Brittle Paper’s Writer of the Month for November is Comfort Shie!

Comfort Shie is a Nigerian writer who is currently a final year English and Literature student at Lead City University, Ibadan. She was once a science student but transitioned to the arts where she thrives with no regrets! Now a writer and editor, Comfort loves to tell stories of hope. With hopes of her own, Comfort longs for the day she becomes super rich and can travel the world to see new places and meet new people. But for now, she meets new people and sees new places in the books she reads, while her own work mirrors everyday life.

When she isn’t writing, she’s co-hosting a radio session with her friend, thinking of a new plot idea, immersed in a novel or doomscrolling on her socials. Comfort believes the world will be a better place if everyone actively works to change their lives positively and deviates from their bad habits. She also believes that almost everything is achievable if you have the guts to actively pursue it!

Now that you’ve gotten to know Comfort a bit more, join us as we sit down for a lovely chat with our Writer of the Month!

Brittle Paper

Comfort, congratulations on being our November Writer of the Month! Your story, “The People the World Was Made For,” was my highlight of the past month. To kickstart the interview, can you tell us about how Comfort Shie became a writer?

Comfort Shie

Firstly, thank you so much for selecting me as the Writer of the Month! The truth is, I never saw this coming.

My love for writing has always been intrinsic. My mother says the first day she took me to school, I’d been drawn to a paper at the administrator’s office. I was only three. She told me that the administrator had laughed and told her I’d love reading books. Now, I’ve realized that administrator was right because I didn’t only read books, I actually began to write them.

Growing up, I didn’t live in a house filled with story books like many writers did, but in school, I read everything I fancied – children’s books, short stories, novels. My mother was and is still an amazing storyteller who told beautiful stories. Occasionally, when she told stories, I listened intently. It was her amazing storytelling skills and the story books in school which spurred me into writing because I needed to replicate the ideas in my head into words.

Brittle Paper

I love hearing the different ways people found their love for reading, especially when it’s from such an early age!

Keeping with tradition, I have a few questions to help us get to know your literary personality a bit more. First up, what is the earliest book you remember reading and loving?

Comfort Shie

That would be Without a Silver Spoon by Eddie Iroh. Till today, Ure Chokwe, the main character, still holds a special place in my heart.

Brittle Paper

I haven’t read that yet, will definitely add it to my list!

Is there a book you have read that you found so powerful or even just enjoyable, that you think should be compulsory for all people to read?

Comfort Shie

Yes! That would be The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho. I think everyone who needs a sort of motivation but isn’t a lover of self-help books (like myself) can read it. It’s a very beautiful book with relatable characters.

Brittle Paper

And finally, if you could have a dinner party with your favourite artists, who would they be?

Comfort Shie

I have quite a number of artists I adore who I’d love to share a table with. For writers, I’d love to have C. S. Lewis for bring such a brilliant writer, Chinua Achebe who inspired me to tell stories that dispel false stereotypes, and Maya Angelou because of her immersive storytelling skills.

My music artists would be Fred Addo for beautiful Christian-themed country music, and Jim Reeves and Panam Percy Paul for singing songs which were the highlights of my childhood.

Brittle Paper

That final question is always my favourite because people always have the most interesting guest list, and yours is no exception!

Now, Comfort, you were selected for Writer of the Month because of your October story, “The People the World Was Made For.” This story is so relatable and, besides it being so touching, it is just so brilliantly written! And I’m not the only one who thinks that. I’m not sure if you have seen the comments some readers have left, such as: “Yet another story that has sent chills down my spine. This is beautiful. You’re an incredible writer, Ma’am.”

So, Comfort, I know writers must be so tired of people asking them about their inspiration but, tell us how you came to write this story.

Comfort Shie

“The People the World Was Made For” is my story of some sorts. I say so because I was indecisive at some points in my life, I still am. Although I’ve been able to become better at making decisions these days and I’ve never been happier with myself.

