Ola El-Fouly

Literary writing is primarily a skill that any person willing to invest the time and effort can learn. Of course, the talented individual will learn faster and have the passion to pursue their goal. However, anyone who understands the elements of a novel and continuously improves their writing style through learning, training, and practice can write a remarkable novel.

Like any other artistic profession, you can earn from writing, with some earning little and others earning a lot. You can also pursue it as a hobby, akin to painting, music, sculpture, and others. In all cases, mastery of writing as a skill is essential, requiring time, effort, and sometimes financial investment, followed by learning how to turn it into a profession to earn from it.

Some novels may take months, while others may take a year or even years. It depends on the author, not the novel. Some novels require extensive research and study to meet the author’s vision and pride themselves with their name on the cover, while others don’t require as much time. Both can be equally exceptional and splendid.

The “Elements of the Novel” course for beginners outlines how to write a distinctive Arabic novel, identify its flaws, and how to remedy them. It serves as a guide for Arab writers to craft professional and distinctive novels.

Courses provide the elements and foundations necessary for writing a distinctive Arabic novel. Workshops are specialized exercises focusing on mastering specific techniques needed in novel writing, such as idea development, dialogue, description, plot, narration, and more. Challenges encourage professional writing by committing to writing on a specific topic within a set timeframe to unleash the creative energies of participants, usually held during Ramadan, and I compile the contributions into an e-book available in the store.

One of the features of a novel is that it’s a comprehensive art form that can be simple and beautiful simultaneously. While superficial writing can be addressed through diverse reading and focusing on reading exceptional novels for at least an hour daily, continuous training is essential. Deep, broad perspective is an accumulative process, much like obtaining a university degree. It doesn’t start in university; it begins with learning to read and write, obtaining elementary, intermediate, and high school certificates, then university years. Therefore, depth comes gradually, and all great writers evolve throughout their lives. The important thing is to write as best as you can and enjoy the writing process while continually improving your skills. There’s no ceiling for improvement, and don’t wait for perfection because it’s an illusion; no book is devoid of flaws. Write and write, and be happy with your progress. Life is a journey, so don’t be ashamed of your writings. Write to enjoy your passion, and readers will enjoy it with you, believe me.

Of course not. Sometimes the idea is clear, sometimes it’s confused and overlapping, and sometimes I don’t even have a clear concept, but I have a specific character in mind that I want to write a novel about or certain events that I want to write about, but the perspective is lacking.

Certainly, there are guides and roadmaps that can help both beginners and professionals in writing a novel, but this does not mean that there is a template where all you have to do is fill in the blanks or choose between several options to write. Writing a novel is a skill with elements, fundamentals, and techniques that can be learned, just like learning to draw. Knowing the rules in colleges, courses, and lessons enables you to draw any picture, but it won’t paint your picture for you—you are the one who will write the novel. The assistance is in learning the skill and the foundations of professional Arabic novel writing, so that you can write any genre you like with your unique touch.