My Story- How A Girl Raised In A Remote African Village Became A Paid Writer.

This is an undiluted story about my Childhood & transitions into a paid writer.

Meet me…

My name is Omeke Gift, the girl who defied all odds and became a writer.

Writing came to heal me, and even when I almost felt like giving up, I wrote how I felt and cried in my Journal.

Before I dive into the story, let me share with you a little more about myself.

Life In The Village

I grew up in a remote village in West Africa. My family depended on a small farm where we worked tirelessly. We woke up every day from 4 am to get ready for our journey to the farm which was 1 hour of work from our small house, we dug holes for cassava planting at the beginning of the year as soon as we had the first rain and planted corn, melon, pepper, & yam.

Our farm after the planting season is so green that you can feel Mother Earth in its green natural touch. When the grass grows, we would remove them with our local cutlasses and holes.

Picture me on the farm with my little hands holding a cutlass and removing those grasses on the farm. The grass-cutting season is usually sunny and at the end of the day, you will see me dirty and my skin tan since I am fair in complexion.

My father would set up a fire and roast yam for us every day on the farm and that is usually for lunch. Did I forget to tell you that I am the 3rd child of 4 children and we all work tirelessly on our farm?

The only days we didn’t go to the farm were on Sundays when we went to worship God. Yes, I am a Christian and I attend Christian meetings, go for the preaching work, and rest thereafter.

We had a wonderful time working on the farm while enjoying a happy family bond.

But, it was tough to stay there especially as I grew. We had no electricity, no mobile network, and no opportunities outside the farm.

How about my education?

Let’s proceed as I share that with you.

Schooling In The Village

I had my primary and high school in the village. We had only one primary school with few teachers and a secondary school where most of the teachers abandoned us to work on their farms. My dad taught my siblings and me how to read and write, he bought us novels, school books, articles, and newspapers and we had supplies of articles such as the Awake & Watchtower magazines from our local congregation.

You can see how I developed a deep love for books and writing as well.

I studied further, that was a miracle, I will skip that for another day.

How did I begin to write?

Let’s dive into that.

How I Developed Love For Writing & Became A Professional Writer.

My father bought us writing materials and for every book we read, we wrote down our lessons and favorite parts. It became what I love to do but it saved my life.

Life in the village was boring and tough. We had no money, no good clothes, no time to meet people and experience life. I often cry when I see those doing better than us and my journal was my saving grace. I wrote down my thoughts and my emotions, I poured them into poetry and it healed me from the pain I felt.

Words I can’t speak, I wrote them, it was my therapy.

I left the village at age 17, to study further, I was intelligent even in such a situation. But then I continued to write, I never knew I could make this my career but I did.

I read stories online of how people make money as writers, I was intrigued and wanted to turn my first love into a forever craft.

It was hard but possible.

I believed I could do it, so I began to seek ways to start. I attended events for writers, networking with other writers, and built a relationship with them. I also attended training and began to see ways to monetize my writing.

Here are the steps I took:

• I paid for a writing class
• I started writing on Facebook, LinkedIn & my phone apps
• I met with other writers and humbly asked for mentorship
• I got a side job to support myself while I learned how to write professionally.
• I wrote every day and got better.
• I applied for internships, volunteered for brands, and built a micro portfolio.
• I began job hunting & got my first-ever writing job in 2022.

These steps weren’t easy but I was determined to professionally develop my writing skills and earn good money.

Lesson

Regardless of your condition or your roots, it is possible to develop yourself and find a career path. Embrace the challenges, find your support, understand your strengths and weaknesses, and fight your way out of difficulties. Anyone can be great, and I am the part of greatness.

Thanks for reading my story.