Q and A with Abidemi Sanusi
Brief history
I was born in Nigeria and moved to the UK just before my 14 th birthday. I have a BA in Politics, an M.Sc in Development Studies and a diploma in Systems Analysis although I don’t remember much about computer systems anymore. Thank God. I wanted to be an aid worker and found myself working in human rights. You can read more about my life in Empowering Women
When did you start writing?
I’ve always written. I also loved reading. I think I was the only person in my class who loved spelling tests! I used to wonder why the teacher didn’t give us harder words. Sad but true.
Your first story
I can’t quite remember but I distinctly remember writing short stories after ‘heated’ discussions with my mother as a child and teenager. Writing was my escape. The older I grew, the more I wrote, to make sense of my world and partly because well, I knew I could. As my stories weren’t for public consumption, I never did test that theory.
The first article you sold?
It was for an electronic publication for Scripture Union. A few months later, they also gave me my first book contract.
Your first book contract…
Which do you prefer, fiction or non-fiction?
Fiction because it allows me to dream and do outrageous things with people that I would never dare think about in real life.
Fiction liberates the mind.
About your writing workshops
They’re different in the sense that I deal with different genres; screenwriting, journalism and book writing. I take the book sessions and industry professionals take the other sessions. We go a step further by actually telling the participants how to gain a foothold in the publishing industry. The handbooks that come with the workshops are packed with industry insights, practical writing exercises and publishers’ directory. You can view a sample of the handbooks here and buy them here. Sometimes, I commission ex-participants of the writing workshops to write for either Christian Writer and Reader or www.christianwriter.co.uk. We all need a break and if I can give someone their first publishing break, then all the better.
Sage words for Christians who write
First, expand your horizons. Just because you’re a Christian does not mean that you have to limit yourself to the Christian market. There are plenty of opportunities out there. If you write for Horse & Hound, make sure your work is the best thing they’ve seen since the magazine was launched. The same thing goes if you write for the Physics Monthly. Your work is your witness.
Second, and this is the hardest part. Determine if you truly can write. 99% of people like the idea of writing because (1) they think it’s easy money and (2) because they have this dream of typing away on an ancient typewriter in a cottage on the Yorkshire moors. 0.5% of people like writing and do it as a hobby. The other 0.5% like writing, see it as profession/career/ministry and go for it, guns blazing. They appreciate the hard work involved and have realistic views about what is involved in the writing process. I’ve lost count of the number of women that tell me, ‘I write between 11pm and 1am when the hubby and kids have gone to bed, then I wake up at 05.45am to get the kids ready for school. But it doesn’t matter because the writing is my thing not anyone else.’ That inspires me.
I wrote two books last year (2005) in the middle of an extremely challenging financial and stressful situation. I’d left my human rights job as donors were no longer interested in funding our work. So there I was broke, busted and disgusted with two book contracts to fulfil. I had to take whatever jobs available. A typical day went like this:
I would wake up at 2am, write until 5am before doing my devotionals and leaving the house at 6.45am to get to work by bus because I couldn’t afford a travel card. I would get to work (whichever office I was working in at that time) at 7.45am and stay there as late as I could (to earn overtime) before getting the bus (a 1.5 hr in London traffic with annoying/drunken/smelly/take your pick passengers) and getting home about 8/8.30pm. I went to bed about 9pm or 9.30 if I was feeling adventurous before starting all over again the next day.
That is why when people tell me they would like to write, I usually smile and ask them what they’ve written. When they tell me they haven’t got the time or are waiting for divine inspiration, I smile again and tell them God sees their desire. I interviewed Hugh Southon, editor of The Son newspaper, for the OctNovDec edition of Christian Writer and Reader magazine. He said one thing that I’ll never forget; ‘many people are waiting for God to move when in reality they’re procrastinating. They have an idea, a burning desire to do something and they tell you they’re waiting on God. A year later, they’re still praying and waiting on God. I bet you that if you go back to them 3 years after, they’ll still be waiting on God. Why don’t they take small, trusting baby steps first?’
Does this sound like you? If you’re waiting on God to show you where to submit your work, why don’t you just try reading publishers’ guidelines on their websites? If you’re not sure which market to go for (Christian or mainstream), why don’t you start with one and see where that takes you?
Third, and hear me out when I say this, there are some truly bad manuscripts out there. I pray yours isn’t one of them because it’s stuff like that that gives Christian writing a bad name i.e. it is tripe/fluffy/unreal/impractical/rubbish/take your pick.
Why did you call your company Christian Writer?
That’s who I am.
How’s www.christianwriter.co.uk doing?
Very well. I’m amazed at the way it’s taken off but that’s God for you. Full of surprises. I wanted to provide a service/ministry/ for Christians who write. And it seems to have worked. You can find out about Christian Writer’s testimony here. I’m always open to ideas and ways to make the site better so if you have any ideas, do let me know.
Christian Writer and Reader e-magazine was launched to provide an alternative quality magazine for Christians who write. As far as I know, there isn’t anything like it on the market and it’s because it’s an electronic magazine, its operating cost is very low hence the subscription price of £12. You can view the Premier issue here and take out a subscription here. It is currently a quarterly magazine but I hope to make it bi-monthly by its first anniversary.
I would like to write. Any tips?
Read, read, read and then read some more. It enhances your writing, sharpens your creativity and lets you know what you’re up against in the publishing world. I’m always amazed by the number of people who tell me they don’t like reading but would like to write. Their arrogance shows in their poor manuscripts. Besides, if you don’t read, what makes you think other people would pay money to read your books?
Will you have a look at my manuscript for me?
I don’t read other people’s manuscripts. Imagine the scene; you give me your manuscript to assess, I assess it and forget about it. X months/years down the line, I publish a book and out you come out of the woodworks accusing me of stealing your idea.
The result; a very messy and long drawn court case. Urgh. The Association of Christian Writers does have one though.
Debunk some writing myths
That writing will make you rich. It doesn’t. Well, not necessarily. The Society of Authors recommends that a writer should get at least 7.5% of the retail price of a book. 7.5% of £6.99 is 52p. In Christian publishing, the print run varies from 2,000 to 4,000 so the very least you’ll get (out of a 2,000 print run) is £1,048. Take away your advance (which is actually a loan on your anticipated royalties anyway) and you’re left with nothing. By the way, an advance could be anything from £200-£2,000. In mainstream publishing, an advance is usually about £2,000-£3,000. In Christian publishing, it’s a lot smaller because the market is a lot smaller.
That Christian writers operate on a higher celestial plane than normal people. A quick read through the other articles on My Life will debunk that theory.
That writers cannot do anything but write. It’s like an uncontrollable urge. Hardly. I have a life. When I’m writing, I’m totally submerged in the story I’m working on but once I switch off, that’s it. I never, ever discuss my work with friends, family or foes because I think there are more interesting things to talk about. And I don’t even tell people what I do anyway because I hate talking about myself/my work. Every single writer I know feels the same way. In any case, I have a love/hate relationship with my work. When I’m writing, I hate it and when I’m not, I miss it. And when I’ve got deadlines, I wish with all my heart for the Second Coming to happen right there and then.
What are you working on now?
The screenplay to God has Daughters Too and nope, I’ve never written a screenplay before but I figured, if the BBC can bring Chaucer into the 21st century, there’s no reason why I can’t do the same for Old Testament women. Have I got producers lined up? Nope. Do I know anything about selling a screenplay? Nope. And I’m writing six screenplays based on six stories from the book? Yep. Well, you only live once. Might as well do it dangerously.
You can follow my screenwriting antics here
What are you reading now?
I’ve just finished reading The Day the Sky Opened: the Story of the Great Flood by Dr Andrew Guyatt. I’m interviewing him for the JanFebMar edition of Christian Writer and Reader. I started reading The Nanny, a chicklit secular book by Melissa Nathan but threw it aside because I got bored. I moved on to The Rise and Fall of the Yummy Mummy by Polly Williams which I absolutely enjoyed. Well written and thoroughly enjoyable. I’ve reserved John le Carre’s latest book, the Mission Song at my local library. When I finish devouring that, I’ll move on to Andrew Chamberlain’s Urban Angel. I’m interviewing him for Christian Writer and Reader. I’m also dipping in and out of The Africa Bible Commentary, which is the first Bible commentary by African theologians. And yes, I’m reviewing it as well for CW&R.
I’m just drawing up my reading list for my Nigerian book tour, taking place in November-December.
I like reading and generally prefer it to writing. It’s less painful.
Future plans
Literary world domination; mainstream and Christian. And a writing institute and Christian Writer and Reader in print within two years and the Christian Writers and Artists Handbook (formerly Creative Christian Handbook) out in 2007 which by the way, I haven’t even started writing yet…
Abidemi’s blogs
www.christianwriteruk.blogspot.com
www.myspace.com/christianwriteruk
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