‘A man’s gift maketh room for him, and bringeth him before great men.’ (Proverbs 18:16, KJV)

Every one who is created in God’s image and likeness has got at least one gift; but, we realize that people trade these gifts differently. They are God-given alright, but they need to be honed (cultivated). Identifying your gift and being passionate about it is not enough; please make welcome today’s guest (ALEXANDRA ZION) as she tells us more about this.

1NEBODY: Could you do a brief introduction of yourself?

AZ:  Alexandra Omogbadegun is my birth name, while my pen name (writing name) is Alexandra Zion. I am a graduate of English Language from Covenant University. I guess I could also introduce myself as an introvert (laughs) and yes, I am a full-time writer.

1NEBODY: Let’s start with your introverted nature, did it get you into writing?

AZ: I would say, yes, it played a major role.

1NEBODY: So, what else did and at what stage did you discover the gift of writing?

AZ: Well, I can’t really place a hand on how I discovered it but I read a lot as a child and I still do. I started writing at age 9. My mum was very instrumental in buying me books, making me read stories and all that. After reading these books and stories, I realized I couldn’t just read and let go.

1NEBODY: That’s interesting. Is it the ‘this should have had a better twist’ feeling?

AZ: Exactly but not just that, I wanted to write the kind of stories I read. I wanted to be the one writing books and having others read too. As I grew older, writing became a kind of solace for me and I wrote about anything and everything. I found it really exciting plus it’s such a beautiful feeling. Again, my introverted nature helped me to develop my skills, I could stay indoors for several hours just reading and writing.

1NEBODY: Wow! I’m beginning to feel like I haven’t started at reading at all?

AZ: Laughs, you know we could have different reading rates but I think the most important thing is that you read, no matter what. Not for passing time, but reading to develop yourself. Like I said when introducing myself, I see myself as a full time writer because there is hardly a writing break for me. It has become an integral part of my life. Just like breathing. I breathe full time, so I also write full time.

1NEBODY: Interesting, I like the breathing analogy. As we try to wrap up  this first part, what would you say to someone who wants to develop the art of writing?

AZ: Hmmm, developing the art of writing is basically summed up in two words: READ.WRITE.

1NEBODY: (Laughs) that’s it? I thought you were going to say something really easy.

AZ: Well, that’s as easy as it can get. You can’t learn to write without reading what others have written. You need to be a voracious reader. You must READ like books were made for you alone and WRITE like there are no books in the world.

1NEBODY:  Wow! I am not sure I have heard that line before so it’s safe to allude it as yours. Alexandra Zion (2018) says, ‘Read like books were made for you alone and write like there are no books in the world’

You’ve definitely picked one or two lessons, please be sure to join us for the concluding part of this chat in another Showcase Edition. From AZ and the entire crew, God bless you!

*Image: Sourced here