Image courtesy by QUE.com
Author: Kristen Matthews
I’m not sure if it started before COVID or if we are part of the natural development of technology that has led to a digitally driven world.
In this world, we sit alone in rooms with computer screens and tell ourselves that online and virtual interaction count as “human interaction.” I don’t think I’m the only person who randomly gets hit with loneliness and occasionally an out-of-nowhere feeling like I just want to connect with people or at least, someone.
Sure, I give myself goals to attain human interaction. But it seems forced at times. One thing that does keep me “connected” while embracing a digital world is finding writers–bloggers, novelists, poets, etc. that I form a genuine connection with through the words they string together and share with readers.
For me, finding new things to read that connect me with the PERSON who wrote them, most recently, Amer Malas, lessens the loneliness. And honestly, this form of connecting is my inspiration for writing this article.
Through sharing my own experience connecting with an emerging author who cut through the digital loneliness for me, I hope to “pay it forward” by cutting through the digital loneliness for you and introducing you to a new writer to add to your reading list: Amer Malas.
Context Builds Trust: Here is My Contextual Experience With Amer Malas, an Emerging Writer Who Resonates
Having a degree in English writing got me started in digital marketing 16 years ago, since marketing is content-driven. Primarily, I’m a B2B digital marketing strategist, but I also occasionally take new or emerging authors as clients since my degree has a fiction emphasis. Sure, I have been published, but since I thrive as a strategist, I help authors with their editorial and submission process to get their novels published.
That’s the boring part of this article, I know, but the context is important.
I’ll be blunt. I’ve had emerging authors come to me and pay me a fee for reading their novel before they submit to publishers, and I have started reading a few novels and have refunded these authors their money. A karma thing, I guess?
Well, when Amer asked me to read and provide feedback for his debut novel, Shards of Belonging, I got hooked with this man’s way of stringing together both words, themes that resonate on a very personal level, and the plot of his novel takes readers on a journey of self-discovery without feeling like a self-help book.
I couldn’t put Shards of Belonging down, and though my “agreement” with Amer was to provide basic feedback, I ended up sending him 17 pages of “feedback.” Most of this feedback consisted of stuff like “this character development is incredible and “I am in love with this line.” Of course, there were a few tweaks, but overall, I told Amer this is the closest first-time novel anyone has ever given me.
Once Amer started “getting out there,” readers and social media followers have gravitated to him and his words. My theory? Everything Amer writes makes readers feel like he is on a journey with them. A journey of healing and an ongoing journey of self-discovery.
I think the “soul” of Amer’s writing and its resonating so much with me and the people who have read anything from his blog posts to his poetry to the early readers of Shards of Belonging, is that many of us long for guidance. Guidance from someone relatable, vulnerable, and who accompanies our journey instead of instructing it. When I started reading Amer’s words, in different forms, I had an “aha moment” both as a fellow writer and as someone who is constantly participating in my own self-discovery. Amer’s writing makes me feel like he’s with me, not above me.
Does the “Digital World” Leave You Lonely Lately?
I miss office culture, meeting people I work with in conference rooms, having coffee and brainstorming sessions, after-work happy hours, and such, since everyone works remotely now.
I don’t know if Covid is the culprit or just the evolution of all things digital, but I don’t just feel lonely in my work. I feel this loneliness in my personal relationships–friendships and familial as well. I don’t find an Instagram DM as fulfilling as a hug, and I don’t find virtual conversations with my whole family on Zoom as rewarding as the nostalgic family reunions that used to take place.
Amer’s vulnerability is what made me feel connected, albeit digitally and less lonely, when I read his novel and then more of his writings.
I’m writing this article to do for you what Amer did for me: write something that connects you and me, so that you have a break for a few minutes from digital loneliness.
Taking a page out of Amer’s book (pun intended), I’m going to be vulnerable for a moment in an attempt to connect with anyone who reads this article, and thus lighten the loneliness. My aunt was dying and was afraid of the “unknown” of the afterlife more than the act of dying. I told Amer about her, and he wrote her such a beautiful letter that not only my aunt, but my entire family found comfort in his words to Aunt Mary before she passed. In fact, my Grammy insisted on inviting him to the funeral… Here is a line from the letter because I feel it gives a context into Amer as a person and writer. Thus, a way to combat loneliness, at least for me, and I hope for you:
“What comforts me is this: when we witness the passing of someone dear, we are not only saying goodbye; we are also carrying them forward. Their smile echoes in our laughter. Their strength becomes the voice that encourages us when we falter. Their presence becomes a quiet light guiding us in the dark. In this way, no one is ever truly gone.”
Amer was able to break through the digital walls and resonate with me through his writing and through our conversations, which have led to a friendship that means a lot to me. I hope Amer feels the same way.
