1 what inspired the idea of your story? 

I watched a short Youtube clip on drug addiction in Jordan, and that is what inspired me to write "Within the Sins."

2 what was something you struggled with for your story?

The  ending was extremely difficult to write. I knew I wanted to end it a certain way, but I did not know how I should go about that. In my first attempt, I failed and had to delete several chapters. The story remained unfinished for a little over two years because I couldn't find out the right way it was supposed to end. Eventually, I returned back to writing in December 2019 and finally completed the story in April 2020.

 3 what has been the overall response to your story from your readers? 

Because I could not write a proper ending, I took down the story some years ago, so I lost a lot of readers that I did not gain back unfortunately. The growth of the story has been extremely slow since then, so I couldn't tell you exactly how people are liking it now, but I had several committed readers before I took it down. They heavily enjoyed it and commented that it is original and has an extremely interesting twist. Some have even fallen for Yazid, and I don't blame them; I'm a big fan of him myself!

4 what did you enjoy writing most of your story?

My main character, Yazid, is a person I cherish. I obviously know him better than anyone else, being his creator, so it was extremely fun to write in his perspective. It did not feel like "work" at all but rather like the time you are about to meet one of your unpredictable, interesting friends. He brought about something new each time I wrote about him; even as his creator I learned things about him towards the end of the story that I had not known in the beginning.

 5 is your story a stand alone novel or a piece of a series? 

My story is a stand alone, though I am thinking (just an idea as of April 2020, nothing serious) of adding snippets about Yazid's past that that might be of interest to readers.

6 what would you like your readers to take away from your story? 

I stress consequences in my story, something many people forget to ponder over when making decisions. Consequences can be good as much as bad, so I want people to learn from "Within the Sins" that some consequences can lead you to places you never want to go to. 

Making the right decisions are very important in life, even as an adult, so always ask yourself, "What are the consequences to each of these choices?" before reaching a final verdict. 

Being a drug addict, Yazid's choices led him down a road he never imagined, and I hope that serves as a lesson people can learn from

7 what's a piece of advice you would provide to another writer, when it comes to focusing on their story?

More than anything, you need to find your style. Some people's writing style consists of riddles, others of metaphors. Others, like myself, are a little more straightforward and concise. What's your style? There's no right or wrong here as readers, too, have their own individual preferences in style. 

Use practice exercises and all your current stories to learn what your style is. Wattpad writers have plenty of exercises available to you, and many more can be found on Google, Youtube, and affordable textbooks. If you think your style isn't working for you or your readers, then read on how you can improve it.

I want to also make it clear that you can have more than one style, but you have to know when to use which. For example, in "Within the Sins," my writing is concise and straight to the point, meaning I only include necessary details. This means I'll make clear the type of clothing my character is wearing for the occasion, but I am not adding the fabric type, color, length, designer name, and year it was bought because I know that is not necessary for my readers to know (sometimes at least). Similarly, world building isn't all that necessary because it's a modern story, and we allknow what an apartment building looks like. On the other hand, my story "Daughters of the Desert" takes place in sixth century Arabia. It is absolutely necessary to describe the characters' garments in detail and explain what a chamber at that time looked like. See what I did there? I opted for "garments" and "chamber." Know your style.

After developing your own writing, it is best to learn about your audience. What kind of readers do you draw? Are they of a certain race, religion, or nationality? Are they found in all nations but are all young? Even more interesting, are they of the same socioeconomic status but simply interested in war? Are they mostly females? Are they mostly fathers? You must find your niche audience: who is your average reader, and what does he crave from you as a writer? What writing tools do you have in your possession that can help you cater to him? 

Finally, I want to emphasize the importance of grammar. Many people on Wattpad do not care if a story is filled with grammatical errors, but there are also many grammar Nazis who would never read a story that uses "then" instead of "than" when comparing two things. This may sound controversial, but a true writer cares for, not only her characters and stylistic choices, but also her grammar. There are free resources on the Internet that can help you learn basic English grammar (if you write in English). Take advantage of it! In fact, you will find that, once you know when to use an en dash vs. an em dash, and a comma instead of a semicolon, it will be easier for you to find your individual writing style.

 8 does your main character share any similarities to yourself? 

I'm tempted to say no, but the truth is a yes without a doubt. If I hadn't made Yazid share some of my characteristics, I would have failed as a writer, for I would not have developed him properly. I will not share what those characteristics are for my own privacy, the one exception being that I deeply care about my family the way Yazid cares for his sisters and mother.

9 what's something you believe would draw in new readers? 

What I am about to share is only true for Wattpad: the best way to draw readers in is by finding the particular niche reader that would accept to read your craft. Reach out to said reader, and develop a genuine relationship with the person. Read their works. Now I know that writers usually like to self-isolate, but we must get out of our comfort zones if we want to become successful on Wattpad. Do this with the right people, and they will return the favor. They may lure in new readers, and before you know it, you will have a steady readership. This has been the best way, in my humble opinion, to gain readers besides from constantly learning how the algorithm works. 

Speaking of the algorithm, always try to be on the lookout on how to increase your ranking. I won't discuss this much because it is quite complicated, and I, myself, am still learning about it to be quite honest. Nonetheless, after developing the best story you can, make sure to learn about the algorithm as much as you can, and be aware that it may change with time.

10 do you have any future projects?

Absolutely! The next story I will be working on is "Daughters of the Desert." While I wrote it on Wattpad a few years ago, I want to rewrite it because I have improved my writing skills over the years. It would surely benefit the story if I were to improve its sentence structure and plot. If you're interested, check it out. I already uploaded it!