Iqbal Hussain: 'Representation matters, and it’s a privilege to be able to write about'
BY Emily Powter-Robinson
27th Jun 2024
When Iqbal Hussain won the Gold Fiction Prize at the 2019 Creative Future Writers’ Awards he was awarded a place on our Edit & Pitch Your Novel course. We spoke to him about Northern Boy, the novel he worked on during the course, which is out now from Unbound.
You studied on our six-week online Edit & Pitch Your Novel course in 2018. How did studying with us impact your approach to writing?
The course was the first time I’d done something as dedicated in terms of understanding the craft of writing. I learned so much from Anna (Davis) and the comprehensive course materials. Each week we focused on a different aspect of editing and pitching, with plenty of examples and excellent resource materials online. As for Anna’s piece de resistance, the Rewrite Doctor – well, it was revolutionary! It made me completely rethink how to edit my novel, which at that time was causing me all sorts of problems. The step by step method detailed in the Rewrite Doctor finally gave me a proper overview of the text – it seemed so instinctive, yet it needed for me to be on the course to really understand how to use its sifting, logical methodology to finally wrest control of my text. I also loved the community aspect of the course, chatting to others in the safe space created online and also reading the work of my fellow course participants – that’s such a vital part of being a writer, nurturing a community with whom you can ask questions, give/receive feedback and just to know you have likeminded people who understand the challenges of being a writer.
Many of our students find lifelong writing friends on our courses. Are you still in touch with anyone you met on the course?
I am indeed! We’ve kept in touch through email, WhatsApp and Facebook. I must single out two CBC’ers in particular, my dear friends Matt Cowan and Christina Tolan, who were pivotal in early edits on Northern Boy – I can’t remember how many drafts of the book they patiently read. They are as much a part of the journey for my debut as I am! And they have been working on their own work as well, and I’ve been lucky enough to be able to feedback on their amazing prose as well.
Your debut novel Northern Boy is out now with Unbound publishing. Described as ‘Billy Elliot meets Bend It Like Beckham’, the novel is a coming-of-age story about a young boy whose family moved to Blackburn from Pakistan. Can you tell us a bit more about the book and the inspiration behind it?
Early drafts of Northern Boy were autobiographical – not quite a memoir, but not far behind. As it developed, it became more and more fictionalised – for many reasons, but not least because real life is rarely interesting enough to carry a whole book. It’s been many years in the making, from early incarnations written while I lived in Argentina with my partner at the time. After feedback from Matt and Cristina, and publishing professionals who were kind enough to look through early drafts, I realised the book wasn’t working. The original story remained in 1981, the young protagonist remaining forever 10 years old. But early readers wanted to know what became of him. So I wrote two more sections – one when he’s aged 30, and another at 50. This was a painful decision, as it meant shelving around 50,000 words to make room for new words. But it was also an important realisation about “killing your darlings” and doing the right thing for the story that needs to be told. Again, Anna’s Rewrite Doctor was invaluable in helping to flag up the story as it was, and then identifying what was needed to make it better.
You have won several prizes including Gold in the Creative Future Writers’ Awards, Writing Magazine’s Grand Flash competition, and the Evening Standard Short Story Competition (to name but a few!) Do you have any advice to share with the aspiring authors reading this, particularly those who are thinking of entering a writing competition?
I would say go for it! You have nothing to lose, apart from the entrance fee (for those competitions that charge). There are plenty of competitions that are free to enter, including the incredible Creative Future Writers’ Awards, which I cannot recommend enough. Matt Freidson and the team have been so supportive of my career ever since I won Gold for my short story “A Home from Home” in the competition in 2019. This short story was adapted from a scene in Northern Boy, and that win gave me confidence to keep writing my book as I knew my words were being enjoyed and appreciated by readers. So, get your words out there – it’s a big step, of course, as you’re unleashing your writing to the world in general, but it’s such good practice for honing your prose. And it’s not about winning – it genuinely is the taking part, as with every story you write you improve as a writer. You’re constantly learning, and nothing is wasted – so, a story doesn’t get longlisted for one competition – that’s fine, just dust yourself (and it) down, rewrite it if need be and send it to another competition.
You’re clearly a very accomplished short story writer. Did you face any challenges when writing a novel as opposed to short form fiction?
That’s such a good question. I love writing short stories – the challenge of creating a whole world in just 2,000 words or fewer. And still showing a journey for the character. No easy feat, but one that I love having a go at. So, when it came to writing Northern Boy it was a complete change of gear. I almost had to think of each chapter as a short story, otherwise it would have become overwhelming. It took a few drafts to accept that I didn’t need to deliver plot developments in the space of a few hundred words, that I now had the luxury of length in which to explore more deeply the things that you don’t have time to do in a short story, such as more emotions, longer conversations between characters, and even the time to set the scene with less of a rush. What was difficult was knowing that for weeks and months to come I was going to be pursuing the narrative thread with no end in sight. There was no quick and easy sense of satisfaction, as the ending always remained tantalisingly out of reach. I soon learned I needed a proper structure to make sure I didn’t end up going down rabbit holes. Again, this is where the CBC Edit & Pitch Your Novel course really helped, as it gave me structure and made sure I was able to question my choices in a sensible and controlled way.
What does a typical writing day look like for you?
I write at weekends, doing a full day each time. I’m lucky to have a dedicated study where I can write uninterrupted, although our labradoodle Milo does wander in and out demanding I play with him. I usually write with headphones on and music to immerse myself in the world of the story. With Northern Boy, I wrote with a soundtrack of ABBA and Bollywood, as these are important to Rafi – there’s even a dedicated Spotify playlist of the 25 or so songs mentioned in the book. I edit as I write, which does mean it takes me longer to get to the mythical THE END, but it does mean I have a fairly polished draft each time.
Finally, what’s next for your writing journey?
I’m currently working on a middle grade children’s novel about a time-travelling seventh son. It’s set in a similar world to Northern Boy, with a working-class Pakistani family in the north of England. Representation matters, and it’s a privilege to be able to write about, and for, children and readers from my background. The book has gone out on submission and, while I can’t say too much at the moment, we’ve already had an amazing reaction to it! Watch this space …
Northern Boy is out now!
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Photo credit: Elaine Livingstone