A feature by Sofia Samatar

For me, the space of writing has always been visual. When I am starting a new piece, I usually see images before anything else (for example: a tropical farm, an animal or a person, an illustration in a children’s book). Often these images are vivid, but sometimes they are blurry or faint, so that I can’t completely make them out. As I write, they begin to define themselves, coming more strongly into view. I see a short story or a novel as a space, not as a linear set of events.