An insight into Realise Mwase’s writing career experience
Tafadzwa Sandi (TS) Mr Mwase, thank you for agreeing to
this interview. Tell us a little about yourself and your background?
Realise Mwase (RM), My name is Realise Mwase, I’m 21 years
old and I come from Zimbabwe. I am here to study Electrical and Electronic
Engineering at Near East University. September will mark three years since I come
to this Island (North Cyprus). I am basically a writer, song writer, poet and
media personnel. That’s me in a nutshell and I am a Christian as well.
TS: What were you like at school?
RM: At school sometimes I would be the teacher’s pet, I was
not a popular kid with other people of my age. I would like to believe that I was
a bright student, my academic honours were in order from Primary school through
High school. I was a bit reserved, I did not have a lot of friends. From High
school I think I only have one friend (he laughed).
Realise Mwase reciting a poem at Cyrus International University
TS: Were you good at English?
RM: My relationship with English is an interesting one. Starting
off as a child, my father being of Tonga descent and my mum being of Venda descent,
Shona was an uneasy compromise being the language we were surrounded by. My father
was resentful of Shona so he preferred that I learn English. In that process I found
myself immersed in his books. When I got old I started stealing books from my
father’s mini-Library like the Readers Magazine and novels, before I knew it I was
able to speak English well. My English got better with time but it was home
based training that made my English better.
TS: What are your ambitions for your writing career?
RM: My ambitions are very simple. I want to light up my own
corner of the world. I want to be able to inspire people, to be an Author who
manages to get his work across the world. I want to engage people in North
Cyprus, Zimbabwe and Southern Africa. My plans are global so to say.
TS: Which writers inspire you?
RM: I am inspired by Shimmer Chinodya, Stainley Nyamfukudze,
I like his poetry. You know when you are in Form one you read those books but
now I realise how much effect they have in my life. On international level, I also
love works by the horror novelist Stephen King. I also like John Grisham
because his books are intelligent and he is a Lawyer and the crime fiction author
Robert Ludlum. My mother was also a writer, she wrote a lot in the house, that’s
where I picked the habit.
TS: So, what have you written?
RM: Now I’m about to get to my third poetry collection 2017,
I have submitted my works for printing. Im working for a couple of books now
and one of my writings will turn into a film soon. I wrote Stray bullets
thought, Simmering cold and presented pieces that gunned me acclaim. I’m also
into spoken word arts.
TS: Where can we buy or see your books?
RM: I’m planning to put two of my collection on Noise Trade.
For my book I’m printing it on hard copy and you can pre- order it.
TS: What are you working on at the moment?M: I’m working on a book called Dollar for two. It is about a guy who comes from a privileged background and a guy trying to find his way into society and how a dollar is used by two different people.
TS: What genre are your books/poems?
RM: I write from a personal perspective. My poetry is like a
coat of many colours. Sometimes I write free verse poems depending on the occasion.
Most of my poetry is free verse poetry. I write poems without adherence to a
particular structure or style, I prefer using my own personal style which plays
to the best of my strength. My books are mainly fictional but motivational. I
did not do a lot of literature because I studied sciences subjects.
TS: How much research do you do?
RM: Everyday i try to learn something new.
TS: When did you decide to become a writer?
RM: I have always written from a young age but the decision
came up last year. Two years ago I was going through something and I felt that
so many stories were not being told. I wanted to tell those stories and I opted
for writing them.
TS: Do you aim a set of pages per day?
RM: I aim to make sense everyday. I try to write 2 000 words
a day. I want to flex the writing muscle.
RM: I have changed my style. When I was starting, my works
were too academic and hard to penetrate. I was a selfish writer, now I am less
selfish and I understand that the objective is to tell the story for other
people to see not for myself to clap hands and say, wow I’m a very intelligent
writer. Now I’m the writer who wants to get to his audience, the writer who
understands how people feel and wants people to understand him.
TS: What was the hardest thing about writing your latest
book?
RM: The discipline. It is very hard for a person of my age
to say I am committed full time into writing. Sometimes I would struggle to
write a single word.
TS: Do you proof read or edit your articles on your own or
you get someone to do it for you?
RM: Because I have to be resourceful and use what I have, I have
to proof read my works on my own. I have to develop editing skills of which it
is hard than writing itself.
TS: What is your favourite motivational phrase?
RM: Turn trash into treasure. Things that other people do
not value, you should be able to see something from there. You should not be a
greener pastures kind of person because greener pastures are limited to
seasons, a pasture cannot be green all season. Surely there has to be sometime
that pasture dries out.
TS: what is your favourite film and why?
RM: My favourite film is The Dark Night directed by
Christopher Nolan because for me it encompasses everything that I wanted to know
about heroes if they fail sometimes.
TS: Where do you see yourself in five years time?
RM: In five years time I see myself sitting in front of a
computer writing. Impact generations, published and sold thousands even
millions of copies. Doing charity work and giving back society which made to be
who I am today.
TS: What advice can you give to aspiring writers?
RM: Do not slack, (he repeated thrice). Sometimes you have
to take your own path. Do not give yourself room to be free. I am not ashamed
to be a Christian. I might not always write with a spirituality stamp but I am
a Christian.