Tomorrow People - Don't Go Left, Go Write

There's no such thing as writer's block. That was invented by people in California who couldn't write.
Terry Pratchett

Writers are perceived to be weird lot. To many of us, they don’t brush their hair; they bite their nails and argue with themselves in public.

Suzanne Ushie’s fiction and non-fiction have appeared in African Writer, Sentinel Nigeria, Saraba, Next, Swale Life and Open Wide Magazine. She’s also a Professional Copywriter who loves reading, frenetic tweeting and dissecting movies.

Today, we’ve caught up with her and pelted her with questions.

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F: You know, you don’t look like a writer.

S: How do writers look? I ask this because I’m not aware that we ought to look a certain way. I doubt if there’s anything like an artistic pout otherwise I’d have tried it for a laugh. The blinking cursor on a blank Microsoft Word page is no respecter of this mythical look you speak of.

F: Everybody writes. Everybody blogs. So does that mean we can all write?

S: No. To be a writer you need three things:  talent, interest and hard work. Hard work is fuelled by interest, a near intense desire to hone that innate ability into a craft. One of my favourite quotes is by Toni Morrison: “If there's a book that you want to read, but it hasn't been written yet, then you must write it.” In truth not everyone can do this. We can’t all be writers.

F: What does writing mean to you? 

S: If this is the question where I’m expected to give a poetic reply then I’m going to disappoint you. I started scribbling words that evolved into stories when I was seven or so – clichéd, I know. I fear that I’ll either belittle or embellish writing if I try to describe what it means, so I won’t

F: What keeps your inspiration tank filled up?

S: I try to study people without being judgmental – their beliefs, their mannerisms, their hobbies – and then I imagine what motivates them to do the things they do. The best advice I ever received is ‘listen more and talk less’. It has helped my writing. A great deal of my inspiration comes from reading. I’ve learned that the best writers are those who read widely. I read books. I read interviews of writers I admire. I write the kind of stories I enjoy reading.

F: Who would you say is your fave icon, dead or alive?

S: I won’t call them my icons because it’s rather limiting. Instead I’ll call them writers whom I find delightful to read. Some of them are Jhumpa Lahiri, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Khaled Hosseini, Chinua Achebe – his non-fiction is just as profound as his fiction - V.S. Naipaul, Chika Unigwe, Jodi Picoult and Maya Angelou.

F: What’s the toughest project you've ever worked on?

S: Barbachop, a very short film I wrote for a group project in British Council’s Creative Lives. I hadn’t written a screenplay before then. It’s a silent film so thankfully nobody was forced to read what may have been prosaic dialogue. My team mates were great. Not only did they have to conjure the ability to act, they also had to read my long emails and worry about reading my long emails when they weren’t. The crew was tolerant of our naivety. Our director – Tolu Ajayi – was brilliant. The shoot was tiresome but fun. Those frequent takes. That hard chair in hair and makeup.  The fiery camera light. It gave me a new respect for actors. Raise your glass.

F: Where do you see writing in Nigeria in the next 5 years? 

S: This question would be easier to answer if I had a crystal ball. Nigeria is filled with new talent. Some of our writers have achieved local and international recognition. I hope that someday our publishing industry will be structured so that in addition to Farafina and Cassava Republic, new publishers will emerge. It would be exciting if genre fiction were to be published as often as literary fiction.  I won’t be surprised if someone creates a writing reality show. I reckon that in the future there’ll be literary agents, editors, grants and an authentic bestseller list in Nigeria. It is simplistic to expect all this to happen in the next five years; but eventually we will get there.

F: Respect the blog. What’s your fave gadget?

S: My BlackBerry. That flashing red light has redefined mind control.

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ah.

Another week, another set of people just #winning!

This week’s winners are...(cue dramatic drumroll)

SHE and Funms-the rebirth!

...don’t the men ever win?

Congratulations, ladies – as agreed, you both win a customised t-shirt each! Simply send me an email at thefreaksho@gmail.com - with name and address - specifying your sizes, preferred colour and slogan and my good man ‘Bode will pimp it out for you and deliver it within a week. To everyone who didn’t win, you still can. What’s up this week?

Well, if you love a good (literary) laugh, Suzanne recommends the hilarious I Do Not Come to You By Chance by Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani. We’ve got one copy of the book to give away to a lucky commenter.

Rules are the same; leave your comments below and the best random comment will win. The winner will be notified within a week and as long as you live in Lagos, your prize will be delivered to you.

To actually read some of Suzanne’s work, check out here, here, here and of course, here.

Have fun guys. Read, comment, and most of all, share.

Evolve or Die.