Contemporary Poetics Forum

“The Art and Craft of Creative Writing (Afsana)” by M Hameed Shahid

(On 10th October 2018)

Contemporary Poetics Forum, Department of English, Faculty of Languages and Literature, IIUI organized a lecture, “The Art and Craft of Creative Writing (Afsana)” on Wednesday, October 10, 2018. The speaker was M. Hameed Shahid, a renowned fiction writer, translator, Seerat-Nigaar, and a literary critic. His services for literature were recognized by the Government of Pakistan in 2017 when he was conferred with the prestigious award Tamgha-e-Imtiaz (Medal of Excellence).

In his lecture, M. Hameed Shahid discussed the creative process of writing fiction (Afsana). He described the several stages of creative writing. He emphasized on the necessities of Knowledge, Observations and Experiences for a Creative Writer. Furthermore, he discussed the relevance of time and space to creative writing by referring to the book, “Fiction, Discourse and Cultural Spatiality” by Farrukh Nadeem (Lecturer at Department of English, IIUI).

M. Hameed Shahid described the difference between creative and non-creative writing with reference to the plot, characterization and the use of language. In his opinion, the plot of fiction must be based on events instead of mere thoughts and imaginations. The events arranged in an aesthetic manner along with the creative techniques make the fiction creative. He argued that the writing must not be totally imaginative and ideological as it might lose the main essence of literature.

The lecture was followed with Q/A’s Session in which the participation of students and faculty members was remarkable. At the end, Dr. Muhammad Sheeraz along with the department’s faculty members presented a shield to the guest as a token of gratitude on the behalf of Contemporary Poetics Forum, IIUI.