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Easy Voucher Publishers held its first creative writing workshop on the 25th of July, 2015 amidst exposition of creative writing lessons from critical and experienced writers and authors. The workshop featured a veteran travel writer and CNN award-winning journalist in the tourism category, Pelu Awofeso and this attracted writers across all genres of literature. Pelu shared deep and practical insights from his experience in the field of writing. As he spoke, his voice was consumed with passion as he pulled the audience through miles of engagement and critical thoughts on developing writing skills. The rich depth of his experience and encounters as a full-time writer in Nigeria moved strong walls in the minds of writers in attendance. Their eyes were flushed with discoveries, hope rose like the wings of the eagle and true knowledge was laid bare for writers to absorb. Pelu said he is a nonfiction writer, adding that defining his part in this genre fits his craft. One of the high points of his presentation was where he stated that a writer must endeavour to sharpen his sense of observation; that a writer must work on the sensitivities of his sense organs – to smell, taste, hear, see and feel – and great narratives that will reflect these feelings and nuances in the writer’s craft. “If you are able to capture scenes exactly the way they happened and the way you perceived them; your work will definitely see the light,” he said. Pelu called on Nigerian fiction writers to do more adding that fiction is a very demanding area of writing that requires training and capacity. He also stated that great Nigerian fiction writers like Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka, Cyprian Ekwensi and Elechi Amadi wrote wonderful classics that have remained relevant across many generations. He thinks the current generation of writers apart from a few, have not really clinched this prospect therefore he believes more work needs to be done in this regard. Pelu, who has travelled to 31 states in Nigeria, documenting culture, history, traditions, festivals and the relics of antiquities says Nigeria is a very rich destination in tourism and the need to revive that aspect of our economic life is undeniable. He called on writers to join him in the travel writing tour to create the true Nigeria that the outside world has not seen. In a bid to answer a question I asked as to why Nigerian writers are not supported by the government or corporate bodies, Pelu said all industries in Nigeria have suffered the same neglect from government adding that Nollywood, the music industry and the rest of them struggled their way to success and writers can do the same. He believes the system can be revamped, such that writers can create a structure for good publication and marketability. He thinks Nigerian authors can sell as much as two million copies of their books if the right things are done. I did poetry at the event, one that I titled “Pregnant for the god.” It was a piece I wrote not too long ago to assuage the suspicion that ran in my head when neighbours poured out stories into my ears. I did the poem to allow mother earth let me out of pain and I think the audience liked it. Mr. Awoyode Ope, the convener and founder of Easy Voucher talked about the idea of the event adding that it was conceived to encourage writers. He revealed that the event will continue every month to enable more writers get involved and promote their work for the good of creativity. The event was a success and we look forward to the August edition.   About the Writer: Evans Ufeli is a lawyer and the author of acclaimed novel, ‘Without Face’. He is also an Alumni member of the Writers Bureau, Manchester, a highly sought-after conference speaker with a passion for the concept of change. He lives in Victoria Island, Lagos. You can contact him via Facebook: Evans Ufeli, Email: evanylaw@yahoo.com, Twitter: @Evansufeli and Phone: 08037712353. He blogs at www.ethicsafrica4u.wordpress.com.  
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This article was first published on 27th July 2015

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