You must have heard me say that I’m a writing evangelist of some sort, and I do my best to win as many converts as possible. I think failing to document your experiences is a terrible waste we should all avoid. So, anytime I see someone around me speaking about their plans for a book, my joy knows no bounds. 

That was how I felt in January 2024 when one of my younger journalist friends, Tomi Falade, invited me to something she described as a book party. I got an e-invite in my WhatsApp, and the following words accompanied it: “Good afternoon. Please save the date for me as I host a book party for the launch of my first two books. Thank you.”  The invitation came just about two weeks before the event, and I had a lot on my plate, but I had to be at Tomi’s event, and it was such a joy. She presented two books on the said date, but one of them, the collection of short stories, is the inspiration for this piece. It’s called Dates from Hell.

When I got into a conversation with this author, who is, by the way, releasing her third book soon, I realised that this book was founded on a simple premise. It was based on the everyday stories that people tell about their relationships. In fact, some of the subjects of the stories in the book were, as we would learn, sitting with us in the room that day. The writer borrowed some elements of fiction, though, which may even make it difficult for some of these people to recognise their own stories. My point is that she had the presence of mind to turn a normal everyday gist that she had encountered into a phenomenal book with which most readers could relate. Let’s do a brief recount of one of the stories in the book, so you can see what I mean.

A university student who had resigned herself to receiving no Valentine’s Day gifts watched all her friends enjoy cakes, chocolates, flowers, and other presents while she got nothing. Just when she had accepted her fate, a recent admirer named Victor called to profess his love and promised to bring her “all the things” he had bought for her for Valentine’s Day. Excited by the prospect of finally having a memorable Valentine’s experience, she spent the evening performing with her church dance group at a neighbouring campus, while eagerly anticipating his arrival and imagining the elaborate gifts awaiting her.

But the evening seemed jinxed. Her church programme dragged on for too long, the vehicle broke down on their way back, and then a very heavy downpour caused a long delay in their trip back. All this while, Victor called to check on her whereabouts, showing so much care and concern. When she finally got back at a few minutes before 10 pm, he was waiting by the gate of her house. She even became more astonished by his dedication. And then, Victor asked that they spend the night together in his place. He had, after all, brought her Valentine gifts, and she should also be ready to “make him happy”. She was disgusted that Victor’s generosity was not altruistic and walked away. When she got into her room, the gift from the guy was a bottle of LaCasera soft drink and a loaf of sliced bread. She was embarrassed by the manipulative intentions behind the gifts.

Excerpts from another story titled, She Wanted Breakfast the Next Day, read as follows: … After the drinks arrived, it took another 20 minutes for the fish to arrive. When it did, she devoured hers even before I had gone through half of mine. I was feeling the whole vibe at the table, and because I liked the fact that she was getting comfortable, I invited her to join me in eating mine. To my surprise, she said, “The fish was even tasteless, I just didn’t want it to go to waste.” Funnily enough, she made this comment while dipping her spoon into my fish pepper soup bowl. Before I could muster a response, Dave beat me to it and said, “The fish is tasteless, but all that you left in your bowl are fish bones…” The lady would eventually demand nearly everything possible, including her breakfast for the next day, from this guy she was meeting for the first time!

What I am saying, in essence, is that everything you encounter daily can be a source of inspiration for your book. That akara seller at your bus stop, the barber who demands a certain amount for putting on the generator for a customer and turns it off for anyone who would not pay the extra amount, Abu, your office gateman, and Alake, the earnest dry cleaner, could all be the inspiration you need for your next story once you are careful enough to pay attention. The possibilities are endless. You should get Dates from Hell by Tomi Falade for some inspiration, by the way. You’ll thank me that you did.

Have a great week.

Your Everyday Experiences Can Be a Banger!

You must have heard me say that I’m a writing evangelist of some sort, and I hope to do my best to win as many converts as possible. I think that failing to document your experiences is a terrible waste we should all avoid. So, anytime I see someone around me speaking about their plans for a book, my joy knows no bounds. 

That was how I felt in January 2024 when one of my younger journalist friends, Tomi Falade, invited me to something she described as a book party. I got an e-invite in my WhatsApp, and the following words accompanied it: “Good afternoon. Please save the date for me as I host a book party for the launch of my first two books. Thank you.”  The invitation came just about two weeks before the event, and I had a lot on my plate, but I had to be at Tomi’s event, and it was such a joy. She presented two books on the said date, but one of them, the collection of short stories, is the inspiration for this piece. It’s called Dates from Hell.

When I got into a conversation with this author, who is, by the way, releasing her third book soon, I realised that this book was founded on a simple premise. It was based on the everyday stories that people tell about their relationships. In fact, some of the subjects of the stories in the book were, as we would learn, sitting with us in the room that day. The writer borrowed some elements of fiction, though, which may even make it difficult for some of these people to recognise their own stories. My point is that she had the presence of mind to turn a normal everyday gist that she had encountered into a phenomenal book with which most readers could relate. Let’s do a brief recount of one of the stories in the book, so you can see what I mean.

A university student who had resigned herself to receiving no Valentine’s Day gifts watched all her friends enjoy cakes, chocolates, flowers, and other presents while she got nothing. Just when she had accepted her fate, a recent admirer named Victor called to profess his love and promised to bring her “all the things” he had bought for her for Valentine’s Day. Excited by the prospect of finally having a memorable Valentine’s experience, she spent the evening performing with her church dance group at a neighbouring campus, while eagerly anticipating his arrival and imagining the elaborate gifts awaiting her.

But the evening seemed jinxed. Her church programme dragged on for too long, the vehicle broke down on their way back, and then a very heavy downpour caused a long delay in their trip back. All this while, Victor called to check on her whereabouts, showing so much care and concern. When she finally got back at a few minutes before 10 pm, he was waiting by the gate of her house. She even became more astonished by his dedication. And then, Victor asked that they spend the night together in his place. He had, after all, brought her Valentine gifts, and she should also be ready to “make him happy”. She was disgusted that Victor’s generosity was not altruistic and walked away. When she got into her room, the gift from the guy was a bottle of LaCasera soft drink and a loaf of sliced bread. She was embarrassed by the manipulative intentions behind the gifts.

Excerpts from another story titled, She Wanted Breakfast the Next Day, read as follows: … After the drinks arrived, it took another 20 minutes for the fish to arrive. When it did, she devoured hers even before I had gone through half of mine. I was feeling the whole vibe at the table, and because I liked the fact that she was getting comfortable, I invited her to join me in eating mine. To my surprise, she said, “The fish was even tasteless, I just didn’t want it to go to waste.” Funnily enough, she made this comment while dipping her spoon into my fish pepper soup bowl. Before I could muster a response, Dave beat me to it and said, “The fish is tasteless, but all that you left in your bowl are fish bones…” The lady would eventually demand nearly everything possible, including her breakfast for the next day, from this guy she was meeting for the first time!

What I am saying, in essence, is that everything you encounter daily can be a source of inspiration for your book. That akara seller at your bus stop, the barber who demands a certain amount for putting on the generator for a customer and turns it off for anyone who would not pay the extra amount, Abu, your office gateman, and Alake the earnest dry cleaner, could all be the inspiration you need for your next story once you are careful enough to pay attention. The possibilities are endless. You should get Dates from Hell by Tomi Falade for some inspiration, by the way. You’ll thank me that you did.

Have a great week.

You can buy my book, Every Journalist Should Write a Book, here.

Niran Adedokun,

Writer | Communications Strategist | Book Strategist | Author of Every Journalist Should Write a Book