Ghanaian writer and author of The Rest of You, Maame Blue, says her debut novel, Bad Love, was inspired by own dating experiences at the time of writing: ‘I wanted to explore how first love shapes who we are for everyone else we meet afterwards, and what it means to navigate a relationship for the first time.’
First Draft is our interview column, featuring authors and other prominent figures on books, reading, and writing.
Our questions are italicized.
What books or kinds of books did you read growing up?
As a child, one of my favourite books was Matilda by Roald Dahl, mostly because despite being treated like she was nothing, it turned out that Matilda was everything. As a teen, I loved messy romance—specifically teen fiction or Jacqueline Wilson’s Girls series, which felt so familiar and real to me: all possibility with a side of mistakes and a dash of hope.
If your life so far was a series of texts, which text (fiction or non-fiction) represents you at this moment?
Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi.
What’s the last thing you read that changed your mind about something?
Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson changed my whole worldview about humanity, structural racism, discrimination and hierarchy. The fact that there are invented frameworks we have all chosen to live by that determine a person’s value has really made me want to lean into empathy and away from individualism.
The fact that there are invented frameworks we have all chosen to live by that determine a person’s value has really made me want to lean into empathy and away from individualism.
What is your writing process: edit as you write or draft first, then edit?
I definitely believe in drafting first, editing later. Getting the words on the page must always be the priority, and then I can shape it into something meaningful afterwards. I cannot edit a blank page, so it’s always words first, knowing that they will likely be terrible and that’s ok. I can fix it at the editing stage.
What was your process for writing your debut novel, Bad Love?
First, I wrote it in a notebook, then on a typewriter, and then on a laptop. It was a three-stage editing process that I had not planned for, but I loved every bit of it, even the laborious parts.
And what inspired this story?
It was actually through conversations with friends and my own dating experiences at the time. I wanted to explore how first love shapes who we are for everyone else we meet afterwards, and what it means to navigate a relationship for the first time, when you are still learning who you are, not to speak of who the other person is.
What is the first love story that you read?
I cannot remember the first one I read, but the first one I watched was The Little Mermaid on VHS. I still know all the words and probably absorbed some less-than-ideal messages about staying quiet around a man—just like all of us who were fans of that film. Oh, but the songs were amazing!
What is the greatest love story that you have ever read?
Reese’s and Jude’s from The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett. It is tender, honest and very real.
I wanted to explore how first love shapes who we are for everyone else we meet afterwards, and what it means to navigate a relationship for the first time, when you are still learning who you are, not to speak of who the other person is.
How did your approach to writing change while working on your latest novel, The Rest of You?
Honestly, the biggest changes were time and the fact that a global pandemic was taking place. I had the idea for The Rest of You just before COVID-19 was in full swing, in January 2020, and the next four years were spent reshaping and rewriting the manuscript at home until it started making sense to me. It was a labour of love, though it was difficult at times. I was not on the move like I was with Bad Love, and I discovered that I needed a change of scenery when writing new scenes, or real time away from the page, doing other creative things, in order to get the words out when I returned.
Which book or author had the most influence on your approach to writing it?
I was reading Our Sister Killjoy by Ama Ata Aidoo at some point during the process and that had a profound impact on how I was thinking about my characters. Specifically, what it meant to leave Ghana and go to Europe, and what filters it could add to a character’s worldview and their own identity.
What’s one thing about readers’ reactions to The Rest of You that surprised you?
The best surprise has been how many people from many different diasporas outside of an African one found kinship with the characters and the story, even though it is, to me, so specifically Ghanaian. There is something to be said about finding something universal in the everyday lives of people.
What is the most meaningful piece of writing advice you’ve ever received?
Procrastination is just fear manifesting.
And what’s the first book you read that made you think you wanted to be a writer?
I cannot remember which one exactly, but it was definitely a Jacqueline Wilson book.
What book (from Africa) do you feel has not yet received the attention it deserves?
No One Dies Yet by Kobby Ben Ben. It has gotten some attention, but it needs more, much, much more.
What are your goals and expectations for the new year?
To be healthy, to find moments of happiness, and to hold on to my optimism.
What books would you recommend for Valentine’s season?
I love a messy romance so I may not be the best person to answer this, but here goes: My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante for the friendships in your life. And Bad Love by me if you are embarking on your first relationship, and you want to know what not to do.
Which three books from/on Ghana should everyone be reading at this moment?
No One Dies Yet by Kobby Ben Ben, Before We Hit the Ground by Selali Fiamanya, and Our Sister Killjoy by Ama Ata Aidoo.
What is your favourite topic to write or read about these days?
I am currently making my way through Toni Morrison’s catalogue and adequately having my mind blown. Octavia E. Butler’s Parables series has also provided a deeper understanding of where we are now as a society, something she predicted 30 years ago.
And what topic do you wish more authors were writing about these days?
I would love more stories about hope in the midst of difficult times, things that both reflect our world and offer a better alternative.
There is something to be said about finding something universal in the everyday lives of people.
What are you currently working on?
An idea that I had on a beach in Thailand.
Question from Abi Daré: What book taught you the most about yourself, and why?
A more recent one that comes to mind is Raceless by Georgina Lawton. Though it reads part memoir, part journalistic enquiry, it investigates some aspects of race and its surrounding structures that shed a lot of light on my own interactions growing up in Britain as a Black person, including periods of my childhood I assumed were personal and insignificant. It was an incredible exploration of what it is to be othered but not have that othering acknowledged in a way that brings peace.
Bonus: Please suggest a question for a future author’s First Draft
What would your younger self say about the topics you write about?
Who should we interview next?
Victoria Adukwei-Bulley (if you haven’t already!)⎈
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