Returning by popular demand, we’re thrilled to welcome back Muhammad Ali Samejo for another captivating interview. Renowned for his eloquence and insightful perspectives, Muhammad has already captured the hearts of many through his previous appearances in our mini-series. Today, we delve deeper into his fascinating journey, exploring his multifaceted career as a seasoned corporate professional, published novelist, and expert in training and development. Join us as we embark on another enlightening conversation with Muhammad Ali Samejo.
Mili: Can you tell us a bit about yourself and your background as a writer? When did you start writing?
Author: I guess it all started when I changed careers from 10 years in corporate to teaching English and communication in 2016. That was when I got back into books after years and my creative side kicked in. Before this, I’d only written some blogs with my observations and the thought of becoming an author was something completely alien to me till a new friend pointed it out. In a way, it’s a creative streak I may have taken from my father who was a veteran television director for 30 years at Pakistan Television (PTV) where he made TV dramas focusing on all kinds of domestic and social issues.
Mili: What motivated you to write the book Damaged, a short story collection instead of any full-length novel? Was there a Eureka moment, or did someone inspire you to write short stories?
Author: Well, funnily enough, ‘Damaged’ came out completely by accident and, I’m a little embarrassed to admit it, boredom. I had spent about a year writing my first book, ‘Legends Of Karachi’ and had shared some of it online with a local community of writers and readers who were enjoying it. They motivated me to write more, and I got a good chunk of LOK written that way, but at one point I felt I was losing direction. That’s when I experimented with some other write-ups, and yes I did hit a Eureka moment when I realized exactly how I’d write ‘Damaged’, i.e. in the form of conversations between just two people per story while including as much of a small world and time in the space of a short story.
Mili: What inspired the title – Damaged? Please elaborate for our readers who are yet to read this book.
Author: Even in LOK and another side project titled ‘The Darkly Tales’, my focus was to highlight the issues within society, including crime, violence, harassment, abuse, bullying, corruption, and the like. The first story, ‘Power’, shows what would happen when the victim of sexual assault has the opportunity to confront their rap-ist. More importantly, in the span of the conversation, I had to dig deep into both these characters and their psyches, motivations, and the effect any trauma had on one or both of them. Once I finished the story, I realized I could tell more about such incidents of different kinds of trauma and how they ended up tearing people off the path they were following and turning them into something different. However, I knew there had to be something that should make these stories stand out, hence the dark twists and the acts of revenge that only people impacted by trauma can do. Like I said in the book, it isn’t about what’s right anymore, but only what will give them release.
Mili: Do you prefer to outline your book beforehand? Could you give us a quick short trip through your story? What themes or messages do you hope readers will take away from it?
Author: It’s a little different. Yes, I do like to have an outline, but I don’t want to keep myself completely bound by one. Plus, whenever I come up with a story or book idea, I more or less know how it will begin and end. So ultimately, I’ve visualized what the final outcome is going to look like and all that is left is to make it happen. That strategy has seemed to work for me a lot more than religiously plotting the book, but it’s probably just me.
Mili: How did you maintain balance while writing your character-driven stories and the special awareness message themes?
Author: And the most important thing How do you even balance between your job and writer's life 🙂 I firmly believe that people are a product of their circumstances and environment. They are pushed, driven, cajoled, tempted, and inspired to take each step in their lives with little to no concern about whether or not those actions will make them happy. Writing about social issues, for me, is impossible without mentioning the human impact. We see it each day with news reports and documentaries that look at people and how they cope with all kinds of problems, which is why I want readers to empathize with the characters and really put themselves in their shoes to understand just how hard life has been to them. As for balancing my life, that’s quite tricky. I think what’s made it so much more interesting is my kids spending my writing time with me, trying to figure out what my mature-themed stories are all about. Not only that, if I even hint what my characters are about, they take it upon themselves to give me completely zany plotlines that make us all laugh. I guess it isn’t that hard to balance life with writing so long as you’re having fun doing it.
Buy the Book Here
Okay, I am intrigued. I might as well just toss it into my cart at this point. It can’t be helped. lol Thanks for sharing!
Thank you. I’m sure you won’t regret it, I hope
Okay, I am intrigued. I might as well just toss it into my cart at this point. It can’t be helped. lol I appreciate the share
I’ve learned a little about Muhammad from some of your previous posts, and I find him quite fascinating. I just picked up his most recent book, and I’m eager to give it a read.
I appreciate that. I’m so glad you got one of my books and I hope you enjoy it. Thank you
It’s cute how his kids guess the plot line. I can see my kid making all sorts of random guesses too.
Hahaha, I know, right? One time, I told my youngest about a giant ice cream cone, and she automatically asked “oooh, is it evil?”
Damaged sounds like it’s such a great book, with a really incredible storyline. I loved learning more about the insights of the novel from Muhammad himself!
Thank you so much. Please do have a look at some of the preview pages on Amazon if possible.
I am inspired by his words: that in the face of adversity, it is through storytelling that we find solace, understanding, and ultimately, healing. Indeed, there is an inherent therapeutic value in storytelling.
Couldn’t agree more
What an interest read! It is inspiring to see the hard topics of society being written about! I love to see someone follow their passions!!
Thank you
What an inspiring interview with Muhammad Ali Samejo! His journey from humble beginnings to becoming a successful entrepreneur is truly remarkable. It’s incredible to see how he overcame challenges and pursued his passion for writing and business. His dedication to empowering others through his work and philanthropy is commendable. Thanks for sharing his story—it’s both motivating and uplifting!
This must be a great book for me to read. Definitely add this to my cart and learn more about society through his writing.
Thank you Hope you get a chance to read it.
Changing careers can be a very big change but it sounds like Muhammad was well equipped to do this. The short stories in Damaged sound like they would be interesting to read as they have subject matter that can be built upon to create a good short story that will draw the reader in with the twists etc. It sounds like this new career allows the author to spend more time with his kids which is an added bonus.
Thank you, and yes, I’ve found the change both challenging but also rewarding.
I love that you did a follow-up interview. He has such interesting insights!
Appreciate it. Thank you
First time to read about Muhammad Ali but seems a great writer and inspiring as well. Love reading about stories like this. Great interview~
Thank you so much. Do check out the books if you can : )