BY KIMBERLY KARIATI
AWARD-WINNING writer Rayenne Chidzvondo says he represents a new generation of “authentic and competitive” story authors devoted to advancing local industry.
Speaking to NewsDay Life & Style, Chidzvondo said he fused his imagination and the reality of his life in his writings.
“I am a writer by calling. I started writing when I was 13 years old and it was a means to make sense of the things around me,” he said.
“It became something I cultivated over time, having always been a child who hung around in the library. I write entirely to find out what I am thinking, what I am looking at and what it means to me.”
Chidzvondo said writing enabled him to tackle important issues that people avoided talking about.
“I read to write, live to write, creating stories that fuse my reality and my dreams to become stories other people actually started enjoying,” he said.
“As a writer it is always important to try to listen to what people are not saying and tell the story of that silence. My writing is how I try to make sense of the world, and it is how I get to tell stories that people are not telling.
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“We spend so much time talking about things that make us comfortable, sound smart, or politically correct, but the reality is that there is less voice in all that noise so I write about the silence.”
Chidzvondo said publishing his first book Under my Skin was not easy as he had to overcome numerous challenges.
“My first fully-published work I penned it for about three years until the project was ready and it was worth the wait. Having a book is like having a baby because it is something that comes from within you,” he said.
Chidzvondo said he taught people to know who they are giving their work to.
“I had a strong run-in with certain people who tried to take advantage of me. The world is full of people who want to use and abuse other people. Sometimes these people come as saviours when in reality they are after what they can get from you,” he said.
Chidzvongo said he wished to become a worldwide recognised writer adding that he had plans to branch out into theatre writing.
“I am working on a theatre play titled Sour Diesel. I have also been published other poetry and short story collections,” he said.
“My vision is to be a motivation. I want to show people that I am more of an era than a phase.”
- Follow Kimberly on twitter @ lizellekimk
