By: Lois O. Adams & Macbeth Ojugbeli
Amina Aboje, a freelance editor is the author of ‘Promises on Sand’, a collection of poems. The ever focused and ever smiling Amina has edited several books; she is always glad to play the role, perfecting brilliant ideas birthed by renowned authors. One of the ‘nuts’ of the ‘engine room’ of Abuja Writers Forum, Amina Aboje took a bold step out of her busy schedules to pin down a collection of poems that will stand the test of times.
‘Promises on Sand’ is a collection with several themes, it is sub-divided into four sections: The central message in the first section, The Glow, is basically one of love and the resilience of the human spirit. Of loss and Hope, the second section, is mainly about the pain that comes with loss, and hope that persistently pulls us out of the dungeon of despair in spite of the pain. The third section is titled, Time, Transience and Nature. Here, the Haiku form of poetry is deliberately employed to explore the subject of beauty, nature and the fleeting nature of life. Pangs of Nationhoodis the last section. While bewailing the many issues bedevilling the country, it ends on a note of hope. The 87 page collection with high quality print would be officially presented tomorrow, July 2, 2017 at 3:00pm., Merit House, Maitama District of Abuja as the brain behind brilliant ideas would be celebrated.
Excerpt:
So, how is the preparation for the public presentation coming up?
Amina Aboje:Great! I am truly grateful to God for all His help.
What inspires you to edit?
Amina Aboje: I love books. And I love to read books that are free of undue friction and obstructions caused by either poor editing or a total lack of it. A good book should not only have an easy flow that makes the reader want to enjoy its company till the very last word, it should have clarity, so that the reader is not left confused, irritated or tempted to abandon it midway. There are a million and one books clamouring for the attention of the reader. So, no matter how good it may be, when a book has too many avoidable hitches, it takes away the pleasure of reading and makes reading a torture instead. The desire to help free books of these hitches is what inspires me to edit.
What does it mean to edit a bad piece while at the same time trying to keep the author’s idea intact?
Amina Aboje: Editing is serious work. Some works are easier to edit than others. There are some people I like to refer to as an editor’s delight. They make life very easy for the editor and make him enjoy the entire process. There are the ones I also call an editor’s nightmare. These ones practically make you sweat through their manuscripts; and I have had the privilege of experiencing both sides. As a rule, I like to keep in touch with the author whose manuscript I am working on. This is just so we are on the same page. Whether an editor is editing an easy work or a difficult one, it is important for him to understand that the work being edited is not his but someone else’s. This will keep him focused and help him not to interfere unduly with the author’s idea. Basically, the idea is not to impose yourself on the work you are editing but to help make it better while preserving the author’s intent. An editor must therefore be objective in his approach.
How do you cope with some writers who feel intimidated when their works are tampered with?
Amina Aboje: First of all, I see no point in taking your work to an editor if you don’t want an editor’s input. I must also state that a good editor does not destroy the spirit of the work brought to him, he enhances it. Every good work goes through several levels of editing. There is the level of personal editing which every serious writer must do even before sending the work off to a professional editor.
Some people also pass their manuscripts through the scrutiny of several trusted pairs of eyes. I do this with all my works. That way, many of the hitches I referred to earlier on will have been spotted and dealt with before final editing is done. This also helps to lessen the editor’s work.
I have come across one or two persons who brought their works my way but thought them too perfect for any contrary opinion. Some people actually get offended when you draw their attention to an obvious shortcoming in their work. But isn’t it better to note and correct the mistakes in your work while you still can, than going ahead to publish a book full of errors because you were too proud to be advised? No one is perfect. It is to a writer’s advantage when other knowledgeable minds make useful inputs to his works. Any writer who despises the inputs of others does that to his own peril.
Have you ever abandoned a job based on a writer’s attitude?
Amina Aboje: Thankfully, no. So far, I have been fortunate enough to edit for people who come to me because they think I can do a good job for them.
Promises on Sand; who edited the piece?
Amina Aboje: As I said earlier, I believe in passing my works through the scrutiny of people whose judgment I trust as far as writing is concerned. Almost every poem in the collection endured the very thorough critique sessions of the Abuja Writers’ Forum. I edited the collection as thoroughly as I could myself. But I also believed that there were errors I could have failed to spot. So I sent the manuscript to two editors: Mike Ekunno whose editing skills I value a lot, and Unomah Azuah who also did a fantastic job.
What was your feeling during the editing of the work, knowing fully well that you can also edit perfectly?
Amina Aboje: I don’t know about being a perfect editor, really. I always like to think of myself as a learner. There was no way I would have published Promises on Sand without having it edited by someone else other than myself. I wouldn’t have benefited from their knowledge if I had not done that. So I feel privileged that they helped to make the book better than it otherwise would have been.
What is your take on editors who frown at others editing their works?
Amina Aboje: No one knows it all. Even a doctor needs another doctor to attend to him when he falls sick. My advice is for them to be smart enough to take advantage of the services of other editors. Two good heads are always better than one.
A message for young writers and Nigerian young adults!
Amina Aboje: For young writers, I would say, always write from your heart. And don’t forget to join a writers’ group. It is amazing the benefits you will derive from joining such groups. To young Nigerian adults, dreams still come true. Therefore, dream, work towards achieving your dreams. Don’t let anyone kill your dreams. And don’t kill them either.
