‘Nothing encourages a writer to work like money’

You were once an editor of a newspaper, poet and freelance writer how do you find time to come around authoring a book?Writing is very important to me. It’s not just a job and it’s not a hobby either, so I am always able to make time for it. That being said, Relieved is a […]

You were once an editor of a newspaper, poet and freelance writer how do you find time to come around authoring a book?
Writing is very important to me. It’s not just a job and it’s not a hobby either, so I am always able to make time for it. That being said, Relieved is a collection of poetry and short stories that span about a decade. I wrote the first drafts of a few of the poems in 2003.The last story in the collection, “Time Is Running Out” was written in 2013.
 When did you first decide to become a writer? Were you a child who scribbled your own short stories, or was it something that came to you later in life?
 I started reading and writing early. There’s a bit of a family urban legend that no one taught me how to read or write. Enid Blyton’s work made a huge impact on me and I loved her stories so much that I began making up sequels in notebooks and sometimes changing endings. By the time I was seven or eight, I had already written down a couple of original stories. One of them was actually a crime-thriller and my younger brother and older sister still tease me about it! In hind-sight, it was pretty lame. I’m not surprised that I love soap operas!
 Was there someone in your life who helped you recognize your talent?
My mother recognized my talent. She was the first person who encouraged me to write my own stories after reading my notebooks filled with what we would call fan-fiction today. I remember she also told me that I wrote like an English girl and I had to write in a more indigenous voice. Along the way, my dream of making writing a career became overshadowed but during my university years, while on a break, Abdulkareem Baba-Aminu encouraged me to start writing for Leadership newspaper. My late sister, Juanita, was friends with the publisher and his wife, and he agreed to hire me.
 As an author, what is your writing process? How long does it take you to start and finish?
I always like to say that nothing encourages a writer to work like money! This may not necessarily be true for other writers, but it is for me. When I’m writing for a client, money is a great motivation for me and I’m able to put aside time to write. No one wants to work for free (although this also happens). My personal fiction is another matter. I write in bits and pieces. A line comes to me, I jot it down – on my phone, as an email to myself or in a notebook. When I feel I’m ready, I take all the different portions and meld and suture and just generally put them together. And then when it’s done, I go over and re-write.
 Your book ‘Relieved’ is divided into two parts – poetry and short stories. Did you have this template in mind from the beginning or did it develop as you decided upon stories?
Yes, I did. Once I decided I was going to put together a collection, I knew it would be both poetry and short stories. At first I wasn’t confident enough about my poetry and I was hoping the short stories would act as a cushion. Mercifully, in 2012, my relationship with my poetry changed under the tutelage of Sally Keith [author of two previous collections of poetry: Design, winner of the 2000 Colorado Prize for Poetry, and Dwelling Song, winner of the University of Georgia’s Contemporary Poetry Series competition. Keith teaches at George Mason University and lives in Washington, DC] and I wrote a few more poems and included them.
 Choosing a title for a novel can be both exhilarating and exasperating. How did you decide upon it? Can you share with us some titles that didn’t make it?
Oh my Lord! I don’t remember the first title, but I know at some point it was ‘Ronke’s Husband’ and then for a long time, it was ‘The Back Seat and Other Stories’. It became ‘Relieved’ in 2012. I think it is safe to say that a lot of changes happened in my life that year that made me able to express myself better than I ever had before.
 What’s the difference between writing a short story and writing a novel?
I’m not entirely sure that I know how to answer this question. For one thing, I haven’t finished any novel yet (I am certainly not including the storybook adventures I wrote as a child). I have a couple of short stories that started out as novels. ‘Paper Cuts’ is one of them. Another is ‘Ronke’s Husband’.
How does your family background contribute to your line of thinking?
 Definitely. I come from a very interesting family.
 Now that you’ve made book appearances for ‘Relieved’, have you gathered any unusual or interesting responses to your novel?
Someone told my sister it was “dark” and I’m certain I weirded out a couple of people. One said to me that the stories were so emotional that he decided to just move on and not ask me about them. Those were his words: “move on”. I thought that was hilarious.
You have been published. Are you satisfied with the recognition you have received? 
Let’s just say that I’m grateful.  I’m thankful for the turn out at the release party and the support I’m getting online. Two stores have accepted the books and I would like to see it on more shelves around the city (and hopefully in other states). I’m also really grateful to those who bought books for their friends and family who don’t live in Nigeria.
 What is your goal as a writer?
My goal as a writer is to tell people’s stories. To be honest, one major criticism that I’ve received is that I’m not writing “Nigerian stories” and that I don’t seem to be sending a message. My take is, “I’m Nigerian. I was born and raised here. This is how I think. These are my experiences and experiences of people I know. Of course the stories are Nigerian!” I didn’t have a ‘visiting-the-village’ experience – that doesn’t make me any less Nigerian. So, I’m telling the stories of people, who are similar to me, I guess.
 What is your philosophy?
My lifelong philosophy is “Keep the Faith”. Belief in one’s self is the only key to any kind of success. “Thoughts become things” is also a law that I believe and practice. I am also a firm believer in the sanctity of human (and animal) dignity.
 What are some of the challenges to you as an author?
Writing in general has challenges. People’s perception of one can be inaccurate. I can’t count how many people have asked me when I’m getting a job when I tell them I’m a freelance writer. Personally, I’ve been able to conquer the one demon that was in the way – which was fear – Being able to rise above that means that I don’t even give attention to anything that might imply that I cannot write for a living.
What advice would you offer to someone hoping to take up a similar interest?
My theory is “if you believe you can make a living as a writer, just do it.” Keeping a positive attitude while pursuing one’s career will pretty much ensure that one gets paid! I know a lot of people say they do stuff just for passion and not money. My advice to anyone who wants to write is to be passionate, and to work for money. Bills need to be paid. On the flip side, make sure to generate a lot of goodwill. It comes in handy.
What project(s) are you working on right now?
At the moment, I’m working on getting ‘Relieved’ sold!