1. Write down what you see: whenever I step out of the house, I write down the little things that trigger my interest. This is a good habit, because you never know when you need to pull out something miraculous out of your hat. If you see an interesting car, write down detailed descriptions of it. If you see a beggar acting in a peculiar manner, jot it down. These little notes will eventually help you squeeze out of entrapments.
2. Observe people: you can find a story, anywhere. People are the biggest source of drama, or comedy. Watch people, look at how they act. You can tell when someone feels uncomfortable, or when they are at home in the world. The more you observe people, the better your understanding of human beings will become. Observation will give you an outsider’s point of view. Instead of finding every little characteristic from within, you borrow from the people you observe.
3. Use your imagination: there’s nothing more powerful than the imagination. Use it to add to the things you see. If you see a couple fighting, grab hold of that idea and try to come up with an assumption of who caused the fight. Try to get to the root of their problem without being directly involved. In this case, your imagination will create the story from a small fight. Your imagination will give you a broad range of circumstances to add to your stories when you feel stuck.
4. Listen: listen, listen, listen…listening can be of great use to a writer, because people have the most absurd conversations at times. Listen to every sound. Try to hear the beating of your heart if you have the time. Let your ears work for you. The more in touch you are with your listening skills, the more your characters will speak to you and guide you in the right direction.
5. Feed on your memories: childhood memories are more than enough to write a dozen stories. The best use for them is to write the opposite of what actually happened, in order to give them a more impersonal feeling for the writer, and more drama for the reader. Remember little moments from your life and write them down. Let your past become bedrock for new literary adventures.
6. BONUS: one exercise that I find useful, is listening to music. Find one CD that you can relax to. Listen to the CD while you write. And stop writing only when the CD comes to an end.
I was born in Niamey, Niger. But in my mother’s culture, you’re from where your parents are from. So in that respect I’m from Benin. I spent maybe a year or two in Niger before we moved to Cotonou, Benin. I quickly learned Fon at home and French in school. We lived in a compound with five other families for eight years until my mother moved to the United States. I lived with my aunt Mireille for a year during that time in Djougou in the northern part of Benin, and learned a lot about the Muslim population of the country, as well as their language. My two brothers and I, along with our uncle, later joined my mother in the United States.