The Writer’s Subservience to their Creation: A Conversation with Hajaarh Muhammaad Bashar

Hajaarh Muhammaad Bashar is a writer from Minna, Niger state, Nigeria. She holds a degree from Al-Hikmah University Ilorin, Nigeria. Her works have appeared in Gold dust Magazine, Art-muse fair, Voice of the aspirants anthology, Art and Nature anthology of Free poetic Universe, Late night blues anthology of PIN poetry chapbook series, SETU’Mar19 anthology and other literary sites. She emerged the winner of the weekly poetry planet contest themed ‘Coffee’. She was both shortlisted and longlisted for the JB Afenfia flash fiction and poetry contest 2018. She was also longlisted for the Syncity Anniversary anthology prize 2019. Hajaarh was a participant of the Art-muse fair creative writing workshop 2018 and the MinnaBaf workshop for Nonfiction 2018. She emerged the first runner up in the Sevhage short story prize and the second runner up in the Poetically Written prose contest 2019 respectively. Her creative nonfiction was recently Published in Weight of Years Anthology of creative nonfiction 2020. Her nonfiction story is also forthcoming in Isele Magazine.

In this conversation, our interviews lead, Ayobami Kayode engages her on everything writing where she talks about her inspirations, the irony of characters dictating their stories themselves, challenges in writing, writer’s block and much more.

The first time I saw your work I was quite amazed by the level of creativity embedded in it. Sadly, I can’t recall what the work was about, but the awe I felt has since stayed with me. I turned a fan immediately and started following your works. So how did this amazing creative writing ability come to be?

Well, I’m not sure how to answer this question. From my perfective, creativity does not come to be, it manifests from within us. It is something that has been in us, a skill pushed forth, honed and continuously perfected. Therefore, when I realized my ability to write and put it to practice, I tried to keep shaping it by reading and relentless practice to perfect the craft.

I think I’ve to agree with you that we are all innately creative. We just have to find a way to make it known to the world.
Tell me, how and when did it start for you?

“I started scribbling stories with village settings when I was in secondary school”

Mine started a long time. I loved reading and listening to my mother tell me stories and she was quite good at it. Every night was a new session of folktales and folklores and being the first child, I was lucky to be the only one who had that. I got drawn to the mysteries of each story she told. Of course, a curious mind often wishes to quench its curiosity thereby going deep to search and end up creating things out of imagination.

I started scribbling stories with village settings when I was in secondary school which mere mostly on igbos. I loved igbo settings and it could be because I consumed most of them - those by Nani boy, Amos Tutuola, Chinua Achebe and so on. But I didn’t go deep into writing as at then. I was in science class and I dreamt of being a scientist. I started writing again after I graduated the University in 2016 as a microbiologist. That was when I got deep into writing. My first stories were Apple of my eyes, and Tears of Regret before I ventured into poetry too.

I can relate well with the folklore, moon light tales told by our parents and elderly ones. And it’s one of the things that brightened us up morally. Today’s generation kids have little or no grace of that. Everything has turned digital now.

So, the official journey started in 2016. I've always thought otherwise. You write poetry. You write prose. Which of these is your favorite?

Prose definitely.

I love to go deep into things, create a world out of nothing, breathe into characters and walk with them to the end of their story.

Does this mean poetry comes not even a metre close?

“Prose is a desert that I wish to continuously explore.”

Poetry is a life of its own and can go deep too, relating to humanity and all. However, prose is a desert to me that I wish to continuously explore.

What informs your stories and poetry? Where do your ideas come from?

“I manipulate reality into fictions and make them factions.”

I get my ideas from societal issues. My novel manuscripts are literary fictions based on contemporary issues. Some of which I embed history into. In other words, I manipulate reality into fictions and make them factions. Although, I also write speculative fictions focusing on deep Gbagyi historical beliefs and myths. The idea of my recent work came from a news I watched. I set the novel around it and maneuvered the idea to suit the period of the setting.

Recent work? The one coming up on Isele magazine, or?

No. I mean the manuscript I am working on. The one coming on Isele is a nonfiction. I switch between fictions and creative nonfictions now and then.

It sounds promising. Just a news triggered the manuscript. Isn’t that amazing? It shows you’re conscious of your surroundings.

Do you think someone could be a good writer when they are less conscious of things going on around them?

“How can a writer make their characters feel real if they are less conscious of things around them?”

