MOMENT WITH...

My guest today is an usual young lady. I nicknamed her the writing machine but she has refused that name. She is a 'Lagbaja' kind of a writer. You won't find her picture on this interview but that does not make her less creative. Welcome with me, Ruth (Ruthie writes).

Can we meet you?

Let's just say my name is Ruth Adeboye. I am 20 years old. I live in Ibadan. I am a writer, dancer, photographer and Food Scientist. I am a graduate of food science and technology from Kwara State University. Totally not related to writing, but what can we do?  My hobbies will definitely be writing, composing songs and dancing.

That is a collection of greatness lump into one.

Thank you.

When did writing become a 'thing' for you?

I started writing when I was in primary school. When I got to secondary school, I started telling my friends about movies. I mean, I imagine a movie in my head and tell them. Then it felt like I was actually telling them a movie I had watched until I wrapped up the whole thing which I just thought about it.

I had this other friend who writes Christian books, so she asked me if I could write for her. I think that kind of gave me an explanation. Because to be honest, everyone in my house sings so well and I was the only one without that talent, I started seeing myself as a failure but then I discovered I could write.  It was a bomb😂򐠮

Wow! That is interesting!

Now, you are a writer, a dancer,  a photographer and a food scientist. How do you create time for all these? Don't they all compete for your attention like hungry children waiting to be fed?

I think one thing that has been competing with writing is photography. I thought writing brought me peace but there is this rush and happiness I feel when I am editing pictures. It feels like I have an uncompleted building to make perfect, then the happiness that comes with seeing the result. I thought I loved writing but I love photography. Time passes by without me realizing it. I don't get tired when editing but rather thrilled.

Dancing is just another stressful talent o. I was diagnosed with something that makes breathing difficult, so dancing  or any other exercise has been on hold for months now.

Oh! I see

Some writers plan their stories into the minutest detail. Others are pansters- they just write without prior planning though they have an idea of what their story is about. Which of these writers are you? Do you plan your stories or once you are with your pen or keyboard, you just flow?

It kind of flows, but there are days when I get those words when I am doing extra activities. I got my first poem that hit 100 likes when I was sweeping. it kind of comes, and sometimes when I read, I choose the important points to write on later.

So, now, has writing brought any income to you no matter how small?

Yes. I didn't start writing because I wanted to make money from it. I started Ruthie write because I want to incorporate writing into telling the world about food facts and also to build my (portfolio).

Do you have any published work(s)?

I have a published work but it isn't even about writing but it's about food. It isn't about writing normal stories and poems.

What is the title and what were you trying to tell the world?

I think one thing is, I just want to use my writing to communicate with people about food for now, nothing big💯. It was about preserving yogurt with natural preservatives and not the organic ones used by the food companies. That kind of goes deeper into my line of work.

Let's step a little  into food science. What things should people know about food?

Food Is something we can't do without, but mostly the focus has been driven from eating healthy food to eating sweet foods

So, my advice is that we should try our best to eat healthy foods and I have a lot of posts on my page on how food causes cancer, kitchen rules etc.

Going by the severe economic conditions of the majority of Nigerians and the hike in prices of food items. Do you think eating a balanced diet is within the reach of the majority of Nigerians?

No

I guess we are in trouble in this country! How can this be salvaged? Any ideas?

To be honest, I just heard today that we actually have a place in Nigeria where a bag of rice is still 27,000 naira and I think that has nothing to do with economics. It is just not a barrier to our trade but to our chances of eating a balanced meal.

The first issue, in Nigeria, is ourselves, everyone wants to make a lot of money at the expense of inconveniencing others at a price that is extravagant. Imagine me going to the market to buy yam and I sell rice, noting there has been an increase in a particular good, I will also increase mine too. The gateway to income is very tiny, and the spending ratio is bigger than what we make.

Really?

The only way out, to be honest, is farming and improved food processing tools. Nigeria can make good quality rice but we lack tools such as a destoning machine and we lack the patience to actually coat our rice with important nutrients.

Nigeria needs farming, education rather than taking us on a theoretical journey at a higher institution. I think practicality would solve a whole lot of problems.

Hmmm…

When you mentioned doing a lot of posts on your page on food.  Is it on your Facebook page, Instagram or Twitter?

Facebook.

'...coating rice with important nutrients', that is new to me! Can you share how that can be done?

So during the processing of food production, nutrients can be lost. So, what we do is improvise and coat the food with the same nutrients. We just have a way of bringing back that nutrient.

The difference between Nigerian rice and foreign rice is that foreign rice is coated which is the reason for its shiny teeth😂😂😂.

Nice

Let's go back to writing. Are there born writers or is it just a skill a person develops over time?

I don't know. Everyone receives gifts differently and also makes use of it differently. But we are all writers.

Every human, whether they are aware of it or not, are gravitating towards a goal. For Ruth, what life goals are gravitating towards?

Improving my networking skills, creating photo manipulation on food and most especially, creating different goals at different point and accomplishing them💯

Do you belong to any literary association? Say for instance, ANA ( Association of Nigerian Authors)?

No. I can't call them associations though.

What will you call them? A gathering of kindred writers?

Yeah.

How often do you meet and where? Who knows, someone might want to join to improve themselves.

Last year was supposed to be our first time coming together, but we are actually working towards a lot of stuffs. But one thing we do is help each other get a writing gig. We know who is into different genres. So, assuming I get maybe a contract to deliver a ghostwriting work on a novel that isn't my thing, we shuffle it among each other, we help each other make money.

That is very good. It  is worth joining.

So, have you won any prize(s) for your work(s)?

Yes.

Can you be kind to name a few? Perhaps, some of your works that have been accepted and published on various platforms.

I haven't submitted my work for publishing. I have had a lot of offers but I think I need to take it step by step to do that. I still have a lot of things I think I still need to learn as a writer but I have finished three works. But I ghost write, let's just say I am a full time ghost writer😂.

How would you like to be remembered after your lifetime?

I want people to remember me in a good way.

How do you handle the rejection of your work(s), the ones submitted in competitions?

I just cry, ask people to proofread to see my mistakes and weakness and then work on it, rejection Is definitely one of the things we need to experience as a writer. I see it as a need to work on myself.

Does it make you think less of your work(s)?

No! Writing means you are speaking the mind of others. If people can't relate it with what I have written I think it's fine. One day my words will find the one that truly needs to see it.

Thank you for your time.

You are welcome

So, we will end this interview here. You can catch up with my guest through the following social media handles:

Facebook: Ruthie writes Instagram: ade_mira_de

Thank you always for reading. Let's do this again another time. I remain Yours Truly,

Julius Topohozin.