5 Writing Lessons From Tomi Adeyemi
Tomi Adeyemi became an admired YA writer with her debut novel Children of Blood and Bone in 2018. The book set off a trilogy, Legacy of Orisha, and crowned her as one of the most prominent fantasy writers. Now an important voice in fantasy and literature alike, Adeyemi is one of the many creating different backgrounds for fantasy, a gender dominated by male authors like JRR Tolkien and George Martin, placing a Black girl at the center of the narrative with a story rooted in African heritage.
Tomi’s writing is strong; well embased, and she constructs a fast-paced narrative without forgetting the details. Capable of building a bridge between her writing and young readers, Tomi is an inspiration for authors that want to reach a big audience.
For writers that are fiction or fantasy fans, Tomi's advice can help to innovate your practice.
Hear the critics
For Tomi, it is crucial to know the opinion of distinct individuals about her work. What other people think about the story and different characteristics from the plot can help the writer. Giving the possibility to imagine better paths for the narrative, the contribution of a divergent perspective can be fruitful. However, it is indispensable to balance the opinions with her vision.
“You have to learn how to balance protecting that space in your head with the assets but also the noise that comes from more voices, and more interest, and different stakes.”
The last word is yours
Listening to other people is beneficial, but only you know what is right and best for the story. Through her journey, Tomi showed confidence in what she thought and what decisions were best. She demonstrated courage placing a Black girl as a protagonist in a fantasy book, something that is still unusual.
Tomi proves that not having fear is a vital point for a writer. She believed in herself and in the power of the story she wanted to create.
Do different and better
As Tomi believed in her narrative, she also trusted that fantasy was the best way to tell it. When she was a child, her stories always had white characters. Without seeing people like her in the stories she read, Tomi thought that it was impossible to have Black characters in her stories too.
Yet, white authors and characters dominated fantasy for years. With Children of Blood and Bone, Tomi dared to make a difference. She could follow norms; her book could be a success, but she decided not to conform.
Live and write without barriers
“I live very ruthlessly. I live with a sense of urgency.”
Tomi deals with life thinking that every chance can be the last. This is transported to her books. Fast, urgent, without a pause to breathe. Her writing translates how she sees that facing the world is an only chance experience. From this comes the boldness and the desire to show who she is without barriers.
She cannot only live adventurously but also transport this to the characters. Part of the initial idea for the trilogy came to her during a trip to South America when she saw an image of an Orisha, gods in African mythology, for the first time. She embraced it and decided to create a world around this. But if she never got to that trip, the idea would not appear.
She thinks that this could be the last time, the last book. Tomi gives the most of her, and her writing reflects that.
Anyone can write
The last, and probably best, advice Tomi offers is: anyone can write. All writers started from somewhere, from researching writing techniques to discovering how to be published, dreaming about being famous, or wanting to throw the first draft away. Everyone has a starting point and can write with what they have. There is no need to wait for the perfect moment. It is to believe that all you need is already in you that matters: “I think it mostly comes from believing you have what it takes and remembering that anyone who’s doing anything you admire started alone in their bedroom. So if you’re alone in your bedroom, you’re already on the right track.”
Tomi shows the importance of known and read emerging writers. Not only to find more diverse stories but also to have a refreshing look at writing practices and think about new paths.
Tomi is opening new paths for fantasy writers to create worlds different from what they saw before. But she is also creating new possibilities for readers to access new stories and dream about other alternatives. These achievements can be inspiring for any author.
