Introduction 

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In my “Why I Write” essay, I highlight the intersections between my identity, lived experiences, political convictions, and the type of writing that I want to produce. Using that piece as my artifact of origin, I have written an opening chapter for a novel I would like to write called The Cries of the Burned. It is about a nation called Azadria and creatures called Jinn who launch attacks on its people. The nation of Azadria is inspired by the landscape of Pakistan and the cultural linkages between Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan, India, and the rest of South Asia. The Azadrian language that I include throughout the story is the Urdu language. 

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Importantly, I am not writing for a white audience, and I am uninterested in watering anything down to make it palatable for a white audience. Rather, I am writing for young South Asians who never saw themselves reflected in stories about heroism, bravery, and strength. Unfortunately, in much of the media that I have consumed, any character who deviates from a particular set of idealized Eurocentric standards is relegated to the sidelines or even rendered nonexistent. Therefore, I am eager to disrupt this paradigm. 

 

Genre Research

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For many decades, South Asian fantasy, science fiction, and speculative fiction writers have used these respective genres to engage with topics such as colonialism, marginality, indigenous knowledge, and surveillance technology (Kumal). My novel is best defined as speculative fiction, a genre that is distinguished by supernatural, fantastical, and futuristic elements that are not entirely present in this universe. 

The term was coined by the writer Robert A. Heinlein in 1941 who defines this genre as “narratives concerned not so much with science or technology as with human actions in response to a new situation created by science or technology…[it] highlights a human rather than a technological problem” (Heinlein 219).

 

However, recent definitions are more encompassing of other subgenres. Margaret Atwood defines speculative fiction as “literature that deals with possibilities in a society which have not yet been enacted but are latent” (Atwood). The semantics of “speculative” is key because my story speculates what the world would look like if Jinn emerged in the form of fiery beasts. More specifically, it imagines what that world would look like many centuries after the Jinn had destroyed most of humanity and most of the world’s civilizations. The foundational question is: How will humanity react to this perceived threat as it evolves?

 

Although I have pre-existing knowledge of the Jinn given my upbringing as a Muslim, I have taken the time to do extensive research into the nature of the creatures. Rooted in pre-Islamic mythology as well as Islamic theology, Jinn are beings made of smokeless fire. It is said that the Jinn were on earth before human civilization began, and they were the first creatures ever created (Laughlin). They are inhabitants of the immaterial world who can reside in inanimate objects and emerge into the real world. They have free will, intellect, the capability to grasp reality. They can also take on any physical form and appear as humans, animals, trees, and anything else (El-Zein). In works of fiction, the creatures of Jinn have also been used to comment on the harms of climate change, capitalism, drone strikes, and imperialism. 

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Although the Jinn may be seen as these violent, malicious, and scary creatures, it is entirely inaccurate to make this generalization about all Jinn. The opening chapter may incline you to develop a negative bias towards the Jinn. This is understandable. However, just as human beings have the propensity to do good or cause harm, Jinn are the same way. I abhor the rigid binary of good vs. evil as it is very limiting and neglects nuance. If I were to continue writing this novel, the reader would eventually realize that Jinn are only ostensibly evil and perhaps there are Jinn that differ from those who attack the nation of Azadria. 

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With regard to the conventions of writing an opening chapter, the research that I have done notes the importance of beginning with a gripping first paragraph. According to tips published by the MasterClass, the opening scene should “pique your readers’ interest, establish your narrative voice, and serve a thematic introduction to the rest of the story.” The protagonist should have a clear goal, and the antagonist should be introduced to present a conflict. The author of the tips emphasizes the importance of sensory details so that the reader can become immersed in the world that the writer is describing. These are all pieces of advice that I hope are incorporated in my first chapter. 

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Before you start reading, here is a quick dictionary for unfamiliar terms:

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1. Chukars: Partridge birds found in northern Pakistan

2. Talwars: Curved swords from the Indian subcontinent 

3. Kikars: Thorny trees found in South Asia

 

Bibliography

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Atwood, Margaret. Margaret Atwood's 7 Tips For Writing Speculative Fiction With Creative Writing Prompt. 8 Nov. 2020, www.masterclass.com/articles/margaret-atwoods-7-tips-for-writing-speculative-fiction-with-creative-writing-prompt#3-determine-your-worlds-winners-and-losers.  

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El-Zein, Amira. Islam, Arabs, and Intelligent World of the Jinn. Syracuse University Press, 2009. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/j.ctt1j5d836. Accessed 1 Mar. 2021.

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Heinlein, Robert A. The Nonfiction of Robert Heinlein. Virginia Edition, Inc., 2011. 

Kamal, Nudrat. What South Asian Sci-Fi Can Tell Us about Our World. 19 July 2019, https://thewire.in/culture/what-south-asian-sci-fi-can-tell-us-about-our-world.

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Laughlin, Vivian A. “A Brief Overview of Al Jinn within Islamic Cosmology and Religiosity.” Journal of Adventist Mission Studies, vol. 11, no. 1, 2015, pp. 67–78. 

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Manusos, Lyndsie. What Is Speculative Fiction? Definitions + Examples. 25 Jan. 2020, https://bookriot.com/what-is-speculative-fiction/ 

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MasterClass. How to Write the First Chapter of Your Novel - 2021. 8 Nov. 2020, www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-write-the-first-chapter-of-your-novel#quiz-0.  

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