Drawing inspiration from books can help fight writer’s block.
Reading one sentence or two can reignite a writer’s flow. Maybe even repurposing a similar scene or sharing tropes can get them moving.
Sometimes that is what re-sparks creativity.
However, eleven (11) similar scenes/references and three (3) same character names used in comparable contexts in a popular book was frankly too much. Talk less of the lead protagonist, who people keep commenting seems based on me. It has felt shocking, intrusive, and unnecessary. Especially since some inspiration seemed culled from books I fought so hard to bring into the world and whose validity I still continue to fight for.
Due diligence has been graciously done behind the scenes for close to a year. While I will never understand their motive, now they know I’m well aware of what was done, even though the process ends here by choice. For months, I kept oscillating between complete silence and sharing lengthy personal reflections.
Then I remembered this poignant quote by Zora Neale Hurston:
“If you are silent about your pain, they’ll kill you and say you enjoyed it.”
― Zora Neale Hurston
So needless to say, while 2025 has been so joyful and blessed in many ways and my heart is brimming with immense gratitude, it was also emotionally taxing and stressful. As someone who advocates for using your voice, completely silencing mine meant betraying myself.
So, I’ve decided to share my favorite life lesson instead:
“The sky is big enough for all birds to fly.”
A powerful Yorùbá proverb I live by every single day. That is what keeps me in a perpetual state of gratitude and giving grace, and this is something I’ve been writing about for years. The sky truly is wide enough for everyone to soar with the unique gifts and talents we’ve all been blessed with.
Admiring someone and sharing space doesn’t take away from my own brilliance. Two people, accomplished to varying degrees, can certainly be inspired by each other’s work.
Why not normalize giving people their flowers instead of plucking petals from their bouquet when we already have blooming gardens?
I know how hard I continue to fight to bring my work and stories into the world as a Nigerian travel writer, author, and photographer. Especially here in the Nordics where I also call home.
Published in 2021, the dedication from IN EVERY MIRROR SHE’S BLACK says:
Your voice is more powerful than you think.
You are allowed to exist without explanation even if you feel uninvited, unappreciated, and invisible.
Never, ever let the world convince you that your struggles are invalid.
Whether it’s inadvertently helping others through their own writer’s block, or creating a far-reaching body of work that people can no longer deny… Let this serve as a reminder to keep using your voice and writing your stories.
Always.
