Vicky Bon Uzuazor is an upcoming screenwriter and a storyteller. According to her, she has been writing stories almost all her life. Vicky as she is fondly addressed combines her career with family, when she isn’t busy writing, she is dotting on her 10 months old son and other side hustles.
In this interview with The Next Edition, she talks about the challenges of being a writer, and the reason writers are underpaid in Nollywood.
TNE : How long have you been writing and is it something you always wanted to do?
I started writing when I was in JSS2. I think I was 12 or 13 years of age then. After I had read Buchi Emecheta’s Joys of motherhood, I realized that I had written a collection of stories somewhere. I decided to go through my collections of stories, and despite the flaws, I still felt this joy and passion whenever I was writing my stories.
TNE : You are quite known for your fictional stories, what inspired you to write these stories?
I get inspired to write when I watch movies. I love to rewrite stories and twist them in my own way. It’s simply what I love to do. I think a lot, and most times when I’m alone, I get lots of ideas in my head. I write these storytelling ideas down and expand them.
TNE : I have read some of your books and anybody who has done same will agree with me that your stories are deeply African, why did you choose this route?
It is because I am African. Nigerian to be precise. I have also read lots of African stories written and not written by African writers too, and I have also written American fictions. I must say, you have to be belong to a continent to be able to tell a deeply rooted story from that continent excellently.
You must write an African story so perfectly well that, someone who hasn’t been here before can perceive and feel the mood of the story. I am passionate about African stories.
TNE : Your most recent work as a screen writer was for the movie “The List.” Can you talk about that story and its genesis?
When the producer called me and said she wanted me to write the script for the movie, I wasn’t sure if I would. I detest writing boring stories. When she sent the synopsis to my mail, I loved the story at first sight. I was already putting the characters together in my head before I even thought of penning them down.
“The list” is one of the most interesting scripts I’d ever written. It took me back home, where some traditions were made.‘The list’ wasn’t the name the producer thought of at first. I think we titled it, ‘Bride Price’ or something.
The movie is just amazing, and I felt it would have been more widely viewed if it had stayed a bit longer in a cinema. The story and the narrative was just perfect for the characters. I enjoyed writing the script.
TNE : What has it been like to venture into the Nollywood life? Have you been involved with the shooting of any of the movies?
I had been on set of a few movies back in 2016. And I was opportune to work with a few movie personalities. To be a part of Nollywood has been my dream, of course. But I just want to be behind the cameras. Write. Produce. Direct. Make the damn money and continue. Nollywood is in the future for me, and the future is now. I am ready.
TNE : Do you have a genre that you prefer to write on? Can you tell us why?
I love to write Christian stories. It draws my readers closer to God.
I love romance fictions. I have written over twenty of them, and it feels so good creating emotions that thrills my readers.
African romance fiction has just been what I am most passionate about because we are in a country were these things are hardly felt. The heat is too much.
So, I always want my readers, despite a bad day, would fix their eyes on my book and see that love and bond between two characters I create for them to relish. I make them believe all the warm wonderful and wild things in a fantasy love story book. It makes me happy.
TNE : Who are the writers that have influenced you and why?
I love Ms Ngozi Adichie. I mean, every Nigerian writer or aspiring should! I love the late Buchi Emecheta, I think I met her at a time at Farafina workshop in 2009 or thereabout. I remember how I cried when I hugged her. These women made writing beautiful. They’ve made African fictions to be recognized worldwide, and they tell these stories so beautifully and unforgettable. A good writer tells Stories that readers never forget.
I love Wole Soyinka too. I love Ms Adebami, the writer of ‘Stay With Me’. She is fantastic. Amazing. These people inspire me a lot.
TNE : Being in this industry, stories keep evolving, good writers are springing up, how have you gone about improving your writing craft?
I attend creative writing workshops every year, at least, twice in a year.
I am definitely going to study pure literature in English this year, it’s what I have always wanted. I want to be better. Everyday, I make mistakes in our writings, I have to be better. I need more knowledge, I want to be a brilliant storyteller.
TNE : What is the most challenging aspect of writing for you and how have you overcome that challenge?
I have a family. I have a baby. It hasn’t been easy. I work for africanfictions.com. A story blog that should be posting stories daily.
I have to write everyday. It doesn’t matter if I have other things doing, writing is the most important thing to me right now. And the day I fail to write, I miss a line or too. I try so hard to handle both my son and writing. When he is sleeping, I am writing. When he is awake, I am not. I have to make him food, bathe him, cuddle him, play with him when he crawls around me and tries to eat my legs. I have to be a mom one minute, and the next minute I am thinking of the last thing my character did in my story, and what he or she is going to do next. It hasn’t been easy, but of course, we go dey alright las! las!
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TNE : Do you have a writing routine?
I write mostly at night, I sleep in the day. I take a long siesta along with my son. I follow his schedule in the day, and at night while he is sleeping, I am awake, writing.
TNE : How do you come up with your ideas?
Through conversations with friends. ‘Gist.’ I rewrite stories, get another name for my character. Recreate my character and then get it done. It’s not easy at all, but trust me, when you’re passionate about something, then done! Just be determined. I am a passionate writer, I get my ideas from imaginations and many things, then I pen them down at night.
TNE : What intrigues you the most about writing and storytelling? Characterization? Plot?
Plot. A plot of a story intrigues me.
I create my characters from a ‘whole, big and interesting story’ and that’s it. A plot should be powerful enough to tell an unforgettable story.
TNE : You’ve clearly grown as a writer over the years. What do you know now that you didn’t know when you started out?
I didn’t know that you would have to write for a very long time and yet, still be known as an aspiring writer. Haha!
When Chimamanda said she started writing at 8 or so, I was like, ‘and you just got popular?’ As a teenager, her first book, she said she laughs so hard when she reads them, she couldn’t even believe she wrote something that horrible.
So you see? As you write, you learn, grow and become known for being a brilliant writer.
TNE : In Nigeria, Scriptwriters are not really appreciated in terms of monetary value for their work, why do you think this is happening?
Frankly, I don’t know. I know some script writers who earn over a million naira for a movie script. I won’t mention their names, but I know them. They earn even more for TV series. And the rest of us who are still coming up, are still going through the tough time of getting good pay.
This thing isn’t easy at all. Storytellers, script writers are not appreciated much in this part of the world, that is why you see Nigerians who are writers that lived overseas, make it faster than us who live here. We find it hard to appreciate literature and it beauty.
And when you call money, a typical Nigerian producer tells you, ‘you’re all about money.’ I do not belong to this class anymore.
TNE : What are your favourite Tv shows and movies right now?
I love scandal the series. My favorite character, Olivia Pope, is still in my head. The writer and executive producer of this series Shonda Rhimes is my favorite script writer. She is a god. I love her creativity. I am not really freaked about TV shows. I am a fan of Game of thrones.I am a fan of Power series.
These are arts!
TNE : If you could give one piece of advice to aspiring screenwriters, what would it be?
Write everyday of your life.
Write because you love it.
Write for the passion for first.
Don’t think of money yet. Just write, perfect it, write!
TNE : How do you deal with people who steal your work ?
I cry. I insult them and cry. I get angry. I get aggressive. I report their accounts to Facebook, or call them out and let my friends abuse them. I am not coolheaded when it comes to this. Plagiarism in Nigeria is common, and no matter how hard you try, these thieves that steal our arts never stop. We must find a way, and one day, this will end.
TNE : What can we expect from you next?
More stories. More stories….
