challenges. She wrote her first 12SS story in January 2019. At the time, she wasn’t a published author and hadn’t shared her work with anyone other than family and close friends.
What have you published?
Fizza Younis: In December 2019, I published my first short story collection book titled ‘Soul Seeks the Truth.’ Since then, I have published two other short story collections, two short stories, and a poetry collection.
Has 12 Short Stories helped you as a writer?
Fizza Younis: Definitely, in fact, I’d go as far as to say, if not for 12SS I might never have fulfilled my dream of becoming a published author. It was daunting to share my work with fellow writers. But 12SS is an amazing place, and there are only the kindest souls here. They encouraged me, pointed out my strengths, and made me realize my weaknesses in a way that didn’t dissuade me from continuing my journey. It’s all thanks to this group of amazing people that I got a better idea of who I was as a writer. And since then I have been trying to make my voice stronger, louder, and better.
Writing for the monthly prompts and adhering to word count limits has proven to be an exercise in self-discipline and time management. The feedback has been a great help. However, more than that it’s the confidence that comes from sharing your work with others that has come in handy. This was my biggest hurdle; I just wasn’t sure about sharing my stories with the world. There were too many doubts. And yes, my family and friends have always been supportive, but that’s different. For a stranger to read your work and judge it… That’s scary. So, 12SS helped me get over my fear and boosted my confidence. After a year with this group, I felt ready to share my work with the rest of the world.
What is your favourite story you wrote for 12SS?
Fizza Younis: It’s a tough question, but if I must pick one favourite story then, it’s ‘The Moon Knows My Secrets.’ I wrote it for December 2019 prompt. In this one, I did a little experimenting and switched between the first-person narrative and the third-person, and somehow, it worked beautifully. That’s another beauty of 12SS. You can try out new things and you’ll find someone to guide you. This year I’m writing in the present tense for the first time.
Biography
Fizza lives in Lahore with her family and books. She has a Ph.D. in economics, but fiction is her first love. She is an avid reader who loves to write stories about interesting people and their misadventures. Books are the most important part of her life, and she cannot imagine living without them.
She also enjoys painting and spending time with friends. She takes stories seriously because they are always telling us more than we’re ready to hear; reminding us we are not alone.
She might just be an average person in the actual world, but in the world of the books, she is spectacular.
Read Fizza’s blog.
Read an excerpt of Fizza‘s book, When Love Fails.
Story Title: In My Dreams
That’s when I noticed how long it had been since she went out or one of her friends came over to our house. It broke my heart to realize that I focused on my problems and never gave hers a single thought. What she wanted-no, what she needed was to have a life of her own. A life that didn’t require her to take care of her crippled husband day and night.
“What about Jane?” If I remembered well, she was her best friend and had been for many years.
“She moved to London three years ago. Don’t you remember?”
I hadn’t, but I wouldn’t admit that out loud. When was the last time I paid any attention to my wife and her feelings? To be honest, at that moment, I hated myself. There I was, drowning in self-pity, while my wife did everything for me without even pointing it out. I realized how much I had been holding her back and decided that something needed to change.
“Tell me more about your dream?” She asked, smiling at me. I felt that she was trying to change the topic before her thoughts turned dark. She must know what an ungrateful man I was.
“Oh, the dream was beautiful. I can always walk in my dreams. That’s why I love them more than reality. But none of that. Let’s talk about you,” I said, willing myself to stay positive and not let my thoughts wander towards the things that bothered me.
My life wasn’t perfect, but whose was? Sarosh’s life was worse than mine. At least, it felt that way when I thought about her instead of myself. She needed an escape.
Buy the books
Soul Seeks the Truth (Short Story Collection)
The Life I’ve Lived: A Short Story
The Untold Tales: Of magic, mystery, and mayhem (Short Story Collection)
Somewhere in Time (A Short Story)
When Love Fails (Short Story Collection)
Well done, Fizza!
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