Sefi Atta

I never wanted to be a writer; I just had stories I wanted to share so I learnt how to write and…

— Sefi Atta

I always begin [a novel] with outlines, but they change and so do my endings and beginnings.

— Sefi Atta

For all forms, writing dialogue is almost like writing music. I pay close attention to rhythms and tones.

— Sefi Atta

I get stage fright with short stories. For me it feels like standup comedy: kill or die. I'm more confident when I…

— Sefi Atta

I have to say that writing about my writing process is more daunting than writing non-fiction.

— Sefi Atta

“She says the lesson to learn is that the world is round, which means that if I run too fast I might…

— Sefi Atta

I'm addicted to writing.

— Sefi Atta

've had notebooks, but they are nondescript. All I care about is that they fit in my hand. I scribble down ideas.…

— Sefi Atta

What works for me is that I read widely and stay focused on my writing. I'm no longer concerned about what happens…

— Sefi Atta

“She drinks her Eva water. Their parents were taken down by cancer, heart attacks and strokes. Respectable diseases.”

— Sefi Atta

I don't remember being a keen reader, but apparently I was. My aunt told me that whenever I was teased for reading,…

— Sefi Atta

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…

— Sefi Atta

I don't write non-fiction because I get bored. Some of my writing is autobiographical, but not the way readers imagine. I use…

— Sefi Atta

I read Macbeth as a secondary student in Nigeria and it was like an African play to me. It had all the…

— Sefi Atta

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…

— Sefi Atta

I never wanted to be a writer; I just had stories I needed to tell.

— Sefi Atta

I had stopped writing plays set in villages because they were not relevant to my experiences and I knew my English classmates…

— Sefi Atta

At some point, practicality requires that you reach out to people in the business. You have to take care of business if…

— Sefi Atta

I'm disciplined about writing. I get up every day knowing I have to produce work. I'm less concerned about other aspects of…

— Sefi Atta

People don’t fear the wind until it fells a tree. Then, they say it’s too much.

— Sefi Atta

I can't say L'Etranger influenced me to write, but for the first time I considered the possibility of telling a story that…

— Sefi Atta

As a student in England, I studied French and English literature. I read L'Etranger and the rhythm of the novel felt familiar…

— Sefi Atta

I don't have much of an imagination, but I have a mind bank of details, which I play with. It's how I…

— Sefi Atta

I was my class playwright and I wrote plays set in villages with kings and chiefs.My plays were about treason and betrayals.…

— Sefi Atta

You don't need attention to write. All you need is passion for your work and an overwhelming desire to tell a story…

— Sefi Atta