‘Writers Are Never Truly Satisfied With Their Work’

Nigerian novelist and author of Dele Weds Destiny , Tomi Obaro, says her debut novel was loosely inspired by her mother’s relationship with her best friends.

By Tomi Obaro

March 8, 2024

Tomi Obaro. Illustration by Kevwe Ogini.

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?

Growing up, I read whatever books I had access to, which tended to be works by dead white authors—such as Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice, Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights, the Anne of Green Gables series, numerous works by Charles Dickens, and F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novels. I was a very obnoxious adolescent with tons of literary pretensions, so I usually only wanted to read what was considered part of the Western canon. As I got older, thankfully my tastes began to broaden, and I began to read and appreciate writers like Nella Larsen, Arundhati Roy, Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Chinua Achebe. But obviously this is a very truncated list!

What is your writing process: edit as you write or draft first, then edit?

I think for first drafts it’s ideal if you write first and then edit, which is easier said than done for me. I’ve found that editing so early on is often just a form of procrastination, a way of futzing with the text endlessly so I don’t have to do the hard work of figuring out what comes next.

What was your process for writing your debut novel, Dele Weds Destiny?

I started writing it in August 2019 and finished in the spring of 2020. I wrote whenever I could—in the mornings before work, on the train, waiting in line. When the pandemic hit, I was so overwhelmed by the news, that when I wasn’t working, I would write, and it was that final burst of energy that allowed me to finish the draft.

I was a very obnoxious adolescent with tons of literary pretensions, so I usually only wanted to read what was considered part of the Western canon.

Dele Weds Destiny explores the lifetime friendship between three women across three decades. What inspired this story?

The novel is loosely inspired by the relationship my mother has with her two best friends. They haven’t lived in the same country for over thirty years but have remained close. My mother, sister, and I visited one of those friends in Europe and we were looking through old photographs and I remember thinking, there’s a story here!

And what’s one thing about the reactions to the novel that surprised you?

I was pleasantly surprised by Nigerian readers who reached out to me. As a Nigerian living in the diaspora with all the weird complexes such a position provokes, having Nigerian readers who live in Nigeria reach out and talk about what resonated in the book for them meant the world to me.

What books did you read while you were working on Dele Weds Destiny?

I read all sorts of books while I wrote, but I tended to seek out domestic fiction by African writers. I read Second Class Citizen, The Slave Girl and The Joys of Motherhood by Buchi Emecheta. I also read So Long a Letter by Mariama Bâ and to get a sense of what life is like in Northern Nigeria, I read Season of Crimson Blossoms by Abubakar Adam Ibrahim.

What books would you say are in conversation with Dele Weds Destiny?

You’ve Reached Your Limit of Free Reading.

The Republic is a Nigerian media-tech company dedicated to explaining our time—through deeply reported journalism on power, culture and society.

Ad-Free Reading Experience

Focused consumption without interruptions.

Unlimited Access to Exclusive Archives

Years of reporting at your fingertips.

In-Depth Deep-Dive Reporting

Long-form journalism that matters.

Create a free account to continue reading this month and access more of our work.

About the Author

Tomi Obaro

is a writer and editor who lives in New York City. Dele Weds Destiny is her first novel.

Comments

SHOP THE REPUBLIC

‘History Is as Much About Animals as About Humans’

Saheed Aderinto’s First Draft

—May 24, 2026

‘Books Do Not Give Us Hope’

Nigerian novelist, poet and author of Graceland, Chris Abani, does not believe ‘Nigerian literature’ exists as a category: ‘It is a common misconception that there is a fixed category that can be read as essentially “Nigerian literature”. Nigeria has 500 nations, 500 languages and about 2,000 dialects. While culture and language can overlap, the level of diversity is such that Nigerian literature cannot be easily narrowed down.’

—March 22, 2026

‘Literature Is One of Our Most Powerful Archival Machines’

For the co-founder and publishing director, of Cassava Republic Press, which marks its 20th anniversary this year, Bibi Bakare-Yusuf, it is telling that African literature is often pronounced dead in recent years, when more women and queer voices are becoming more prominent: ‘The loudest obituary writers about African literature tend to be men. These elegies seem to come from a tacit sense of personal or generational displacement rather than from the actual state of the field.’

—March 22, 2026

‘Literature Teaches a Nation to Know Itself’

Nigerian poet, novelist and author of Madame Sosostris and the Festival for the Broken-Hearted, Ben Okri, argues that Nigerian literature doesn’t always have to be about Nigeria: ‘Nigerian literature limits itself to Nigeria and then limits even the ways in which the country can be written about. What we want is a vast literature, a great literature…that speaks to all humanity.’

—October 19, 2025

‘The Human Spirit Naturally Resists Oppression’

Editor of Who Gave The Order: The History of a People’s Movement, Chibueze Darlington Anuonye, believes that 20 October 2020 stands as an indictment of the Nigerian conscience and urges Nigerians to remember that day: ‘What happened at the Lekki Toll Gate could be described as a country waging war a

Subscribe to our free newsletter

You're in — welcome to The Republic

Complete your onboarding

Read

Connect

Apps

More

Read

Connect

Apps

More

‘Writers Are Never Truly Satisfied With Their Work’