MyWeku

 

Myweku: Was it tough or easy when you started out as a writer and what was the best advice you received along the way?

BM: It was tough, it still is really but the difference between then and now is that my family no longer think I should get a real job. Once they all realised that I was serious about writing for a living and that I was getting published and winning prizes, they became very supportive. It’s tough now because one has to try and make a living out of a dream and sometimes I start to wonder what exaclty I’m doing and where this compulsion is taking me, then a good thing happens and it’s it’s a clear sign that I’m going in the right direction but then when the pauses come again, sometimes they are so long. The best advice I have received along the way was that success comes through holding on long after others have let go, so never give up.

MyWeku: What is it about writing that appealed to you?

BM: Reading. I have always been an avid reader. I read all the time as a child and it followed naturally that I would write. I have always possessed an over-active imagination and combined with my love for books writing became a compulsion. It was a very organic process – telling my own stories.

MyWeku: “Rufaro’s Day” has a fascinating premise. How did you arrive at it?

BM: After sending out a manuscript based on a crazy dream I had, a publishing company in the UK asked if I would be interested in writing a story that would educate British children by depicting a typical day for a child in the rural areas. I just took one of the chores that would be typical for young children in the village and added a small adventure with a bit of humour.

MyWeku: I know that you have written poetry, short film screenplays and adult fiction. What is it that you enjoy most about writing for children?

BM: I enjoy the fact that I can let my imagination run wild and what actually started me writing for children was the fact that I read so much as a child and the stories stayed with me but also for the practical reason that when I started writing I knew that I could write a story and finish it easily rather than begin with adult novels which called for so much more in the way of storylines and plots etc. The stories for children came to me easily and were usually complete in my head before I even wrote a word on paper.

MyWeku: Who were your favourite writers as a child?

BM: Enid Blyton, Enid Bylton, Enid Blyton and poetry by Robert Louis Stevenson and Rudyard Kipling.

MyWeku: You are part of the Crossing Borders Project, an international creative writing scheme and have been referred to as a literary activist. How has the Zimbabwean writing scene been affected recently?

BM: There are a lot of new writers – young and hungry and now that there has been exposure to the rest of the world and the links that we have all created through projects like Crossing Borders, there is more visibility of writers in Zimbabwe. Writers in the diaspora are now more serious about getting their work out there and being recognised. Writing is no longer considered a mere hobby, I think more people are taking it seriously and there are more networks and so much more literary dialogue through iniatives of Pamberi Trust (Book Cafe in Harare). It’s exciting – there are possiblities and so much hope.

MyWeku: How do you relax? Do you have any hobbies or interests?

BM: I love to spend time with my family – I come from a very large and boisterous family and when we get together with food, drink and music, everything is good. I love shopping for clothes, travelling, being with my friends. I read of course, watch TV manically or not at all and funnily enough I am at my most relaxed and happiest when I’m driving in my car and playing my music as loud as I can stand it – music sounds that much better in car.

MyWeku: Do you have any tips for budding authors?

BM: Read, write, keep writing, accept constructive criticism, learn to evaluate your own work – it will save you so much time and if it’s your dream live it, believe in it.

MyWeku: What are you working on now?

BM: A documentary (still in development), a collaborative poetry book to be published by Cinnamon Press in june 2010 and research for a new novel.

MyWeku: Anything else you’d like to add?

BM: Networking is a great tool for getting ahead and finding out about artistic opportunities, it’s not only about writing, it’s also about making good contacts, new friends and colleagues. Other people in artistic circles have so much to offer in the way of support, encouragement and mental stimulation.

Blessing’s Work can be bought at here