Wole Adedoyin interviews Alimat Taiwo Sulaiman: Crafting Captivating Stories to Connect with Children and Teach Them Valuable Lessons is My Passion

WA: TELL US ALL ABOUT YOUR WRITING BACKGROUND- WHAT YOU’VE WRITTEN, WHAT YOU’RE CURRENTLY WRITING?
ALIMAT: I am Alimat Taiwo Sulaiman. A political scientist, writer- author of many children's fiction and children's educational books. I have contributed extensively to the world of writing with rare publications for children as young as two years of age. I am the author of 'The Foster Child', 'Triplet Moonlight Tales', 'Once upon a Time', and 'Bat-Vip-& Bil'. I was a face in many broadcasting outlets like the Oyo State National Television and Kwara State National Television et al in the early 2020's

WA: WHAT EXCITES YOU ABOUT A PIECE OF WRITING?
ALIMAT: I started writing as a teenager to inspire the love of learning and reading in children. I love connecting with children through writing appealing stories that can teach them new things. I started early, scribbling word by word, creating stories out of my experience and aspirations. Writing excites me when it allows me to release my emotions knowing from the writing that my pains are not peculiar to me alone through ink.

WA:  WHO ARE YOUR FAVOURITE WRITERS AND WHY?
ALIMAT: When I was a teenager, my favourite authors were 'Prof. Whole Soyinka' and the late 'Chinua Achebe' because they were my first encounters in real literature. More recently, it'd be Chimamanda Adiche and Buchi Emecheta. I love Nigerian writers.

WA: WHAT ADVICE WOULD YOU GIVE TO A NEW WRITER STARTING OUT?
ALIMAT: Keep writing every little thing that comes to your mind. Go back to it and read it. Ask yourself if it is any good. Rewrite until the feeling of dissatisfaction goes away. Also, find writer friends to support you and that can include people who teach writing. Focus on writing for yourself. If your principal goal is to please other people, you’ll end up in a mess. Push yourself in directions that satisfy you, or it won’t work.

WA: WHAT INSPIRES YOU TO WRITE?
ALIMAT: I grew up with remarkable painful and emotional experiences. Remembering my yesteryears often ignites my imaginations, leading to new stories and new worlds to explore.

WA: DO YOU HAVE A WRITING ROUTINE? A PLACE THAT’S SPECIAL?
ALIMAT: No! I don't. I write anywhere, anytime. Even in my toilet and wherever the muse finds me

WA: HOW, WHEN AND WHY DID YOU FIRST START WRITING?
ALIMAT: On a day in 2007, I woke with the zeal to pursue one of my childhood dreams to become a writer and published author. I have loved writing and debating from my early years but I felt the need to write a book for the very first time and it was a feeling of urgency and wouldn’t let go until I succumbed. That year, I found my calling.  That vision was more real than any dream I've ever had in my life. I can still remember the feelings- I wrote 'The Foster Child', my first book as a teenager (I was sixteen). My effort wasn't recognized by the important people in my life and the manuscript was shelved till 2011. I became self-published immediately I gained admission into the university. It was a good experience. I won't lie. The second time I found a calling was when I started teaching, I own a ground in the Nigerian teaching space.
I have many shelved manuscripts and below are my published children books title
1. The Foster Child
2. Once Upon A Time
3. Triplet Moonlight Tales
4. Bat, Vip and Bil
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Bat, Vip and Bil is a lovely book for children ages 3-5. It is written in short sentences with two and three letter words.

WA: WHAT WAS THE FIRST PIECE YOU EVER HAD PUBLISHED?
ALIMAT: 'The Foster Child' was my first publication. I wrote it as a pure fiction addressing the issue of foster children in Nigeria

WA: DO YOU ADDRESS PARTICULAR THEMES OR ISSUES IN YOUR WRITING?
ALIMAT: I focus on African women loneliness and children isolation

WA: HOW DID YOU FEEL WHEN YOU FIRST STARTED SENDING YOUR WRITING OUT INTO THE WORLD?
ALIMAT: Hopeful and excited. Everything paid off and it proved to me that it’s best to get up and the needful.

