I get stage fright with short stories. For me it feels like standup comedy: kill or die. I'm more confident when I begin a novel because I know I have space to fail. — Sefi Atta Copy Share Image
I never wanted to be a writer; I just had stories I wanted to share so I learnt how to write and kept going.… — Sefi Atta Copy Share
I always begin [a novel] with outlines, but they change and so do my endings and beginnings. — Sefi Atta Copy Share
For all forms, writing dialogue is almost like writing music. I pay close attention to rhythms and tones. — Sefi Atta Copy Share
I get stage fright with short stories. For me it feels like standup comedy: kill or die. I'm more confident when I begin a… — Sefi Atta Copy Share
I have to say that writing about my writing process is more daunting than writing non-fiction. — Sefi Atta Copy Share
“She says the lesson to learn is that the world is round, which means that if I run too fast I might end up… — Sefi Atta Copy Share
've had notebooks, but they are nondescript. All I care about is that they fit in my hand. I scribble down ideas. The problem… — Sefi Atta Copy Share
What works for me is that I read widely and stay focused on my writing. I'm no longer concerned about what happens in the… — Sefi Atta Copy Share
“She drinks her Eva water. Their parents were taken down by cancer, heart attacks and strokes. Respectable diseases.” — Sefi Atta Copy Share
I don't remember being a keen reader, but apparently I was. My aunt told me that whenever I was teased for reading, I would… — Sefi Atta Copy Share
I don't have a schedule, but I can write for hours non-stop. If I'm drafting a book, I try and do a chapter a… — Sefi Atta Copy Share
I don't write non-fiction because I get bored. Some of my writing is autobiographical, but not the way readers imagine. I use my memory… — Sefi Atta Copy Share
I read Macbeth as a secondary student in Nigeria and it was like an African play to me. It had all the right elements… — Sefi Atta Copy Share
I'm always working on something new and while I'm working, I'm absorbed with my characters, their conflicts,my language and settings. I'm in another place… — Sefi Atta Copy Share
