I have always believed that if you are not reading, you are not really prepared to be a writer. As a teenager, I read a lot of books and considered reading one of my favourite things to do. I still do. I read then as if my life depended on it, and like I always say, my dad, the irreverent Mr Alfred Amodu, gave me an edge over other children my age. By nine years old, I was in his library all the time, and when I got older, libraries and bookshops became a fun pastime. Today, I could be lost in a bookshop for two hours and still be hungry for more.
Writing became my thing from when I was seven years old. My reading self polished my writing self. Over the years, I have read countless books, and my writing got better while my vocabulary expanded.
To be a good writer, you really must be a voracious, if not good, reader.
When I first got my hand on Francine Prose’s book Reading Like a Writer, I knew I had found a gem of a book. Here is truly a book to guide any writer on the sort of books they should be reading to polish their craft. I had already written two books when I found it, but it spoke to me. Books were lined up that I had already read and others I aspired to read, while there were others I had never heard of. Francine’s book is like mining for gold – every single page is a treasure trove. There is Anton Chekhov’s book, Anna Karenina, Shakespeare’s King Lear, and other such delicious books. Every writer and aspiring writer must, as a matter of course, get their hands on this absolutely gorgeous and educative book.
I still get lost in a bookshop, and I am still collecting books, and I am so grateful to be able to write like I do. A column in Businessday every Friday and another now rested in Sunday Trust titled Five Favourite Books with Eugenia Abu. I am still writing keynotes and preparing to deliver two new books.
Writing is beautiful if you have the flow, but that glow can be stultified if you are not reading. So let’s talk about my reading style, which has enhanced my writing. Let’s get into it.
I started writing for the papers in the early eighties, contributing feature articles to the Guardian Newspapers, then one of Nigeria’s top-notch newspapers. But before I started doing that, I used to soak up columns and feature articles in various newspapers. I followed many columnists, especially in the weekend newspapers. You could find me after lunch on a lazy Sunday afternoon with four Nigerian newspapers. I am devouring them. I was galvanised by the columnists of the eighties, from Dele Giwa to Dan Agbese, Ama Ogan to Sully Abu, and Sonata Olumhese to Ndaeyo Uko, and we also had Stanley Macebuh and Edwin Madunagu. Of course, there was Professor Oyewole Tomori, who wrote incredible stuff in the papers. A virologist and a humour merchant. Then there were Professor Wole Soyinka, Eddie Iroh, May Ellen Ezekiel, and so many others. I read them all and in between decided what kind of columnist I was going to be in the future. I was inspired, encouraged, and galvanised.
The books I read over time were eclectic. I read a lot of biographies and non-fiction books, and I also read fiction.
Before I finally wrote my first book, “In the Blink of an Eye”, in 2007, I had gone through a gazillion books. But I was also hanging around writers and writing clubs. Association of Nigerian Authors, Abuja Writers Forum and Abuja Literary Society. I was also attending book events and launches by other writers. While writing a book, you must hang around your tribe for inspiration. I still do. Support another writer; show up. Read what they wrote and how they wrote it.
I am currently working on my third and fourth books, and I have returned to Francine Prose’s phenomenal book Reading Like a Writer. I am currently reading two books as they speak to me. Each one reminds me of the books I am writing. Both are non-fiction, as my books are going to be. The stories are great, and the style of the authors is insanely hilarious. The first is by award-winning non-fiction writer Giles Milton, “When Hitler Took Cocaine and Lenin Lost His Brain”. History’s unknown chapters. This is a reread. By jove, I could have written this book! When you are writing, it’s wonderful to return to a book you had read two years before and be re-inspired. The second is a new acquisition gifted to me by my daughter Sophia. This book by Milly Goldsmith, “Things I Told My Notes App: A Secret Diary of an Oversharer”, could easily have been written by me. My style of writing and speaking is buried deep in a book by a kindred spirit far ashore. It assures you that you are on track, and as conversational as your new book is, it works.
I am delighted that my tome of a book is a good read because I read it from someone who sounds somewhat like me. I can tell you that reading gives you new ideas, pushes you forward, and crystallises your own unique ideas.
Read like a writer if you want to be a writer or consolidate your writing. Read a book that is not even your style. You never know what you might find. Read widely; read biographies, autobiographies, columns, science fiction, fiction books, travelogues, and cookbooks. Who knows where you would find your node. Enough said!!!!
