💌 Talent vs Attention...

Salaam friends,

As some of you might know, I'm writing a children's book. It's about Yemen, war, and smiles. This project is out of my comfort zone, because I'm more used to writing short stories for adults. But so is this newsletter, the podcast, and the awkward YouTube videos.

Everything we do for the first time sucks. One of the first steps my daughter, Hadeel, took landed her on the ground face forward, missing my stretched out arms. She cried; I laughed. Now we can’t get her to sit down, not even in front of the TV.

After some practice artists began to think about sharing their work, showing their most private thoughts, images, and opinions to the world. There they find a crossroad. No one warns them of the industry, the marketing, the branding, the audience, the sales, the views, the clicks, or the reactions. It’s not only about how good you are, but how many eyeballs can you turn.

I’m currently researching how to get my children’s book published, and the questions I have to answer in letters to publishing houses are all geared to ensure they are investing not on a well written story but on a story that’s compelling enough for the market. They compare it to the most recent stories in the same genre, how much sales those made, and what distinguishes mine from the rest.

In reality, however, there is a bigger plan for all of us. Despite the writing and the numbers, the quality and the calculations— at the end, each one of us will only take what’s been destined for him or her to get. We are responsible for the things in our control. The rest will unfold in its own mysterious ways.

🍿 What am I watching?

I’m watching one of my favorite comedians, Nate Bargatze’s special on Amazon. Nate is one of the most talents storytellers out there. I’m always revisiting clips from his pervious specials, and its one of my go to places when I feel overwhelmed by a hectic day.

💎 New From Me

A new Hazawi episode is out with my friend Rafiul Prodhan. Rafiul is an entrepreneur who found mutiple business with his wife, while working as a realtor. We talked about his experince in the corporate world, starting his own business, the benefit of traveling, and more.

Watch or listen using one of the links below, and if you do make sure you either subcribe to the YouTube channel or rate the podcast on your listening platform.

**YouTube| Apple Podcast | Spotify

🔖 Quote I’m pondering

“The purpose of being a serious writer is to keep people from despair.”

— Sarah Manguso

📸 Through My Lens

Please give me feedback on Instagram. What do you want more or less of? Or other suggestions? Just me a message @mohamedthewriter

Thank you for reading, and keep on creating!

Mohamed