Interview with Dr. Riham Adly – Author, Writing Instructor, Founder of “Rose’s Cairo Book Club”

INTERVIEWERS: Juliana Batosto, Gabriela Neves & Mahmoud Mansi

1. As a Dentist turning into an Author, when did you decide to switch careers? Did your previous career help you at this point?

I’ve always wanted to write since I was eleven. I still have that notebook where I scribbled my first stories. Becoming a dentist was not something I dreamed of but rather something imposed by family and society. It drained me, ate at my passion and my identity. I still practice to this day, though, I decided to go back to writing in late 2010 after passing my root canal diploma. I felt that after years of studying and becoming what I didn’t want it was time to change. I enrolled in a writing course here in Cairo, followed by another then another did so online as well. Read a lot. To write well you have to read a lot. I put my stories out there in writing platforms, received critique, some of it was harsh at first, but how else can one learn. I started reading not for pleasure but for purposes of observation. I started absorbing the concepts and the elements of writing, what is good characterization, what is plot, how to show rather than tell. By 2013 I decided it was high time to submit my stories to contests and literary magazines. My short story “The Darker Side Of The Moon” won in the MAKAN AWARD hosted by the Forgotten Writers Foundation here in Egypt, and more of my short stories and poetry were getting accepted in literary magazines. I can say that at that point I decided I wanted to pass on my experience to others and that it was finally about time I started teaching creative writing.

2. Do you believe anyone can be a writer? What are the qualities someone needs to be a good writer?

I believe everyone has an untold story; you become a writer when you decided to sit down, grab that pen and write. Indeed good writing requires a flare for words, a remarkable talent for starters, but talent alone is not enough. Writing is hard work, lots of research and continuous learning and what’s more important than all I mentioned is the commitment and the discipline. You have to sit yourself down every day, no matter how busy, and write, even if it was just one paragraph.

3. How can literary agents help non-published writers? How can an aspiring writer get their attention?

To be honest this is as hard as hell. First of all, you need to have enough work published online in a literary magazine to fill that cover letter of yours in order for them to take you seriously. You need to look for those new agents building their client list. You have to research the agents and make sure they are willing to represent manuscripts in the genre you write in. You have to learn how to write a query letter to send either to literary agents or publishers. Most important of all is to have a ready, well-written and thoroughly edited manuscript. You wouldn’t want to go through all this trouble and get rejected in the end- which you will, many times. Actually, you have to be ready for multiple rejections. The road to publication requires persistence.  I have to add as well that in the past years there had been a surge of small independent presses in the U.K and the U.S that accept manuscripts directly from the authors, no agents required. Also, self-publishing via Amazon and Kindle direct publishing made publishing a less sinister process though the burden of self-market lies heavily on the shoulders of those intending to choose self-publishing over traditional publishing.

4. Do writers need to have a good content marketing? How much of a sale is credited to the writer himself/herself and how much to the publisher?

Of course in a world like ours where everyone can basically self-publish marketing is elemental and crucial. All authors need to market themselves now, self-published or not. The competition is fierce.

The sales issue is subject to the contract every author signs with their publisher. Percentages regarding royalties vary and there is the copyright issue as well.

5. In your book club, how do you motivate people to keep reading? Do you notice any improvements regarding the percentage of people reading? You also post writing challenges every once in a while. Tell us about them.

I have, to be honest in this, motivating people to read is quite exhausting. When I first started the book club, I basically had to talk to all those interested one by one, push them and encourage them to read every couple of days and keep checking on people’s progress every week or so, sometimes asking them to share their favorite quotes from the book we’re reading. The beginning was hard, but after a couple of gatherings, I can say that people enjoy our discussions and the number of people showing up is constantly on the rise. Last month I had the pleasure of having Author Emily Richardson with us. We discussed her book “The Nile is a Road”. The attendees were excited to have the author of the book they were reading present in the discussion.

I try to post short and easy writing challenges in the book club’s group on Facebook every once in a while. I’ve read many delightful entries and discovered many talents. It brings forth a great deal of optimism to see creative people in the little niche of a community I created.

6. Do you have any tips to someone who finds it hard to keep creative?

Creativity is not hard to maintain, I believe people are born with it. The discipline of staying creative and productive is what’s somewhat challenging given our fast-paced hectic lives. My advice is to keep reminding yourself of what you love and why you want to keep at it and to never quit.

7. Do you believe local writers in Egypt are properly recognized and rewarded? If not, what should be done?

Sadly no, I don’t believe so. Presses here, most of them, are really after your money. No proper marketing is ever done, we’ve never heard of writers doing book tours across the country like in the West. No book promotions or discussions. Unless your book gets recognized by the film industry the chances of multiple editions are quite slim, publicity as well goes unattended.

What should be done? Authors really need to stick to one another, marketing campaigns those social media and public domains should be seriously considered, engaging with the public is crucial. I think book clubs are a great way to market books.

