Dedicated to Ztaoffy
She's the writer of the popular Nigerian book SS3 Again. She's also the proud winner of the WattNigeria mini contest for the category of best title award.
1) Your full name and little about you.
I'm Taofeeqah Adigun Oluwaseun by name but everyone calls me Tao. I'm a seventeen year old girl, a Nigerian obviously, an indigene of Osun state but I stay in Ekiti state and a Muslim. I write and I do calligraphy alot. Those are my talents. I love listening to Music because I read meaning to Music lyrics alot. I'm the last and only female child of my parents.
2) What's the inspiration behind your book?
Well, I found out things just happen but not always the way we planned them to. One might have everything in the world and still fail in one way or the other. I realized that after I failed an important subject in my WAEC and NECO exams. I had to retake my S.S.S. 3 class. The painful part was that I was one of the most brilliant students in my first S.S.S. 3 but still, I failed. I felt the urge to write to let people know it's okay to fail, fall and break down, but then, it's not the end because eventually, we'll rise, heal and overcome.
3) How did you find out about the Wattpad Nigeria awards?
I was searching for "Nigerian awards" that day when I saw it. I decided to check it out and boom! It paid off.
4) So many people are on Wattpad and they haven't gotten the audience they want and deserve what do you think can put a stop to this or reduce this?
Well, I think it's probably because they just started. If the book's really catchy and good, with time they'll get the audience they want. Then, they can share the links of their books to friends on WhatsApp, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook or any other social media for people to check it out. Sooner or later, the audience would surely increase. They should also nominate their books in awards, for judging. That way, books get popular and the writer gets more audience quickly.
5) Which author on Wattpad is your favourite African writer?
Yewande Joseph. She's an inspiration. Can you help tag her please? yewandejoseph Let her know a lot of people look up to her as their role model.
6) How did you discover Wattpad?
When I was in S.S.S. 2, my friends introduced me to a platform named Quotev. I checked it out but because it didn't have an app of it's own and I had to use data all the time to open it, I decided to search for other apps. From there, I found out Wattpad and I introduced it to my friends.
7) What motivated you to use SS3 AGAIN as the title for your book?
Well, that was the easiest thing that came to my mind. At first, I wanted to simply use the name of the school the protagonist attended. But then, I realized many Nigerian teen fictions on Wattpad already used names of schools as their titles. It felt cliché to me. So, I decided to make it rather catchy and easy to predict. One can easily tell what the book entails from the title.
8) What do you feel Nigerian writers can do to make the Wattpad community know us?
We can make more awareness, I guess. Awards, stories and other things done by Nigerian writers on Wattpad is enough to get us noticed by the Wattpad community. Well, if racism isn't involved, we'll surely get known very soon.
9) When you found out you won the award you entered for, what was your reaction?
I was really happy and a bit surprised. I was thinking they'd judge it as cliché but I guess I was wrong.
10) At what age did you discover your talent of writing?
I think 11 years old.
11) How long have you been writing?
Not long ago. Probably two years back.
12) What do you love most about writing?
My cousin do tell me that "home is where the heart is". Whenever I write, I feel like I'm home. Inspirations just always come out of nowhere and it makes me wile away time. Then, it helps improve my vocabulary.
13) Describe yourself using a word?
Emotional, Lol.
14) What do you have to say to the hosts of Wattpad Nigeria awards?
Thank you so much for bringing up this award. The award has brought about so many opportunities for people to get known and to appreciate and improve their works. Judging books make us realise our mistakes and also helps to improve our writing skills. It also helps to increase the writers' number of audience. Thank you so much for giving us the opportunity. It's an honour having to do this interview, for real. God bless you.
Congratulation!
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