So, The Truth About T.M.S. isn’t COMPLETELY on hold while I finish up this work-for-hire project…as I’ve mentioned before, The Truth About T.M.S. is told from multiple points of view. One of those points of view is that of a Muslim American boy. I am not Muslim myself, and the only Muslim family I know moved away last summer. Too bad, because Preteen’s good friend Amr would’ve been a good person to read the fictional Amr’s (yes, I named him after Preteen’s friend — we miss him!) sections in Truth About T.M.S. to let me know whether they really sound like a Muslim American boy’s point of view.
But my dear friend down the street has a Muslim friend, and she put me in touch with this friend. At first I was just going to have this friend read Amr’s passages and let me know whether they ring true or not. But as I’ve been writing, I’ve been feeling like I don’t know Amr well enough. I’m not deeply enough inside his head. So I asked my friend’s friend (N.) some questions about Islam and about growing up Muslim in America right now…and she answered some of them, but then invited me to come over to her house tomorrow to talk with her family about the rest of my questions (i.e. the nosier of the questions). I’m so excited!
I’m looking forward to getting to know this family a little better, learning more about Islam, having my current ideas on Islam shattered, getting to know my character…What an opportunity this is for me! And my book will be richer for it!
I love how research and writing broadens our minds and opens our eyes!
Me too! I think one of the best things about being a writer is the opportunity to talk to a wide variety of people about who they are or what they do, all in the name of “research.”
That sounds really exciting, and what a great way to understand and enhance your character!
Enjoy,
mb
It is! I’m always so pleasantly surprised how open and willing to talk about themselves people are…lucky me!