No. Writing requires all senses on alert. Even if what you write is fictional, it has to be believable and in other for it to be believable, the characters must come out real. How can a writer make their characters feel real if they are less conscious of things around them? The little things around them could bring their characters to life. Let’s say siblings personality for instance or an ongoing battle in the neighboring house, the writer examines them, how they behave, their reception of situations, display of emotions and so on, then shape the characters depending on what that specific character is meant to appear. You can also write a fictional story by building it from a chunk of your own personal life. The characters could be fictional but the situation of the characters would feel real and relatable to readers.

“What goes on around a writer constitutes the life they can spin into writing.”

Which is why researching is an intregal aspect of writing. It is important to know what you are writing and do it in the best of ways. The moment the writing leaves your hands, it’s no longer yours but for the readers. And good writing needs to have characters that feel alive.

Even though writers are secluded beings and often write away from people, they go out once a while to study people, breathe within them and save it in their memories. Some writers write best within people. So, it is important to open the mind and be conscious of every little things as a writer.

This is quite educating.
It’s a take home for me and for every writer reading this. We all need to be environmentally conscious, writers and non-writers alike.

I'm sure you have authors as friends. Do they help you in any way become a better writer?

Yes I do. And they do help in vast ways. When I need light on something even after searching on the net, I ask my friends on their opinions and how they approach that specific thing. Abubakar Adam Ibrahim had help open my mind to many things. I consider him my mentor. He told me to always remember that if writing comes too easy to me then I am doing it the wrong way. His words put me on the path of going deeper into writing. He also told me to walk with my characters and never force them my way. As soon as I realize the characters have come to life, I should follow them to wherever they go. It is harder than it sounds but it works. Before the pandemic took a toll on our minds, I have had discussions on writing with Hussaini Abdulrahman. Also, friends like Peter Ifeanyichukwu Eze, Kelechi Obinna Obioma, and few others have helped me improve a lot with their scrutinies and evaluations. Even those that are yet to be published. We open our minds to various topics and discuss them. We go deep into the crux of writing too. The same goes with my friend Abduljalal Musa Aliyu and so on.

I know some of these friends. You’re lucky to have them. As I’m sure they’re too.

So, let’s talk about writer’s block. Do you consider it a myth? Or is it real?

“I do not feel writer’s block. If I feel my brain is clogged, I take a rest, go strolling and engage in something before I get back to writing.”

Wel, this is so debatable and it is still a hot topic of discussion by lots of writers.

Writers' block may or may not exist. Many writers especially the up and coming ones misunderstand it. Most think their laziness and procrastination is writers' block. Others think lack of idea is writers' block. There are many other things lumped with writers' block. For me, it doesn’t exist.

I do not feel writers' block. If I feel my brain is clogged, I take a rest, go strolling and engage in something before I get back to writing. Procrastination is nothing close to writers' block. People become what they believe in. So those experiencing it do so because they believe in its existence.

As a writer, what are the challenges you’ve faced or you’ve been facing regarding your art? These challenges, do they weigh you down?

“Once the characters come to live, you’d have to follow them which means continuous change in the actual idea.”

There are many challenges I have faced. Writing is not an easy task. It’s very challenging depending on how deep one goes into it. Because I focus on novel manuscripts, it’s harder. Creating ideas and changing them as the story unfolds. Mostly, outlines never really works. Once the characters come to live, you’d have to follow them which means continuous change in the actual idea. It’s hard to keep up with the same pace as started.

Sometimes, it takes days to know which directly to follow and most times you just can’t force it. Still, pieces of the ideas can be scribbled and connected from time to time. When one place doesn’t work, you jump to another and come back to it later. It’s still not easy, could be very frustrating. Writing requires relentless determination and persistence. Those are what weigh me down most times.

Writing isn’t for the feint of heart indeed. To cap this engaging interaction, Hajaarh, what would you give up to become a better writer than you are?

“For a girl whose life is filled with silence, writing is my noise.”

There is nothing to give up. Writing is all I have. It is what keeps me going in this insane world. For a girl whose life is filled with silence, writing is my noise.

Amazing!
We hope to see light from your creativity. We hope to see this light illuminating the nooks and crannies of this literary world and beyond.

Thank you, I appreciate. This was an interesting conversation, looking forward to more of it in the future.

Read our last interview with Nigerian poet, Awodiya Funke here.

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Ayobami Kayode Tijani Ahmad is a poet and a third year literature in English student interested in writing and academics. When not studying, he is experimenting writing styles on diverse aspects. He is the Interviews Lead of Book O’Clock Review.