The creative community in Qatar is vibrant, with artists of different forms creating unique materials to tell their stories. Kummam Al-Maadeed uses her talent for words and imagination to publish books for readers to explore beautiful worlds and adventures.
The ILoveQatar.net (ILQ) team caught up with Kummam to get to know her magical books, her writing process, and her journey as an author.
Kummam Al Maadeed is a Qatari author specializing in English fantasy. She has 10 years of experience in the communication field and is moving toward the publication industry. She has published three novels, one short story collection, and a comic.
When asked when she started writing, she recalls that as a child, she had always made up stories in her head and that when she got older and shared her ideas with her sister, her sister encouraged her to write them down. This was when Kummam tried writing and fell in love with it. She has been writing ever since.
Kummam has published 4 books and 1 comic till date. Her literary works revolve around the magic and fantasy genre.
“I’ve always had a really vivid imagination. I really liked this idea of something beyond the normal, somewhere you can escape", says Kummam.
The first book she read in English was Harry Potter, and the series inspired her. She also enjoys reading modern fantasy.
Here are the books she's written.
Kummam's first book to be published was The Lost Rose in 2016, which took her almost nine years as it took time for her to study the industry and the publishing process. Kummam shares that she dedicates The Lost Rose to her sister, “for the person who said ‘why don’t you write it.'”
The Lost Rose is a story of a heroine named Clara and her journey set in a magical world as she overcomes the pain of a secret sin and tries to save the kingdom they have lost to darkness.
When asked about The Lost Rose, Kummam shares, "This is for people who go through dark phases. There is always a light. It’s about moving on and finding the light again, no matter how dark it gets."
Calling Magic & Wielding Magic is a duology by Kummam Al-Maadeed that follows the magical story of a young, powerful witch named Tia and her adventure through the land of Paiza, a cyberpunk-inspired fantasy world.
Kummam shares that these two novels are about "finding your own strength and finding people who would raise that strength with you."
Kummam's collection of fast fiction and short stories has been compiled in an enthralling book titled Sparks of Imagination.
"The idea of this book is to show the reader how a story can begin. How simple and raw it can be. It is but a spark that could lead the writer to a deep magical fire that will live inside the reader’s heart for eternity", says Kummam.
Adventures in the Dark Land is Kummam's first literary piece turned into a comic. It is a short story in three parts. As a short story wouldn’t be enough for a whole book, she thought of other ways to have it published, and that’s when she thought of making the story into a comic.
She describes this comic as something for people who love quirky, light-hearted comedy.
When asked about her writing process, she shares, "I start with an idea and start writing and let myself go. I write my first draft without fixing or editing anything, leave it for a few weeks, go back to it, and see what works and what doesn’t."
After the initial draft, Kummam finds a development editor to help with the characters and fill in plot holes. She then sends it to a friend to get a reader's feedback. The next step is to have a proofreader check before submitting it to a publishing house and work on the design and everything else.
She shares that the whole process is quite a lot and that she goes through 7-8 drafts before the book is completed.
Kummam's books are set in fictional fantasy worlds with intricate details. When asked about how she creates these settings, she shares, "I think of what I want the world to be, select a theme or character, research, and build from there. Then I come up with all the details from as small as the world’s currency to the world’s society and traditions. The details make the world more vivid and more real."
"Writer's block is either internal doubt or you wrote yourself into a corner.", says Kummam.
When dealing with writer's block, she shares that she stops for a bit, takes a step back, and then writes again when she wants to write again. She puts significant importance on mental health and her headspace when writing and ensures that she's in a good place when she writes. "The biggest enemy of a writer is themself", she adds.
When asked if she would like to explore other genres, she shares that she's looking into sci-fi, romance, and more. "I don’t want to put myself into any box. Whatever story I come up with that is relevant to me at the time, I will write it", says Kummam.
"Don’t stop. Try and try and try. Even if you think it's bad, someone will love it. Someone out there is waiting for your story, so write it.", says Kummam.
Kummam's novels were written and published in the hopes that people enjoy her stories, and hopes to inspire more people to write and share their own stories in whatever medium they like may it be on videos, writing, or photography. "In the end, it's all about storytelling.", Kummam adds.
Have you read any of Kummam Al-Maadeed's books? Which one is your favorite? Let us know in the comments! Do share this article - it keeps us going!
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