A conversation with Longrin Wetten, author of 'Lie To Me Dan'

Longrin Wetten is a publisher, trained Electrical and Computer Engineer, writing enthusiast, thinker and a change agent.

He is the author of 'Lie To Me Dan', the inventive and unconventionally rendered tale of cultism in Nigerian universities and how it affects our youths.

In an interview with Pulse Books, Mr Wetten who runs and manages Penthusia, a publishing outfit discusses writing, self-publishing and how he intends to revolutionize the reading culture in Africa.

An early love for writing

Way back in my primary school days I used to love reading all the comprehension passages in my textbook not for the sake of passing tests or exams, but out of sheer interest in the stories they contained. It wasn’t long before I tried my hand at my own short story. I think I was in primary 4 or 5. I didn’t have much encouragement then so I abandoned creative writing until I rekindled the fire in the university when I started writing stories using my close friends as key characters. I’d read it to them and enjoy the response I got. Then in 2009, I tried writing on social media, particularly Facebook, I generated a modest following and Lie to Me, Dan was born.

But long before I wrote a single sentence, I was telling stories. I would usually narrate the stories in movies I watched, comic books I’ve read to friends who would usually sit in a small group and pay rapt attention. I used to enjoy the connection I felt with them. I didn’t really set out to be a writer per se; I set out to tell stories. Writing is a tool I adopted to tell my story in a way that a larger audience can access. I don’t think of myself as more of a writer than the student writing a paper on any topic of his choice because I have discovered that it is the message that defines a writer, not the other way round. Package your message in a complete book and you become an author, not just a writer. I love other ways of telling stories like graphic novels and movies. I plan to explore those other media in the near future.

Ambitions for his writing career

I intend to revolutionize the reading culture in Africa by making reading more fun. Since we are a continent of mostly non-readers, I believe I can reach out to non-readers, reluctant readers as well as seasoned readers. When you consider the number of people in this demographic, you’ll have an idea of the scale of my vision.

Why he reads a lot

I do read a lot. I don’t restrict myself to only literature. I’m a pretty curious person so I read everything of interest like encyclopedias, periodicals, self-help books and works of fiction. Reading is my way of tapping into the collective wisdom of all humanity. But if I am to choose one creative writer, it would be Ian Fleming. He is my number one favorite author for one reason: he gave the world one of the most iconic characters in pop culture, James Bond. I love other authors like Frank Miller and Alan Moore. They have this uncanny ability to blend the dark and thrilling in exiting ways. Among the African authors, I like Chinua Achebe and Cyprian Ekwensi.

Writers who inspire him

Ian Fleming for one. Others are Dan Brown, Malcolm Gladwell, Cyprian Ekwensi, Chinua Achebe, Robert Ludlum, James Hadley Chase, Frank Miller, Alan Moore  etc.

On his debut book Lie To Me Dan

There are two central characters in the story: Marylyn and Dan a.k.a. D-Man. Marylyn is driven, hardworking and ambitious. Dan is highly intelligent but laidback and self indulgent. Dan is the one who foils Marylyn’s resolve and puts her character to the test and in the end, both of them discover some other side to themselves they didn’t know existed. They both went for what they wanted tenaciously. The intensity of their focus mirrors their true essence and at the end, one thing stands out; they are both passionate and ambitious in their own way. That’s what makes them special, their passion and ambition.

Why he decided to write on cultism instead of the cliché Nigerian civil war, corruption and poverty

My target audience is the youthful population, people between the ages of 15 and 40. One of the major challenges people in this bracket face is peer pressure. Given that our early teens are our formative and impressionable years, our definition of what is hip and cool play a huge role in how we turn out. One of the more disturbing social vices in Nigerian universities today is cultism, which is clearly a product of peer pressure. It would be nice to see that there are ways to escape those trappings without compromising one’s value system.

Another thing is: Nigerian youths have heard of the Civil war from their fathers who fought at a time the country was a whole lot different from what it is today. This book highlights the issues that this generation is grappling with on a daily basis, things that plague their major preoccupation: the pursuit of success. To this generation, corruption is lecturers taking advantage of students. War is cult members killing each other off. Poverty is not being able to graduate with a good grade and get a good job, or worse still, not being able to graduate at all. So in a world such as this, heroes are needed, people who defied the odds and came out victorious. My story is about such people.

