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Hana Al-Harastani

Writer. Editor. Ardent Traveler.

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Tag: Advice

Find Your Truth in the False Start

There’s a stage of starting a new piece of nonfiction that many writers go through called “clearing your throat”. It’s where you dump all the information you feel like you have to say before you actually start telling the story you want to tell. This includes why you’re writing, why you feel like people should… Read More

Posted onSeptember 9, 2019October 1, 2019CategoriesOn WritingTagsAdvice, On Writing, writing2 Comments

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🛰👾📲 Admittedly, I found out about A Trick of Light when Kindle offered me a deal on it. I thought it was a comic book until I opened it, and was even more intrigued to dive in when I realized it was a novel. The pacing was done well, and some of the plot twists were unpredictable even to seasoned readers. It was original, felt believable within the realm of the superhero world, and brought us a new set of heroes we can adore with powers that are ever-so-relevant to our current technology. A Trick of Light is the origin story of a cyber-kinetic kid who can access and manipulate any technology with his mind—and in a world where we rely on tech now more than ever, the possibilities were endless and made for a wild ride. If you're a fan of Stan Lee, comics or movies, settle in with some snacks and a blanket, and dive into this fresh adventure. . . . . . #comics #marvel #marvelcomics #stanlee #stanleenovel #atrickoflight #newreads #unitedbookstagram #bookstagram #readersofinstagram #readersofinsta #readersofig #fictionbooks #fiction #scifi #scififantasy #superhero #superheroes

Excited to really get into Atwood’s The Testaments! So far, I really like the way the novel is set up. It reads like a collection of testimonies, found letters, and transcripts that are woven to form some kind of timeline. I’m barely 100 pages in, but already Atwood’s writing has captivated me and I’m looking forward to writing my review. ****FUN FACT**** According to TIME Magazine, “the plot of The Testaments is the closest-guarded secret in publishing since Harry Potter lived (again). Impostors posing as book agents tried to steal the digital manuscript, so publishers around the world agreed to go analog. Rare copies were distributed under fake names like ‘The Casements’ by Victoria Locket.” . . . . . #bookstagram #thetestaments #margaretatwood #unitedbookstagram #books #dystopianbooks

👩🏽‍🎨 👾 👩🏻‍💻 If you’re a Pixar fan, you may be looking for more behind the scenes content on your favorite stories. If you’re a writer, you may wonder what it takes to finish projects at the efficiency of the storytellers at Pixar. If you’re a manager, you may wonder how to manage a team without stifling creativity. If any of those apply to you, Creativity Inc. would be a very fascinating read for you. Ed Catmull, president of both Pixar Animation and Disney Animation, takes us behind the scenes at the conception and development of Pixar as a company, their successes as well as failures. Even for those not managing a creative business, Catmull’s focus on the importance of storytelling appeals to managers and artists alike. Part business manual, part origin story, Creativity Inc. dives into the inner workings of Pixar Animation to understand how to balance creativity and a sustainable business model. Read the full review at HanaHarastani.com . . . . . #disney #pixar #disneypixar #edcatmull #creativityinc #creativity #business #businessbook #businessbooks #newreads #unitedbookstagram #book #books #reads #readersofinsta #readersofig #readersofinstagram #nonfictionbooks #nonfiction

✨🇸🇾✨ In this harrowing collection of real stories from the bloodiest revolution against a brutal regime, foreign correspondent and journalist Janine Di Giovanni travels through Syria and documents stories from the people themselves. From the atmosphere of the wealthy and privileged in Damascus feeling the tremors of war, looking on from the windows of their parties, to a torture survivor whose body maps the inhumane treatment and sick pleasure Assad’s soldiers partake in, Di Giovanni documents the layers of pain and trauma that cling to the country like ash. Entering these spaces, she lets the stories speak for themselves, her voice never intrusive to theirs, emerging only to provide context or history when needed. She is careful, too, to run the stories through fact checks and investigative journaling to anecdotal sound bites, but a real narrative encapsulating true happenings in Syria. In eight chapters and eight cities, Di Giovanni documents the social and economical complexity of this escalating war. In Damascus at the Dama Rose Hotel, the rich dance away nerves and worries about the country on the brink of war while United Nations monitors drink coffee, “morose men who were no longer allowed to operate because they had been attacked too often.” In Latakia, Di Giovanni talks to two rape victims about their imprisonment and explains how rape is used as a weapon of war in Syria. In Ma’loula, she delves into religious and social barriers, in Homs, torture. Aleppo, war factions. Each city she visits uncovers and unpacks a layer of this war that is more humanitarian crisis than political conflict, where justice comes second to annihilation. She ends the collection of “dispatches” with a haunting line: “As I write this, the Syrian war continues and there are nearly 300,000 Syrians dead. The Book of the Dead is not yet finished.” Read more at HanaHarastani.com . . . . . #bookstagram #books #bookreviews #bookreview #unitedbookstagram #nonfiction #nonfictionbooks #syria #warbooks #syrianwar #warinsyria

👩🏼‍🦳❌👩🏻 When I saw this book—and it's difficult not to, what with its striking fuchsia cover with neon lettering—I was intrigued and also wondering, "why hasn't this been done before?" As Filgate puts it, "For even a brief instant of time, every single human being has a mother." And yet, I don't recall reading too many stories about the relationships between mothers and their adult children. This anthology is in no way a book that glorifies motherhood, but it is one that celebrates all the different relationships one can have with their mother. The comfortable. The messy. The familiar. The misunderstood. Reading the collection is reminiscent of the feeling you get as a teenager when you realize your parents are not superheroes who know everything and what's best for you. That "grown-ups" don't know what they're doing and no one really stops growing. But with that realization comes a weight lifted. Yes, your mother makes mistakes, but that only makes her more human. And with that comes the potential for understanding and friendship, or in some cases defiance and separation. Some stories will make you laugh. Some will make you cry. Some will have you pausing with phone in hand, finger hovering over the call button that will connect you to your own mother in seconds. . . . . . #book #bookstagram #bookreview #bookreviews #bookreviewblog #unitedbookstagram #newread #newreads #nonfictionbooks #nonfiction #whatmymotherandidonttalkabout #michelefilgate #motherhood #mothers

From the nonfiction essay collection: ▫️What My Mother and I Don’t Talk About ▫️ . . . . . #quotes #quote #whatmymotherandidonttalkabout #books #bookstagram #storyteller #storytelling