If You Want To Be A Great Writer, Start By Reading More - Marcus Ovie Ugboduma

 

IF YOU WANT TO BE A GREAT WRITER, START BY READING MORE - MARCUS OVIE UGBODUMA

 

 

Marcus Ovie Ugboduma is one of the founders of Ibadan Book Club and a member of the Society of Young Nigerian Writers (SYNW). He holds a Post Graduate Diploma in Education from the National Teachers Institute Kaduna. He is a professional member of the Certified Institute of Purchasing and Supply Administration of Nigeria. Marcus is a Teacher, Creative Thinker, Writer and a custodian and promoter of the African Culture. In this interview with Wole Adedoyin, he talks about his writing career and works

 

 

WA: WHAT INSPIRED YOU TO START WRITING?

 

MOU: I got inspiration to start writing, after reading the book on Patrice Lumumba I was about 9 years old then, it was one of the books my father borrowed from the National Library in Lagos then. That book drew tears from my eyes and since then I wanted to document stories like his.

 

WA: HOW LONG HAVE YOU BEEN WRITING? 

  

MOU: My writing dates back to my days in secondary school, especially in letter writing and essays, I never failed any Examination in English Language, thanks to my late Mother who made it compulsory to write compositions weekly and my father now of blessed memory who exposed us to reading widely and marking those compositions strictly.

 

WA: WHEN DID YOU START WRITING?

 

MOU: By 1990 I had discovered my potential to write, but then since I was a singer and rapper, my skill was channeled to songwriting, in 1994 I began writing for the screen, that year I wrote only God know, double crossing , the letter and Aisha

 

WA: HAVE YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO BE A WRITER?

 

MOU: I've always wanted to be a film producer. That prompted me to writing for the screen, but life kept drifting me away from my desire, I lost my admission to the Nigerian Film School, Jos, because my parents wouldn't sponsor me, my father wanted me to be a chartered accountant.

 

WA: WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE A NEW WRITER, SOMEONE JUST STARTING OUT?

 

MOU: My advise to new a writer is that he or she should stay focused no matter the challenges he or she may face, consistency in your writing matter, the truth remains that If you want to be a great writer, start by reading more, so reading is key. A day without reading is a wasted day.

 

WA: HOW DO YOU HANDLE WRITER’S BLOCK?

 

MOU: Ah! As for me writer's block stays as long as it last,   I don't attempt forcing myself to write, my book "the masquerade would not dance" took four years to complete. I've had series of writer's block in the past, one was when my laptop was stolen I lost four book and over 70 poems and personal quotes, then came the block it lasted over 2 years. The latest block came in September 2020 when my mother passed on, I was currently writing " The pregnant Virgin" three months later my father passed on too, I began a recovery process in August this year 2021, by reading some of my old poems especially the ones I wrote on my mother titled "my Pillow" and "Nneola". Having read them over and over again I got inspired to write yet another poem in memory of my mother titled MOMO. She was dear to me.

 

WA: HOW MANY BOOKS HAVE YOU WRITTEN? WHICH IS YOUR FAVOURITE?

 

MOU: I've written over eight books, but only one has been published. The next is presently being proof read by a fellow writer Amadi Arua, it's titled 'The masquerade would not dance' it's setting is Igbo land

 

WA: WHAT IS THE MOST SURPRISING THING YOU DISCOVERED WHILE WRITING YOUR BOOK(S)?

 

MOU: The most suprising thing when writing my books is how inspiration breeds knowledge, writing becomes crisper, and I begin to marvel at what I had written, ideas just keep flowing, as you write you begin to realise how much experience you have garnered from life experiences and reading other writer's works.

 

WA: DO YOU HAVE A FAVOURITE CHARACTER THAT YOU HAVE WRITTEN? IF SO, WHO? AND WHAT MAKES THEM SO SPECIAL.

 

MOU: Some day I hope you will read if my favorite character Aminat in my yet to be published book 'Koronu' Aminat was a character scarcely loved by anyone, many, thought her to be mentally derailed, or simply an imbecile, her condition was borne out of her condition as a sickle cell anemia status. She was highly undermined, hated and discouraged, but she saved the day when it mattered most, when her aunt was to be jailed for a crime her husband committed.

