Long Story Short Ep-30: Old Lags and Conlangs, with Mahmud El Sayed

Mahmud El Sayed, author of The Republic of Memory talks about his journey as an author, and the evolution of his debut novel, winning the prestigious 2023 Future Worlds prize for Fantasy and Science Fiction Writers of Colour, and his work in a genre he is calling Arabfuturism. https://britishfantasysociety.org/blog/bfs-podcast-long-story-short/ Are you a member of the British Fantasy Society yet? Join us here: https://britishfantasysociety.org/about-the-bfs/become-a-member/ Find out more about Mahmud here: https://belllomaxmoreton.co.uk/fiction/mahmud-el-sayed Visit David’s website: https://www.davidgreenwriter.com/ And Robin’s: https://robincmduncan.com/   Time stamps (00:50) Mahmud introduces The Republic of Memory (02:45) world-building: architect or gardener? (05:19) the role of language (08:08) Mahmud’s personal ‘pitch’ (09:15) viewpoints / following characters / A-B structure (13:05) teasing the novel (13:45) watching the detective (17:25) keeping it in the family (20:14) Katie Bruce reviews WARRIOR PRINCE, by JC Duncan (22:00) human technology (24:15) “Fletcher!!” (26:00) Mahmud’s author journey (28:20) the power of luck (30:35) conventions / in at the deep end (33:43) secret writing (35:20) what’s up next?