E-books or traditional paper/hard back books

I used to prefer paperbacks because I started out reading lots of thrillers and adventure stories. But as technology advanced and I spend a lot of time reading online articles, periodicals and reference materials, I got used to reading on screen and I’m finding myself reading less and less of paperback/hardback books, not because I don’t like them, but because something else is replacing them. There are times, however, when I read mostly hard copies. Those are times when I am traveling and am required to switch off my phones, where my e-books are usually stored. I always carry a paperback on my travels.

Why his book cover is different

I don’t stick to any formula. I wanted a cover that best represents the essence of the story. This cover was chosen for its ability to communicate both the dark and exciting elements of the story. It was not based on any book I knew. I have Amelia Chitulescu, my graphic design artist, to thank for bringing this idea to life. She also designed the cover of the second book which isn’t out yet.

Why self-publishing is better

The major advantage of self-publishing is creative freedom. Most publishers insist on certain guidelines that sometimes stifle creativity. A self-published author is free of such restrictions and is therefore able to be more radical in his approach. The downside is that he doesn’t benefit from the resources these publishers have acquired over the years like huge publicity and marketing. The self-published author cannot afford these simply because the economics don’t add up.

On Marketing your books in Nigeria

The work of marketing starts with the product itself. Does it satisfy a need? Is there a market for it? If the answer is yes, then you go ahead and test your model and see if it works. Then you present it to your audience in all the places where they can be found. In the Nigeria of today, social media is where a lot of our target audience is found so we’re doing a lot of online marketing. We intend to constantly evolve new and better ways to reach our audience. It’s not easy, I tell you, because reading is not a common habit in Nigeria, but then, nothing good comes easy. We believe Nigerians are evolving in the right direction and there’s a good chance that we’re ready for this kind of culture.

On getting rid of the dreaded writer's block

Start. Once you’ve gotten the seed of an idea and you put it down, the rest is easy. Getting that initial idea? That’s the main challenge.

Writer’s block is a problem for writers, not storytellers. As a matter of fact, when you say writer, I think of a Ghost Writer: someone whose job is writing other people’s stories and nothing else. When you have a story to tell, you never get writer’s block. Think about it. Have you ever hired a biographer and he suddenly can’t tell your story because of writer’s block? No! If you’re a writer and you have writer’s block, go out and find something to tell the world. Don’t sit at your typewriter all day with your fingers on the keyboard waiting for some demon to possess you (just kidding). But seriously, what people call writer’s block, I can best attribute to procrastination. Now that’s a more serious problem to worry about because that’s one of my own challenges.

Fantastic advice for aspiring writers

The truth is, once you have a good education, you are a writer. Everybody writes! But you have to choose exactly what you wish to tell the world. Your message would define your writing style. I remember always choosing to tell a story in my O’ level English language exams even when other options like writing an article or a speech were available. What is your message for the world? Your writing skill can now be tailored towards that kind of expression. The way you communicate ideas will evolve to fit the message. Those skills you require will begin to show themselves in every aspect of your life including your spoken and written word.

Is there anything else you would like to add that I haven’t included?

Yes. You should know that Lie to Me is a trilogy of which Lie to Me, Dan is the first installment. The second and third are in the works. The title of the second book is hidden in a code after the last chapter. The clue on how to crack the code is found within the story. Some of my readers have cracked it successfully and have told me. It’s pretty easy to crack but some have a hard time figuring it out. The title of the third installment is a closely guarded secret. As a matter of fact, we intend to set up a contest with a juicy award for the first set of people to figure it out. Details of the contest will be announced after the release of the second installment.

How readers can discover more about his works

Being an inhabitant of today’s digital world, I have a social media presence. My company, Penthusia Media Ltd is also online. You can follow us on Twitter (@lawngreene, @penthusia) and Facebook (Longrin Wetten, Penthusia Media) for the latest updates as they unfold.

Lie to Me, Dan is available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Authorhouse and dozens of other websites, including Roving Heights, Okadabooks.com, Jumia and Konga.com. You can also download a free copy of Lie to Me, Dan (Act I) on Okadabooks.

Compliment this with my thoughts on why Nigerians should start paying attention to unhyped writers and undefined

ALSO READ: A Review of 'Lie to me Dan' by Longrin Wetten