And just like that, 2016 is over. So much happened this year on the world stage, a lot (ok, most) of it unpleasant; but on a personal level, it’s actually been quite a successful year. It’s been a bit hard to document at the end of blog posts, though, so here’s a post devoted to the writing-related things that happened:
Articles
- To fight back: Harry, Katniss, and what the world really needs right now, on Hypable.
There’s much more that has to be done — work that perhaps may not seem as epic as fighting Voldemort one-on-one, or racing through the Capitol fighting mutts. It’s the quiet, compassionate actions of empathetic individuals that brought about the very existence of The Mockingjay and The Chosen One and enabled them to create change.
- J.K. Rowling’s Queenie is a Strong Female Character who Hollywood desperately needed, on Hypable (which got Alison Sudol’s seal of approval)
Queenie is someone we don’t often see on screen, much less as a main character, or as half of the main couple. She’s proof that a woman can be sexy, smart, not necessarily career-driven, and capable — and that none of those things contradict each other.
Fanfiction
- The Malfoy Case, Harry Potter (complete, after two years!)
The trials for suspected Death Eaters involved in the Wizarding Wars have begun, and Draco Malfoy finds himself trying to hold together what is left of his family and his fortune, while struggling to escape the looming, almost inevitable future of a lifetime spent in Azkaban. But there is one person who might not have given up completely.
- Erosion, Mad Max: Fury Road (complete)
Furiosa runs.
- in the andaruni, Narnia (complete, this year’s NFE)
“There are two powers in the world; one is the sword and the other is the pen. There is a great competition and rivalry between the two. There is a third power stronger than both, that of the women.”
― Muhammad Ali Jinnah - The Tisroc and the King, Narnia (still in progress)
Something went very differently, and Cor and Aravis never met. As two enemy nations crown their new rulers and are faced with the threat of imminent war, Aravis and Cor find themselves dreaming of a mysterious boy and girl, and a life that could have been.
- The ettiquette of retrospect, Harry Potter (complete)
In which Ursula Black hosts a party after violently disowning her son, Belvina Black knows all the gossip, and Herbert Burke must get his act together.
- Scope and Intensity, Harry Potter (complete)
Bill returns to Cairo to pack his bags
- Soldier’s Heart, Harry Potter (complete)
“I just didn’t think that things would ever be normal,” he said. “It’s almost autumn again, and last winter we were just trying to survive…”
- Marius, Harry Potter (in progress)
The East End of London, 1938. Marius Black is a Squib—the shame of the Noble and Most Ancient House of Black, hidden from Wizarding society lest it discover the family’s terrible secret.
As a second World War draws ever closer, and a mysterious magical threat rises in Nurmengard, Marius turns to the Muggle world on a relentless quest for what those of his family have always coveted: power.
Others
- I was interviewed on Getting Published: a great podcast about the road to getting published by a NaNo friend, and shared some things about my writing journey.
- In Your Dreams: nothing to do with my own merit, but I did have a dream freaky enough to be featured on the show.
- Spent time in, or lived in, Tanzania, Israel, Paraguay, Norway, and Lithuania.
- Despite an exhausting struggle, I did NaNoWriMo 2016 and won!
- Started my career as a freelance editor.
- This blog: Mzungu Town, The Boys in the Soccer Field (and what they did there), Forestation, and Moddi and the music of our time are some of my favorite posts here this year.
What to expect in 2017
- Hopefully no more celebrity deaths or the annihilation of human rights.
- I’ll be traveling even more, and eventually starting school in America!
- You’ll be seeing a lot more of me on Hypable… more on that later.
- The Tisroc and the King will finish (yes, really)
- Marius will properly take off (I know I promised this last year, but this time I mean it)
- More blog posts, as I collect even more interesting experiences!
Happy New Year, everyone! May 2017 treat us better than 2016 did. I hope to continue providing more content here, and on my other platforms, for your enjoyment (or confusion, if you’re still trying to understand why I spend so much time on fanfiction).
Nasim Mansuri 