ISSUE #1
April 24, 2020
Welcome to the very 1st issue of the the Rahaman Reader! What you'll find below are updates, works of fiction, and art created by me, Reyadh Rahaman.
I've hinted and teased this a little bit on Twitter. Every week you will receive 1 page (approximately 500 words) from a story titled "Of the Sky, Of the Sea, and of the Stones"(SSS for short).
"SSS" is a a fictional history book written and narrated from the perspective of Athos Angion, an elderly scholar looking to pass on his knowledge. You can download the first page of this story in PDF, Epub, or Mobi format. This means you can read it on any device!
If you like the cover art you can download the jpeg without the text. There's even two sizes to choose from. Could be a nice background/wallpaper, right? ;)
The buttons below currently lead to hidden pages I created on Imgur because the files are fairly large. There should be no issues in downloading them, but if you have any please let me know.
You're also welcome to use these images for anything you want. Just make sure give me a shout out if you do!
The last bit of content that I want to share with you this week is a poem that I wrote recently. I only ever write poems when specific kinds of inspiration strike me. This time, I was compelled towards poetry by an article that I read on a blog I recently subscribed to(click here to read that article) and a song called "Ginnungagap" by a Swedish band named Therion. The song title and band name are links, so click on them if you want to experience some awesome operatic metal! I experienced the article(eyes) and song(ears) simultaneously, and together they made me want to write "From the Yawning Gulf".
This poem is how I feel about the act of creating content. It is heavily symbolic and has a dark tone, but you'll find a positive message within.
ISSUE #2
May 1, 2020
Welcome to the Rahaman Reader! What you'll find below are updates, works of fiction, and art created by me, Reyadh Rahaman.
​
Updates:
I will be making some changes and upgrades to the Rahaman Writing website. Short term, I'm planning on removing the currently unused 'Reviews' section and am going to be replacing it with a 'Poll & Quizzes' section. I've grown found of doing them on Twitter, Satyr Central, and other sites, but now I can create my very own!
​
I'm still testing out the various features and tools used to make them, but the first couple I plan to do are:
-1 feedback related poll
-1 quiz where you summon a demon from The Lesser Key of Solomon
Here is the second part of the SSS series. This one is a bit longer, close to 800 words. This time, Athos begins to tell us of the Isle of Agalloch. A place full of strange structures and even stranger lifeforms.
As before, you can get the file for this story in 3 different formats, so you can read it on any device!
In Part 2 of SSS, there is an image(labeled Figure 2) that depicts a cheeky troll-like being. I edited that image into the dimensions that would make it suitable for a phone wallpaper. To get it, simply click below and download from the hidden Imgur link.
Creating always gives me a sensation of freedom. Whether it is in written, visual, or acoustic form, it makes me feel something more that what I normally experience. It is also a great outlet for excess energy. Writing an invigorating tale almost feels like running with a swift wind, or climbing a steep hill. Like exercise, but for your mind.When thinking about this I became inspired to write a poem. This one is about the freedom of being able to do whatever you want.
Let nothing ever stand in your way!
ISSUE #3
May 8, 2020
Updates:
I have removed the 'Reviews' section and have replaced it with a 'Polls & Quizzes' section. Currently, it houses but a single lonely quiz. Though, it is a short one that can be replayed many times. There are over 50 different results that you can get!
I have also made a hidden sub-page of the 'Polls & Quizzes' section for subscriber-only polls! I will be linking this sub-only poll in future issues of 'The Rahaman Reader' for new subscribers.
SUMMON A DEMON!
Test your luck and your will.
Here is the third part of the SSS series. This one is longer, at about 1000 words. Athos tells us of Quil's encounter with the enraged wood troll and how she dealt with it.
As before, you can get the file for this story in 3 different formats, so you can read it on any device!
In Part 3 of SSS, there is an image(labeled Figure 3) that depicts a field with a few doors scattered about. If you think it's a neat image, you can download it in wallpaper size below.
This week, instead of a poem I will be giving you a little bit of flash fiction. This is something I wrote for a short story competition a little while ago. It didn't win, but I still like it. The theme for that competition was 'Green', by the way.
I will not elaborate further on the nature of this short tale, as there is no point in trying to explain madness born of the void.
I also manipulated the cover to make a cool piece suitable for a phone wallpaper, although you're welcome to use it for whatever you like.
ISSUE #4
May 15, 2020
Updates:
I have removed the 'Reviews' section and have replaced it with a 'Polls & Quizzes' section. I also changed some of the page backgrounds for aesthetic reasons.