 

WA: WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR INSPIRATION?

 

MOU: My inspiration comes first from God’s words, from reading books, newspapers etc and also my imaginative thought process and most times by dreams. My poem on Stella Obasanjo was revealed in a dream on a journey from Lagos to Abuja to see my parents. I immediately woke up and began writing in the bus, line by line I wrote down as I was inspired, yet I did not know what I was writing about until the news was aired how in circumstantial manner, the mother of the less privileged lost her life in a failed surgery.

 

WA: WHERE CAN READERS PURCHASE YOUR BOOKS?

 

MOU: Readers who need my books can contact me personally but you can read a handful of my poems online, just type my name (Marcus Ovie Ugboduma) in your browser.

 

WA: WHERE CAN READERS FIND OUT MORE ABOUT YOU AND YOUR BOOKS?

 

MOU: I am almost unknown; as there are many established writers but anyone wishing to know me more can email me on marcosdivine2@gmail.com. I'll be willing to speak with him or her

 

WA: HAVE ANY OF YOUR BOOKS BEEN MADE INTO AUDIOBOOKS? IF SO, WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES IN PRODUCING AN AUDIO BOOK?

 

MOU: I've not considered an audio book but I've one made my own on a rough video, the poem titled "On June 12 we stand, I'll put that rough video on you tube soon and probably others

 

WA: WHICH OF YOUR BOOKS WERE THE MOST ENJOYABLE TO WRITE?

 

MOU: I'll give it to "The masquerade would not dance", writing the book really broadened my knowledge base, sharpened my knowledge of culture and really corrected some notions about the African Culture.

 

WA: TELL US ABOUT YOUR FIRST PUBLISHED BOOK? WHAT WAS THE JOURNEY LIKE?

 

MOU: It was a road too rough but worthy to trod, I handled all publishing myself, from typesetting to running the impression and then book binding and marketing, thanks to the Mokola Community in Ibadan where I lived as a young man. The community houses a thousand printing press and as we all know publishers don't want green horns except you are willing to sell your books outrightly, this I couldn't risk, but truly a good book will sell itself.

 

WA: WHAT, IN YOUR OPINION, ARE THE MOST IMPORTANT ELEMENTS OF GOOD WRITING?

 

MOU: Planning, organising, purpose, clearness, your audience in mind always and coherence. But most of all I believe anyone who wants to succeed in writing must consume poetry because poetry makes your prose and plays crisper.

 

WA: WHO'S YOUR FAVORITE AUTHOR OF ALL TIME?  YOUR FAVORITE BOOK BY THEM?

 

MOU: My favourite authors of all times are Chinua Achebe and his Things Fall Apart. And James Ngugi Wa Thiongo and his book Weep Not Child.

 

WA: ON YOUR LATEST BOOK, CAN YOU SHARE WITH US SOMETHING ABOUT THE BOOK

 

MOU: It's a story about the Ekpe Masquerade common among various tribes of eastern Nigeria, Odili a fresh medical doctor and returned from Europe was selected by his age grade to adorn the garb of the masquerade and perform during the new yam festival. He thought it fetish for his personality, fate had its way someone else took his place unknown to all, at a point an ever cheerful masquerade would not dance......... This particular masquerade represents a young man about to be married, the masquerade has its drummers, one who guides it's path known as Onye Udo Ekpe, and Ekpe wields. To explain this, the Ekpe is the young man about to be married, the Onye Udo Ekpe is the wife to be who literarily guides him from making errors, the drummers and dancers are his family and kinsmen who follows him to seek his brides hand in marriage, the cane he wields is the rod of correction which he uses to correct erring children. The moment a man disconnects from his wife, he stops making progress, that results in the difficulty for the masquerade to dance, until he reconnects with his wife.

WA: ARE THERE ANY SECRETS FROM THE BOOK, YOU CAN SHARE WITH YOUR READERS?

 

MOU: None! Except that every African Culture has significant meanings, we should never see our culture as barbaric

 

WA: WHAT WAS THE INSPIRATION FOR THE STORY?

