5 Questions for Zanib Mian

March 09, 2018

5 Questions for Zanib Mian

Q. Tell us about your journey as a writer.

A. When people ask me when I started writing, they are surprised to hear me say that I started writing as a young girl – but that is the most accurate answer, as it all began back when I was about 9 years old. I would put pen to paper to express all sorts of emotions and experiences, usually in the form of rhyme. I was never too far away from a notebook (I filled lots of them!) and everyone knew me as the little one who writes. In class, when we were asked to write poems, I remember many of my friends popping over to my desk to ask for help! I also still have a few of my notebooks from back then!

I have now written and published fifteen children’s books. Some of which are mainstream, and some of which are Islamic books. My mainstream titles have been featured by The Guardian,praising their contribution to diversity in children’s books. Cbeebies Bedtime Stories has signed three of these, and already featured one, Oddsockosaurus, on the show, Alhamdulilah. The most popular of my Islamic titles, is Migo & Ali: Love for the Prophets.

Q. Describe your writing process: how do you find ideas, how do you develop them, what is your writing schedule like?

A. I’ve always felt that I don’t find ideas – they find me, subhanAllah! I’ve never sat down and thought, right, I must think of an idea for a book. They come to me suddenly, when least expected. They come as a result of something I saw (and the way my mind is drawn to that object, and plays with it), or something I said.
For example, when I wrote Oddsockosaurus – it came from me calling my son that when he came down wearing odd socks with his crisp, tailored uniform. For my Islamic books, a lot of the time, the ‘idea’ comes from my desire to convey a love for Allah by creating a digestible, fun resource.

For me, writing has no schedule. There are days that are writing days, where the words flow from me, just right. There are other times, when I feel that I can’t string an appealing sentence together!

Q. What are your inspirations when it comes to writing? Which books, websites, online resources do you recommend?

A. I recommend all the books in the genre you want to write in! Even the bad ones, because you will never learn the difference between good writing and bad writing if you don’t make the comparison.

Authors that have been inspirational for me are all of the bestselling authors of children’s books, from Dr Suess and Roald Dahl to Julia Donaldson and Oliver Jeffers.

Q. What has been your greatest achievement as a writer?

A. I would have to say that my greatest achievement as a writer has been drawing children in to learn about Islam in a natural, digestible and fun way. It’s not always easy to do with books that teach the deen, hadith, duas, stories of the prophets. But parents are always reaching out to say that their kids would never take an interest in Islamic books before these, or that they can’t get them to put them down! For me, that’s truly heart-warming – to have been a part of a child’s journey towards a solid foundation of faith.

Q. How can aspiring writers connect with you and your work?

A. Follow Muslim Children’s Books on Facebook and Instagram! More importantly, please sign up to the mailing list on our website, so you never miss a thing! And if you would like to follow my shenanigans, you can find me on Instagram @zanibmian!