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Writing in Nigeria is not a job, because it never pays – Prof. Zaynab Alkali

Weekend Magazine: Did you like writing stories when you were a kid?Prof. Zaynab Alkali: As a kid, I enjoyed listening to stories (folktales) told by…

Weekend Magazine: Did you like writing stories when you were a kid?
Prof. Zaynab Alkali: As a kid, I enjoyed listening to stories (folktales) told by my grandmother.
How much researches do you for your books?
I research a lot depending on the subject-matter.  The subject matter informs the nature of settings to be used in the story; historic, physical, socio-economic and political environments, also referred to as  Time and Place/Space. For example if the setting is to be a hospital scene, my research will be to observe how the entire hospital management functions, and how medical and other technical staff operates.
What type of atmosphere do you write in? Do you lock yourself in a room alone, write at coffee houses, or something in between?
For me, there’s no special atmosphere for writing. Whenever I feel the urge, (known in literature as ‘inspiration’) I write, using my small note book to capture scenes from the outside and passing ideas from my mind.
How do you get ideas for your books?
Ideas come from a lot of sources, experiences of friends, colleagues, neighbors, self and even strangers. However, my greatest source of gathering ideas is from listening to people talk about themselves, or about others, especially at public gatherings, weddings, naming ceremonies, funerals and the market place. A lot of ideas are also gathered at home among family members. The secret is to be a good listener, not talker.
How did you get interested in writing this particular genre (historical novels, mysteries, sci-fi, children’s books, etc)?
My major genre is the prose fiction, followed by short stories, and the central theme has always been about female empowerment. I am intrigued by mysteries, Sci-fi and detective books. As for children’s books, as I get older, I now realize the importance of writing for children.
What is the hardest part for you while  writing?
The time-factor. I often wish there are more hours in a day. When a writer is holding, rather tightly, to a demanding job, such as teaching, raising a family and fulfilling certain social obligations, writing can easily take a backbench.
What’s the best thing about being an author?
The hope that somewhere, somehow, someone may have benefitted from my ideas makes me feel I have made my little contribution to humanity. In addition to that, the national and international recognition is simply great.
After many years, does writing sometimes seem like just an ordinary job?
Writing in Nigeria is not a job at all, because a job pays. Writing at home does not. I certainly cannot remember the last time I heard from my publishers. Between the publishers and the book pirates a creative writer in Nigeria will have to have a better reason for writing. For me, writing is therapeutic. I find emotional and psychological healings in it. The act of writing has always been my life-line.
What is your impression of an average Northern female author as we do not really have many of them around in the country?
Unknown to many, there are some good female writers in Northern Nigeria, but they are not easily known because they write in Hausa language. For a wider audience, I have advocated for translations, for years, at various forums, at home and abroad.
Are your books sometimes out of experience?
A little bit of me is in every book I have written. Consciously, or unconsciously, an artist gives away a piece of the ‘self’. It is widely believed that a good piece of creative work is an extension of the artist.
 Of all the books you’ve written, which is your favorite and why?
It is like asking of all the children God has blessed me with, which one of them is my favorite? All are loved for different reasons, but you know how excited you get over your first born.  The same goes for my books.
If you could recommend only one of your books, which one would it be?
Recommending any one of my books would depend on the target audience. For young adults, ‘The Stillborn’, for the teens, ‘The Virtuous Woman’,   for a variety of readers, ‘From The Housewife’, to the university undergraduate to   the footloose, ‘Cobwebs and Other Stories’, for those interested in family values, ‘The Descendants’  and for the symbolist, ‘The Initiates’.
What accomplishments in your life are you most proud of?
By the Grace of Almighty God, I want to believe that I have been able to touch the lives of people, not only through writing, but in other simple ways, and I intend to do that for as long as I live.
  If you were writing a book about your life, what would the title be?
Simple question, but difficult answer.  At the age of eight, I literally held a hoe in my hands. Two plots of land were carved out for me from my mother’s land, one for okra, the other for groundnuts. I helped my mother pay my school fees. Many people would find this hard to believe.  I am still holding a hoe, (in a sense). Hard work runs through my blood. It does not kill, but laziness does.  If I were to write about myself I would have hundreds of titles, maybe a title for every page.
How do you deal with people who dismiss and/or belittle you simply because you’re a woman writing strong women in a genre that often considers strong women ‘unrealistic’?
I believe in the English saying that ‘No one ever kicks a dead dog’. I must be doing something worth talking about. Criticism, negative, or positive serves as a platform for my intellectual growth. In time, the ‘Mazauni gonin rawa’ will come to realize that strength and weakness have nothing to do with gender, they are personality traits. Society simply assigned weakness for women, perhaps based on physic.
Do you have any favorite authors or favorite books?
I like lots of authors and read a lot of books. My favorite genre recently is biographies and autobiographies. People learn more from real life stories than from fictional ones.
What’s a typical working day like for you? When and where do you write? Do you set a daily writing goal?
I teach, interact with students on daily basis, and supervise their theses. I create time for family members. I do not set a daily writing goal. It does not work for me that way. I realized also that I needed to be sober to write convincingly. I cannot write when I am excessively happy. Some days are simply blank. Often I would write when travelling, or at night when sleep escapes.
What has kept you soldiering on in the face of a genre that still caters mostly to men?
The belief that given the opportunity, support and love from family, and especially a spouse, a woman can excel in her chosen field.
I was wondering if you could give some advice for writers who are just starting out as most writers tend to  always seem to give the same answer: Read, read, read. I was hoping if you could add more to this answer.
I do not even believe that reading is at the core of good creative writing. It helps, but reading cannot turn one into a creative writer, other writings, perhaps yes.  I teach Creative Writing in the university, but I have always objected to the word “teach”. I believe one cannot teach another “talent”. One can only guide an already talented writer the rules of writing. I did not take Creative Writing course, but going to school sharpened the skills in me. An artist is often aware at an early age that there’s a gift inside. Such a gift should be developed through constant writing, write, write, write.
What are you working on now?
I am onto another prose fiction about destiny. After that I hope to settle for biographies and ghost-writing.
If you could say anything to your readers, what would it be?
I would say that life demands that we do not give up, no matter how hard it looks. I have lived by the simple code contained in almost all religions, Believe in God and do good works.   (Remember God does not leave anybody behind.)

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