Q&A WITH FARAH GHUZNAVI:

QTN:  How should a young writer prepare himself/herself for the wider writing world?

ANS:  This is a difficult question to answer. Not because a young writer shouldn't attempt to prepare herself or himself, or even because there is any lack of ways in which she can do so, but because no matter how much preparation is undertaken, the wider writing world can be a brutal place. The challenges it offers are, at times, tough for any writer - young or otherwise - to handle, but perhaps young writers in particular will need to develop an invisible set of armour to help them emerge in one piece!

One of the key skills that will assist a young writer in navigating the literary world is patience. Earning recognition takes time in most professional fields, but there is an element of luck, of random happenstance, which is particularly prevalent in the creative arts. A writer may have talent, but unless that talent is recognised by an agent or a publisher, she may find it hard to actually reach enough readers. While social media and self-publishing provide alternative routes, they involve a great deal of hard work and provide no guarantee of success. And the latter can be elusive, even for those whose work is picked up by a publisher or agent. So unless she is one of the fortunate few who receive early recognition, the young writer must be prepared to pursue her goals against the odds, and to be persistent in her pursuit of them for however long it takes.

A degree of humility and openness can help a young writer to develop her talents. The literary world owes no one any favours, and arrogance is a particularly unattractive character trait - it will not make it any easier for her to gain the assistance of others. So, while confidence and self-belief are undoubtedly useful, a willingness to learn is essential. That is particularly the case for a young writer, because while she may feel that her interests and talents lie in one particular direction e.g. fiction or poetry, a willingness to experiment may enable her to discover new gifts.

When I first heard about flash fiction (usually defined as a story of less than 1000 words), I found the concept absurd - how could you possibly tell a complete story within such a tight word limit, I wondered. After trying it, I have learned that it is an exceptionally effective way of teaching you to use words sparingly and well, because in flash fiction every word counts. And ironically (and very unexpectedly), it was a piece of flash fiction that subsequently earned me the honour of seeing my name on the winners list of the Commonwealth Short Story Competition in 2010.

Finally, the capacity to recognise and utilise constructive criticism (as opposed to negative feedback, which is all too common in the writing world), is an important weapon in the young writer's arsenal. It enables her to analyse the feedback she receives, to thicken her skin a little so that she can survive the critiques better, and to actually use criticism to improve her work. As a result, no matter how harsh the comments, she has - at the very least - the consolation of knowing that she will emerge a better writer as a result of facing those trials.

Queries on writing may be sent to Farah Ghuznavi at DSLitEditor@gmail.com