Abidemi Sanusi : Eyo update

Eyo update

My life has been dominated by application forms in the last two weeks; forms to apply for a graduate course in creative writing; forms to apply for funding for the graduate course; forms for research funding for Eyo, the book I'm working on.

Forms, forms, forms. I think we underestimate the extent to which our lives are dominated by them. Where are they stored once they're received, and what happens when these organisations run out of storage space? Do they burn all the forms, shred them or just simply chuck them away ,leaving our personal information at the mercy of charlatans?

Doesn't bear thinking about.

I've left Eyo at Lagos International Airport because I realised that I hadn't really captured her struggle as she was handed over by her father to human traffickers. How does Eyo feel knowing that her father handed her over to these people? The journey from her house to the 'storage house' where she and 8 other women (and girls) await further instructions re their journey to Europe, what are Eyo's thoughts? As I read over what I've done recently, I can't help but notice gaps where there ought to be more depth.

I was talking to a fellow writer the other day and she said she would much rather get on with the action than waste time describing stuff. I'm of the same view, but the truth is that my descriptive skills are pretty much non-existent, which is why I'm currently struggling with this stage of the book. I'm rereading Khaled Hosseini's The Kite Runner to study his use of language which is simple, inspiring, evocative and...I've run out superlatives. I hope to use the same style for Eyo.

I was asked by a friend why I was going back to uni to study for another Masters degree. I told him this was different. It was for a MA in Creative Writing and I really needed the training because there are some techniques and skills I need but severely lack in my writing. I don't think I convinced him, but that's okay. Most people don't get it. Why would someone with 3 books and several translations suddenly decide to go back to university to study what they already know? The answer is this; to be even better at what they do. IT professionals, doctors, nurses and engineers go on development course all the time, so why should it be different for writers?

I think it's because writing is not seen as a profession. It's seen as art, something sacred that shouldn't be trifled with, because then it would be contaminated. This is a romantic, if not impractical view. If writers remained the same all their writing lives, you wouldn't buy their books, because their work would be stale. Writers need to be stretched, to be challenged and above all, to be continually inspired by the humanity they're surrounded with. The alternative is bubble gum literature which touches the soul but not the spirit. Urgh!

I really hope the university accepts my application. It's the only university in London that offers a full-time graduate course in Creative Writing that can be finished in one year. Even better is the fact that classes are twice a week, in the evening. Perfick!