Ola Awonubi, who won Words of Colour’s first short story writing competition, took up our challenge of letting us take a peek into a typical creative week for a budding writer. She struggles with some of her characters, is motivated by a friend winning a writing competition and avoids uninspiring TV.

May/June 2008

A week in the life of ... Ola Awonubi

MONDAY

On the way to work. I stop and remember to take my little notebook for jotting down ideas. While sandwiched on the tube day dreaming of the day I will be a published writer and can leave the daytime admin job. ‘Admin’ can be defined as the ‘nameless’ blob of humanity in an organisation that gets blamed when deadlines get missed, any one ‘messes up’ or anything bad happens. Every time I feel tired and feel I can’t write a single thing – thinking of work always acts as a good motivator. I scribble some ideas down in my notebook – and let my imagination thread itself through my characters as the train rumbles through the tunnel. When I get home in the evening I take one of the ideas and aim to start a short story. It works and I feel really gripped by the story and it flows as I put it to paper. End up working late and go to bed tired – but satisfied.

TUESDAY

During the very helpful winners’ workshop with Words of Colour earlier on in the year, I had been given some pointers about progressing towards publication. One was about finishing the novel I had started. I started it about a year ago and have got stuck on chapter six. The advice I had been given about finding my voice and writing a synopsis has helped me find the structure and think about how I’m going to end it. Still struggling with the synopsis even though I know an agent has suggested I send it in.

WEDNESDAY

I write usually in the evenings when I get back from work. Not too good in the mornings before work. Decide to go through the chapters I have written and cringe at the clichés. Decide to edit and realise that I need to make the characters come alive and I do this by writing a profile for my characters e.g. Andrew – Engineer, plays basketball in his spare time, Labour supporter, favourite music - Bob Marley; hates women who nag. Likes – woman who can cook. Decide to rub that bit out and think of ways to make this guy the kind of person a woman could fall for.

THURSDAY

I go to work with the hero and the heroine in my head. They are having a conversation and I can see a scene flowing in my head. Jot it down in my notebook. Later that evening add to novel. Not wanting to rest on my laurels since the last competition I go to www.literaturetraining and check out the competitions for the next couple of months and decide to send my short story in to the Bristol short story competition.

FRIDAY

A friend emails me and tells me she has just won a major competition. Happy for her and a bit envious, but it’s a great motivator. My characters have gone a bit flat and I‘m in the middle of the book wondering where they can go from here. I need what my lecturer at Centerprise calls an epiphany - an arc to make them ‘evolve’ or grow up. Something needs to happen to change their destinies forever and I’m stuck at what that might be.

SATURDAY

Speak to my sister who is a teacher about the possibility of speaking to the kids in her Book Club at school about what it’s like being a budding writer. She promises to talk to the Head of English and Literature about it.

SUNDAY

It’s the day of rest after church, but I resist the temptation to come back home and sleep by watching TV, telling myself that it would give me some inspiration. It doesn’t – so I go on to the internet and look at the Spread the Word website – another excellent literature resource for some advice about writing an excellent synopsis.

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