Saira Mahmood, the winner of the Zeenat Haroon Rashid Writing Prize, is a graduate student at the University of Karachi’s Department of English. Her research focuses on gender, media and Muslim womanhood. Her writing reflects these interests. In an exclusive interview with The News on Sunday, she reflects on where she draws her inspiration from and her plans for the future.

he News on Sunday (TNS): Tell us about your writing journey. Did you grow into it, or were you always inclined to pursue writing as a career?

Saira Mahmood (SM): I have been writing for as long as I can remember. I have written stories and have always wanted to be a writer. I started by writing a lot of fiction. I also wrote nonfiction. As a child, I was always good at creative writing and essays assigned at school. I participating in many competitions. Having studied at an ordinary Pakistani school, I contributed my work to magazines for children and young adults. I remember not being very good at poetry, though. My thought process begins with an outline. With a lot of word dumping, I write down my thoughts freely before I dwell on a piece, organise my thoughts, and edit, slash and rewrite until I like the final product. I am also a procrastinator, so I often write at the very last minute. So, my writings does have an innate element. I am a literature major, so I have grown into a critical essayist – writing about writing. I went on to pursue a master’s as I was sure this was what I always wanted to do as a career.

TNS: Where do you draw your inspiration from? Do you usually write about what is close to your heart? Does it emerge from experience?

SM: For a long time, I didn’t have anything to draw inspiration from because we Pakistanis live extremely restricted lives. This is even truer for women. Their mobility is very limited, especially for those pursuing careers in STEM. This is precisely why my story was about Muslim women coming of age because growing up doesn’t come to us naturally.

I write down my thoughts freely before I dwell on a piece, organise my thoughts, and edit, slash, and rewrite until I like the final product.

TNS: How far do you think we have come as a nation?

SM: We have come a long way, but we have much further to go. What I worry the most about is the recently-growing ‘counter’ movement, especially in the digital space. While women are sharing their personal stories, I fear an immense pushback; things like, iss larki ki wajah se families kharab horahi hain. The victims that get an opportunity to share their stories are extremely vulnerable to further exploitation. I feel that their need for protection has only increased.

TNS: Have you ever written something and given up on it, put it in a drawer and left it there?

SM: If you are a writer, you can love nothing more than to sit down with a blank piece of paper and let your thoughts flow from pen to page – or, for that matter, to sit down with a blank computer screen and let your thoughts flow from finger to pixel, which may not necessarily see the light of day. I have written many fiction and nonfiction pieces, poetry and personal essays that I don’t want to pitch. In the recent past, especially after the #MeToo movement, I have been quite conscious of what goes into the public domain. Many women were open to sharing personal stories in the hope that this might bring about a positive change. The idea of being published was a bit exploitative in nature. While some did result in a positive change, a large chunk was just another piece on the internet, only to be used as a tool for exploitation. While the personal story revolves around the victim, it has a lot to do with the others too. Not all of those should be for public consumption. Many women I met had stories around Islamic texts, such as their access to mosques, etc, – a sort of reinterpretation. I came across many stories stating that many women’s posts and tweets were thrown back at them. It is always going to be on the internet, and it exists to invalidate you in some way or the other.

TNS: What’s next for Saira Mahmood?

SM: When I won the ZHR Prize, the first thought that crossed my mind was: will it help me support myself? Will it always be a side thing? Right now, I’m looking to pursue an MFA as I want to learn professional scriptwriting, children’s writing, etc. With a 9 to 5 job, I have struggled with writing, but what drives me is that I really enjoy my work. That is where I draw my inspiration from. Watching my boss work for a larger purpose and give back to the community and the country and exude a lot of positive energy is wonderful. That is what I intend to continue doing too.

The interviewer is a  journalist based in Karachi. She can be reached at Sara.amj@hotmail.co.uk