Zainab's Writings

To Kill a Mockingbird is a famous American classic, and although I had heard about it several times before and it had been lying on my bedroom bookshelf for more than a couple of years now, I happened to read it only last week. Although I had opened the book a few times previously as well with the intention of reading it; the beginning didn't seem very hooking, so I didn't feel motivated to continue. But - quite contrary to my expectations - when I read it, I discovered that the book  was 'my type', and quite interesting. (I was suffering from a terrible toothache then, and while reading this book I was actually able to distract myself from the pain!) The day I finished reading it, I decided that this was one book that deserved to be reviewed (and also that I had to get my hands on its sequel, Go Set a Watchman ). So here is the review I wrote. :) ---- Book: To Kill a Mockingbird Author: Harper Lee Length: 281 pages Publisher: Warner Books Ye...

Whenever I read my old writings, I realize how much I've improved. But no matter how good I get at it, there will always be a lot of space for getting even better . So here's some advice/ inspiration on the art of writing which I found interesting (note: I didn't comb the internet for these , all of it is what I've read in books xD). Some of these tips are quite amusing, others more thought-provoking, but all have of these have helped me understand writing better. I'm posting these here in the hope that fellow writers will find them equally helpful. :) "Trying to write without reading is like venturing out to sea all by yourself in a small boat: lonely and dangerous. Wouldn't you rather wave to neighbouring vessels; admire their craftsmanship; cut in and out of the wakes that suit you, knowing that you'll leave a wake of your own, and that there's enough wind and sea for you all?"   Téa Obreht "There are three rules f...

This was a poem I wrote for an online poetry course I completed a couple of months ago on Coursera , called Sharpened Visions: A Poetry Workshop offered by CalArts (California Institute of the Arts). I must say it was a wonderful course. I learned a lot from it and I would really recommend any poetry enthusiasts reading this to enroll...this is one course you won't regret joining! :) Anyways, so this poem was one I wrote in response to a prompt for a conceit . The prompt was called ' You Are So Conceited: When A Metaphor Isn't Tough Enough '. A conceit is basically when you write up a comparison between two totally different subjects and is a kind of extended metaphor.  I chose to write a comparison between men and sheep, and in my poem tried to highlight how similar they both are in the way they choose to walk in a herd and follow the rest of their kind instead of thinking for themselves. (Later on, however, I realized that this comparison was too simple, hehe...

Welcome back readers and Eid Mubarak! I can't believe this is my second post in 2018 and more than half the year has flown by...I am extremely sorry for not being able to post anything (I was busy with stuff) but I'll try to post more regularly from now on. :) This post is just some reflections upon returning to my home-city Karachi after a trip to Sharda (Neelum Valley, Azad Kashmir). Kashmir is  such  a wonderful place..I was awed by the beauty and serenity of the atmosphere. We got ample opportunities to explore the place as well as to interact with the locals and, in short, had lots of fun. :) ----- I glance out of the cab’s windscreen. I squint. How come are we not surrounded by mountains? I wonder. Then it strikes me: of course. We are in Karachi, and there are no mountains in Karachi. As our cab hits the roads, we are surrounded by cars, people, traffic, lights (Karachi isn’t called the city of lights for no reason), billboards and visual pollution. Shop...

So here's the last part to the story! This one is 509 words long, making the story a whopping 2268 words long! (this is the first short story I've written that actually made it to the standard short story length! All my short stories are generally too short, even for a short story!) Apologies to anyone who I've kept waiting! :) Click here , here , and here to read Parts 1, 2, and 3. ----- I felt like I would faint any moment. My head was throbbing with pain from standing out in the scorching heat for so long, my throat was prickly and dry, my shirt was still stained and there were merely nine minutes to go until the interview began. The drive to The Prestige Bank’s Central Branch would easily take fifteen minutes, and that too if the roads were clear, which they would certainly not be at this hour of the day; when majority of the city’s population were commuting to their offices. I sighed. I was defeated, and I knew it. Out of nowhere, a tear appeared on th...

