https://www.humaqureshi.co.uk/notes daily 0.75 2022-06-10 https://www.humaqureshi.co.uk/notes/Blog Post Title One-fyymb monthly 0.5 2022-06-10 https://www.humaqureshi.co.uk/dearhuma12 daily 0.75 2023-05-31 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/cc335f53-1b6b-4236-9018-a89c7456bff6/2.jpg https://www.humaqureshi.co.uk/blog daily 0.75 2024-04-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/2a543625-ff3c-4258-87c5-228236dbf3b2/choices-7+colourcopy.jpg https://www.humaqureshi.co.uk/blog/how-to-develop-your-writing-process monthly 0.5 2024-04-26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/1684417590208-KC9T4NTFUBC0NPTR6DYZ/ACS_0721.jpg Blog - How to develop your writing process - Make it stand out My writing room, which I’m very lucky to have. https://www.humaqureshi.co.uk/blog/dear-huma-i-have-no-writing-routine-and-dont-know-how-to-start monthly 0.5 2024-04-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/1680109566098-M60UVAU60FD9FI3CG89Y/ACS_0642.jpg Blog - Dear Huma: I have no writing routine and don’t know how to start - Make it stand out My writing desk whilst on holiday in Denmark, 2023 https://www.humaqureshi.co.uk/blog/leaving-by-roxana-robinson monthly 0.5 2024-04-15 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/abeffb51-dc5c-4588-98e3-6f757d997edc/IMG_7883.jpeg Blog - Leaving by Roxana Robinson - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.humaqureshi.co.uk/blog/how-to-find-your-writing-voice monthly 0.5 2023-07-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/9cdc7262-2b20-46cd-b505-4f2f6a0b17a2/ACS_0376.jpg Blog - How To Find Your Writing Voice - How To Find Your Writing Voice https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/c63a4733-67a9-496d-9b6b-18e8ad5dd433/Postcards+Home Blog - How To Find Your Writing Voice - Do you dream of writing your own story? Writing the narrative of who you are in your own voice? Would you like to write about the moments that shaped you, the ones you remember, before you forget? Or perhaps you simply long to feel comfortable writing in your own voice? Postcards Home is my simple, joyful six-week online life writing course designed to refresh, inspire and spark new ideas. Through a series of short, thought-provoking essays, we’ll explore the importance of writing your own story in your own voice, and gently guide you towards doing so. I’ll encourage you to write your memories and the stories that make you who you are. Stories of your childhood, your past, and your present, with a view to writing first-person essays, blog posts, and one day maybe even your very own personal memoir. https://www.humaqureshi.co.uk/blog/storytelling-through-interiors monthly 0.5 2024-01-03 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/1687195449542-S6U0JM8G361CKJWZO10G/ACS_0665.jpg Blog - Storytelling through interiors - selection of ceramic wall plates in living room gallery wall in living room https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/1687195356769-FD4YFSC3H30AUPQHLUVD/ACS_0660.jpg Blog - Storytelling through interiors - gallery wall in living room gallery wall in living room https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/1687195418877-GI8BEV6KKUYASCWQCY4E/ACS_0712+2.jpg Blog - Storytelling through interiors - bookshelves in writing room bookshelves in writing room https://www.humaqureshi.co.uk/blog/youcouldmakethisplacebeautiful monthly 0.5 2024-01-03 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/6d0b1c02-e4db-4236-8908-a2f963aaf49d/ACS_0739.jpg Blog - You Could Make This Place Beautiful by Maggie Smith - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.humaqureshi.co.uk/blog/on-the-joy-of-writing monthly 0.5 2023-06-09 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/1684417590208-KC9T4NTFUBC0NPTR6DYZ/ACS_0721.jpg Blog - On the joy of writing - Make it stand out My lovely writing room, which I’m so lucky to have. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/81baef5a-a276-4d14-a758-e28caf15ba91/ACS_0682.jpg Blog - On the joy of writing - Online Short Story Writing Course with Award-Winning Author Huma Qureshi Miniature Worlds, my eight-week online short story writing course, is an invitation to discover and absorb my short story writing process so you can apply it to your own work. With my guidance, you’ll learn how to write short stories that linger with your readers long after they’ve turned the last page https://www.humaqureshi.co.uk/blog/lessons-from-writing monthly 0.5 2023-05-31 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/1684417583562-1ZY8REOXALNCGWOBKPI3/ACS_0721.jpg Blog - A Letter To My Future Self: 14 Lessons Learnt From Writing A Novel https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/1684417627022-ZZMZ5UWKRWBU8ZE8QLA9/ACS_0691.jpg Blog - A Letter To My Future Self: 14 Lessons Learnt From Writing A Novel https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/1684417634263-IJXYBEBOIAC3BAHLBKHC/ACS_0690.jpg Blog - A Letter To My Future Self: 14 Lessons Learnt From Writing A Novel https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/1665656358339-QXPFIF6SEFICC6L5XUK3/ACS_0680.jpg Blog - A Letter To My Future Self: 14 Lessons Learnt From Writing A Novel - Miniature Worlds Online Short Story Writing Course with Award-Winning Author Huma Qureshi An invitation to discover and absorb my short story writing process so you can apply it to your own work. With my guidance, you’ll learn how to write short stories that linger with your readers long after they’ve turned the last page. ‘This is the most intimate writing course I have ever taken. I feel so held and you have been so generous with what you know.’ (Student testimonial) https://www.humaqureshi.co.uk/blog/storytelling-in-mia-hansen-loves-films monthly 0.5 2023-05-31 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/0ba8a86a-3c6a-46a0-a666-27ff9b01fd1f/OneFineMorning_Still_01_500px.jpg Blog - What I’ve learnt about storytelling from Mia Hansen-Løve’s films - Make it stand out One Fine Morning, a film by Mia Hansen-Løve (film still) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/7a92d819-2bd1-47f7-9725-cec34d347c64/images-w1400.jpg Blog - What I’ve learnt about storytelling from Mia Hansen-Løve’s films - Make it stand out Bergman Island, a film by Mia Hansen-Løve (film still) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/45868356-0c92-46c1-8ab5-49c37516791d/Isabelle+Huppert%2F+Things+to+Come Blog - What I’ve learnt about storytelling from Mia Hansen-Løve’s films - Make it stand out Things to Come, a film by Mia Hansen-Løve (film still) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/2ddba53a-cb20-4c50-8a56-3a8041217aa4/MV5BMTU1YmEwYTctYTA2OS00N2FhLTkyNzEtMTc3YzdkMzRiN2RlXkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyMTQ4MDY3MzM2._V1_.jpg Blog - What I’ve learnt about storytelling from Mia Hansen-Løve’s films - Make it stand out Goodbye First Love, a film by Mia Hansen-Løve (film still) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/70e59415-0a04-4f23-82b8-413d8bd9625f/Bergman+Island Blog - What I’ve learnt about storytelling from Mia Hansen-Løve’s films - Make it stand out Bergman Island, a film by Mia Hansen-Løve (film still) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/9f27b2f9-2fa3-4289-bac9-49de609912a1/thingstocome06.jpg Blog - What I’ve learnt about storytelling from Mia Hansen-Løve’s films - Make it stand out Things to Come, a film by Mia Hansen-Løve (film still) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/83a6cbf5-c965-4a98-bb5c-b0cd0784200d/MV5BNDhiNThhZjgtOGFiZS00MTE4LTk4YjItOGU3ZWM5Yzg3Yzc2XkEyXkFqcGdeQXVyODA1MzEyOTc%40._V1_.jpg Blog - What I’ve learnt about storytelling from Mia Hansen-Løve’s films - Make it stand out One Fine Morning, a film by Mia Hansen-Løve (film still) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/7a92d819-2bd1-47f7-9725-cec34d347c64/images-w1400.jpg Blog - What I’ve learnt about storytelling from Mia Hansen-Løve’s films - Miniature Worlds: a short story writing course If you’d like to learn more about the craft of storytelling, you might enjoy Miniature Worlds, my short story writing course. ‘This is the most intimate writing course I have ever taken. I feel so held and you have been so generous with what you know.’ (Student testimonial) https://www.humaqureshi.co.uk/blog/simple-life-writing-exercises monthly 0.5 2024-01-03 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/1665678226535-5MWNTC65CIBUV9757YQ7/HUMA-QURESHI-WRITER-JOURNALIST-WRITING-COURSES-WEB-101.JPG Blog - Two simple writing exercises to start writing your life story - Make it stand out Simple writing exercises to start writing your life story https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/1682666820102-Z2GXTBGVFNAMX21T38KW/unsplash-image-qWsVgxgo1-E.jpg Blog - Two simple writing exercises to start writing your life story - Postcards Home: a unique life writing course, with me, award-winning author, Huma Qureshi A simple, joyful six-week online life writing course designed to inspire you to fall in love with writing. Start writing the story of you, of the memories that make you. ‘Postcards Home was the best decision of my life. Your course was lovely, light and a wonderful way to ease into writing.’ (Student testimonial) https://www.humaqureshi.co.uk/blog/romanticcomedy monthly 0.5 2023-04-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/24e07ac8-7ae7-4ab4-a337-d99a6b64ad98/Curtis+Sittenfeld+%3A+Romantic+Comedy.JPG Blog - Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld - Make it stand out Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/b237a00d-8ff9-43fd-8325-04b520dd7c4a/ACS_0714.jpg Blog - Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld - Postcards Home, my unique life writing course, starts Monday May 1st, 2023 A simple, joyful six-week online life writing course designed to inspire you to fall in love with writing. Start writing the story of you, of the memories that make you. ‘Postcards Home was the best decision of my life. Your course was lovely, light and a wonderful way to ease into writing.’ (Student testimonial) Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. Come along and join me here. https://www.humaqureshi.co.uk/blog/dear-huma-how-do-you-deal-with-rejection monthly 0.5 2023-04-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/d6b48e51-3a11-4a21-949c-2475c9c528f7/HUMA-QURESHI-WRITER-JOURNALIST-WRITING-COURSES-WEB-60.JPG Blog - Dear Huma: how do you deal with rejection? - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.humaqureshi.co.uk/blog/editing-stages-of-a-manuscript monthly 0.5 2023-05-31 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/06f4d9bb-02e4-4930-809a-f2bb30c566cc/Email+screen+grab Blog - The editing stages of a manuscript revealed! - Make it stand out An extract from an email from my editor, when I sent her my completed novel at the end of last summer https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/413f8cdc-7bf3-4137-b6b2-441739a5079b/Whitagram-Image+4.jpg Blog - The editing stages of a manuscript revealed! - Okay, so before we move onto the four stages of editing, we actually have to backtrack a little and start at the beginning. Because before there’s anything to edit, there has to be a draft of a manuscript to work with. So, obviously, we all know what a first draft is, but know that everyone’s definition of what a first draft is will be very different. I personally dislike the term ‘first draft.’ I prefer instead to think of each draft as a layer, a document I would go over again and again and continue adding to at each turn. It probably took me seven or eight ‘layers’ of writing various versions of different stories before I had a clear idea of what I wanted my novel to be about. This took about a year and a half, pretty much all of 2021, working to deadline, in-between How We Met and Things We Do Not Tell The People We Love being published. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/35a84418-34a7-438e-b87b-632c91e2a1c3/writer%27s+room Blog - The editing stages of a manuscript revealed! - First draft timeline My deadline to show my editor a ‘messy first draft’ (which was actually more like a seventh or eighth layer in my definition) was May 2022. At this point, after about a year and a half of writing on it, it was still only about 40,000 words and the novel was not so much a novel as it was a series of ‘scenes’ or drawn out ‘vignettes’ - in that respect, the story was disjointed, but looking back I can see how this was all part of the process. I didn’t yet know how to knit my scenes together and what was right for the story and what wasn’t. It’s important to note that most writers wouldn’t be sending their editor their ‘messy first draft’ - I did, because I already had a book deal lined up for this novel so she was in on it from the very beginning, before I’d written a word of it. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/1680109566098-M60UVAU60FD9FI3CG89Y/ACS_0642.jpg Blog - The editing stages of a manuscript revealed! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/1680091553423-VKH7T85J1NQZDIGJA77V/ACS_0643.jpg Blog - The editing stages of a manuscript revealed! - Writing desk in Denmark Writing desk in Denmark https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/1680091571218-EPPOM7STLH3FH8TO5YE7/ACS_0644.jpg Blog - The editing stages of a manuscript revealed! - View from summerhouse in Denmark View from summerhouse in Denmark where I wrote a lot of my novel https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/8c53803f-e21d-4e63-964e-2614ba8cd7af/writer%27s+desk Blog - The editing stages of a manuscript revealed! - From November to December I worked on structural edits. This for me was the most intense part of the editing and writing process. Structural edits is a technical sounding term for ‘getting the story right.’ But really it’s about being incredibly nerdy about everything - the story line, the plot, the themes, the characters. I’d say it’s about getting everything that you possibly can in place, other than the microscopic level of attention to detail to language that will come later. (I mean, obviously you’re paying attention to the language, but just not in such a detailed way that it stalls your momentum). This is the part when your work is really elevated from being ‘just’ a manuscript into, well, a book in the making, with rich themes and complex characters. It’s when all the gaps and question marks and little things that don’t make sense (because at the time you wrote them, you told yourself you’d deal with them later) finally really do have to be sorted out. