Ediale Kingsley is one inspirational hero – a writer, a journalist and a filmmaker who always amazes people when they discover he indeed went to higher institution to study accounting.

He was allowed to practice Journalism at National Daily newspapers. Now, he has grown his style  and his InstaLetters brand

Ediale describes his job as ‘one mailing the world for good’. And truly his open letters has gone far.

On Facebook, many who have discovered this bearded gangster and his frequent Open Letters, are quick to tell you when you ask that the InstaLetters founder is an intellectually sound creative using his inks to change the world.

He tells how he emerged as a powerful influencer, captivating readers and social media followers with intriguing stories .

Excerpts;

Ediale! You’ve become huge on Facebook, known for your distinctive style and gorgeous opinions. How did you get started?

I’d always wanted to do something creative. I was (and still) covering sports (football) and entertainment at National Daily. But I have always wanted to do something unique. Always wanted to be the Number One of a particular thing. So on the first day of January 2019, I wrote a post about being number one in a trade or industry. And that piece inspired me to create InstaLetters. But if I would answer that question on a broader scope, I have always been a creative person with challenging ideas and opinions right from when I was a kid.

Before InstaLetters, I started Jersey Number Twelve, a football media platform. I curated a lot of football contents until I started writing letters to footballers and then to stars outside football. But the huge acceptance of Instaletters just made me tune up the volume of the Open Letter platform over the Football stories.

What was the catalyst to get going?

The people. The readers. Like I said, people accepted InstaLetters once it started. It was so huge that people I didn’t know, and wasn’t even friends with, would go make a piece on their Facebook wall about my writings and pleading that I don’t stop. That was so touching for me. That’s why I had to craft a line, “I will never stop inking”. To assure the readers that I was here to stay. That promise kept me going. And the more I wrote, the more the readers wanted more and enjoyed the letters. That pure love from them to me keeps me going.

I will always mention my younger sister, Rosemary, as the original catalyst. Long before I knew I was a writer, she was the first to call me a writer. Back then as kids I use to make lots of notes and journals. Just as a hobby. I didn’t know it amounted to being a writer or anything serious until my sister spotted it.

From then on, I identified myself as a writer. Although as a kid I did many creative thing. From cartoon skirtching, painting, soccer to acting and so on.

Your style is simply unique and full of wit, original stories and attention-lines. Where did you learn this technique?

Okay, many people do not know this. My writing is a product of my development. I have been a scriptwriter, a journalist, a comedian, an actor, a fine artist and a film buff slash maker. These many hats I wore over the times is why I write the way I do. As a stage director, with awesome stage shows back in Auchi Polytechnic. I mastered the act of arresting people’s attention. Because back then in school, we had a lot of creative heads with their shows. And most times we have dates clashing with other dates. To get people to come for our shows over other super amazing shows. Our script, our performances and so on needed to be out of the world. That was partly how I learnt to compete for people’s attention. The truth is on social media there are a lot of things people can enjoy with their hard earned data. Why should they be reading my letters? Unless they find my writings irresistible. That’s why I put so much in the pieces I ink.

Then I discovered how awesome Facebook platform is and discovered there were lots of other content creators there. I didn’t ever want to end up looking too similar to what’s going on with the masses. I knew I needed to find something really distinctive.

You are so consistent and so distinctive – where did that come from?

This is a benefit of being a natural writer. I don’t struggle with writing. I love writing. It’s not work for me. I don’t spend more than 30mins on my letters. In fact most times it’s less than 5mins. And I write directly on the Facebook app. I write from my heart. I write on what I know. On subjects that I am knowledgeable on.

I get so many people following me saying that my work inspires them. Many people are calling me from all over asking to be mentored. So I feel like making a beautiful feed after feed for them is key. I need to keep them inspired. I can’t afford to let them down.

And I should add this, people become really great at what they do consistently. I have become awesome also because I have been doing this for a long while now.

You seem to be writing some books too. Tell me about that?

Dear CEO is a book of letters to amazing creators, entrepreneurs and founders. But I am yet to push for distribution. Other books will come too. I am going to get all the books ready in good time. I have been quite busy and I don’t want to rush these books out.

I love writing in small increments too. When travelling, when in traffic, and so on. So I am doing something crazy. I am writing about 5 novels at the same time — Her Secrets, Why I Cry, Hajara Had A Laugh, What She Sees and No Death Only Tattoo.

But when the books starts coming there will be a lot out there for the lovers of books. And lucky for them, it will be a book to love.

Earning as a writer is a skill. So when the books starts selling. It means more earnings for me. And that means I can keep concentrating on my InstaLetters.

Tell us about your readers? Do they enjoying every letter you ink? You write long letters most times are they enjoying it?

It’s a challenge to look after everyone as I do have a real mix – some love the lengthy letters, some hate it long but enjoy the way I help them make the letter interesting, some want it reduced, while I have also been told by some readers that they are disappointed when they see that the letters are short meaning it will be consumed quickly.

But I have been told everyone will be fine. And I want to deliberately creat a product for the new year (2020) it will be for people who love short reads.

How do you manage your work life balance?

I’ve been saying for ages that I want a vacation. So I can relax from the phone and lapt screens – but I am quite limited by time. I wake up and before I am able to write for National Daily, write for other clients and write for InstaLetters it’s night already. And so end up extending my work into the night. And delay my sleeps or most time shorten my sleeping hours.
I wish I will get to a place soon when I will pay all my sleeping debt and also be able to continue without having any backlogs of sleepless nights.

I will get my vacation soon. Until then, I will take my football viewing times shared with my friends as relaxation time. But even that is work because I write football and soccer bettings too.

Everything good will come, including pure times for relaxation.