Okay, so I remember I promised I would complete the story in three parts, but somehow I couldn't just get enough time to work on this, so I'm having to post this in four pieces, plus this excerpt is a short one (only 446 words!) I'm sorry for this, but again, I'll try to return with the last part for this as soon as I can! I've tried to end this with a cliffhanger, do let me know if it actually seems like one Click here to read Part 1. Click here to read Part 2. ------ For awhile I just stood there, looking remorsefully at my blemished shirt, wondering what I was going to do with it. Then I had an idea. I fished out a wet tissue packet out of my trouser pocket. It was just something I had slipped absentmindedly into my pocket, otherwise I rarely carry a wet tissue or even a normal tissue with me. I tore open the packaging and started rubbing it vigorously on the stain in a desperate attempt to do away with it. A minute later, the tissue had been reduced t...

Hey there! I'm back with Part 2 of the story excerpt I posted last week! ( Click here  to read Part 1 if you haven't already.) This one is longer, with a word count of 820 words.  Have a good time reading this...I'll be looking forward to your comments! :D P.S: I changed my blog design again!  I do hope you guys like it - I am finally satisfied with this template + wallpaper so I intend to stick to it for atleast a couple of months. :) ---- Breakfast was a hasty affair, and because the nauseous instinct was still there, I decided it was best to have one slice of toast instead of two. Gulping down half a cup of tea, I bid farewell to Ammi and left the house. I carefully mounted my bike, ensuring that my posture did not create odd creases on my beautifully ironed suit. I backed out of our narrow street, and, taking the shortest route, headed straight for Frizex Expressway. I got off the Expressway at Clifton. DHA - where the Prestige Bank’s Central b...

Hi everyone! I'm finally back here - apologies for not being able to post in most of October and throughout November! (I really resent this; I promise I'll try to post more often than once in two months) Anyhow, here's an excerpt from a story I have been working on for a while... I had intended to post the entire story in one post but because a major part of it needs to be written, typed, and edited, I decided to post it here in parts. Unfortunately this isn't too long :/ - only 493 words - but I'll try my best to post the sequel excerpt to this one in a week or so. Enjoy reading! -------------------------- Trring, humm, bzz… trring, humm, bzz.. My alarm went off and I sat up in bed almost immediately. Stifling a yawn, I stretched out my arm to turn it off; surprised how it successfully woke me up today. I was the deepest sleeper in my family, and when asleep, even the fiercest of thunderstorms failed to stir me, let alone the soft, monotonous alarm tone of m...

What do schools teach kids? A typical answer would be; science, math, languages, history, etc… I don’t quite agree. With my limited experience of schooling, here’s what I think schools teach kids :       1.       How to be mean to themselves When a child enters the school building for the first time, he has a strong sense of self worth – he respects himself and demands to be respected by others as well. But by the time he reaches primary school, he no longer has any self-respect left in him.  He listens to people humiliating him, reprimanding him, blaming him for things he never did, scolding him for being too intelligent, that he stops standing up for himself. In fact, now he’s part of the gang who is insulting him and telling him he’s worthless. He curses himself all the time; for speaking up in class, for being too cheeky, for being himself.          2.       How to be mean ...

Okay, so here's the story excerpt I promised! I started writing this story back in 2016, I think. Back then I typed only a couple of initial paragraphs and then got stuck. Then after several months I opened the word document and read what I had written. I realized that it was quite good and added more to it. So here's an excerpt:(even though this is all I have written yet, I am calling this an excerpt because this I intend to add more to it). ___________________________________________________________________ THE ART LESSON The tap-tap sound of the teacher’s heels announced that she was approaching. Hira’s hands trembled as she sharpened her pencil. The classroom door swung open, and the tap-tap sound grew louder. A sudden gust of wind bought the smell of strong feminine perfume to Hira’s nostrils. The tap-tap sound finally stopped by the teacher’s desk in the front. “Class! Today we will be drawing a basket of apples,” the teacher’s shrill voice sounded as she p...