humansofnewyork: “I had a lonely childhood. I didn’t have many friends. I spent a lot of time writ
humansofnewyork: “I had a lonely childhood. I didn’t have many friends. I spent a lot of time writing depressing poetry in my room. But everything changed the first time I saw someone perform a spoken word poem. It was at a fellowship meeting. I never realized that poetry could impact an audience like that. After the meeting, the girl invited me to join her poetry club. There were seven members. They met every Thursday under a guava tree in the school courtyard. It was a place for me to just write, and to read what I’d written. It was a place where I felt accepted and got critical feedback. I got better at writing. I grew more confident. Eventually I performed in front of larger audiences, and my projects got more ambitious. Now I’m working on a book. It’s been my main focus for the last four years. It’s about a little girl who’s misunderstood. She’s an artist. She wants to be recognized and understood. But everyone around her thinks she’s a witch. When I began writing the book, the character was based on myself. But I’m so different than her now. I’m not depressed anymore. I’m closer to my family. I don’t feel so isolated. But I’m not sure she’s gotten there yet. I’m struggling to not impose my growth onto her journey. As a writer you’re supposed to detach yourself from your character. But when you’ve included so many elements of yourself, and you’ve evolved so much, it’s really hard to do.” (Lagos, Nigeria) -- source link