Khulekani Magubane is a 22 year old from Durban has published 18 books! He is currently working as a Communications Junior at Invo Tech Enterprise Development Unit. He is from Escourt, KwaZulu Natal. Khulekani aspires to be a great writer . This is an exclusive interview KZN Literary Tourism had with him:
SD: What was the first piece you ever wrote?
KM: My first work was a poem, which I can’t quite remember. My first work to be published was a children’s book called Thabo’s Rescue Team. It was about the environment and forest fires. I was very passionate about the environment at the time and I still am.
SD: How much do you feel you’ve improved in the last few years?
KM: Very much so. One of my writing heroes once said that the key to becoming the best writer is to write. It comes naturally. There are some things I’ve written that I’d be ashamed to claim, but it was part of my growth.
SD: What is your favorite genre?
KM: I love horror, suspense and adventure. The rush one gets when reading an Alex Cross by James Patterson is great. I love to read biographies as well. Randy J. Taraborelli is a legend in this regard. It is a personal dream of mine to write a great biography someday.
SD: Where do you get most of your ideas?
KM: Life is the greatest inspiration for writing. I look at what happens around me. That’s how I form plots, characters and their layers. Learning lessons from what happens in the world gives you an edge when writing a realistic story.
SD: What is your favorite place for thinking?
KM: I don’t have a particular favourite place to think. I guess it’s anywhere where I’m alone. I like my own company best. I can’t say why. I guess it’s because I don’t judge my own thoughts too harshly.
SD: Who was your favorite childhood author?
KM: Paul Jennings and Enid Blyton
SD: How old where you when you first started writing?
KM: I started writing at the age of eight. I would scribble ideas and stories down and keep them. Soon enough I was approached by a publisher. My first work was published when I was around 14-15 years old. What an honor that was!
SD: What is your favorite work you’ve written?
KM: A book that I am yet to release called The McClew Brothers and The Dark Maiden. I believe that I am at my best in this book. I guess we will see if that’s true soon. Otherwise there is a series of books (the Angels series) that is also close to my heart and has a Christian message of God’s power to save.
SD: Who is your favorite character in any of your works?
KM: There is a character named Victoria in the Angels series. I really put that character through a lot of trouble (laughs). Occult involvements, death threats and much more. She survives all of this and still has faith in God. Sometimes she motivates me through tough times, as strange as that may sound.
SD: How do you choose the names for your characters?
KM: I don’t. It’s quite random actually. There’s no intended purpose for any particular character’s name.
SD: What is your favorite theme or element in writing?
KM: Letting ideas grow lives of their own. The imagination is a powerful thing. It inspires all invention and innovation.
SD: What is your favorite novel by a different author?
KM: Wow! There are so many. I have always liked the Dark Tower series by Stephen King. I also loved Triumph Of The Sun by Wilbur Smith, Black Diamond by Zakes Mda and The Murder of King Tut by James Patterson.
SD: What scene in your writing has made you laugh the hardest or cry the most?
KM: I try not to get too emotionally attached to my work when I’m still doing it. But one moment that touched me was when Victoria was finally reunited with her mother after a searching for her and surviving the painful ordeal of being infected with HIV. I felt so close to that as it was inspired by an experience that a friend of mine had.
SD: What do you think makes good writing?
KM: Reading. There is no other way to become a better writer other than to read and to write. Also exploring cultures outside of your own gives you a concept of the way the world is.
SD: What made you fall in love with writing?
KM: I can’t say. Maybe when I first did it? I guess I was okay at it and wanted to become good at it. When I became a good writer I wanted to be great. Now I would like to become the best. Sheer ambition and passion.
SD: How do you beat writers block?
KM: My rule is always to let things be. If I’m not getting ideas for a book, I just stop working on it. I paint a picture, take a walk, work on another book, and engage in conversation, anything but what I was doing at the time the writer’s block hit. I never stress a book, or else it’s forced and it comes out terrible.
SD: Thanks for the interview! Words of advice to any aspiring writer?
KM: It’s a wonderful journey. Enjoy each bump and detour. Join a dynamic circle of writers and exchange ideas and viewpoints. Talk to people about life. But don’t forget that reading and writing are the building blocks. If that’s lacking then, forget it.
