Interview with Author Daanish Jamal
1. What is the most important advice you have been given as a writer?
"There's no such thing as outlier knowledge." My college writing professor liberated me from thinking I needed to exclusively study English to be a writer. I discovered that there isn't a universal curriculum. Sometimes interesting work emerges from an intersection that only you have access to. I'm getting better at learning without an end in mind and just letting myself play.
“And please don't sink into this woeful nonsense about not having time to read...The real culprit here is almost never your schedule. It is your boredom--your boredom with the books you think you are supposed to read. Find a book you want, a book that gives you real trembling excitement, a book that is hot in your hands, and you'll have time galore.” - Stephen Koch
2. What part does revision play in your creative process?
I try to write my first draft rapidly, while I can still sense the narrative trail. If I like it when it's done, I ask a couple trusted readers to give feedback. Then I forget about it for a few weeks, until I can review it with fresh eyes.
Generally I dread revision. I think of Jay-Z recording something like eight songs for the The Blueprint in one day. He would come up with raps in his head, record them, and then leave the producers to fine-tune. I'd love that.
3. If you were dropped on a deserted island with only one book, which book would it be and why?
The Gift by Hafiz. I can open that book to any page and find something that resonates. His poetry reads like stories from an old friend. “Run my dear, from anything that may not strengthen your precious budding wings.”
Daanish Jamal works as a venture capital investor in the San Francisco Bay Area. He is a graduate of Georgetown University (BSBA Finance), where he was an Annabelle Bonner prizewinner for his fiction writing.
"There's no such thing as outlier knowledge." My college writing professor liberated me from thinking I needed to exclusively study English to be a writer. I discovered that there isn't a universal curriculum. Sometimes interesting work emerges from an intersection that only you have access to. I'm getting better at learning without an end in mind and just letting myself play.
“And please don't sink into this woeful nonsense about not having time to read...The real culprit here is almost never your schedule. It is your boredom--your boredom with the books you think you are supposed to read. Find a book you want, a book that gives you real trembling excitement, a book that is hot in your hands, and you'll have time galore.” - Stephen Koch
2. What part does revision play in your creative process?
I try to write my first draft rapidly, while I can still sense the narrative trail. If I like it when it's done, I ask a couple trusted readers to give feedback. Then I forget about it for a few weeks, until I can review it with fresh eyes.
Generally I dread revision. I think of Jay-Z recording something like eight songs for the The Blueprint in one day. He would come up with raps in his head, record them, and then leave the producers to fine-tune. I'd love that.
3. If you were dropped on a deserted island with only one book, which book would it be and why?
The Gift by Hafiz. I can open that book to any page and find something that resonates. His poetry reads like stories from an old friend. “Run my dear, from anything that may not strengthen your precious budding wings.”
Daanish Jamal works as a venture capital investor in the San Francisco Bay Area. He is a graduate of Georgetown University (BSBA Finance), where he was an Annabelle Bonner prizewinner for his fiction writing.