WA: WHERE DO YOU GET YOUR IDEAS FROM?
ALIMAT: Sometimes it's difficult to find the right inspiration but most often I'm stocked up with emotions that gives me great ideas

WA: HOW DID YOU GET YOUR PUBLISHER?
ALIMAT: I engage in Self-publication. I act as the publisher, and hire the help I need to publish and sell my work, most often through major retailers.

WA: TELL US WHAT KIND OF RESPONSES YOU GET FROM AUDIENCES\ERS.
ALIMAT: Productive responses

WA: HOW CAN PEOPLE FIND OUT MORE ABOUT YOU?
ALIMAT: My writings deeply tell my audience who I am. I encourage my audience to read more of my writings

WA: TIPS, TRICKS, THINGS TO PASS ON TO DEDICATED WRITE?
ALIMAT: Keep writing every little thing that comes to your mind. Go back to it and read it. Ask yourself if it is any good. Rewrite until the feeling of dissatisfaction goes away. Also, find writer friends to support you and that can include people who teach writing. Focus on writing for yourself. If your principal goal is to please other people, you’ll end up in a mess. Push yourself in directions that satisfy you, or it won’t work.

WA: ANY TYPICAL/COMMON MISTAKES THAT NEW WRITERS TEND TO MAKE?
ALIMAT: Upcoming writers have this frustrating habit of quitting before they start. I hear it most often. They’ll say, “I suck at writing this genre or that one,” even though they’ve written just one or two stories or poems in their entire life. As a writer, I’ve noticed that — writers burden themselves with the expectation of producing a publishable novel on their first attempt.
Writing can be an innate talent, but it’s also a skill that must be cultivated through deliberate practice, patience, and perseverance.

WA:  WHICH OF YOUR BOOKS WERE THE MOST ENJOYABLE TO WRITE?
ALIMAT: Interesting question. I wrote a novella which is about my life as a lady and the things that I went through when I was in the university and none of them are really about fun or pleasant topics. It's about my being stuck in a four years journey with my sister I didn't get along with... Falling in love with the wrong guy in my final year who stole my chastity. so, all  those two topics are not necessarily memories that I look back on with fondness, but I would say that they're all experiences that I learned something from. That's probably why I chose to write about those stories from my life. I don't know if I would describe them as enjoyable experiences to write about, but at the same time I enjoy taking my character, Rakiya, and kind of going back into her head and trying to figure out what kinds of things she struggled with. Who did she think she was?  Did she feel isolated or alone or different? And then I get to write and draw her puzzling through those experiences but coming out the other side.

WA: TELL US ABOUT YOUR FIRST PUBLISHED BOOK? WHAT WAS THE JOURNEY LIKE?
ALIMAT: The journey of publishing my first book was a remarkable and a challenging adventure, it was marked by highs, lows, and moments of profound self-discovery. From the initial spark of the idea to holding my published book in my hands, the road I took to become a published author was a unique odyssey.  I ventured into the realm of self-publishing and it was complex for me.

WA: WHAT IS THE KEY THEME AND/OR MESSAGE IN THE BOOK?
ALIMAT: Love and compassion for children

WA: WHERE CAN WE FIND YOU ONLINE?
ALIMAT: I spend almost all my social media time on Facebook and I go by the name 'Alimat Taiwo Sulaiman'

Alimat Taiwo Sulaiman, a political scientist and writer, has penned numerous children's fiction and educational books, making significant contributions to the literary world. Her works cater to children as young as two years old, offering rare publications tailored to their developmental needs. Alimat is the creative mind behind acclaimed titles such as 'The Foster Child,' 'Triplet Moonlight Tales,' 'Once upon a Time,' and 'Bat-Vip-& Bil.' During the early 2020s, she was a familiar figure on various broadcasting platforms, including Oyo State National Television and Kwara State National Television, among others. In this interview with Wole Adedoyin, she talks about her works and her passion for writing.