Tag: Memoir
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Rejection Reframed: What Submitting My Book To Publishers Has Taught Me
For almost eight months now (not counting the summer and Christmas holidays), My agent has been submitting my book to publishers in the UK and the US. Like many writers, I started with hope—and then came the rejections. One after another. At first, it was disheartening. Each “no” felt personal. But over time, I started…
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Took a Break, But Ready to Return
Hey everyone, it’s been a while since I’ve posted anything about my writing and the status of my memoir. It’s been an incredibly busy time with the transatlantic move from New York to the suburbs of London, settling my two teenage daughters into a new school, unpacking into a new house and trying to kick-start…
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The echoing silence…
In early August of 2023, I got an unsolicited message to my Instagram account from someone who I did not know. She had apparently seen a post I had put on a Nigerian nostalgia Facebook page where I talked about my book ,and had checked out my writing Instagram page. She loved my Instagram page,…
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Bittersweet
Two weeks ago, my agent began pitching my book to prospective publishers and since then I have literally been holding my breath, waiting with fear and optimism for some feedback. Today I got an email from my agent with the heading “Close!” Eagerly I opened the email to find the below response from one of…
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Nigeria – the setting and landscape of my story, but also a character.
When I began to write my memoir, Oduduwa Crescent, I wanted Nigeria, the setting and landscape of the book, to be as well-drawn as any character. My book is, in its essence, the story of my charismatic father, whose rise and fall is set against the tumultuous backdrop of post-colonial Nigeria – a time of coup d’états,…
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LOVE your book but….
I am deep in the querying process for my recently completed memoir. It’s a pretty tough process, one characterised by constant rejection and unfiltered feedback – both good and bad. Last week, I spoke with an agent who I got connected to via a writing group I belong to. It was a remarkably short conversation,…
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On connecting with creative outlets.
How do I stay rooted in creativity when I am knee deep in a project? This is my fifth year working on my book. The book is now on its 6th draft following some very constructive feedback I received to reduce the word count from 120K down to 95K. Working on a project consistently for…
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How Dani Shapiro’s podcast, FAMILY SECRETS, inspired me to confront the shame of a family secret and write my memoir.
In 2019, I was diagnosed with a benign brain tumour and had surgery to have it removed. The surgery, though traumatic, went very well and all the pathology came back completely cancer-free. A relief, an immense blessing. Following my surgery, I spent several months at home quietly recuperating, which forced me to take time to…
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Shame and the motivation behind my memoir.
Shame consumes you. It ravages you from the inside, leaving an imprint and an aura that follows you about everywhere, like the lingering smell of tobacco infused into the clothes of a chain-smoker. I was ashamed of my father for many years. I was ashamed of the recluse he became and of the crumbling house…
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Do I need a platform?
This is a question every debut author asks themselves largely because we hear it time and time again: “If you want to get published, you need a platform – expert status in something, a significant social media following or celebrity /influencer / notoriety status.” Indeed, my recent literary agent rejection came with the added note:…
Novice Memoirist 