I hope my writing reaches the traumatized, entire world — Gotname Bitrus

Gotname Bitrus, from Kebbi State read Mass Communication and English Language. She published her first book, a collection of poetry titled, ‘Angel, If mine’ in 2013, and in 2018 she published a novel, ‘The Victor a victim’. Mrs Bitrus in this interview with the Daily Trust YOUTHVILLE said she has found it rewarding deviating from the traditional publishing to e-publishing, from poetry to a mastery of prose.

What is the plot in your book “The Victor a victim”?

The Victor a Victim is a story about upheavals in the midst of an insatiable romance. From the first chapter to the last, the characters walk through life in search of true happiness and love. Rose is the protagonist of the story and David the ironic antagonist of affection. Other characters also buttress themes such as the patriarch tradition of Northern Nigeria, terrorism, corruption, extremist religion and poverty, at the end proving against all odds, that victims have the capacity of becoming victorious.

Why did you move from poetry to prose?

I am a poet who also is a story teller. Poetry is a condensed way of using words to tell stories and share experiences. I find prose more detailed and comprehensive to tell it. To me I am not moving per say but exploring both. I have another collection of poems being edited. With time I hope to also go into lyrical poetry, inculcating music with words.

What do you hope your work will achieve?

I hope my writing reaches the world, especially the traumatized. In general humans deal with one trauma or the other and I would like them to know I understand and I believe that they are not just victims but could be victorious. They need to look inside of them for the courage to thrive using their various talents.

How do you manage being a mum and still write?

There is no challenge so powerful that can stop me. For me as a writer I draw inspiration in what people see as challenging and not appealing. I wake up faith-inspired to face each day as it comes. But, it is never easy juggling between school, writing, baby and husband.

There are days I would sleep off instead of read, because I was so tired from taking care of my new born baby and attending classes. Thank God for understanding lecturers, they stood by me. I remember writing an exam just an hour after giving birth.

What are you doing to explore the digital era?

‘The Victor a Victim’ is published as an e-book and sold on online stores like okada.com. We are working towards a hard copy. The marketing strategies we are using is using different online outlets, putting adverts on social media such as Instagram, Facebook, etc. I also intend to enter it for several competitions so as to gain popularity, that way the objective of writing will be achieved.