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/ac0f2d30-0761-4442-a68a-3a8cdf3ef897/Tracked+comments Blog - The editing stages of a manuscript revealed! - How do you sort them out? Well, having an editor means you have perspective. My editor would leave comments in tracked changes with queries, and I’d go through and consider them - not by replying to the comments, but by simply being back in the text, thinking very carefully about what I needed to do, or what needed to happen next, or what wasn’t quite working. You don’t actually have to take your editor’s comments on board by the way, I’ve heard stories of authors who don’t, but I’m very much interested in bettering my writing and I’ll absolutely take someone else’s advice on it. To me, the editing process is an invaluable opportunity to learn, and to perfect your craft continually and I’m not above accepting someone else’s opinion, especially if that’s an editor or an agent who has seen and worked on many more manuscripts than I have. So even though at the time the structural edits felt like a lot of work, I’m very grateful I went thought this process. And I could not be more grateful for my brilliant editor. I’d save all her lovely comments to keep me going when I needed the extra encouragement! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/1680092098899-MJ5H47NF2EKUVRVA9IMM/IMG_2676.jpeg Blog - The editing stages of a manuscript revealed! - Writing in a cafe https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/1680092114027-JGSDEEX17CBG89N9EGY5/IMG_2960.jpeg Blog - The editing stages of a manuscript revealed! - Writer's notebook and notes https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/1680092131550-VKNZQOIR5NAGKT63H65K/IMG_2639.jpeg Blog - The editing stages of a manuscript revealed! - Writing in a cafe https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/1680092277000-WPMBXPFACLOPXLTO39DF/IMG_2961.jpeg Blog - The editing stages of a manuscript revealed! - Orange writing notebook and printed notes https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/1680092293199-7KVZ2W3GC2KBSJNV964I/Whitagram-Image+9.jpg Blog - The editing stages of a manuscript revealed! - Huma Qureshi https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/1680092452266-MHI95HWVU3LUG2ISB3D0/postcards Blog - The editing stages of a manuscript revealed! - Postcards Home, my unique life writing course, starts Monday May 1st, 2023 A simple, joyful six-week online life writing course designed to inspire you to fall in love with writing. Start writing the story of you, of the memories that make you. ‘Postcards Home was the best decision of my life. Your course was lovely, light and a wonderful way to ease into writing.’ (Student testimonial) https://www.humaqureshi.co.uk/blog/what-ive-learnt-about-storytelling-from-succession monthly 0.5 2023-05-31 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/1e03a59e-8d1c-49e4-abe7-ef35613168d5/jeremy-strong-sarah-snook-kieran-culkin-H-2023.jpg Blog - What I’ve learnt about storytelling from Succession - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/5590e56d-fc0a-421f-b636-018b56189381/HUMA-QURESHI-WRITER-JOURNALIST-WRITING-COURSES-WEB-102.JPG Blog - What I’ve learnt about storytelling from Succession - The Quiet Words starts on April 3rd, 2023. An eight-week writing course on the craft of writing creatively. Learn how to find ideas for writing inspiration. Learn to write beautifully. Learn how to begin. ‘The Quiet Words really was magical.’ (Student testimonial) https://www.humaqureshi.co.uk/blog/comfort-reading-with-katherine-heiny monthly 0.5 2023-05-31 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/73a3cc5e-afad-4ed5-ab91-f2fb42e66c3e/Katherine+Heiny+books.JPG Blog - Comfort reading with Katherine Heiny - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/1679308588851-BE9SNAYFZD5YJX5A6NQE/Early+Morning+Riser+by+Katherine+Heiny.jpg Blog - Comfort reading with Katherine Heiny https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/1679308599281-UTB8FB1XUCFTWOW89EVG/Single%2C+Carefree%2C+Mellow+by+Katherine+Heiny.jpg Blog - Comfort reading with Katherine Heiny https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/1679308608723-2F8UV7O00156GI4YH2DO/Standard+Deviation+by+Katherine+Heiny.jpg Blog - Comfort reading with Katherine Heiny https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/5590e56d-fc0a-421f-b636-018b56189381/HUMA-QURESHI-WRITER-JOURNALIST-WRITING-COURSES-WEB-102.JPG Blog - Comfort reading with Katherine Heiny - The Quiet Words starts on April 3rd, 2023 An eight-week writing course on the craft of writing creatively. Learn how to write beautifully. Learn how to begin. The Quiet Words will gently help you to establish a writing practice, uncover your writing voice and learn to trust your writing instinct, through a series of thoughtful weekly essays, creative homework and inspiring reading lists to help you grow as a writer. ‘The Quiet Words really was magical.’ (Student testimonial) https://www.humaqureshi.co.uk/blog/a-writers-room monthly 0.5 2023-05-31 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/e8c370eb-6d7f-4f93-a234-dfcc9cca8d49/ACS_0711.JPG Blog - A writer’s room - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/3faabdf0-d7f7-442a-b30d-d8fe848372d3/IMG_1531.jpeg Blog - A writer’s room - My writing room is a lovely, light-filled space which overlooks the garden. The main walls are the colour of clotted cream, while the window walls are covered with a pretty floral wallpaper, giving the impression of pressed wildflowers. My room gets a lot of sun, which plays off the yellow floors; it is full of my books and artwork I love. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/d1c81201-0da1-4edb-a2c7-011c82d63a7c/ACS_0712.JPG Blog - A writer’s room - For the purpose of this post, I’ve decided to talk about the room as whole, rather than talk about all my books (an entire blog series in itself!). So, in between my books, there’s a Sonos speaker, so that I can listen to podcasts and music when I’m in the mood, a camera that once belonged to my late father, a watercolour by Bobbye Fermie, a card from the author Lucy Caldwell with a lovely message that reminds me to keep going, and a trinket dish from my agent which holds jewellery from my husband (I am forever fiddling with my rings when I write). There’s also a framed cover of Harper’s Bazaar magazine - this issue, from 2020, was the one which named my story The Jam Maker as winner of the Harper’s Bazaar short story competition. It’s a lovely reminder of when things started to happen for me and my writing. Elsewhere, there are various sweet little things my children have made or bought for me; cards, drawings, paper hearts, a wooden bunny rabbit. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/1678876480256-55VXJQV83MVMAUQKB1E0/ACS_0714.JPG Blog - A writer’s room https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/1678876488322-5Z08JWWCT39O2VNRJRCT/ACS_0713.JPG Blog - A writer’s room https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/1678876510707-GXC5HP4QE8YQTIM6DDXT/ACS_0711.JPG Blog - A writer’s room https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/1678876514875-O8E772E89IS4HJMVQKNA/ACS_0710.JPG Blog - A writer’s room https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/1678876608639-7G0KXECNHQLP8LAKFQVH/HUMA-QURESHI-WRITER-JOURNALIST-WRITING-COURSES-WEB-107.JPG Blog - A writer’s room https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/1678876683403-YE3AWX68GIW5CGOX6TI3/ACS_0709.JPG Blog - A writer’s room https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/48773d37-0806-4309-8c34-e79278d1dfac/tempImagebk9TnH.jpg Blog - A writer’s room Now it makes me happy, to come in here everyday. I’m very lucky to have my studio but it’s taken me years to get to a stage where I can have a room of my own in which to work, to read, to write. I can write here. I like the space, the light, being surrounded by my own things. I wish I could say that since having this room of my own, my writing has suddenly started to flow as if a tap has been switched on but it’s not that simple. The act of writing is always hard, no matter how lovely your surroundings. But it does make the hard parts that little bit more bearable. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/5590e56d-fc0a-421f-b636-018b56189381/HUMA-QURESHI-WRITER-JOURNALIST-WRITING-COURSES-WEB-102.JPG Blog - A writer’s room - The Quiet Words starts on April 3rd, 2023 An eight-week writing course on the craft of writing creatively. Learn how to write beautifully. Learn how to begin. The Quiet Words will gently help you to establish a writing practice, uncover your writing voice and learn to trust your writing instinct, through a series of thoughtful weekly essays, creative homework and inspiring reading lists to help you grow as a writer. ‘The Quiet Words really was magical.’ (Student testimonial) https://www.humaqureshi.co.uk/blog/dear-huma-how-do-you-balance-your-writing-life-with-your-domestic-life monthly 0.5 2023-03-15 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/48798340-cd98-4485-8efb-88fa721eb1a7/ACS_0651.jpg Blog - Dear Huma: how do you balance your writing life with your domestic life? - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.humaqureshi.co.uk/blog/dear-huma-how-do-you-set-boundaries monthly 0.5 2023-03-15 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/1678277802201-AL4J5UW0CHRAGA579U3P/unsplash-image-iuC9fvq63J8.jpg Blog - Dear Huma: how do you set boundaries? - Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. https://www.humaqureshi.co.uk/blog/dear-huma-where-do-you-look-to-for-inspiration-when-you-feel-a-little-stuck monthly 0.5 2023-03-15 https://www.humaqureshi.co.uk/blog/theshameofnotwriting monthly 0.5 2023-03-15 https://www.humaqureshi.co.uk/blog/drafts monthly 0.5 2023-03-15 https://www.humaqureshi.co.uk/blog/shortstoryplots monthly 0.5 2023-03-15 https://www.humaqureshi.co.uk/blog/blog-post-title-one-dbyz9 monthly 0.5 2023-03-15 