Ask the Author: Diriye Osman
Answered Questions (6)
Diriye Osman
Writer's block is oftentimes your brain's way of saying, 'I'm really tired. Can we just take a breather for second?' That breather will allow you to think through the kinks of your story before you dash off to the races again.
Diriye Osman
I get to do what I love most in the world. Sounds too much like cornball shizz? It's true though. I love writing and that's what compels me to keep going at it.
Diriye Osman
Read a lot, write a lot, learn how to contextualise and articulate your experiences, make a shit-ton of mistakes, keep going and going.
Diriye Osman
I'll let you know in two to three years' time when I've finished polishing the manuscript, but hopefully you'll like it. It's a very sex-funky book. That's all I'll say.
Diriye Osman
I read a lot, listen to a lot of jazz music for the rhythm, watch a lot of really amazing TV shows and movies, before making myself comfortable and writing. The best advice I ever received about the craft is that a great deal of time has to be spent daydreaming and letting the ideas percolate before pinning them to the page.
Diriye Osman
'Fairytales for Lost Children' is really a love letter to my youth. Even though the characters are not based on me (save for one), I have had intimate experiences with mental health issues, being ostracised by loved ones as a result of coming out as a gay man, spending my early years as a refugee and the stigma that label carries. If anything, ''Fairytales for Lost Children' is about self-discovery and the possibility of finding redemption, a sense of personal freedom.
About Goodreads Q&A
Ask and answer questions about books!
You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.
See Featured Authors Answering Questions
Learn more