How did you become a writer?

I’ve always loved writing. Our big weekend outing as kids was to the used bookstore, so reading and writing have always been my favorite activities. I went the journalism route because I wanted to make a living. I went to NYU and got my journalism degree. I’ve worked at Vogue, ELLE, NYTimes, NYMag, along with smaller sites. But then the lifestyle media world imploded, and after working in the fashion media world for almost two decades, I decided enough was enough and wrote my first book, #FashionVictim.

Name your writing influences (writers, books, teachers, etc.).

It’s funny because I like to think we writers soak up others’ work like sponges. My dad always had us reading the classics, so my favorite authors to read as a kid were Oscar Wilde (and yes, I have a very large tattoo of him), as well as Dante, Camus, Kafka, Fitzgerald. I was totally pretentious that way! But reading in general was king in our home, no matter who or what it was. (So yes, lots of VC Andrews got in there!) I love Liz Gilbert’s Big Magic, because it’s like, get out of your head and just write. And I needed to hear someone say that—or read it! 

When and where do you write? 

I try to write daily, but sometimes that’s not possible. I have chronic migraines so some days I’m just not functioning. But I usually try to do two-four hours a day of writing or editing, and I’m one of those people who works from bed. It works for me!

What are you working on now? 

I’m revising my third novel, which is about a woman who doesn’t believe she’s being haunted, and we, the readers, aren’t sure if it’s her or actually happening.

Have you ever suffered from writer’s block? 

No, I don’t really believe in writer’s block. There may be moments when the idea isn’t flowing for me, but that’s part of my process. I usually wait a day or two and bam! I figure it out. It floats into my brain. I think if you’re struggling with something, ask yourself what it is you’re fighting against. What are you resisting? Usually, those ideas come to me right before I fall asleep, when I’m “off.” So I always make myself grab my phone and jot them down. 

What’s the best writing advice you’ve ever received?

Not writing advice but my dad changed his career in his mid forties. He was a professor and realized that with three kids, he needed to do something else. So he went to medical school. And having that as an example to me was helpful because we’re never too old to change our paths. Just because you’re in your forties or fifties doesn’t mean you can’t try something new.

What’s your advice to new writers?

You know that voice in your head that tells you you’re no good? That your writing and idea sucks? Yeah, strangle that voice. It’s not helping you. There’s a difference between looking at your work critically and beating up on yourself. That voice is fear, and you have to let that go if you want to write. You have to have faith in yourself and your work, because if you don’t, no one else will.

Amina Akhtar is a former fashion writer and editor. Her satirical first novel, #FashionVictim, drew rave reviews and acclaim and was covered in the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Martha Stewart Living, Entertainment Weekly, Fashionista, Book Riot, CrimeReads, and more. Akhtar’s new book Kismet takes on the world of wellness and all the crystals that go with it. This #OwnVoices novel is set in Sedona, Arizona, where nature is just as much a character as anyone else. Akhtar has worked at Vogue, Elle, the New York Times, and New York Magazine, where she was the founding editor of the women’s blog The Cut. She’s written for numerous publications, including Yahoo Style, Fashionista, xoJane, Refinery29, Billboard, and more. She currently lives not too far from the Sedona vortexes. Kismet (out 8/1) is her second novel. Find out more at aminaakhtar.work.