Blogger Session with Nonso, The Writer

I’ll be sharing with you details of my interview with student and blogger, Nonso. Make sure to check out his blog( https://nonsothewriter.wordpress.com/home/) and read his wonderful write-ups.

What led to the creation of your blog and what does your blog centre on?
I wanted to write but I didn’t know how to go about it. I wanted a platform to publish my write ups and a friend suggested I start a blog. My blog doesn’t centre on anything specifically. I write on a general niche. I write about anything; stories, articles or real life experiences.

How did you discover your love for writing?
I discovered I could write since JSS1 when a variety of articles would be assigned to us back then. I found out that I had a flair for English.

What’s your favourite thing to write about?
I don’t have a favourite thing to write about, I write on anything.

How long have you been blogging and how has your blogging journey been so far, challenges and all?
I’ve been blogging for almost a year now. My blog will be a year old next month. I started blogging during the lockdown last year. My blogging journey has been full of ups and downs. One of the challenges is actually getting people to read what I write, sometimes you get barely any views and other times you see a lot of views. It’s not about the views though, its about spreading a message.

What effect does reading other people’s blogs have on you?
It depends on the quality of the write-up. If I read a really good write-up or something impactful on another blog, I feel really touched. On the other hand, if the piece is subpar, it feels like a waste of time.

Do you ever experience writer’s block and what do you do on such occasions?
To be honest, I’ve never experienced writer’s block. Before I started blogging, I thought about what I would be writing on.I didn’t want my blog to be a short-term affair. So, I prayed a lot and I told God that if we were going to do this, there wouldn’t be anything such as writer’s block. So far, God has been faithful in that regard. I get ideas for blog posts randomly like when I’m casually walking down the street or from a piece of music.

How do you handle blogging along with being a college student in Nigeria?
It’s really simple. You create time for whatever you love. At the beginning of this semester, I wasn’t writing. I was occupied with lectures, signing attendance and other school related stuff. I made up my mind to balance school as well as my writing and not let one side suffer because of another. When inspiration comes, I put it in my drafts to be completed at the time reserved for it. It’s easy if you want to. Besides, it’s creativity; something your muse puts to you.

Have you had any experience with Sápá? Do share.
Sápá hit two months ago during the exams period, my Dad didn’t send me money and I intentionally didn’t want to inform him.I won’t say I’m so much of a rich kid but at least I’m comfortable to an extent. I didn’t have any money and I felt what it was like to be truly hungry.

As a teen/young adult, what would you say is the biggest challenge facing youths today?
I would say the lack of patience and the quest for money. Youths today can do anything to get money. We prioritize money. Some would use diabolical or fraudulent means just to get money. When they eventually make this money, I wonder, doesn’t he/she feel that there’s more to life than money and spending recklessly? Wouldn’t you rather have a legitimate means of earning money? Another issue is the fact that we lack focus. When you place ridiculously high expectations on yourselves and go extra mile just to achieve them using illegal and immoral ways, that’s nasty.

I read your blog often and I’m aware of your relationship with Music. I’m curious, does music inspire your writing and how?
Music is Life. Music inspires me a lot. One of my blog posts, From now on was inspired by a soundtrack from The Greatest Showman. I draw inspiration from the title, lyrics or central theme of a song.

Do you plan to pursue a career in music?
I do plan to pursue a career in music but not in the vocal aspect. I’d like to play instruments such as the clarinet, saxophone or flute. I want feature on artistes songs and videos. I might go into the singing aspect later on but I’m going to start with my instruments first, Saxophone to be precise.

What’s your favourite book?
My favourite book is Angels and Demons by Dan Brown, all Dan Brown’s franchise basically. He combines history with fiction but the historical facts are actually accurate. His books are voluminous but they’re totally worth the read.

If you enjoyed this post, don’t forget to check out Nonso’s blog here- https://nonsothewriter.wordpress.com/home/.

Like, Share, Follow and Comment. Till next time!