Crucial: Connecting Writers to Their Words Builds a Foundation that Cuts Through Digital Loneliness
Being a writer comes with a certain curse. I tend to overanalyze what I read from my writing background and knowledge, and this often takes me out of the story.
That is, until I can connect the writer’s real life to their writing and deem them “credible.” Once credibility is established for me as the reader, I can enjoy the story. Have you ever felt this way? If so, you may have found yourself “digging” through Google and social media to learn more about a writer’s personal life. Line it up with what you read.
I think part of Amer’s success so far and how easily readers are drawn to him is that he is open about where he draws his inspiration from, and that it comes from his own life and personal experience.
So, for me, reading Amer’s writing, I had to understand where he drew inspiration to write such incredible poems, blog posts, short stories, and, of course, Shards of Belonging.
Spark notes version that I gathered, and you will too by reading his work. Amer has a traditional familial background and upbringing. He is one of those people who followed his inner voice and embarked on his own path, a path that wasn’t the norm in his culture and family. On this path, he made mistakes and is vulnerable about them. But, the core resonance, for me anyway, is that, albeit a tough decision and struggle, he’s glad he listened to the compass inside of himself and found balance with forging his own way with maintaining a relationship with his family–even if there was work and time involved.
Not to mention, he has admitted to me that he’s not at the end of his journey, he probably never will be, and this made me feel like I could trust his writing as Amer doesn’t live in a black in world. He joins me in my view of the shades of grey existing within families, self-discovery, and finding one’s true purpose in life.
And the universal internal battle that, I believe, we all face–decision making that holds to family values and parental expectations, no matter how old you are, versus following the path that something internal guides you like a compass to head down.
Once Amer passed my filters and credibility questions so that I could actually read his writing as a reader, because I could connect the dots and trust him, that’s when I noticed a break from digital loneliness.
Current and Upcoming Ways to Consumer Amer’s Writing
If my experience with Amer and his writing resonates with you, then I am sure you’re jonesing to read his words for yourself. I’ll make it easy.
- His blog is full of posts on self-discovery, devastation that comes with relationships, healing, and more.
- He recently published a book of poetry that consists of a ton of poems he has strung together over the years, and they all stay true to the thematic elements that Amer expresses so well
- If you are like me and like the “feel” of a book in your hands and the smell of paper while you read, you can get the paperback version on Amazon
- If you want to download it, sure, you can grab the Kindle version on Amazon as well, but for a few more weeks, he has made it available as a free download on his website
- Due to NDAs, I can’t tell you where, but if yousubscribe to his email updates (they’re fantastic and not messages that will clutter your inbox, pinky promise), he has a short story and flash fiction story already in the queue for publication, and his emails will keep you up to date.
- Oh, by the way, Amer can craft music and craft it well, so he has aplaylist on Spotify of songs that follow all of the thematic elements of his writing.
- And of course, Shards of Belonging, his debut novel, is also an NDA item, but it’s coming, so make sure you sign up for his emails, and Amer also updatesa novel section of his website and leaks excerpts of his novel.
- Amer is also active onInstagram andFacebook, and I highly recommend you follow him, whether you also like to write, or if you like to read or be inspired by the thematic elements I have described, as Amer doesn’t stray away from them
Sneak Peek of Amer’s Debut Novel
With Amer’s permission, of course, here is a short excerpt from his upcoming novel, Shards of Belonging, that I would like to leave you with.
Then he saw the envelope.
It lay on the edge of the coffee table. Thin. Sealed. His mother’s name on the corner in her familiar script. He wonders if she had left something for him. Maybe a letter.
He didn’t reach for it.
Not yet.
Instead, he just stared at it, the way someone might look at a mirror in poor light. Like it might reflect something too raw. Too near.
He sipped the tea. Bitter. Not hot enough. His eyes drifted to the far corner of the room.
On the wall, the clock read quarter to 8. His stomach clenched.
He was late. For a meeting? For something—
Then he remembered. There was no job. No schedule. No one waiting on him to show up.
Still, the reflex lingered. That muscle memory of rushing. Of proving. Of disappearing into effort.
He set the cup down. Left it half-drunk on the table. The taste stayed with him—faint, metallic, unfinished.
He stood by the door for a moment, uncertain. Then, without knowing why, he grabbed his coat. There was no destination—only the ache of stillness.
The envelope sat untouched on the table behind him.
He didn’t know where his feet would take him. Just that he couldn’t stay still. Not anymore.
Do you agree that resonating with a writer makes the digital world less lonely? I’d love it if you would share your own perspective on this topic in the comments below!
Author Bio:Kristen Matthews is a marketing strategist, but with a degree in fiction, she also works with new and emerging authors. When she works with an author like Amer Malas, she ensures their writing resonates and self-imposes a rule that, before developing a working relationship, new authors she “takes on” truly have a gift to share with the world with their writing.
Articles published by QUE.COM Intelligence via Yehey.com website.
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