IN THE SHOES OF… Iqbal Hussain

What's life like in someone else's shoes? This month Deputy Editor Françoise Price invites debut children's author Iqbal Hussain to tell us about his day.

Iqbal Hussain

[Picture credit: Elaine Livingstone] 

6.30am

 

For four days of the week (Tuesday to Friday) I manage a team of technicians in the word-processing department of a large, City law firm. We format complex legal documents, making them look nice and consistent. Increasingly, we do a lot of problem-solving, such as fixing automatic paragraph numbering that doesn’t work, or footnotes that go missing, or making a table scroll properly. I write on my Mondays off and for half of the weekend. The other weekend day is earmarked for me and Gary, my partner, but when there’s a writing deadline imminent this, sadly, goes out of the window. I experience constant and huge guilt in the amount of time I devote to my writing versus “normal” life. It’s like crossing a tightrope while juggling plates.

 

We take it in turns to take Milo, our labradoodle, out for his first walk of the day. With Epping Forest at the end of the street, Milo gets plenty of exercise, chasing squirrels and barking at trees when they inevitably scrabble up them. The daily walks are a great time for thinking, working on plot points, and thinking of new ideas for short stories and books. The forest is inspiring at any time of the year, whether verdant green or Narnia white.

 

8.30am

 

At the weekend, we breakfast together, we’ll have a full veggie breakfast. Neither of us is vegetarian, but we don’t eat much meat. I usually end up slipping Milo a titbit or two from the plate – for which Gary, rightly, tells me off.

 

9.00am

 

In my study, I have my office PC along one wall and my personal Mac in the alcove opposite. It’s important for me to keep the two worlds separate. I occasionally write longhand, as it makes me think differently. And one day I’ll bash out a novel on my cherished Olympia typewriter, the model I learnt to type on at school. I’ll write till noon, or I’ll do admin/chores – this morning I went to the local Waterstones to sign copies of my debut novel, Northern Boy!

'This morning I went to the local Waterstones to sign copies of my debut novel, Northern Boy'

  'I have my office PC along one wall and my personal Mac in the alcove opposite'

12.00pm

 

Depending on who walked Milo earlier, the other will take Milo for a half-hour walk. Whoever’s left behind cooks lunch – soup, scrambled eggs on toast, or a tuna salad. We’re trying to cut out processed foods. We often eat while watching Bargain Hunt – comforting overhang from the pandemic.

 

13.30pm

 

After the news, I’ll head back to my study and write for a solid two or three hours. I edit as I go along, and also carry out research at the same time. I can’t bear to leave placeholders, as I worry I’ll forget and the story or book will go out with big, square-bracketed gaps with instructions such as [WAS DANCING QUEEN OUT IN 1981?] and [HOW LONG WAS THATCHER IN POWER?]. If I find myself falling down research rabbit holes, I fire up a program called Freedom, which cuts off my ability to surf the Net.

'I occasionally write longhand, as it makes me think differently'

 

16.00pm

 

Milo gets his third walk of the day – like his morning walk, this is for another hour. We’ll be back in the forest, for more squirrel chasing, muntjac deer-spotting or avoiding other large dogs – Milo’s a fussy labradoodle.

Milo the labradoodle

 

17.00pm

 

If I’m feeling inspired, I’ll do a final hour of writing when I’m back. I usually try and stop writing mid-scene, so that I have the necessary momentum to pick up the words when I’m next in the document. I write on Word, which I find intuitive. It’s also what we use to an advanced level at work, so I know all about styles, views, autocorrect, navigation panes and so on, meaning I’m able to make it work for me as an effective writing and editing tool. I’ve tried Scrivener, but I found the learning curve steep and it also messed up the formatting when I exported it – undoubtedly my fault, but, like our parents who refused to master the VHS because of the one time it chewed up the cassette, I was scared off by it and never returned.

 

18.00pm

 

Milo’s dinner time, shortly followed by our own. We are both good cooks, so we tend to take it in turns. The computer is put to Sleep mode, in case I think of an email I need to send, or I need to jot something down if inspiration catches me while watching TV.

 

20.00pm

 

I’ve recently bought a piano, so I’m keen to teach myself to play. I taught myself by ear as a child and can bash out a tune. But I’ve learned bad habits, so I need formal lessons so I can play properly.

'I’ve recently bought a piano, so I’m keen to teach myself to play'

 

21.30pm

 

Milo’s fourth and final walk of the day – this time, for him to do his “business”. He won’t go in the garden, which is a curse and a blessing, as come rain or dry, we have to pound the streets at night until he finds a patch of green he deems suitable. I usually listen to a podcast on my phone, which is something else I got into during Covid.

 

22.30pm

 

This is ideal sleep time, but we rarely manage it, too engrossed in another episode of Paranormal: Caught on Camera. When we finally trudge upstairs, Milo follows us. He’s a fully paid-up member of the family and has the full run of the house. Either he or I drift off first, usually within minutes, to Gary’s annoyance. Milo and I both (allegedly) snore. That’s not to say I sleep all the way through the night. My mind is usually thinking of the short story or book I’m working on. I might wake up and jot a note down on my phone. Occasionally, I’ll tap-tap-tap a whole story through squinted eyes, determined not to lose the finer details of the dream as it breaks up like a plane’s vapour trail. These nocturnal scribblings are often laughably ludicrous in the cold light of day, but occasionally they throw up nuggets. And then it’s back to sleep, perchance to dream…

 

*Header image by Shannon Ell & Tita Berredo; 

All other images courtesy of Iqbal Hussain

 

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Iqbal Hussain has been writing since he could hold a pen. His work appears in various anthologies and on sites such as The Hopper and caughtbytheriver. His debut novel, Northern Boy, has just been published by Unbound Firsts. It tells the story of a flamboyant young boy coming to terms with who he is when all around him are telling him to be something else. Iqbal lives in north London with his partner and labradoodle.

 

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Françoise Price is Deputy Editor of Words & Pictures magazine.
Contact deputyeditor@britishscbwi.org
Find her on Twitter (X) and Instagram

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Shannon Ell is Illustration Features Editor of Words & Pictures.
Contact them at illustrators@britishscbwi.org

Tita Berredo is the Illustrator Coordinator of SCBWI British Isles and Art Director of Words & Pictures. Contact her at illuscoordinator@britishscbwi.org