 

MOU: My parents had a successful marriage, which lasted over 50 years, that inspired me in writing this particular book, when my mother passed on. Old man became too lonely, and then the real theme of the book came to life and when I got my groove from the block suffered I completed this book by telling African stories the African way

 

WA: WHAT IS THE KEY THEME AND/OR MESSAGE IN THE BOOK?

 

MOU: Marriage is a key factor in life, not being married creates limitations here in Africa and keeping a successful marriage requires sacrifices of both parties

 

WA: WHAT DO YOU HOPE YOUR READERS TAKE AWAY FROM THIS BOOK?

 

MOU: Everything! from hard work to luck, determination resilience and positive thinking, stop every  discrimination against people's culture

 

WA: WHAT IS THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE TITLE?

 

MOU: The significance of the title is to point to the fact that there's is always an underlining reason to every human behaviour, respecting the views and decision of others is a key to a happy society

 

WA: HAS A BOOK EVER CHANGED YOUR LIFE?

 

MOU: Yes several books did,    most from the African writer's series, "Roots" by Alex Harley, The rise and fall of the Third Reich, and several collection of poems, but one poem shaped my love for poetry, it was in our Macmillan text book in Primary 4, it was titled the Ugly Vulture, the Author was unknown, but here are the wordings

The ugly Vulture flaps and hops

Peck at scrap and walks and stops

Flies to a tree and looks around,

For Rotten rubbish on the ground.

He likes dead things and pecks them clean,

He's horribly ugly, dull and mean,

Hunchy shoulders, old bald head,

He likes me better if I were dead.

But look at him in the high blue sky,

Round and round you see him fly,

Higher and higher he turns and swings

Climbing the air with unmoving wings.

 

Thanks to that Teacher who compelled us to memorize those lines. And to my father who analysed the poem. Since then my desire for poetry grew.

 

WA: WHAT GENRES DO YOU LOVE?

 

MOU: I love poetry most, every one should love to write poems too, every one born is a natural poet, the discovery of self is usually the problem, If we all understand that poetry has so many rules and no rule at all, then we are good to go. It's simply expressing our thoughts in fewer and only necessary words

 

WA: ARE THERE ANY GENRES YOU DISLIKE?

 

MOU: I do not dislike any genre, I just wished I had a foundation in literature. My back ground is Accountancy and Purchasing and Supply.

 

WA: WHAT AUTHOR (WHO IS STILL LIVING) WOULD YOU DEARLY LOVE TO MEET?

 

MOU: A handshake from Prof Wole Soyinka, would really inspire me, but there are a number of others such as Prof Catherine Ezenwanebe, Author of Shadows on Arrival and Dr Saka Aliyu (Sakky Jojo) author of Afonja, The works of both playwrights have endeared them to me, we keep in touch but are yet to meet, I hope someday, we shall meet.

 

WA: DO YOU LIKE TO DISPLAY YOUR BOOKS ON A BOOKSHELF OR KEEP THEM IN A VIRTUAL LIBRARY?

 

MOU: Book shelf is traditional, virtual is modern, both suit me as long as books are preserved and can be received at any time and as long as it's accessible to my readers

 

WA: DO YOU PREFER FLASH FICTION, SHORT STORIES, NOVELLAS, OR NOVELS?

 

MOU: I would prefer short stories and novels because I want to concentrate on writing for  children and  teenagers

 

WA: WHAT BOOK CAN YOU RECOMMEND TO ME?

 

MOU: I would recommend you read my book ' The masquerade would not dance when it Grace's the shelves,

 

WA: WHEN DID YOU LAST VISIT A LIBRARY?

 

MOU: I use the library often because I work in a school with a good and functional library, thanks to society of young Nigeria writers who supplied us with E books some time ago, these books are on our computers, My last visit to the library at Dugbe was last month at the Ibadan book club September reading

 

WA: HAVE YOU EVER HAD A CRUSH ON A BOOK CHARACTER?

 

MOU: I can't remember any, but I think Okonkwo's character really caught my fancy,