Although her debut novel has been years in the making, Mohale Mashigo has been telling stories all her life. As the award-winning singer and songwriter Black Porcelain, her music is playlisted in more than 36 countries while, by day, she is Carol Mashigo – radio moderator and storyteller. Here, she tells us more about the writing process and her book The Yearning.
1 You come from a musical background. Was writing this book a very different process to the creation of your music?
The songwriting process is collaborative. Songs are like short stories and you get to perform after you’re done. Writing a novel is a lonely process and it takes a lot of time.
2 Was writing a novel a natural progression from creating music?
I started writing The Yearning in 2006 and only released my first EP in 2008. I’m not sure which came first, which is why I describe myself as a storyteller. Telling stories is my true love, regardless of which platform I use.
3 The Yearning deals with a young woman whose past comes back to haunt her. Was there anything in your own life that sparked this story?
South Africa is one big unfinished story that keeps coming back to haunt us. Knowing that there are so many untold stories, I started writing The Yearning. None of it was influenced by my life (it would be a boring story otherwise) and I don’t have much in common with Marubini, the protagonist, other than we both live in Cape Town and come from Soweto.
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