Efosa Taiwo, a Higher National Diploma (HND) I student of Mass Communication, Moshood Abiola Polytechnic, Abeokuta, Ogun State, in December 2020, joined the club of authors when he published his book, “Writing Unboxed.’’ In this interview, he spoke on what inspired him to start writing and why upcoming writers need to read his book.
How would you describe your journey into writing?
I grew up in Lagos, where my dad spurred the art of reading in me via his habitual purchase of newspapers. We had a stockpile of newspapers at home so that I could not go a day without flipping through. I eventually developed a penchant for sports and also started reading and saving money to buy sports newspapers avidly.
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I remember that in those days it would be hell in the house if my dad didn’t bring a newspaper home. Other kids would crave for ice cream, scotch eggs, meat-pies, but I would crave for sports papers. That spurred the act of reading in me, which later snowballed into books. Over the years, it is a habit I have consistently kept. I would read over 24 books every year.
Like many writers, reading propelled me into writing. Through reading the works of other writers, right from when I was a kid, I started getting muses to write. I found myself writing pieces that got the elderly ones awed. Those encouragements, credits and praises I got from them impressed in me that I could do this thing – writing. Today, the rest is history.
At the age of 18 I started a career out of it when I got to the tertiary institution with campus journalism, working for Press Club MAPOLY as a campus reporter. I later became the deputy editor. I later got a reporter’s job outside campus with a newspaper outfit: Platform Times newspaper. I also worked in the newsroom of the Lagos Traffic Radio, where I brought my writing skill, coupled with journalism knowledge to bear.
That same year, I also got the opportunity to intern with the News Digest newspaper, based in Abuja, having been a finalist at Campus Journalism Awards held in Abuja in 2018. Then Pendulum Writers came knocking. There I delved into ghostwriting books and editing for clients. Then I took to freelancing, where I wrote and edited books for clients. Then, Minority Africa from Kampala, Uganda, engaged my services to lead its investigation department, unearthing stories about minorities across the African continent; and there I am.
What led you into publishing the book, “Writing Unboxed”?
Simply put, urgency! It was urgency in the sense that I could not sit back any longer and watch budding writers struggle. I saw many writers wriggling in ignorance of what works, what they should do to transcend to that productive and efficient stage in writing. I saw myself in them. I saw what I went through when I was younger. I saw what I was desirous of in their eyes. So I told myself that having gotten to this stage in my writing career and experienced some of the highs and lows in writing, garnered knowledge and exposure, knowing I have the solutions to expedite and consolidate the growth of these writers (one thing I never had while starting out), I decided to change the narrative and be a guide to a lot of writers seeking guidance, mentorship and exposure in the writing world. I never had this as much as I sought it while growing up. I wrote out of passion but no one was there to tell me how to take this skill a notch higher. I had no book to direct me on which way to tread and which way not to. I was left to test the waters without understanding what it felt like.
I saw many writers in that light; hence I took it upon myself to be that difference, solution and guide in their pursuit of greatness and excellence in the writing world. That birthed “Writing Unboxed.’’
What do you think readers would learn from the book?
Absolutely, everything there is worth learning and knowing. Above all, everything there is worth putting into practice. If you intend to be a writer of influence, excellence; and that writer that smiles to the bank, then every word therein is worth your time.
How many months did it take you to complete the writing, and what are the challenges you faced?
I started writing the book in October 2019 and set a target of three months, but I completed it within two months. I went back to it months later and added more contents before it got to the hands of my editor, then publisher.
For challenges faced during the writing, it might sound strange to you, but I never faced any challenge. It was a book coming out of me, and being someone who was already into book writing for many clients, I knew the right strategies to apply to ensure that the writing process was without challenges’ basically, smooth-sailing.
Who are those you consider as mentors and why?
I have only one mentor, but several role models. That mentor is Ifedayo Ogunyemi, a journalist in the Nigerian Tribune newspapers. Why is he my mentor? My book answers that. What I learnt from him, saw him do and got impacted by is basically what I am giving out to writers in my book. He was a writer who devoted his resources to see that as a writer you got the right training and information to make you excel. If you are under Ifedayo as a writer, your growth is most certain. That commitment alone from him and how he went about it got me intrigued and informed my choice of him being my mentor for five years now.
In one of the chapters, you discussed why people are either not writing or not writing well; what are the reasons?
There are reasons many people are not writing. That also contributes to why they are not writing well. The reasons are low self-esteem; pride; non-reading habit; the time syndrome, that is, the popular I-don’t-have-time; lack of focus; lack of rest, and writer’s block. I wrote on how to overcome them in the book.
How has social media affected the writing skill of the younger generation?
The social media has affected writing so much. Stephen King said something that still reverberates in the writing world: “To be a better writer you must write and read a lot,”
The social media has given everyone on it, especially the younger generation that makes up a chunk of it, the ample privilege of writing and reading on a consistent basis. Gone are those days when people complained that they didn’t have time to read. Unconsciously, these days, these people now read due to the alluring contents and effects the social media has, and are even compelled to comment, post or tweet about an event or feeling they have. By doing this they become writers, and consistently. As they keep reading and writing on their social media pages, they begin to become better. In that scenario, there are chances to take such writing skill a notch higher and make a career out of it. The truth is that many of us are latent writers; we just need to start writing and reading, and soon, the interest would be piqued. And it gets better from there, with the right exposure, which my book has.
How many books have you written, and what has been the feedback so far?
On a personal note, “Writing Unboxed’’ is my maiden book. However, on a career note as a ghostwriter, I have written more than 10. The feedbacks have been very encouraging.
What is your message to young writers?
Don’t believe anyone saying you can’t make it in the writing world. Don’t believe anyone telling you that writing does not pay. Don’t believe anyone saying you are wasting your time as a writer. Writing pays, just like every profession out there, even more than some professions. The wins in writing are inexhaustible.
Please keep writing; and most importantly, learn from experienced ones on the field already. Their exposure and experience will make you avoid veiled pitfalls in the writing world. Don’t joke with knowledge, you need a whole lot of it as a budding writer, so keep reading, keep learning and don’t stop writing.
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