It’s Saturday and I came across this fun tag on Victoria’s blog Be Careful of Books and I loved her responses. So, let’s get into it:
What do you write?
I write a variety of things from short stories to novels.
What do you mostly write about?
I write about life’s challenges and often make sure I mix up my characters. However, there’s always one who is playful that somehow makes light of a difficult situation.
What’s you favorite thing about writing?
The fact that I can create a world that’s either a mirror image of what I live in or sometimes that I can use words to make myself laugh, cry, get angry or swoon.
What/Who inspired you to start/keep writing?
Grief. My sister and I watched our Dad take his last breath and being a Daddy’s girl, I could not comprehend the drastic changes that came with his passing. I was nine years old and whenever I yearned to talk to him, I would write him a letter, tell him about school, our lives and I just kept writing.
I kept on writing because I realized that there were days I could act as though I had nothing to jot down but sometimes, I’d find myself waking up in the middle of the night, or noting things down- so I guess, I tried to shake it off, but the writing persisted.
Who’s your favorite character you’ve made up?
Ukweli. He’s a Seer, a Prince and the King’s brother in The Currents Series I published a while back. I love how conflicted he was but he stuck to his calling, I’m restless and do not commit easily, so creating a character that’s my polar opposite is an achievement that I still cherish to date.
When did you start writing?
When I was nine, but I started exploring creative fiction when I was twelve. My Mom bought us books to read and she always had epic folk tales to tell us.
First story you wrote?
Butterfly Gossips. It was this awesome novel I wrote about twins: Sasha and Tasha who fell in love with the same guy. I was in Form 2, for heaven’s sake and aside from the story, what I remember vividly was the poor art work! I leave sketching to those who wish to indulge.
Do you have a Writing Schedule? Like, do you write everyday or just when you feel like it?
I have a schedule and I also write when I feel like it.
The schedule is very important for long works of fiction, like if say, I am writing a book or an article. Sometimes, for blog posts, I write when I feel inspired to share something.
Do you want to be published?
I have self-published. For years, before I explored self-publishing, I reached out to many traditional publishers here in Kenya and the feedback was either negative or non-existent, but I’ve taken the path of self-publishing and I like it. So, I’ll stick to it for a while.
All done, and I’ll leave this to any writer who’d like to give it a go.
Have a lovely weekend.
nilichoandika 