We were lucky to catch up with Sameena Mughal recently and have shared our conversation below.

Sameena, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

In 2015, I was stuck. Like head caught in a turtleneck stuck. I had been teaching high school for a long time and wasn’t feeling challenged. As a solution-based person, I tried to think of what I could do to get my head out of the turtleneck. I decided to look
into taking a sabbatical. I asked HR when the deadline was and they told me it was the next day. I submitted my proposal only to have it denied. I wasn’t deterred. The HR person said as long as I submitted something before the deadline, I could try again. The second time worked, and everything fell into place. I researched a topic I knew very little about and learned something new.

Still, I wasn’t satisfied. The sabbatical was only a way for me to stop and pause before I made the decision I had been pondering: quitting. Teaching was no longer fulfilling me. That’s not fair to me or my students. I knew what did fulfill me: writing.

That’s when I decided to resign and take an early retirement. I took a leap of faith in myself and my abilities. I became a full-time writer, wrote a novel, and learned much about craft and life.

It was worth the risk because I do what I love all day and am completely fulfilled.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Inspired by an assignment I gave students, I wrote my own Arabian Nights story. The muse kept tapping me on the shoulder until I wrote the 10 stories that comprise Shaherazade’s Daughters. Besides the Arabian Nights backdrop, all the stories focused on strong, intelligent, independent women who wanted the freedom to live their lives their way. I fell in love with the creative process and my characters. My novella, The Siddiqui Brothers in Cairo, focuses on brilliant brothers who live precisely how they want to and empower others in their lives to do the same.

My unrelenting authenticity is what led me to the writing life I wanted. As a risk-averse person, I threw myself on a path of uncertainty as a freelancer and found my footing as a copywriter and fiction writer. Whether it’s my writing or life, I have a heart-centered, organic approach. I am a profound believer in creative expression as a path to freedom. That theme weaves itself into my art and life.

Looking back, are there any resources you wish you knew about earlier in your creative journey?

I wish I knew about all the help available to self-published authors. For every aspect of the process, there are freelancers and independent companies that can help. There are many avenues to take and so many people to learn from. It can be a solo journey as a writer, but community, collaboration, and the ability to tap into resources are invaluable.

What do you find most rewarding about being a creative?

For me, the most rewarding aspect of being a creative is the pure joy and satisfaction I get from crafting a story from beginning to end.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.sameenakmughal.com
• Instagram: @sameenamughalwriter

Image Credits

Enoch Purnell
Steven Parks
12Gates Gallery