I have made a hidden sub-page of the 'Polls & Quizzes' section for subscriber-only polls! I will be linking this sub-only poll in future issues of 'The Rahaman Reader' for new subscribers.
Here is the fourth part of the SSS series. Our elderly scholar, and scribe, recounts a very telling conversation that Quil had with a new acquaintance. Answers Ahead!
As before, you can get the file for this story in 3 different formats, so you can read it on any device!
Next week, instead of giving you all a poem/flash fiction, I'm going to be doing something a bit different. In next week's issue of the Rahaman Reader, you will be getting the weekly instalment of SSS, but you will also get a FULL short story (10'000 words).
This short story is titled 'Plague From the Sea' and is an urban fantasy/sci-fi tale about a epidemic that makes life in a small coastal town a living hell!
Here's a desktop wallpaper made from the cover art.
Here is a short excerpt from 'Plague From the Sea' to get you hyped!
ISSUE #5
May 22, 2020
Updates:
Added some photos of myself to the Bio page of rahamanwriting.com
Trying some new marketing strategies(Bookbub and Written Word Media ads)
Planning to implement a new poll soon
Here it is, that short story(10k~ words) I told you about in last week's newsletter! This urban fantasy/horror tale takes place in a fictional coastal town called Seravek
[Tweet @ me if you get the reference ;) ].
The story follows Val, a young woman who is simply trying to make ends meet. As she is doing her laundry one day, she is assaulted by a gelatinous fiend in her own house!
Experience Val's adventures as she tries to keep her head above water in
PLAGUE FROM THE SEA!
Last week, I gave you all a desktop wallpaper created from the cover art for 'Plague From the Sea', but today I have for you a phone-sized wallpaper of the same image!
Again, you can use these wallpapers I create for anything you want. Images for blog posts, profile pictures, whatever! Just be sure to give me a shout out if you do ;)
In this part, the fifth instalment in the 'Sky, Sea, and Stone' series(600~ words), our narrator tells us of Quil's venture into the heart of the Island of Agalloch. What she finds there sends her mind reeling!
As before, you can get the file for this story in 3 different formats, so you can read it on any device!
ISSUE #6 - Big Changes
May 29, 2020
Happy Friday, everyone!
This week's issue is going to be a bit different. I've been doing a lot of thinking about what I want this newsletter to be. At first, I just wanted to use it as a vehicle to get exclusive content to people who were interested. While that is still the case, I think that I'm going to be delivering said content to you in a bit of a different fashion. Instead of essentially throwing content at you, I'm going to to be handing it to you. Seems like kind of a blunt analogy, I know, but I shall elaborate.
I can be very over-zealous at times. I get so excited about writing and creating content that I often get lost in my own world and forget how the real one works. This includes forgetting how other people work sometimes...
I, on occasion, overwhelm others with my work, questions about their work, or simply with my presence. I've received some great feedback from a few of you over the past week and think that I have formed a plan for what I want this newsletter to be. What those change boil down to are as follows:
- Less is more (less content given out per issue)
- More text in each issue (blog-style, to engage
readers on a more personal level)
- More images (everyone likes wise-cracking
skeletons, right?
...Right?)
Anyways, here is the next part of the SSS(Of the Sky, Of the Sea, and Of the Stones) series. For those of you new to the Rahaman Reader, this is an ongoing series told from the perspective of Athos Angion, an 80-something year old scholar who begins writing his magnum opus about the wonders of the world of Okeanós.
This week, he tells us of how his mentor, Aquilaria Wood(Quil for short) dealt with the sinister sight she witnessed during her time on the isle of Agalloch.
From now on, I will be only supplying parts for the SSS series in PDF format. Let's face it, no one was even using the Epub or Mobi formats, were they? If you do miss having access to these formats, you're welcome to send me an angry email! Feel free to call me names as well, such as the following:
-Brain-addled chimpanzee
-A blind idiot God, minus the deific status
-Fucktrumpet (Yes, one word)
And much more!
To which you will receive a reply accompanied by a thank you and whatever work you desire, in whatever format you desire :)
Recently, some poets have subscribed to The Rahaman Reader, therefore I'm going to be including a poem that was in issue #1. This is one of my better poetic works, though I don't dabble in poetry nearly as often as other content types.
This poem, titled 'From the Yawning Gulf', is about the act of creation and about the void that often surrounds creative types. A fair bit of dark imagery, but you'll find a positive message within.
