Hello everyone,
I hope you are all doing well and staying safe.
Welcome to our monthly feature for authors.
The author for the month of July is Feyisayo Anjorin, author of the ‘One Week in the Life of a Hypocrite’ and several other books. I have reviewed his latest novella on this blog (Check it out in “Book Reviews).
I recently read his latest novella and decided I wanted to know more about this author. I am grateful that he obliged to having this interview and I hope you enjoy reading his answers to the ten questions about his life as a published author.
So here we go…..
The Author:
Feyisayo Anjorin is a filmmaker and a writer. He is the author of Kasali’s Africa, The Night My Dead Girlfriend Called, The Stuff of Love Songs, and One Week In The Life of A Hypocrite. His writing has appeared in Brittle Paper, Litro, Bella Naija, African Writer, Bakwa, Agbowo, and Kalahari Review.
The Interview:
The author has given us answers to ten questions on his life as a writer/published author. So here we go….
What was an early experience where you learned that language had power?
Feyisayo: It was the experience of reading authors like Cyprian Ekwensi, Kola Onadipe, Mabel Segun and Chinua Achebe; I noticed that the stories were like visions in my head, hence I felt for the characters, I felt their tension, they made me cry, sometimes they say the things on my mind. I began to realize that the way stories are told has an impact on the audience.
What is the biggest surprise you experienced after becoming a writer?
Feyisayo: It is surprising that once I start writing something I thought I would never be able to write, the story flows. The surprise is, if you don’t start and you build stuff in your head, it will remain impossible.
Which do you prefer? Pen or computer? Music or silence?
Feyisayo: I started with the pen, obviously, but with time I began to use the computer. I prefer the computer when I’m in a place where I can sit down. But when I’m in a public place, a pen and paper comes handy. Also, to develop ideas I prefer using the pen, because I don’t type as fast as I write.
I prefer silence when I’m birthing the idea, but when for a character I know very well I prefer music. Because music helps me to shape the character, in fact, when I write a character I imagine his or her music tastes.
Your latest novella ‘One Week In The Life of a Hypocrite’ is Christian fiction, is that your preferred genre to write in and if no which other genre do you lean towards?
Feyisayo: I think my faith influences my writing, to a very large extent; I would say I lean more towards realist fiction.
What’s the most difficult thing about writing characters from the opposite sex?
Feyisayo: I don’t think I find it difficult. I’m one of the few men who is blessed with genuine friendship with the opposite sex from childhood till marriage; I say blessed because while growing up the popular thing was for boys to want to have sex with girls that are close to them, but I tend to enjoy the company and conversation; and I learned that there is so much more wealth for me in the opposite sex than what a lot of people can perceive. I know women a bit more than the average male.
How long on average does it take you to write a book?
Feyisayo: It depends on the story. Sometimes almost a year, like it was in the case of “Kasali’s Africa”, sometimes a few weeks, as it was with the case of “The Night my Dead Girlfriend Called”. The novellas take me an average of two to three months.
What is your most unusual writing quirk?
Feyisayo: I would say it is me becoming the characters and talking in character (In different voices) to get the perfect dialogue. If you live with me you might think this guy is losing it behind that closed door.
If you had the opportunity to live anywhere in the world for a year while writing a book that took place in that same setting, where would you choose?
Feyisayo: That would be Port of Spain in Trinidad and Tobago.
What is something memorable you have heard from your readers/fans?
Feyisayo: Kasali! A lot of people think I’m Kasali (The protagonist in Kasali’s Africa). People fight over Kasali, whether he is a good man or a bad man.
What are common traps for aspiring writers?
Feyisayo: They get stuck in aspiration. Don’t aspire if you are a writer. Write. Don’t wait for the validation of big names and popular people. Write.
I hoped you enjoyed reading the author’s responses to our questions as much as I did. Which of the responses spoke to you as a writer or reader. Mine would be his response to the last question “Don’t aspire if you are a writer. Write.”.
Would love to know your thoughts in the comments.
Thanks for stopping by.
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