I got the idea for my new book on hospital bed – Ayo Oyeku

Ayo Oyeku was 13 when he started to write, and by the time he was 16, he had finished writing two crime novels. Support and encouragement came from family and friends, as well as a start-up publisher taking interest in his work. Today, he has six children’s books under his belt, including the well-received ‘Mafoya […]

Ayo Oyeku was 13 when he started to write, and by the time he was 16, he had finished writing two crime novels. Support and encouragement came from family and friends, as well as a start-up publisher taking interest in his work. Today, he has six children’s books under his belt, including the well-received ‘Mafoya and the Finish Line’, and an upcoming title. He spoke to Daily Trust on Sunday, and herewith, are excerpts:

 

At what point in your life did you know, for sure, that you were going to be a writer?

The reality dawned on me on a certain night. Instead of returning home from campus after the evening lectures, I stopped by at a friend’s apartment for a hot plate of amala. It’s fair to say I always relish the doughy meal made from yam flour because it’s a trademark meal from the city of my birth – Ibadan. I ate the meal and dozed off. I woke up very late, and ran home. As soon as I approached the entrance of my room, my friend hurried towards me with a glimmer of excitement in his eyes. I thought he was eager to know where my legs had taken me, rather he was gushing the words: ‘your book has been published’.

I looked at his hands and saw some copies of my first children’s book. I snatched them, and jumped up and down in excitement. My friend explained to me that the book was delivered to my parents around 6:00pm of the same day, but one of my neighbours insisted on traveling down from Oyo, to Ogun State to hand-deliver my copies on the same day.

The reality dawned on me that night that I had a gift that could bring abundance of happiness to homes and minds. I was nineteen at the time, and being a writer had become an honourable badge I began to wear on my chest every day.

 

You’re mainly a children’s writer. Why did you prefer to go that way?

I think it puts me in a box to be categorized as a children’s writer. I am a writer who writes more of children’s books. I also have poems in journals and anthologies, and I’m a Pushcart Prize nominee. I also have an award-winning novel too.

I started writing at thirteen and finished two crime novels before I turned sixteen. My brother liked it and he rang it in the ears of anyone who cared to listen. A family friend heard about it, and took interest in me. The man had years of experience in top publishing firms in the country, and was set to start his own. He told me he wanted to start with children’s books, and I was to be his first author. Like the familiar saying ‘If you know where you are going, your journey is short. If you know someone who can take you there, your journey becomes shorter. If that person is willing to take you there, your journey becomes shortest’. The man gave me lots of children’s books, and I pored through them, then submitted four manuscripts subsequently. I signed my first publishing deal shortly. I was seventeen, at the time.

That was how I became a writer of children’s books. But that was not enough. In 2011, I published my first novel, and a friend of mine insisted that I had now reached a point in my career that I didn’t have to write children’s books again. He completely misunderstood this genre of fiction where innocent minds are kept in the delicate hands of patient, talented and caring writers. I was one of such, and I realized I hadn’t done enough. I swung back in, pitched my works to more publishers and entered writing competitions. I now have six children’s books, and I’ve been shortlisted twice for the Golden Baobab Prize.

 

It is believed that writing for children – or a young audience – is very difficult. How do you get into the groove of that, when working?

I guess I’m a man with the mind of a child, who has a knack for telling stories. Writing for children is obviously difficult; after all, good writing is difficult. But when it comes to writing for children, the story ideas keep coming to me: A smile on a child’s face; an element of nature that can be robed in magic; a launch into anthropomorphism; and a desire to create happiness out of everything I come across. All these and much more have brought ease to my journey in weaving stories for children.

I am always in the groove. I write daily. And I jot down new ideas and creative steps on a weekly basis. I also have a number of unpublished manuscripts, yet I am writing more. It’s obvious I was born this way.

Your books are very popular. Did you expect them to be well-received when you were writing them?

My duty has always been to write good and enthralling stories, but I don’t have a formula for making them popular. But with the help of every kind mouth, good heart and enduring hands, my works have made it into places my feet could not set in.

Popular acceptance of my books has certainly been encouraging, but I find more joy in knowing that I have not wasted the efforts of everyone that has worked with me towards the success of every book I’ve published.

Your current book, ‘Mafoya and the Finish Line’, is a hit. Are you working on a follow-up, and can you share any details with us?

It’s the story that broke all limitations for me as a writer. The story came to me while I was lying sick in the hospital bed. In those moments while I battled for my life, I kept seeing the image of a girl tossed up in the air by a whirlwind. A few days later in the hospital, I was able to jot down the ideas in my notebook. I started writing the story. I wrote more. And when I returned home hale and hearty, I wrote everything. So I seem to have a connection with that story, because it gave me life when I thought I was losing it.

Now I have a much more fantastic story to share. It’s a story about some homeless children, Almajiris to be precise, whose lives were set to change forever when they received a special gift. This promises to be a magical and adventurous book, the kind of book that keeps you glued to your seat. You won’t put it down until you’ve read everything.

 

What’s the relationship like between you and your editor, and how does that affect the finished book?

In my past fourteen years as a published writer, I have worked with five publishing houses. And the editors I’ve worked with have been quite creative and fair on my writings.

But being signed by Ouida Books brought a whole new level of creative experience to me. The team works like a family. The creative interns ran through my manuscript first, before my editor rejigged the manuscript. The illustrator brought an artistic finesse which beautified the narrative. Then my publisher took everything through her creative fire – which is made up of her talent, experience, foresight, etc – and gave me a masterpiece.

Basically, it’s not just about my relationship with my editor alone, but with the family. The final piece is a product of gifted hands and I am thankful to each one of them. I guess that’s why ‘Mafoya and the Finish Line’ towers above every other children’s book I’ve written. My next children’s book, which I mentioned earlier, is one which every fan should look out for.

 

Do you feel ‘grown-ups’ are capable of authentic voices for children’s literature, or would young writers better serve their peers?

All literary forms are artificial. It is only writers who cosset their muse, that are capable of reaching their creative vertex. Stories come to us in different forms and at different times. I started writing early, and my first two books were published when I was a teenager. I was a young voice writing for the younger ones, which seems fair and inspiring. But a good comparison of my literary perspectives, writing skills and artistic voice between then and now – I would admit I’m a better writer now.

But it’s not the same for every writer. Some young writers are emerging with stronger voices. They are smart, talented and witty. These few ones have made early marks for greatness, and their contributions to the world of children literature would not be overlooked.

The readers are the judges of good children’s literature, and when they read a good book, they won’t lean on the age of the author.

 

Do you have any plans to write for older readers, or are you comfortable in your current forte?

Chinua Achebe, Chuma Nwokolo, Lola Shoneyin, Nnedi Okorafor, and several other African writers have conveniently contributed to the African archives of literature across different genre. I am also one of them, and it would be fair to say writing is my forte, not just a form of writing. I am excited about my creative abilities, my imagination flows through a rollercoaster, and at the end of each thrilling trip, I have new writing to offer the world, either in the form of prose, or poetry. I have no problem switching my styles.

 

Do you have any tips, or advice, for aspiring writers?

Usually, when I am talking to other writers during workshops, in my workplace and during personal encounters, I have always had to encourage them to read often and write more often: Start the plot. Create a twist. Find your way out.