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Get to know me

A Few Autobiographical Words	I am the founder of Storiad. The site idea first came to me as I was thinking about the various inefficiencies in the writing market. It seemed odd to me that there were so few professional networks and marketplaces for those of us engaged in the business of writing. So I decided to do something about it.
Education, Credentials & Honors	M.B.A. University of Chicago, in Economics and Statistics A.B. University of Chicago, with Honors, Political Science.
Why I Write - The Philosophy Behind the Words	I write because – Writing is freedom. Writing is the voice developing over a lifetime’s worth of rights and wrongs. Writing is reading. Writing is listening. Writing is seeing. Writing is paying homage to those who went before. Writing is bequeathal to an unknown. Writing is an argument with the self. Writing is the respect shown others. Writing is at the heart of the democratic experiment. Writing is a republican virtue. Writing is the arc of justice honored. Writing is responsibility assumed. Writing is as imperfect as we can ever hope to be. Writing is language, nuanced and blunt. Writing transports to folly and condemns. Writing brings beauty that sustains. Writing is Lincoln at Gettysburg with 272 words. Writing is Proust with many splendid more. Writing is Orwell, in darkening hours, warning. Writing is King upon deliverance. Writing delivers us from ourselves. Writing is prayer whispered at night. Writing is resolution. Writing is how we greet and bid farewell. Writing is the heavy-felt ink against exquisite paper. Writing is the nubby pencil scratching on scrap. Writing is the humbling simple sentence. Writing is complexity of compound thought, released. Writing is frustration, flight and return. Writing is character morphing to destiny. Writing is layering logic. Writing is going forth naked. Writing is faith. Writing is an alter to faith. Writing is finite posterity. Writing is paradox. Writing is disjointed thoughts, joined. Writing is confidence. Writing is error corrected. Writing is a love letter to common humanity. Writing is compulsion. Writing is courage in a fearsome world. Writing is protracted moments of truth. Writing is corollary to action. Writing is a contribution to worlds imagined. Writing is words touched. Writing is the blank page filled. Writing is letting wither all that grew before. Writing is the seasons. Writing is … Writing is … Writing is the pen my father gifted me to mark my thoughts. Writing is what I’ve chosen to learn. Writing is what I’ve been taught. Writing is what I’ve been becoming.
Indispensable Artistic Influences	George Orwell. Robert Capa. Raymond Chandler. Kurt Vonnegut. These people, through different mediums, tell searing stories of truth that I return to time and again for an education and re-education on what is important.
My Favorite Books - And Why!	Orwell’s Animal Farm & Nineteen Eighty-four Chandler’s The Big Sleep & The Long Goodbye Vonnegut’s Slaughterhouse Five & Cat’s Cradle Hajj’s guttersnaps: short, short pulp stories for short short attention spans (volume one) (Ha!)
My Writing Style	In an ideal world, I want each piece I write to have a distinct style, a distinct voice. When someone says “this piece doesn’t sound like anything you’ve written before,” I feel a small sense of triumph. And in the writing world, we know how important these small triumphs can be!
My Writing Process	Most of my writing ideas start in a notebook, in pencil, in a barely-decipherable scrawl.
Getting Published!	Montag Press released in April on 2021
Professional & Literary Affiliations	Most of my professional affiliations date from my economics consultancy days.
Publication History	My collection of short stories: guttersnaps: short, short pulp stories for short short attention spans (volume one) from Montag Press I had several short stories published in the following literary magazines. “Panic” published by Peregrine Magazine “Cruelty” published by Cadillac Cicatrix
Works In-Progress	Presently, I am working on a novel called “Vics & Perps”. It tells the story of an ill-fated road trip take by a young couple trying to get away from the deep disappointments of the mythical California dream.
Projects Available on Storiad	I have two projects available on Storiad: 1. “Free From Hunger” tells the story of a San Francisco detective resigned to a listless fate. He is presented with an alternate fate the moment a woman searching for her missing daughter enters his office, asking for his help. 2. “The Death of Her” tells the story of a young woman unclear about the purpose of her life. What has made her who she is? What would it take to change a life’s direction? Both these projects are available for viewing. Please see my “Projects” tab on my Profile page.
Thought You'd Also Like to Know ...	In an ideal world, I would be writing as much as my creativity would allow. In the real world, however, we must make practical trade-offs to balance needs. In a strange way, Storiad is part of that trade-off. I sincerely hope Storiad grows to become a truly useful tool for everyone passionate about the business of writing, be it from an artistic or commercial perspective. Or ideally, both! I am always available to hear your thoughts. Please never hesitate to contact me directly. Thank you for your time!

Ramzi

@ramzihajj

active 7 months, 2 weeks ago