https://www.humaqureshi.co.uk/blog/dear-huma-has-the-process-of-renovating-your-house-affected-your-writing monthly 0.5 2023-03-15 https://www.humaqureshi.co.uk/blog/category/Dear+Huma monthly 0.5 https://www.humaqureshi.co.uk/blog/category/Reading monthly 0.5 https://www.humaqureshi.co.uk/blog/category/Writing monthly 0.5 https://www.humaqureshi.co.uk/blog/category/Interiors monthly 0.5 https://www.humaqureshi.co.uk/blog/category/Books monthly 0.5 https://www.humaqureshi.co.uk/blog/category/Film+%26+TV monthly 0.5 https://www.humaqureshi.co.uk/thingswedonottellthepeoplewelove daily 0.75 2025-04-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/b6ebb811-047b-4d80-98c0-ac3e28da6f83/Things+We+Do+Not+Tell+The+People+We+Love+cover+%281%29.jpg Things We Do Not Tell The People We Love - Things We Do Not Tell The People We Love A breathtaking collection of stories about our most intimate relationships: the misunderstandings between families, the silences between friends and the dissonance between lovers. Set between the blossoming countryside of England, the South of France and Tuscany, and the bustling cities of London and Lahore, Things We Do Not Tell The People We Love shines a light on the parts of ourselves we rarely reveal. A daughter asks her mother to shut up, only to shut her up for good; an exhausted wife walks away from the husband who doesn't understand her; on holiday, lovers no longer understand each other away from home. The underlying themes of loneliness, secrets, family and a yearning for love intertwine these extraordinary stories from the award-winning author of How We Met https://www.humaqureshi.co.uk/how-we-met daily 0.75 2022-12-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/8e869f62-d777-49a8-b4bc-24715f7cf8b7/HWMpb+new+font.jpg How We Met - How We Met: A Memoir Of Love And Other Misadventures You can't choose who you fall in love with, they say. If only it were that simple. Growing up in Walsall in the 1990s, Huma straddled two worlds - school and teenage crushes in one, and the expectations and unwritten rules of her family's south Asian social circle in the other. Reconciling the two was sometimes a tightrope act, but she managed it. Until it came to marriage. Caught between her family's concern to see her safely settled down with someone suitable, her own appetite for adventure and a hopeless devotion to romance honed from Georgette Heyer, she seeks temporary refuge in Paris and imagines a future full of possibility. And then her father has a stroke and everything changes. As Huma learns to focus on herself she begins to realise that searching for a suitor has been masking everything that was wrong in her life: grief for her father, the weight of expectation, and her uncertainty about who she really is. Marriage - arranged or otherwise - can't be the all-consuming purpose of her life. And then she meets someone. Neither Pakistani nor Muslim nor brown, and therefore technically not suitable at all. When your worlds collide, how do you measure one love against another? As much as it is about love, How We Met is also about falling out with and misunderstanding each other, and how sometimes even our closest relationships can feel so far away. Warm, wise and ultimately uplifting, this is a coming-of-age story about what it really means to find 'happy ever after'. https://www.humaqureshi.co.uk/testimonials daily 0.75 2023-01-09 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1618497259178-6XJGK9GR6YAVBQL5L519/20140301_Trade-151_012-2.jpg Testimonials https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1607694583486-2PQT0LQ193RL7MCB6DX4/20140228_Trade+151_0046.jpg Testimonials https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1607694644871-IC85FNH781UNZSZEGHDR/Aro+Ha_0428.jpg Testimonials https://www.humaqureshi.co.uk/postcards-home daily 0.75 2026-01-05 https://www.humaqureshi.co.uk/welcomepostcardshome daily 0.75 2025-01-01 https://www.humaqureshi.co.uk/signup daily 0.75 2023-03-14 https://www.humaqureshi.co.uk/contact daily 0.75 2024-04-19 https://www.humaqureshi.co.uk/questions daily 0.75 2026-01-02 https://www.humaqureshi.co.uk/welcome-miniature-worlds daily 0.75 2025-01-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/18115ed2-bad0-4280-b8c4-9e75b2a40a63/ACS_0632.jpg https://www.humaqureshi.co.uk/writers-room daily 0.75 2022-10-19 https://www.humaqureshi.co.uk/about daily 0.75 2026-01-05 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/ac7d31c1-3228-448c-833d-d96ed374d91f/Huma+Qureshi+c+Aliyah+Otchere+2.jpeg https://www.humaqureshi.co.uk/afterthoughts-subscriber-area daily 0.75 2022-10-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1598982813559-DHB569VJA8YHIM3MKV5J/class_computer.