Introducing "Writing Like a Scientist"!

Published about 1 month ago • 4 min read

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You're reading the Tuesday Telegrams, a bimonthly newsletter from author Naseem Jamnia. You're currently reading a writing-related Telegram, where I update you on projects, offer behind-the-scenes looks, delve into craft, and other publishing things.

You can change whether to receive a writing, personal, or all Telegrams in the footer of this email. Go to "Update your profile" and choose from the drop-down menu.

I looked at my calendar yesterday and realized I'm due for our first Tuesday Telegram of 2025!

Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately??), this will be a short Telegram to kick off the year.

Fortunately, it's short because I spent that time working on something new that I hope you'll love.

Publishing is an unpredictable business. As a result, it's easy to fall into toxic work patterns for and attitudes to your writing. Over the last few years, I've felt myself slip this direction, so I'm recalibrating in 2025 by focusing on community building.

If you've been a Telegrammer for a while, you may remember how much I enjoy teaching. This year, my plan is to pitch myself and my particular approaches to as many organizations as I can. I hope, in doing so, I can build my experience and credibility and start to offer those courses on my own.

I'm starting a little closer to home, though, by creating an experience for all of you.

Introducing...

Reading Like a Scientist

Last year, I wrote a Telegram that was a crash course on how to approach craft analyses via the scientific method. I've turned that into a FREE three-day email course which breaks my method down further, with more detailed examples.

I would be incredibly grateful to anyone who goes through this course and more so if you're able to give me feedback.

While I'm not going to go wide with "Reading Like a Scientist" quite yet, I'm hoping to soon. I plan to keep this free for my newsletter subscribers, but I hope to turn it also into a pay-what-you-can ebook for anyone who'd rather have the information that way.

Any thoughts would be appreciated!

Qilwa Corner: La Marca de Qilwa

Last year, I also mentioned that we sold Spanish translation rights to The Bruising of Qilwa. That gorgeous cover has now been revealed!

I have been very, very lucky with the cover gods, and all three Qilwa covers are stunning. This one feels particularly special because Firuz looks so unapologetically Persian.

Speaking of cover gods, I'm still planning on having a social media cover reveal for my MG horror debut The Glade (out 5/27 from Aladdin). If you're interested, I'd love to have you!

Solidarity Corner

This collection is a bit outdated, but I'm going to leave it until the next Telegram. Many of these links came courtesy of Sarah Gailey's Stone Soup newsletter.

If you have organizations or causes you'd like me to spotlight here, please send those links my way. We get through these things when we do so together.

For Hurricane Helene relief:

  • ​CARE provides both immediate and long-term essential recovery care
  • ​East Carolina University has a list of organizations you can donate to or volunteer with to help in the Carolinas
  • ​Blue Ridge Public Radio also has a list of organizations, both governmental and non, that are helping in the Carolinas
  • ​United Way of Florida has a list of various counties that have been impacted and their United Way chapters to donate to
  • ​Other groups responding to Helene and Milton

To help Palestinians facing genocide:

  • The Al Jawad School is working to teach displaced children in the Gaza Strip.
  • Information from the Palestinian Children's Relief Fund (a great place to donate) on supporting Palestinians
  • Donating to UN organizations helping Palestinians
  • ​Gaza Funds spotlights current crowdfunding campaigns. Operation Olive Branch does similar work.
  • If you haven't already heard of the BDS Movement, I suggest you look it up and start spending your money on brands and groups that don't support genocide. (The BDS Movement calls for specific brands to be boycotted in order to be effective in their targeting, but we can also be discerning individually. Here is another list of companies profiting off genocide.) The only ethical consumption under capitalism is when we trace where the money goes.
  • Here is a list of Palestinian-owned brands you can buy from, or you can check out Palestinian goods here​

Other groups undergoing atrocities:

Other forms of activism:

  • ​ResistBot is my favorite way to reach out to my representatives. It's free (although you can pay for more effective methods of reaching out, like letters) and it's something.
  • Don't forget to get the latest COVID booster with your annual flu shot! Look for a local pharmacy here.

I hope you managed to get a chance to rest over these last few weeks. I hope you're continuing to take care of yourself and others.

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Every other week, I send out a newsletter as part of my Tuesday Telegrams. Find out more about me at www.naseemwrites.com or on IG @jamsternazzy. THE BRUISING OF QILWA, my Crawford-, Locus-, and World Fantasy-nominated novella set in a queernormative, Persian-inspired world, is out now. My queer MG horror debut, THE GLADE, comes out 5/27!