EFFICACIOUS WRITER KARIM NASRI SPEAKS ON THE MISCONCEPTIONS OF AUTHORS AND TRUSTING YOUR GUT.
Karim Nasri is a 23-year-old writer/author from London, who began writing when he was just 18 whilst working for an IT company in 2010. It was in the midst of his boredom at work where he began to write a poem – a poem which turned out to be one of the many he would write in the near future. We caught up with Karim to find out more about this passion of his:
Did you ever consider becoming a writer before writing your first ever poem?
“No never! I wasn’t interested in writing at all. I was more of an IT nerd and into computers ever since I was 15/16. I thought I’d graduate and become an IT consultant or programmer, but I matured & discovered a love for writing. Writing helps me express myself, it’s my healer, my escapism and my fix. Expression and innovation is my thing and writing provides that for me.
I remember showing a colleague of mine at work what I had written the day I wrote my first poem. Although they loved it, I never published it because back then I was shy of pubic responses. I always seemed to second guess myself. That was my biggest problem and the reason to why I didn’t publish anything for a long time; even though I was still writing during that time. It took me 3 whole years to finally start publishing my work. I finally found the courage to take a risk and publish my first ever book at the end of 2013. I knew if I didn’t then I probably wouldn’t ever and so I did.”
Who would you say your biggest inspirations are?
“My biggest inspiration is my Mother. Nobody on this earth has inspired or impacted my life so much as her. She’s my driving force.
Other inspirations of mine include Tupac Shakur who has inspired me to be raw, deep and ultimately be myself with my art. Muhammad Ali, his whole ”nobody believes in me” mentality, I love that. Jay Z, I admire his business mentality and his drive of wanting to become the best of the best. Aaliyah, because of her work ethic in a short amount of time. I loved her individuality also, this inspired me so much as a young boy. And Malcolm X. I love that he was very intelligent, funny & passionate. I learnt the importance of having knowledge of self because of him. The Self-Knowledge of knowing your history, knowing your people, knowing what constitutes a man, how systems are set up and self-love.”
What would you say is the hardest thing when it comes to being a writer and how do you overcome it?
“Wow, good question. I’d say, the consistency of writing a good piece. Motivation, consistency and excellence are the things I struggle with the most with my writing. I don’t get writers block anymore, there are just days where I’m not in the mood to write but it’s a matter of changing my state of mind to write if that makes sense. Going for walks, having conversations, watching movies, reading poetry inspires me to write so I never get writers block.”
Are there any misconceptions of writers in your opinion, If so what are they?
“Black writers” yes. We are always expected to talk about colonialism, post-colonial material and imperialism. It’s disheartening and subjective. When black writers are accepted into African literature their space of subject matter is always scrutinised or reduced to politics, it’s not fair!
Another misconception is that “writing is easy” and so writers don’t have a tough time and it’s an easy thing to do. Writing is the most difficult form of liberating and expressing yourself. It’s tearing down pieces of self. It requires bravery, patience, perseverance, lots of time and focus.
People also always assume that all writers can spell so well, which is another misconception. I sometimes I find it difficult to spell words myself.”
Although Karim doesn’t know where these misconceptions have stemmed from, he has some advice for upcoming writers who want to get into the business:
- “Don’t listen to the doubters and critics, there will be plenty along the way, stick to the plan and trust your gut, time & craft
- Seek plenty of inspiration, it doesn’t have to be ”the usual’’. Travel the world, listen to other people speak, surf the net.
- Never ever give up, no matter how bad or unsatisfied you think your work is, it’s valuable because it could just inspire someone or spark their mood.
Success is a loose term and it’s subjective, everyone measures success in different ways and forms. I’d say the key to my success would be staying ”confident” with my work and trusting the end product.”
What is your favourite piece of work you have done? Do you have one?
“Yes, I would have to say my poem called “Fantasy”. I think it’s the best piece of writing I’ve ever produced. This poem is about a man who has a very honourable job, he is a high class lawyer that lives a very hectic and busy lifestyle until one day he loses his mother and this affects his life forever. I’d love to get it produce it into a movie one day if I can. I’ve written the manuscript, character staging, scenes, scenery out and everything. It’s a 110 pages long and it took me a whole year to write.”
That sounds interesting! I’ll look forward to its release. Now shifting gears a bit, what would you say is the biggest lesson you’ve learnt over the years?
“Not to judge a book by its cover, we’re all going through some mess and it’s not wise to assume and just think everyone’s life is cool. Our lives are fragile & short, we are not guaranteed tomorrow so live every day to the fullest, don’t be sad for too long. I have also learnt that self-belief is EVERYTHING. You can’t do anything well without believing in you, don’t worry about others as long as you got you.”
What he wants to be remembered by:
“I want to be remembered as a person who made people realize how amazing they are. I want to be remembered as someone who brought luminosity, joy and substance to people’s lives. Someone you can confide in and share sacred stories. Someone who was very passionate about goals and believed in something bigger than all of this And someone who made people open up and be themselves.”
Karim Nasri’s first book The Art of Not Caring was written in 3 days and released in 2013. It talks about overcoming your fears and being yourself. Other themes include Paranoia, Love, Life & Stereotypes. For more info on the book and to purchase click here.
MIRAK IRSAN, is Karim Nasri’s second book released on the 26th of January 2015. The book is about his thoughts and stream of consciousness on black women, culture, world politics, feminism, the concept of family, relationships, the concept of love, Race and Religion. He recommends this book to anyone who’s into philosophy, psychology, sociology. The book title is actually his name backwards and that’s because it starts backwards and finishes in the future. For more info on the book and to purchase click here.
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