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1599662372718-S23594AX95H5WC55TKK8/class_desk.jpg https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1598982813559-DHB569VJA8YHIM3MKV5J/class_computer.jpg https://www.humaqureshi.co.uk/homepage daily 1.0 2026-01-22 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/0ca536bd-c126-4941-9a89-0c577b226dbd/HUMA-QURESHI-WRITER-JOURNALIST-WRITING-COURSES-WEB-120.JPG Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/86e5c395-ca54-4d81-a92e-8cf11075383b/HUMA-QURESHI-WRITER-JOURNALIST-WRITING-COURSES-WEB-24.JPG Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/b6ebb811-047b-4d80-98c0-ac3e28da6f83/Things+We+Do+Not+Tell+The+People+We+Love+cover+%281%29.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/8e869f62-d777-49a8-b4bc-24715f7cf8b7/HWMpb+new+font.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/bc901fd6-e391-4c70-b089-b406b8203e3b/In+Spite+of+Oceans.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/a6e22693-4f1a-4471-b85a-bb5cdb6a1cfd/luke-stackpoole-eWqOgJ-lfiI-unsplash.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/81165986-35de-4044-ad8f-8afd9556be8b/152936874X.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/3085a7a0-a021-4b00-9169-d8b7352fa9ff/choices-7+colourcopy.jpg https://www.humaqureshi.co.uk/in-spite-of-oceans daily 0.75 2023-06-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/bc901fd6-e391-4c70-b089-b406b8203e3b/In+Spite+of+Oceans.jpg In Spite Of Oceans - In Spite of Oceans, Migrant Voices In Spite of Oceans: Migrant Voices explores the individual journeys of generations in transition from the South Asian subcontinent to England. Poignantly written, and based on real events and interviews, what emerges is the story of lives between cultures, of families reconciling customs and traditions away from their ancestral roots, and of the tensions this necessarily creates. We hear from the young bride from Bangladesh, married to a stranger, who comes to England to navigate life with a man she cannot love; from an Indian father who struggles to come to terms with his son s mental illness and hides it from people he knows; about how a mother and daughter s relationship was shattered in the clash over the Pakistani traditions her daughter chooses not to follow. Each narrative describes a journey that is both literal and deeply emotional, exploring the hold an inherited culture can have on the decisions and choices we make. At times heart-breaking, at times inspirational, In Spite of Oceans brings to life the pull of the past and the push of the future, and the evolving nature of what we understand as home. https://www.humaqureshi.co.uk/supportdearhuma daily 0.75 2023-12-29 https://www.humaqureshi.co.uk/myletters daily 0.75 2026-01-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/97d5d43e-f465-4644-958a-77f76cab0f84/ADK_1644.JPG My letters https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/f92bcc6b-1019-4530-96e2-0dbd140d4c45/ADK_1610.JPG My letters https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/1fffd312-a83d-4b11-b2bc-bbb29b405849/image+2.jpg My letters https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/7ace4bdd-c6bf-4b98-b8d5-7b62c07f9ece/image.jpg My letters https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/027712ff-44fb-47b0-98e4-08fcbe7e1904/image.jpg My letters https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/1684770546055-WJRH89V69CDPLDZAH1D3/ADK_1705.jpg My letters https://www.humaqureshi.co.uk/mentoring-form daily 0.75 2023-03-15 https://www.humaqureshi.co.uk/hello daily 0.75 2025-03-03 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/e9dd8dc3-cada-4ccd-98fe-fc31ca01a2b8/Circlephoto.jpg https://www.humaqureshi.co.uk/audiogift daily 0.75 2026-01-06 https://www.humaqureshi.co.uk/the-wishes-extract-reading daily 0.75 2026-01-06 https://www.humaqureshi.co.uk/postcards-home-instant-download daily 0.75 2023-06-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/0ca536bd-c126-4941-9a89-0c577b226dbd/HUMA-QURESHI-WRITER-JOURNALIST-WRITING-COURSES-WEB-120.JPG Postcards Home: Summer of Writing https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/86e5c395-ca54-4d81-a92e-8cf11075383b/HUMA-QURESHI-WRITER-JOURNALIST-WRITING-COURSES-WEB-24.JPG Postcards Home: Summer of Writing https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/ed10c3ae-3651-45d1-81dc-802936c7bea7/HUMA-QURESHI-WRITER-JOURNALIST-WRITING-COURSES-WEB-48.JPG https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/3085a7a0-a021-4b00-9169-d8b7352fa9ff/choices-7+colourcopy.jpg https://www.humaqureshi.co.uk/free-writing-advice daily 0.75 2025-01-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/b7adc063-f0d5-4773-9f35-aa2f6ac67fc1/audio+lesson.png https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/1665678226535-5MWNTC65CIBUV9757YQ7/HUMA-QURESHI-WRITER-JOURNALIST-WRITING-COURSES-WEB-101.JPG https://www.humaqureshi.co.uk/playing-games daily 0.75 2024-06-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/083517ad-3c41-453e-bdf3-01ebe8ccdc96/9781529368772.jpg Playing Games - Playing Games The remarkable debut novel from critically acclaimed writer Huma Qureshi: a poignant story of art and sisterhood, family, marriage and