Tomi Adeyemi Shares Tips on Navigating the Writer's Roadmap

Tomi Adeyemi is a Nigerian-American author and writer popularly known for her trilogy, Children of Blood and Bone, Children of Virtue and Vengeance.

Written by Adedeji Adebusuyi 

Tomi Adeyemi is a Nigerian-American author and writer popularly known for her trilogy, Children of Blood and Bone, Children of Virtue and Vengeance, and Children of Anguish and Anarchy. The trilogy follows the story of a heroine, Zélie Adebola and her attempt to restore magic to the Kingdom of Orisha. Following the publication of the first book in the trilogy, Tomi Adeyemi gained momentum in the writing landscape, most especially after several news outlets aired the news of Paramount acquisition of the right to adapt the book into a live-action film in 2022.

In a writing workshop organized by Writers Roadmap, tagged "Free Online Writing Workshop With Tomi Adeyemi," Tomi Adeyemi shared workable processes. The workshop was organised specifically for upcoming writers who are still struggling to navigate their way through their diverse writing journeys. As such, she offered interesting insights into her personal journey as a writer, emphatically making references to the challenges that are common among upcoming writers and the tips to circumvent the residual writer's psychology. She also talked about the drafting of a writing routine, objective advices to ease the challenges, and how it can be an effective tool for escaping writer's block if duly utilized.

The online workshop organized by the Writers Roadmap 

Tomi Adeyemi, like most acclaimed writers, started writing at a young age. "I started writing as much as I started reading," she said. "I was a writer since I was like 6." While ensuring a setting for friendly conversation, she reminisced about her days of publication rejections and several other challenges she faced, including the attendance of expensive writers' conferences and investments in several writing resources. However, she reclaimed them as costly, but useful tools and resources necessary to achieve one's goal as a writer.

According to Tomi Adeyemi, "To achieve any goals, you have to invest in them... It was a significant investment." "I was like a scavenger of knowledge...63 rejections from literary agents to being a successful author," she reminisced. 

Furthermore, Tomi Adeyemi talked about the "Writer's Psychology", a syndrome that is hinged on imposter syndrome, an anxiety that comes with being a writer. She referenced Maya Angelou's battle with imposter syndrome and writer's block for seven years, despite being one of the most revered writers in the 20th century. However, Tomi emphasized the need for writers to have psychologists, just like athletes. 

In addition, she stated that being a writer means that you're only doing it alone. Writers hardly have a community that helps them reflect and connect on their writing journey. Hence, writers often fall into the self-imposter syndrome and peg each achievement as the definition of being a writer. For instance, "If I do this, I'm going to be a great writer."

Lastly, she emphasized the importance of developing an effective writing routine. She suggested having daily five-minute writing sprints. She claimed that a properly organized writing routine will help to stay consistent, combat writer's block, silence inner critics, and enjoy the writing process. 

Conclusively, Tomi Adeyemi outlined objective advices to enjoy your writing journey. These includes:

• Turn off data, WiFi, and any distracting devices.
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• Decide what you're going to write in advance before the 5 minutes. 
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• Work in sprints. 

According to Tomi Adeyemi, writing is just like exercise; you just build on the muscle. As a writer, you grow naturally with your routine. Don't force it or make it chaotic. Subsequently, if you manage to have an incredible flow of writing spanning more than 5 minutes, keep it real. Lastly, she recommended joining a community of writers.