Just as a small side-note, I'm going to be retracting the exclusivity of much of the contents of these newsletters. I'm going to be posting short stories, poems, and art previously only included in issues of The Rahaman Reader on my website, and possibly other places, in hopes of getting my work out there a bit more.
Don't worry, though, the SSS series, and a few other treats, will remain a newsletter exclusives!
ISSUE #7 -
Riots, Heartbreak, and a New Laptop
June 5, 2020
Hey readers, hope you're doing well.
​
This week has been kind of crazy for a number of reasons. The first, and most significant, being the riots and looting happening in the US right now. As someone who has many family members and friends in the US, I just want to say I hope you all are staying safe. Desperate times call for desperate measure. Sometimes things only change if they are broken and reforged. Sometimes a message of words is not enough, sometimes acts need to be committed to bring about a REAL change.
​
But, this is not the place for politics, so I shall leave it at that.
In other news, this time more personal, I decided to take a break from Twitter. I'll be back on sometime next week, but right now I just want some solitude. I'm usually incredibly focused and can cleave my way through any objective, but the past few weeks have been different.
​
I tried to get to know someone and it didn't work out.
This resulted in the baron of beholders being slain.
Though, no true Dark Lord remains gone.
​
In fact, I believe I'll return even stronger, having now identified and adjusted a former weakness.
No more gaps in the armour, no more letting my guard down.
​
No more distractions.
And then, the same night that I realized that I needed a break from being social...my laptop broke. Somehow, something went wrong with the ram chips, and I could not get my 2011 MacBook Pro to turn on. I usually back up my important stuff on a daily basis, but I was so distracted that I had not saved my work on part 7 of the SSS series.
I had to re-write the entire thing. Thankfully, everything else seems to be intact...I hope. My work may seem a bit different because I'm now on an Asus(chromebook) and the formatting for things is a bit different. I'm going to need to learn how to do things a bit differently, but I'm a pretty quick learner.
​
I'm sure I'll be fine.
Now some good news!
​
Part 7 of the SSS series is actually the conclusion to the first chapter. Don't worry though, as the next chapter will start in next week's issue of The Rahaman Reader! Athos tells us of how Quil escapes her perilous fate, after being launched violently off the island by a sinister force.
He also hints at what the next chapter is going to be about.
ISSUE #8 -
Have a Seat!
June 12, 2020
Small note:
I've compiled all the previous parts of chapter 1 of the 'Sky, Sea, and Stone' series into one, easily readable PDF. It's about 6k~ words, but I made this for new readers who want to read the full first chapter without having to look up each, individual part in the archives.
I will be doing this each time a chapter is completed, for the sake of easier readability for new subscribers! (Or current ones who want to download full chapters for posterity)
Check out the full first chapter from Of The Sky, Of The Sea, and Of The Stones(SSS) below!
Happy Friday, everyone!
I hope you're all doing well. Especially since the weekend is upon us! Though, to me, that doesn't make a huge difference anymore, as I haven't been able to go to work since early March. Many of you are probably in the same boat. Just sitting at home, on your computers, phones, or tablets. Which got me thinking...
...what a great time to be a writer!
People stuck at home with nothing to do need...well, something to do! Be it video, stories, or other pursuits, people everywhere are seated in their homes upon their favourite chairs do what they like most.
Speaking of chairs, I was...involved in a veritable dumpster-fire of a thread on Twitter recently. A friend of mine asked me about it, so I'll just show you a screenshot of my explanation of the scenario for simplicity.
Suffice to say that Dark Lords don't really take kindly to their brethren being insulted. Chaotic retribution is always my first form of reply to such stimulus, because it's simply more fun. I advise others to take a similar approach if they are ever in such a circumstance.
For idiots on the internet will never take your genuine thoughts, points, and rebuttals seriously. They will just continue to shit from their mouth in verbal diarrhea, the flow of which sometimes needs to be stemmed, or at least pointed out and laughed at in public.
I think a conversation that I had following this with a fellow author stated this sentiment quite well. If you don't already follow Andrew Slinde, by the way, I recommend that you do so. He's a talented writer and a great person. Always someone that I like seeing on my feed.
But that's enough about dumpster-fire threads. For now, it is the beginning of something new.
I bring to you (drum-roll please!) the next chapter of The Rahaman Reader's exclusive series. Of the Sky, Of the Sea, and Of the Stones, chapter 2, has begun!
In chapter 1, our elderly narrator, Athos Angion, tells us of an account told to him by his mentor long ago. But, in this chapter, Athos will be telling us of one of his very own adventures! One that involves research into the little-known sky-folk and their flying cities!
