Name: Rasha Shraim
Age: 21
University: New York University Abu Dhabi
Nationality: Lebanese
TEMPO: Who is Rasha Shraim?
Rasha: My first love is science – I hope that soon enough I will earn the answer “scientist” to the question “Who are you?” However, I am somewhat all over the place. I will be graduating this May with a double major in biology and philosophy. I love writing short fiction and sometimes poetry. One of my most cherished roles that I played on campus was being an advocate for community and mental health and I hope to continue to do so after graduating.
TEMPO: How and when did you first learn of your love and passion for writing? How long have you been writing stories?
Rasha: I only started writing in my freshman year of college (four years ago). I took a writing class to improve my English writing skills (since English is my second language) and I had the option to write a fiction piece for my final assignment so I wrote a short story based on actual events from my life. I realized that somehow in writing fiction I was being more honest and open about my life, ideas, and opinions. From then onwards, when I could not talk about something, I wrote about it.
TEMPO: How were you able to come up with your piece? What inspired you to write it?
Rasha: Cement was based on a strange dream I had. It is not based on any true events. But I thought I could write my dream into a story that relates to some aspects of society that I have seen in my home country (Lebanon).
TEMPO: Name top 5 traits that each aspiring writer should have.
- Have patience
- Be open to criticism
- Know how to balance being attached to your piece and your style and detached enough to continue improving it
- Have courage to share your writing with others
- Don’t be afraid to stick to what makes your writing yours
TEMPO: For sure you have experienced what they call a “writing slump” where you get stuck for hours, not knowing how to continue… how did you manage to overcome this situation? What tips could you provide to get over that phase?
Rasha: When there is no deadline, I will leave the piece for a few days and come back to it at a later time. The distance usually helps me start up again. When there is a deadline, I sometimes open a new document on my laptop and just type out whatever comes to mind. Often, I find it very difficult to type out a sentence that I have not already edited and reviewed in my mind but sometimes, when you hit a block, that is exactly what you need to do. A lot of that draft will be put away or trashed but you will likely somehow, somewhere write a sentence that gets your actual writing going again.
TEMPO: Which writers inspire you and why?
Rasha: I do not read nearly as much short fiction as I should. My favorite writers are different every year. Lately, I have been in awe of Robert Heinlein’s genius, both in short story and novel. Among philosophers, Heinlein is highly praised for his time travel shorts, like All You Zombies, as he is one of the very few who write time travel plots free of logical contradictions. My current favorite book is his Stranger in a Strange Land. Heinlein is an inspiration in his meticulous attention to detail and his ability to make complex and sharp social commentary through these carefully crafted stories.
In terms of writing style, I have taken George Orwell’s Politics and the English Language too close to heart. Even though Orwell did not intend for his writing tips to be applied to fiction writing, I prefer simple language. I am, of course, still learning how to do this well but my hope is to save the complexity for the ideas and the story and keep my language as simple and elegant as possible.
TEMPO: Describe a normal day in the life of Rasha Shraim.
Rasha: For the past year, I have been working on two theses (one in biology and one in philosophy). So, my typical day involved juggling research in the lab and reading about the metaphysics of identity and remembering to sleep and eat. There were a few rare sessions of completely checking out of the world, getting cozy on my couch and writing for a few hours at a time.
TEMPO: How can people get in touch with you? Any websites and/or social media platforms you’re into?
Rasha: Currently, the best way to get in touch is through https://ae.linkedin.com/in/rashashraim
TEMPO: Finally, what’s your message to aspiring writers out there?
Rasha: Since I’m an aspiring writer myself, I will borrow Stephen King’s words of wisdom, “You learn best by reading a lot and writing a lot, and the most valuable lessons of all are the ones you teach yourself.”
Check out Rasha’s winning piece: “Cement”
