Nmesoma Okechukwu
How do you decide your plots? Are they taken from events that have happened to you? Do you base your characters on real people – or do you prefer to be fully creative and make them up?
Depending on my mindset going into a story, I would say that yeah, it's taken from chunks and bits that's happened to me and other people I know throughout my life. They say “write what you know,” and I think, in some way, it's true for me. Sometimes I get fully creative and just make them up, but I feel like the ones that land are the characters that I have a strong emotional connection to.
The lead in my debut sci-fi was inspired by a secondary school acquaintance of mine. When this happens, I start to feel like somehow I've broken the laws of nature and I've created a real world, and now I have to sort of like take care of everybody in it.
What comes first for you – the plot or the characters? And why?
I'm not 100% sure on this, but I feel like it's the characters. I've just gotten into writing 'Cybernetics Within Us' Book 2, and just after finishing book one, I read someone say in a book group I'm in on FB that it takes a great writer to make a character that does the thing the writer hates the most. That is, if the writer can retain enough self-control to make that character lovable to readers. Like if you hate cheaters, and your character is a cheater, then there's no way you're going to disentangle your natural hatred of that thing to write a nuanced character that emotionally connects. For example, if you read the 'Five Children and It' series, you might discover that the writer had a lot of undigested anger towards housemaids. I knew this before I even read her bio and discovered her husband cheated on her with their maid.
So yeah, I wanted to prove that I'm a great writer and one of the leads in book 2 is hooked up in something that I really really hate and can't stand. How fans react to this character is going to tell me how good of a writer I am.
What is your favourite genre to write in? Tell me why.
My favourite genre to write in is fantasy. I love that it's the genre that allows me to go wild and there's no unnecessary rules to constrain and keep me in check. It's like living in a world where gravity can't keep you down, and you just float wherever your heart desires.
I wrote one with gods, angels, demons, pixies, elves, ghosts, and all. The only thing it was missing was a dragon. There was even a Headless Man. The catch is if the goodwill of the world falls short, he rides forth from his prison, and the world will end.
Of course in any magical system, laws still need to exist. But these laws are ones that are entirely up to a writer's grubby hands.
Did you need to do research for your book? If so, how much did you do, how did you do it?
I needed a lot of research to write 'Cybernetics Within Us' Book 1. It's set in the natural world in our present time, so it's got to be hard sci-fi. I researched and read so much just to get my mind keyed into how my main character sees the world. I was reading advanced mathematics, astronomy, avionics and all that just so I could switch into a higher plane of thinking.
It resulted in a breakdown, but it's all good, because that experience surprisingly tied the story together.
Would you travel to the area where your book is set? Do you already know the area? Have you written about that area because it’s a place you know? Have you used the original name of the area or manipulated place names?
I would love to visit the places I write about in my book. Just so I could feel like I'm achieving something brilliant, I never write about the places I've been to. I love to wander with my writings, so I don't want to visit familiar places.
Of course this definitely means more research, but in my mind it's like I'm planning a vacation or something. That just immediately makes the research process a million times more enjoyable.
How do you feel about killing off popular characters? Is it something you enjoy doing in your own books? Have you done it?
I have so much emotional connection to my characters, it's scary. If I could, nobody that I've spent time developing and building their backstory and giving dreams and a drive would meet a sad fate. But somethings are unavoidable no matter how hard you try.
Would you write any genre or do you stick to one?
I'd hate to be limited within the borders of one genre. I've written sci-fi, fantasy, romance and even short horror stories. Only the sci-fi is published yet, but others are coming up.
How many hours a day or week would you say you spend writing? Is it a potential career for you, is it something you do outside your day job?
I'm unfortunately one of those ridiculous big dreamers. I dream of the lights. I dream of the awards. I dream of that coveted bestseller tag – God knows the people closest to me will suffer when the day comes when I snag one of those – and yeah, I also dream of movie adaptations.
I'm an entertainment, lifestyle and culture journalist, so I write all the time, just not fiction. When I get into writing a book though, work can become annoyingly distracting. I just want to burrow into a hole and forget there's a world outside of my hole. I also dream of being a part of writing retreats. You don't know how many flyers for “writing retreats and cruises” I've got downloaded on my phone, and wish, and wish, and wish I could be one of the lucky people on it.
It's okay. One day it's going to be me. And that's why I write.
Is writing therapeutic for you, or does it cause you to stress out?
Writing for my journalism career can sometimes cause me to stress out. Writing for my books... well, what's the best way to describe this level of joy? It's heaven packaged in the arms of eternal bliss.
How do you react to reviews? Would you prefer just good ones or are you okay to receive a bad one occasionally? How does this make you feel?
Well, I'd say that a bad one right off the bat can break a book. Not that I've personally experienced it, but there's a pattern I've noticed on social media. If you share a post, and the first responders are nice, chances are 95% of the responders will say the nicest things. The same post can attract 95% negative comments, if fate sends critical commenters early.
So yeah, I'm mortified of receiving a first review and it's got just one star. I know the importance of praying that my book meets the right audience at first. When 'Cybernetics Within Us' was first published in 2019, the first person to review it praised it with the most beautiful words. The sells after that was pretty consistent. I later unpublished it – three five stars later – and now that it's back, I'm sitting on pins and needles praying for that first review, and praying it will echo, or perhaps even eclipse, that of that first very generous person.
You can follow Nmesoma on her social media platforms and learn more about her writing journey and forthcoming books here:
