Today’s special guest is writer Feyisayo Anjorin to chat with me about his new contemporary romance novella, One Week In The Life of A Hypocrite.
Bio:
Feyisayo Anjorin is a filmmaker and a writer. His writings have appeared in Litro, Brittle Paper, Bella Naija, African Writer, Kalahari Review, and Bakwa.
He is the author of “Kasali’s Africa”, “The Stuff of Love Songs”, and “The Night My Dead Girlfriend Called”.
Welcome, Feyisayo. What do you enjoy most about writing short stories?
What I love most about short stories is the ease it gives me to fit so much of the lives of my main characters in a few pages. One is a bit more focused and there is a sense of economizing the words. It is possible to take just a day or a few days or a major conflict and build on it in such a way that the reader will be able to grasp so much in a few hours of reading it.
Can you give us a little insight into a few of your short stories – perhaps some of your favorites?
My first short story, “The Depressing Command”, was published by Litro UK, it is the story of a major in the Sierra Leonean army who was commanded by a dictator to kill a women he loves so much. That was a mountain that was too high for the young man to climb and offending a dictator is like playing with a bomb.
One of my favourite short stories is titled “A Lady’s Bed Champion” is the story of an arrogant man whose ego took a big blow when he got sexually involved with a crafty woman. The man then tries too hard to win the respect of the woman and then the consequences of his desperation.
My latest work, “One Week In The Life of A Hypocrite” chronicles a week in the life of Bosun Sanya, who is angered by a recent revelation about his fiancée, Titi, while holding dearly to his own secrets; secrets that could make his lover change her mind.
What genre are you inspired to write in the most? Why?
I’m most inspired to write love stories, because I am a romantic at heart. As a young man I’ve had this idea of unwavering dedication to one woman, hence love was (and still is) a spiritual experience for me; a sort of giving that continue to give.
Later in life I met my wife and she is a dream come true and sometimes I feel like I’m living in the reality of the love songs I used to love.
So when I’m writing about two people that love each other, I’m writing about what I know. I’ve also loved people who do not love me like I loved them in the past, so when I’m writing about a one-sided relationship where one party seems to love the other party until he or she gets tired of the whole thing, I’m writing about what I know too.
What exciting story are you working on next?
I’m working on a sequel to Bosun and Titi’s story.
When did you first consider yourself a writer?
I’ve always seen myself as a writer. I mean from my pre-teen years. I don’t remember any time in my life that I’m not writing something, either fiction or poetry or a letter or love songs. As far as I’m concerned, a writer is a person that writes.
How do you research markets for your work, perhaps as some advice for writers?
I start with what I know. The type of stories that I love to read, then I read the works of fiction that seems to be popular with the audience or works of fiction that push the envelope within a certain genre, like when I read Graeme Simsion’s “The Rosie Project”, it changed my perception about the possibilities of romance fiction.
I think writers should not be afraid of writing from the place of truth, from the honesty or rawness of feelings; but to also think about the presentation of these truths to the audience.
Writing is, to a certain extent an act of faith; so writers should be courageous and should not be afraid of taking risks.
What would you say is your interesting writing quirk?
I don’t know if it is interesting, but I develop a playlist that I see as the soundtrack of the portion I’m working on. It gets me in the mood of the character.
Sometimes I act out a scene before writing it and I make sure I do that when I’m alone. I don’t want someone eavesdropping and thinking I’m losing it.
As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
As a child I wanted to be in the arts and entertainment sector. I will not say I’m where I dreamed I would be then, but I’m on my way, because I’m actually now in the arts and entertainment sector.
Anything additional you want to share with the readers?
I’m also an actor, and I write movie scripts.
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Thanks for being here today!