betrayal Hana has a perfect job, a perfect home, a perfect marriage. It is her younger sister Mira who is a mess. But Hana wants children and her husband is hesitating, and perhaps her control is slipping. Mira dreams of a creative life but she's stuck working at a local café. She hates her flatmate and Hana's dismissal of her writing but she can't find the right inspiration. One night, a fight between Hana and her husband sparks something in Mira: the words ring in her head and she starts typing. But what can you borrow from your sister? And what can be forgiven? https://www.humaqureshi.co.uk/playing-games-giveaway daily 0.75 2024-06-21 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/f26ee0be-f84b-4ffa-8913-4478e5d1a546/PXL_20240613_125747551.MP.jpg Playing Games Giveaway! - Giveaway! PRE ORDER PLAYING GAMES FOR PRIZES! In celebration of my novel Playing Games coming out in paperback on July 4th 2024, I have organised a raffle full of prizes for those of you who pre-order it from the independent bookshop, Libreria. This is my way of saying THANK YOU for pre-ordering the book and for being here in general. And it's a way of supporting an independent bookshop in Independent Bookshop Week too. By pre-ordering Playing Games from Libreria, four winners could win any one of the following: Three books of your choice from a guest selection I have curated for Libreria A lovely wall print from Peggy + Kate An equally lovely wall print from Parul Arora Studio And finally, a two-night stay at the gorgeous Stable Cottage in Scotland (worth £460) To enter you simply have to do the following: Pre-order my book from Libreria on Bookshop.org Email me hello@humaqureshi.co.uk with a screengrab of your pre-order purchase; this will serve as your raffle ticket. https://www.humaqureshi.co.uk/welcomepostcardshome-1 daily 0.75 2025-01-01 https://www.humaqureshi.co.uk/submit-a-question-1 daily 0.75 2025-01-01 https://www.humaqureshi.co.uk/welcomepostcardshome-2 daily 0.75 2025-01-01 https://www.humaqureshi.co.uk/personal-feedback daily 0.75 2025-01-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1618497259178-6XJGK9GR6YAVBQL5L519/20140301_Trade-151_012-2.jpg Personal Feedback https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5ec321c2af33de48734cc929/1607694583486-2PQT0LQ193RL7MCB6DX4/20140228_Trade+151_0046.jpg Personal Feedback https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/d1c81201-0da1-4edb-a2c7-011c82d63a7c/ACS_0712.JPG Personal Feedback https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/1a4c5710-7d1b-41a6-a9ad-2bda32afccf1/ACS_0985.jpg Personal Feedback https://www.humaqureshi.co.uk/dearhumacontact daily 0.75 2025-01-29 https://www.humaqureshi.co.uk/roadmaps-to-creativity-and-writing daily 0.75 2025-02-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/1ff40773-67fc-40e4-843a-ba9754d4d5b6/daniel-gonzalez-KeiUIl9Lzo4-unsplash.jpg https://www.humaqureshi.co.uk/homecoming-audio daily 0.75 2026-01-05 https://www.humaqureshi.co.uk/the-quiet-words-screengrabs daily 0.75 2025-05-09 https://www.humaqureshi.co.uk/beforethestory daily 0.75 2026-01-22 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/ed10c3ae-3651-45d1-81dc-802936c7bea7/HUMA-QURESHI-WRITER-JOURNALIST-WRITING-COURSES-WEB-48.JPG https://www.humaqureshi.co.uk/homecoming daily 0.75 2026-01-05 https://www.humaqureshi.co.uk/bookyourplace daily 0.75 2026-01-20 https://www.humaqureshi.co.uk/bookyourplace/p/thespringmentorship monthly 0.5 2026-03-12 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/963b435b-1bb2-4e9c-9ef6-720045adf412/ACS_0663.jpg Courses & Events - The Spring Mentorship (deposit) - ACS_0663.jpg https://www.humaqureshi.co.uk/bookyourplace/p/homecoming monthly 0.5 2026-01-05 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/a6e22693-4f1a-4471-b85a-bb5cdb6a1cfd/luke-stackpoole-eWqOgJ-lfiI-unsplash.jpg Courses & Events - Homecoming - luke-stackpoole-eWqOgJ-lfiI-unsplash.jpg https://www.humaqureshi.co.uk/bookyourplace/p/postcards-home monthly 0.5 2026-01-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/1678876480256-55VXJQV83MVMAUQKB1E0/ACS_0714.JPG Courses & Events - Postcards Home - ACS_0714.JPG https://www.humaqureshi.co.uk/bookyourplace/p/before-the-story monthly 0.5 2026-01-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/d1c81201-0da1-4edb-a2c7-011c82d63a7c/ACS_0712.JPG Courses & Events - Before The Story - ACS_0712.JPG https://www.humaqureshi.co.uk/bookyourplace/p/creative-gift-card monthly 0.5 2022-12-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/a2b228b7-d35d-4c82-a57b-87c38114fdb7/ACS_0466.jpg Courses & Events - The Writer's Gift Card https://www.humaqureshi.co.uk/bookyourplace/p/short-story-review monthly 0.5 2026-01-29 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/629f68e6ac6c0e49b9e98d82/4ab2624e-df9f-4a18-a36a-dabb1b3f65ad/HUMA-QURESHI-WRITER-JOURNALIST-WRITING-COURSES-WEB-35.jpeg Courses & Events - Close Reading and Conversation (one hour)