THE FLIGHT OF FEBRUARY
Did you know that Feb 8 is the date when most New Year’s resolutions are abandoned?
Ok, I totally made that up, but it sounds true — right?
I always start the year with big plans; more exercise, less sweets etc., yet by the second month, my right thumb and forefinger (my Haribo clutching digits) are the only things getting a regular workout and all other best intentions be damned… Like this newsletter! But not 2024, good people. This year, I am pushing through!
When I penned my debut novel BITTER LEAF (I won’t add the date and age myself), I had no idea how to write a book. So I taped a piece of A5 in front of my desk with the message: WRITE YOUR WAY OUT. It’s funny that many years later, as WATER BABY is on the verge of publication, I realise that when it came to craftsmanship of this latest work, I had to find a way to write my way in.
Image copyright © www.pond5.com.
WATER BABY is a coming-of-age story set in the real settlement of Makoko, Lagos, portraying the pressures on a young woman trying to escape the confines of her community and explores wider societal issues including climate change, digitalisation, gentrification, and resettlement.
One of the reasons I love writing fiction is because it’s so liberating, but it’s equally terrifying. I was taken aback by the very strong sense of responsibility I had, by virtue of writing about a community I was unfamiliar with. It was integral to reflect the settlement accurately, without fetishizing its inhabitants, or straying into that tickbox territory of poverty born that leads to instant bestseller status. If I was in this for the glory people, then I would never have started out as a poet!
So, how exactly does one find a way in? I penned the first draft of my novel during the pandemic, which meant travel at the time was off the table. Copious amounts of online research was my way; viewing countless videos for any and all glimpses at what daily life within the community is like. Watching Nollywood movies too, and listening to afrobeat to amass enough courage to write in a voice dissimilar to my own. Although having said, that I do find myself in certain aspects of my protagonist, from her humour to her question of purpose and I hope you see yourselves too!
One of the most daunting aspects leading up to publication is reaching out to fellow authors for their endorsement, so I am so grateful to the amazing authors who took the time out of their own schedules to read and comment on my work. (I’ll be adding them to the newsletters in no particular order.) Thank you to Chika Unigwe for the lovely review quote below:
In gorgeous, startling prose, Okereke gives us a moving story of loss, love, community, and dreams. Okereke writes her characters with so much heart that we feel that these are people we know as intimately as they know themselves.
Chika Unigwe, author of THE MIDDLE DAUGHTER
*Publishing tip*:
For those of you who have completed your project and find yourself seeking representation - a good place to start is in the acknowledgments of work similar to yours. Authors are always heralding their support system, so be sure to pay closer attention when you’re reading and when prepping your submissions list. Good luck!
Looking forward to reconnecting digitally and dipping in to your culinary delights!