Encouragement begins with U

Some nights ago I was scrolling through Instagram, as I do, and stumbled upon the story of a friend. She had posted screenshots from her personal blog; a fiction that wasn't written well enough to garner praise, according to her.

I, for one, was simply glad she decided to write after a long hiatus. She said it was 'crap'. I told her it might be 'crap' but it was her 'crap' and that she should own it. Agreeing, she felt better about her work.

You see, all I did was acknowledge her effort and suggest that she kept trying. Sometimes all that a person needs is that random text message at 2 AM telling them “U r doin gr8… um proud of U”.

It gives me great joy as an editor to see SHOUT writers receive emails and messages from readers and followers alike. It brightens up our day and inspires us to do better, not to mention the sense of belonging and the important lesson of gratitude that transpire between the lines.

If you're reading this, check out the writers' blurbs. You know what to do.

– Kazi Akib Bin Asad, Sub-editor, SHOUT