5 invaluable writing tips from the author of 'Beast of No Nation'

Born November 5, 1982, Uzodinma Iweala is 33 today!

Raised in the U.S, he is the first son of former Minister of Finance, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala.

Named one of Granta magazine's 20 best young American novelists, His debut novel, Beasts of No Nation, won the 2005 John Llewellyn Rhys prize for best work of literature by a young writer.

Iweala whose book is currently adapted for a movie, is also the Editor-in-Chief of Ventures Africa.

Because he is such a brilliant and intelligent person, here are some gems of advice from one of Nigeria's most beloved writers:

On Creative writing...

1. "I was an English major and took a number of creative-writing classes. There isn’t any real writing program at Harvard. You can’t major in creative writing."

2. "When you write, you are not necessarily writing to get attention. You are writing for people to read. You learn to tell a story, and it’s great if people want to read that story. It doesn’t always happen."

On Reading..

3. "Through reading you can really learn exposure to different writing, to different art forms, to different modes of storytelling, and with mentors who are able to get you to step outside your comfort zone."

On Language...

4. "I’m very interested in the way that people speak. Both in the creative fiction that I do. And also the creative nonfiction. I mean, I like the rhythm of language. I like the sounds of voices."

And if you are having a writer's block, Uzodinma says:

5. "Write. Write. Write. Don’t worry so much about being published or discovered. Worry about writing what you have to write – what you need to say, and how you’re going to say it. The rest will come."

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