Featured Writer: Nadia Ragbar
On creating space to write and writing advice.
Welcome to Women Writing! Nadia says one of the best pieces of advice she received was “‘thinking time is writing time.” What was the best piece of advice you received? Let us know in the comments.
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About the author…
Nadia Ragbar lives in Toronto with her partner and son. Her short fiction has appeared in Broken Pencil and This Magazine, among other outlets. Her flash fiction appeared in The Unpublished City, an anthology curated by Dionne Brand, which was shortlisted for the 2018 Toronto Book Award. The Pugilist and the Sailor is her first novel.
On a writing routine …
I typically do not have a set routine, but I’m hardwired to work to a deadline. Ideally, my preference is to wake up at 5am (which was unfathomable to me when I was younger) and work until it's time for the morning school run. My preference is to write in the morning, but when that deadline’s looming, I use all the spare nooks and crannies of my days—20 minutes here and there, and also late into the night. I can sustain writing like this for about two months or so, when everything else is put on hold. Once that deadline has passed, I have to take a break. And in that break I try to figure out how to write in a less manic way. I’m going to start by keeping up with the stolen 20 minutes here and there through the day.
On writing spaces …
I used to think that I needed an airy, light-filled room with a large wooden table that I could spread out on, walls lined with my bookshelves. But the reality was when I was finishing my first novel I worked in a cramped room in our basement that doubled as storage. I’d have to push aside my sewing machine and piles of stuff in order to squeeze in my laptop, a notebook, and a mug. And it was perfect. Turns out that what I actually need is a dark cocoon in a forgotten space with spotty wifi, so that I can burrow into my mind’s eye. I don’t listen to music until I’m deeper into the writing and can drop into it easily, and then I’ll generally play one song (on an endless loop) that fits the vibe of the scene I’m working on. Since I’ve finished writing The Pugilist and the Sailor, our basement storage room has been turned into a bedroom and I’ve lost my desk in there, so at the moment I use the kitchen table. I ended up crocheting myself a writing cardigan, that I wear when I’m working in the kitchen to put myself back into some kind of cocoon, and to signal to my family that I “can’t” hear them when I’m wearing it. Wearing it has been surprisingly effective.
My advice for women and marginalized writers is to put the work in on your self-love. Then you can tackle that albatross of being afraid to be visible in the world and take up space.
On writing communities …
Being in a writing group is crucial for me. I’m in three different ones, and we take long breaks and re-convene at different times. Being able to connect with people who are in the same boat is necessary in order to have perspective on what it means to sit in a dim basement making up imaginary worlds. If you don't have a writing group, I think a great place to start is by taking any writing course to start surrounding yourself, and connecting with other writers.
On challenges …
My first novel was about twelve years in the making, and the biggest challenge was internal, in feeling that I had something worthwhile to say and to share, and also in finding the validation to call myself a “writer” before I had much of anything published. So the challenge to make space for writing was in justifying spending time on something for myself that might not see the light of day, rather than doing something more "productive" (i.e. something that would earn money).
To be honest, taking writing classes, and doing an MA in writing, alongside being in those writing groups lent me that external validation until I had the confidence to call myself a writer.
Now my biggest challenge is time management—writing, and generally making things, is a non-negotiable in my life, and so as long as I have some kind of creative project on the go, even if I don’t have a set daily schedule, I feel like myself.
On the best writing advice …
I was told once by a mentor that ‘thinking time is writing time.’ This lifted a huge weight off my shoulders, because as mentioned I’ve never been able to maintain a scheduled writing routine. I’m not writing every day, but I’m always carrying the emotional world of my characters around with me.
On the worst writing advice …
I had submitted an unripe draft to a publisher who very (very) kindly took the time to write a personalized rejection, and had suggested that I write more like another author. Needless to say, I didn’t like that advice. I was pretty green and that felt a bit jaded to me, but I realized that what I had submitted wasn’t standing on its own merit yet and I had more work to put in.
On advice from personal experiences …
Based on what has held me back, my advice for women and marginalized writers is to put the work in on your self-love. Then you can tackle that albatross of being afraid to be visible in the world and take up space. No sweat, right? Every choice we make is a litmus test on the scale of self-love—right down to how we decide to make space for writing in our lives.
On rekindling creativity …
I’m inspired by other people’s art or by reading their work. It will stir an emotion in me and that sparks my writing. I love to sew, knit, and crochet but these outlets feel meditative and like a project-based, closed-circuit. However, engaging with other people’s work and art opens that channel of bubbling inspiration that feels like a call to action.
On a recent publication …
My debut novel The Pugilist and the Sailor is out Sept. 16, 2025 with Invisible Publishing. It follows conjoined twins Bruce and Dougie, who are middle-aged amateur boxers, at odds about their future, when they have conflicting desires about their lives. It is a story with an ensemble cast that moves back and forth in time. I’m currently in the early days of thinking-drafting-thinking about an experimental novel that deals with the repeating ancestral patterns unconsciously playing out in a Guyanese family in the diaspora. All I know for sure, right now is that I want it feel at turns very playful and achingly mournful.
Nadia Ragbar’s online spaces …
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Happy writing!
