Goal: This session is to help participants understand writing from the perspective of a global audience and enable their transition to writing for the International reader audience

In our rapidly changing world, where new communities and relationships are forged seamlessly. It’s expedient that we also partake in this paradigm shift. Shift, think outside your locality, think global. To become a transformative writer, your writing must espouse intentionality.

Transformative Writers do not write for the sake of writing. They write to transform, to cause change, to make things happen. And to move from writing for your local audience you must have a bigger picture in mind.

I only started to see a major shift in my readership when I began to write with intentionality, breaking free from the shackles of my immediate environment. To take your writing to the next level, SHIFT. Does your writing have a purpose? Do you write because your friends are writing? Do you have a conviction behind your writing? Does your writing cause a stir within you – As the author and your reading audience too?

As a writer, my writings mirror the society. And in so doing, my readers either in my local community and wider readership can feel a sense of purpose through my writings. They share an affinity with me as a poet and writer who wears their shoes perfectly. To shift via Glocalization, break free from yourself.

See beyond borders and write with a global audience in mind. I have seen a rapid shift in the acceptability of my works as I embraced Glocalization. Writing for a global audience in mind is not a dilution of your works and does not mean you should ditch your content to suit a global audience.

However, it means that you’re intentional about what you write. At a point in my writing journey, I was a very celebrated poet in my immediate environment and I saw that once those poems went to a wider readership, they could feel no affinity because the words did not resonate with them. In writing with intentionality, I know the difference between a story and poem fit for a book, blog, and archives.

Transitioning: What next?

Writers whose sole purpose is to transform and cause a change are not ‘copy and paste’ writers. A lot of critical thinking goes into the thought process. Hence, this leads me to the next point, to embrace glocalization and write with a Global audience in mind. Be original, be creative and bring something different to the table. Think legacy works. What do you want to be remembered for as a Writer? I wrote a series (Dead Lions Don’t Roar, Dead Dogs Don’t Bark and Dead Cats Don’t Meow) of Inspirational poetry. I wanted to write poetry that could empower my readership, not just in my writings but to give them abundance of self-belief that if Tolu’ Akinyemi can pull this off, then they can do much better.

In closing, SHIFT, transform, break limits. Forge new relationships and start with what you have. Share your works on your platforms (Personal Blog, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, WhatsApp et al) Build your own platforms, don’t wait for anyone to hand you their platform or promote your work. Submit your works to International Journals and Magazines, (Lion and Lilac Arts has a magazine) that’s one of the ways to build a global readership. Remember Glocalization should be the ultimate goal. The time is now – SHIFT.