Hello and Assalamu alaykum (May the peace and blessings of God be upon you),
What a year it’s been!
As we reach the end of 2020, a year full of uncertainty and change, I hope you can look back and find something positive.
For me, I’ve put all my contemplation’s of the year into writing, its been a year where many of my plans were cancelled, but so many opportunities and doors opened up for me, Alhamdulillah (All praise to due to God). The year was full of change and adaptations which has taught me new skills and new ways of expressing myself.
Work life and home life changed, but definitely for the better, I found ways to develop myself further as I embarked on a new way of learning and teaching. I launched my first book writing courses and by the grace of God, they have been very successful (All money raised from them went to charity, could have been the reason for the success).
For those of you who enrolled on my Online Children’s Book Writing Course and Online Non Fiction Book Writing Course For Beginners, I hope it’s going well. I’ve had some fantastic feedback on the courses and I’ve had writers of all ages and abilities share their work with me, I’ve been truly impressed by the work submitted.
As an end of year special deal, I’m offering my courses for £4.99 again, so if you didn’t enrol or know someone who aspires to become a writer, do share the links.
The courses have led to the discovery of some amazing writers and many of my writers are helping me formulate a book in collaboration with the Women’s Positive Minds and Healthy Living Workshop who are a part of the Muslimah Sports Association with their short pieces of writing and poems. So do keep an eye out for our book, which we hope to complete sometime next year.
I’ve also been busy learning lessons from this Pandemic and have written a book on A Ramadan in Lock down, with the hope of seeing the end of this virus with the introduction of a vaccine, I’m planning on publishing and launching my new book. It focuses on the blessings of a unique Ramadan.
In between all these writing projects, I’ve been writing a novel, (a spontaneous decision), inspired by the charity work I have been doing. The novel is based on real life stories of those who we help with houses, clean water, food and assistance with livelihoods and marriage. Through my charity work, I’ve heard so many stories of struggle and hardship and I’ve decided to tell the story of those who aren’t really heard. It’s about a Bengali girl with big dreams and limited opportunities, it’s about sacrifice and commitment and it’s about not having the blessing I’ve had all my life.
I’ve truly surprised myself by completing this novel in just three months, I got so hooked with writing it, that it not just superseded my other projects, but has been the most exciting project so far. I’ll keep you updated with publishing and launching dates.
Your probably wondering where I get the time and even the energy from (at my age), but it’s about doing as much as you can and leaving behind a legacy of knowledge and entertainment. I won’t bore you, but I’ll just mention a few more projects I’ve been working on.
Working in a school laboratory, has given me the opportunity to help young people grow scientifically, I’ve used my resources to develop an online course on required science practical’s for GCSE students. Feedback on the preview has been very positive and it will be launched as soon as I complete the last few practical’s.
Please check out the link of one of my practical demonstrations
Oh, I nearly forgot, I’m also working in collaboration with authors who write for teenagers and pre-teens to launch a virtual book tour. With plans of my book launch for my novel ‘There’s no compromise’ and ‘My Hajj Journal 2019’ being cancelled due to the Coronavirus, I’ve decided to keep my readers entertained with a virtual book tour, so check out my web page for updates.
When I look back at this year, I believe I’ve had another year of productivity, I’ve continued to build myself through a number of courses, including ones for my scientific background as well as ones to improve my writing skills. I hope you too can look back and think you have been productive too. I hope my message has inspired you to continue to build and improve yourself.
I wish you a fabulous end of year and a prosperous and productive new year.
I look forward to working on a number of new ideas for next year, which are floating around in my head right now and I’ll for sure keep you updated.
Do keep me in your prayers and I’ll do the same.
Best wishes
Rahima Islam