ISSUE #9 -
Tales and Homemade Treats
June 19, 2020
Happy Friday, everyone!
I hope you all had a good week. This one was pretty good for me. I'm happy to say that I've been making continual progress in every area that I want.
- Almost done writing my short story collection
- Making significant weekly updates to Rahaman Writng
- Slowly, but surely, getting work done on a trailer for my next book
- Making great connections with new readers and writers (more friends :D)
- And more!
Speaking of Canadians, a Twitter pal, writer, and fellow Leaf, Jon Aaron Sandler is going to be hosting a special event tomorrow at 7pm EST. This event is about telling wonderful stories and eating delicious pirogies! It will be a zoom event, meaning that everyone will be able to see others, ideally. I'm not 100% certain how it will unfold, but I like that. I enjoy jumping into something new and exciting just, to see where it goes.
Also, I have a HUGE weakness for pirogies. I literally lived off them for months in college. They weren't only a staple of my diet, but my life!
If this sounds fun to you, please show up for the event! The more the merrier! If you need more information, check out Jon's website(linked above), hit him up on Twitter (@JonAaronSandler), or even send him an email at jonaaronsandler@gmail.com
He's a pretty chill dude, and easy to talk to, so no reason to be shy!
As for tales, that of our elderly scholar, Athos Angion, continues! He goes on to recount an adventure from his youth when he explored a majestic, floating city. Click the button below to get the next part of the SSS series!
As always, you're welcome to read the previous parts before checking out this one! If you would like to do so, click the 'Archive' button at the beginning of this newsletter to be transported to Rahaman Writing's hidden archives, where ALL previous installations of this series can be found.
And as the final note for this week's newsletter, the exciting conclusion to my most recent poll!
Over the past couple of weeks, I have been pursuing feedback on what story to upload to Rahaman Writing next. This concluded in a poll between the top two contenders.
Burning Blood versus Absolute Precision.
And Burning Blood won!
I was just going to let the loser of the poll dissipate back into the pages of my upcoming collection, only to see the light of a reader's curious eyes after the book being published. But the poll was so close (9 to 7!) that I could not just leave people hanging.
So, here's the runner up. Absolute Precision in all of it's blunt weirdness.
Fair warning though, the perspective change is jarring!
ISSUE #10 -
Critical Thinking
June 26, 2020
Happy Friday, everyone!
I hope you all had a great week. Mine was quite satisfying. I was able to perform feats that I didn't think were possible of myself. A few days ago, I spent from midnight until 4am editing the entirely of Inner Expanses (372 pages; 139K words). Everything was fine except for the typos. There were...an embarrassing amount. But I hunted them all down and murdered them in cold blood, as a demonic entity would.
Though, in the early hours of the morning, it got me thinking. If I had just taken a bit more time to edit it properly on the first 2 passes, I wouldn't have felt the need to do a 3rd in a mad frenzy. This experience has made me resolved to be more patient. And to think more critically about my actions.
I'm happy to I know that I can write and edit like a machine, when I really want to.
It's a good sign! But, a few careful thoughts are often worth more than many careless ones. I have always been enthusiastic about exploring ideas and concepts in a manner of ways. One of these is in the form of essays. I haven't read too many recently, but in college and high school I really enjoyed works by Jonathan Swift and other writers/philosophers.
A dear friend of mine and I were chatting a little while ago about various things like nature, writing, and memes. At some point in this conversation, though, she suggested that I should write an essay about geckos (following my boast of tremendous reptile knowledge).
I agreed that it was a fantastic idea! One that I will use as an opportunity to share with others ideas on a topic that I have the aptitude to educate others about. Below, you'll find a 2400 word essay about how INCREDIBLY AWESOME geckoes are. Though, it's about more than small, vertically inclined lizards.
It is about the world we live in and our perspective of its natural order.
And now for this week's installment of the SSS series.
This week, Athos, as well as the crew of his transport ship and the strange people of the flying city, find out what is causing such a disturbance.
You'll be shocked and horrified.
This week marks the 10th issue of The Rahaman Reader!
I'm happy to say that (as of writing this) we are at 15 subscribers!
This may not seem like a whole lot, but everyone has to start somewhere, and gaining a couple of people each week is undeniable progress.
Thank you so much!
Sometime this weekend/next week. I'll be messaging some of you either by email or Twitter, just to talk to you a bit about this newsletter. If you want! If you decline to do so, which is totally cool, I won't pester you!
I just want to get some thoughts and feedback, because I'm always trying to grow and become better at what I do.