In my younger years, when I used to be indecisive, I’d had a lot of people talk me down. It had been a sad experience because I felt everyone knew what they were doing, everyone except me.

One night in my room, I thought to myself, why not write a story about indecision? Why not write about someone who isn’t able to make decisions? Then like an epiphany, this story came to me and I stood up, grabbed my notepad and gladly began to write this story.

Brittle Paper

The whole story is so well crafted and everything works as one so it feels wrong to single out a section, but I’m going to anyway. My favourite part of the story is:

Unlike you, these are the people who the world was made for. But you, you’ll never figure out what you want in life, you’ll always halt between opinions and still be unable to make a choice. You will always be indecisive.

I know this is not the most optimistic section but you are the one who decided to end on this line [laughs]. The whole story encapsulates the feeling of seeing everyone around you make decisions with ease and conviction while you are left feeling anxious and questioning. I know a lot of people will relate to this but what I love most of all in this section is that, you not only make it known that this is a discomfort and anxiety but you also make it known that sometimes, you need to acknowledge this discomfort to live your life. It doesn’t make it go away or lessen it, but it allows you to make peace with ‘this is who I am’ and ‘how am I going to go forward now?’ I don’t know if any of that makes sense, but I loved that you ended on that.

Do you often take on an introspective tone and theme, like with “The People the World Was Made For,” or was that just one of many themes you play around with in your writing?

Comfort Shie

[Smiles] Thank you!

Yes, what you said makes a lot of sense. Before this story, you see I’d asked people who’d admitted to be indecisive if indecision ever goes away and their replies were sadly the same – no. And as someone who’d been indecisive for the most part of my life, I could relate so well with what they said. It doesn’t really go away but you learn to live your life because in the words of my friend after reading it, “you can’t be a swinging pendulum all your life. At some point, you’d have to rest.”

And I think I made that happen with my main character because in the end, she had come to terms with her indecision and had stuck with what she knew was best for her.

And you were right when you said it didn’t end quite optimistically. I made it so. While I have always wanted to tell stories of hope, writing “The People the World Was Made For” was an attempt to stray from my writing theme and I think I did that – I wrote a story that ended without hope.

As for the theme and tone, most of the people who have read my stories have said my stories have made them reflect on their lives so I consider my storytelling tone an introspective one.

Brittle Paper

You are currently studying Literature at university, and I’m a quite curious about something. I’ve always known that, while I don’t want to be a writer, I want to work with literature and be involved with the whole process. So, I became an editor which I think paired well with my years of studying and analysing books. But I am curious about how a writer feels when they study literature. Do you study writers and writings and get a feel of what you want to avoid in your own work and what you want to incorporate? Or is it something you completely separate in your life?

Comfort Shie

It’s entirely separate from my life.

When I chose to study literature, I did so because I was fascinated with writers and their works but I don’t let that in anyway affect my writing. I study writers and their works for the aesthetics, to unearth the hidden meaning in their works and relate it to everyday experiences and not because I want to incorporate it in my writing.

Writing is a different path for me. It’d be safe to say that my writing and my study of literature don’t mix.

Brittle Paper

I love that approach! So, Comfort, before we end the discussion on writing, what can you tell us about Friday’s new work?

Comfort Shie

It’s a short story with themes of nostalgia, family ties and filial love and I’m so excited about it. Nothing much to say until it is read [smiles]

Brittle Paper

Before we go, apart from your writing, Comfort, what is one thing about yourself that you want to share with our readers?

Comfort Shie

I have three actually [laughs] I live the life of a hermit – I can stay indoors for a week if I have a book, an internet connection and food. A writer’s block can ruin my day, and music can make me feel happy or sad.

Brittle Paper

Comfort, thank you for this lovely chat and for being our Writer of the Month! I hope the new year brings many more stories from you on Brittle Paper!

 

 

For more of Comfort’s work, be sure to check back in on Friday, and for more interviews with our writers, check out September’s with Shone Mercy here.