My writing story (how it began/journey so far)

I would begin this post with an important saying which I now dearly hold on to.

“Never let anyone decide who you are or what you are capable of.”

You are only who God says you are. It’s His words that matter.

This is a story of how I discovered the beauty of writing. It has been a bumpy ride and I am honestly not at my destination, but I remain grateful and hopeful. I also strongly believe in the abilities my Heavenly Father has generously bestowed upon me.

In my younger secondary school year (Junior 2 to be precise) , the most amazing blessing came my way in form of a competition. Now, before this time, I had never really given writing any thought. Considering how my story has played out till date, I am convinced that God is an intentional Father.

Let’s take it back to the year 2004, it was the peak mom of the year competition. The students at my school alongside other school students nationwide, had been prompted to partake in the competition. I didn’t make much of it at the time, but I took the forms and essay paper home. 

My Dad being a grammarian and writer( poet) was excited to see what I would come up with. I was to write on “why my mother deserved to become the peak mom of that year. “

This came easy to me, after all my mum is super amazing. She is the best of the very best! A woman of virtue who sacrificed so much for her kids and family as a whole. Wonderful descriptions came to mind, as I poured down my heart in my little way.
Of course, as soon as I was done, Dad took a look at the essay and fine-tuned it on my behalf before I made the submission. 

I would never forget the day I was called into the vice principal’s office for my congratulatory letter and special announcement. That day and the weeks that followed remain beautiful memories in my world. I was elated! Ecstatic just didn’t cut it.

I had won the regional competition for Lagos and Ogun state and was to compete alongside other regional winners for the nationwide finals. This time however, it was a competition of fun and games. Of course the competition came with a truck load of amazing prizes, luxury hotel nights and meals, cash prizes, surplus supply of peak milk, an X box, a gas cooker and many more. I eventually bagged the 3rd overall prize nationwide.

 Being an honest bee that I was and still am, I spoke to a few of my friends and classmates on how my dad was instrumental to my win, and they didn’t let me hear the last of it! They behaved as though I sat back, and he did all the work. Regardless, I went on to bag a few other writing commendation certificates while still in secondary school. 

Fast forward to my adult life, writing was no where in the picture. I had only just graduated as a medical doctor and had completed my internship year. I was a corper with no real or challenging job. Then a dear family member (who knows himself) offered me a medical writing gig and it was a world of fun. That was the turning point, it was the moment I realized that writing was in born! 

After the medical writing gig, I wrote my first literary piece, it was a stage play. Having no prior experience on that genre of literature, I spent a wealth of time on research. I finally got the hang of it and submitted it for a competition. Of course I got a dumb founding disappointment letter! The first of many to come. 

Shortly after my stage play, I tried my hands on prose and birthed my Diamond in the rough (Derin’s plight), which by the way is now on the website. I am grateful to all that took time out to read my book and gave reviews, I honestly can’t thank you enough. For the great reviews and critics, I am sincerely full of thanks. 

One important part of this write up is what my Dad said to me after I self published my book. He said and I quote ……. “You have always been a writer, it only took a while to discover it. I never won those competitions with your name on them, you did. You had the ideas, they were all yours. I only fine tuned them and guided you.” Hearing those words changed my writing perspective and gave me some much needed validation. By the way, my Dad holds the title for the very first reader of my book and editor in chief!

If I am being honest, my writing goals were centered on competitions shortly after med school. I was so fixed on winning at least one renowned competition that I lost the actual essence and fun in writing. Rejection after rejection, disappointment time and again, my writing spirit continued to diminish and writing took the back seat for a little while.

As much as I loved to write, reading was not a strong feature of mine. I quickly came to realize that it was a feature required to improve my writing skills. Reading works by seasoned writers has been proven to unconsciously sharpen an author’s writing skills. By reading a variety of quality literary pieces, you are expected to build your descriptive prowess and discover more words and styles of writing.

I had my moments, those moments where I almost gave up on writing, but a few amazing humans taught me to stay resilient. My close family member who provided my very  first writing gig imbibed in me, the mentality of thinking big and never settling for less. 

Where am I with writing now?

I am at a very good place, with no pressure to satisfy anybody but myself. I am gradually growing in the art, with short stories on my blog and having fun while at it. On a final note, writng is in my DNA! and nobody can convince me otherwise.