8. How does a writer get more and more readers to their stories and still maintain his/her personality in his/her writings?

First of all, before you write, you need to know your target audience and to study the market. If what you write is not mainstream chances of having readers buying your book are quite low. You have to pick a favorable genre, hone your writing skill and of course add your touch. This touch is what makes you special.

9. What things make you focus on your present writing? Do you have any tips for writers who often get lost in the middle?

Like I said discipline is everything. Set your writing goals and try to visualize the future, and by the future I mean the future where you are a success. Get a daily planner; organize your time and your tasks. Don’t overwhelm yourself, don’t expect to write ten chapters a day, practice piano, cook, raise the kids and stay active on social media, haha, that’s what I’ve been doing, I almost had a breakdown, you’ll experience a burnout too if you overload yourselves. Achievable everyday tasks are the key to success. Get a checklist, sticky notes, anything, just little doses of achievable work.

10. Many people have great ideas for stories but are unable to get it down on paper. Is there any advice you can give to these people?

Take creative writing classes, learn the elements of writing. Read books on writing, read more books and observe what writers do to engage you in their plot. Joining groups on social media that are specific for writers is also an option. Critique, help, inspiration are offered in those writing groups.

I personally intend to create a closed group on Facebook exclusive to my students for them to continue sharing their work and seeking reviews or critiques from me or each other, in addition to sharing resources and open calls for submissions in literary magazines, anthologies and free to enter contest worldwide.

11. Do you think people in the corporate environment in Egypt have a different look when they find out that one of their employees is a writer?

I think employers in the corporate world look mainly for efficiency, creativity and a person willing to work in a team. Writing is a solitary process that is, if you write, fiction or creative non-fiction.

12. As a dentist, what do you think are the common problems dentists in Egypt face?

The price of dental materials is on the rise in astronomical rates, to provide good quality work you have to charge a lot and given the deteriorating status of our economy that is highly unlikely, besides patients tend to think that doctors in general, are out to rip them off their money. So there’s a constant lack of appreciation and trust issues. As for dentists and doctors working in public establishments well let’s not talk about that.

13. Do you believe that a Dentist is a good storyteller? Would you tell stories to your patients?

You actually made me laugh. I believe a good storyteller could be anything he/she wants and not vice-versa. And no I don’t tell stories to patients not when fixing their teeth and staring at their tonsils, with my face halfway inside their mouths.

14. If you are to create your own magazine, how would you select the writers? What will be the criteria? Please also tell us what kind of questions will you be asking in the interview?

I dream of starting a quality online literary magazine here in Egypt that showcases great talents. Like any literary magazine, I will announce an open call for submissions and select the best work, whether fiction, non-fiction, poetry or artwork.

But as for recruiting:

I would need a good content writer to write up rules and entries and opening of the website.

My interview questions will be:

– Content Writer:

• Do you have enough experience in the field of content writing for blogs and websites?
• Will you be able to market our magazine well on different social media networks other than Facebook on full time basis?
• Is your writing simple and fluid enough to engage readers?
• In my magazine I will start a weekly column featuring all updates in the literary scene in Egypt. Will you be able to cover up events such as festivals, poetry slams, contests, book clubs and conduct interviews on weekly basis?

– Editor:

• Do you have enough experience in the editing field?
• Does your portfolio include editing jobs on books, magazine and websites, or just one of them?
• Will you be able to dedicate fixed hours during the week to carry on editorial service for the magazine?

– Graphic Designer:

• I would like to have a look at previous work and layout of similar jobs.
• The interface of the magazine’s website should be unique and attractive , will you be able to carry out that and shine?
• Will the writers willing to submit find it easy to send off their work will you link it to a submittable form?

15. As a writing instructor, how do you measure the performance of your writers?

I monitor progress through the assignment I give and exercises I give in class. By the end of my 8 session course, I ask the student to critique each other’s work and to hand over a 1,000-word short story. I assess the stories handed and judge if the students have fully grasped all the writing concepts I taught.

For example how did they handle characterization? Did they describe the character through action and setting or did they rely heavily on physical appearance.

How did they handle the narrative voice? Is the voice of the narrator clear and distinctive, did they stick to one type or do the common mind hopping mistake? If they pick third person narration, did they pick third person limited voice and stick to it or did they get confused and shift back and forth to the third omniscient, and so forth.

Those are some examples of how I monitor and measure my student’s performance.

16. What’s with the name Rose. You appear on social media as Rose Inink. Is this a sort of pen name? A camouflage perhaps?

Hardly really, it’s just a metaphor to things I love the most. Roses and Ink, here I am the rose in ink. As in the rose – representing beauty and dreams – dipped in writing ink. My friends abroad find the name easier to use and my friends here call me that all the time but my official author page on face book has my birth name on it and all work appearing in print and online is published under my birth name.