Medivoice: It’s another edition of Writer’s Interview, we have the honourable Assistant General Secretary of our club here with us. He is a writer with a constantly evolving pen name. Can we meet you?
Lord Dammy: Thank you very much for having me. I’m Akinbo Oluwadamilola, a member of the Tenacious constituency. You say “evolving pen name” like I’ve had so many . I’ve only gone by The PenMan and Lord Dammy.
Medivoice: I’m wondering where you get all these pen name inspirations from because some of us writers have been unable to decide for forever, but moving on, what has your writing journey been like?
Lord Dammy: My writing journey, huh? Well, it’s been fun. I started writing officially in 2022. For a long time, I thought of myself as a writer, but never actually wrote My stories and poems remained only in the recesses of my mind. During the 8-month strike, they finally found a way out.
It’s been one heck of a journey. I’ve been learning and unlearning. Rediscovering myself and finding my voice.
I picked the pen name “The Penman” earlier on in my writing journey. I thought it was really cool at the time. But looking back, it probably came about from self-doubt and fear.
I wanted to be seen, but not known. So I picked the most generic name I could. As I wrote and shared more, I started to see myself more as a writer. Someone worth knowing.
So Lord Dammy came about because obviously, I am a lord.
I am still growing, and from time to time the insecurities set in, but I’m holding strong to what my stories and poems tell me- I am a writer.
Medivoice: Wow! So as a writer, what would you say writing means to you?
Lord Dammy: It’s a release. A release for my soul. For the emotions that run wild and the thoughts that spiral in my head. It’s a means for me to see myself and for others to see what goes on in my head.
Medivoice: What do you like to write?
Lord Dammy: Stories and poems. I may act like I’m fine, but deep down I want to write a best-selling Fantasy novel and have a variety of poetry collections to my name.
Medivoice: I’d be buying all the books in your collection. By the way, where do you get your inspiration from?
Lord Dammy: From everything. I see the stories in everything. My friend’s weird laugh, a leaf falling, the songs I hear, the movies I watch and most especially, video games. Some of the best stories I have ever experienced were from video games.
Medivoice: I should play more videos games from now on. What are your other interests apart from writing?
Lord Dammy: I’m interested in playing games, reading books, sleeping, watching movies. In short, I am interested in living a soft life. Sometimes, I wonder why I chose Medicine. I’m also interested in people.
Medivoice: What’s your favourite book?
Lord Dammy: Okay, okay. You don catch me. I actually don’t have a favourite book. I have a least favourite book though: Clinically Oriented Anatomy
Medivoice: Seems like we share the same least favourite book. In that case, what is your favourite writing piece among the ones you’ve written?
Lord Dammy: I wouldn’t say I have a favourite, but some pieces hold sentimental value
1, My very first piece ever. It is a poem about Icarus.
2, My first fantasy story titled The Pub. Looking at it now, I’ll probably see a lot of errors in that piece, but at that time, I truly felt like a writer who could build any world he imagined.
3, The Darkness. It is a two-part story I published here.
There are more, but this interview will be too long if I list them.
Mediovice: How has your recent role as Assistant General Secretary been like for you?
Lord Dammy: I fear that If I’m honest, I’ll get kicked out of the club. I’m obviously joking (help me).
It’s been fun and slightly stressful, but I’m enjoying the newfound power I have over the lives of others.
Medivoice: Your sense of humour is a 10/10. How do you combine writing with medical school
Lord Dammy: Lmao. I don’t? I’m still trying to create a balance tbh. Some days I write when there’s a nudging to.
Other days, I’m too crippled by the piles of school materials to write. But I’m learning to build a habit of writing every day even though my books are screaming at me. Even if it’s one line or one punctuation in a day.
Mediovoice: Yeah, the consistency is definitely key. Any parting words for the readers of Writer’s interview?
Lord Dammy: This is the part I can sound wise, abi? If you’re an aspiring writer know this: “Writing is first a release for you the writer, before it is anything to a reader” – Lord Dammy, 2023
So do not mince your words in fear of being rejected. Do not write for others, write for yourself. Write because you can.
Medivoice: “Write because you can!” Thank you for being our guest on this episode of Writer’s Interview, Our Best Selling Author-to-be.
Hope you enjoyed, today’s episode. You can follow Damilola on Twitter here. You can read more episodes of our here.
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