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Writing with no pay is one of the trickiest hobbies in life. You
may opt to write a very fascinating story only to end up writing non sense. You
may churn a good idea only to forget about it when time is nigh to put it in
black and white. I have severally gone through occasions where I come up with a
great idea while making castles in the air. At such times, I usually have
diction. But when it comes to the real act of making sense out of the thoughts,
my brain becomes numb and the fathomed ideas become irrelevant.
That is what life is. I bet life is a very tricky affair. Many
people usually have great hopes and ideas as to what they aspire to do or be.
When it comes to the action of now putting the notions into practice, you
realize that it is not that easy. The same case applies to me. I have sometimes
written the best articles in my mind while thinking of the next big thing that
has never been penned down only to realize they were just that, dreams.
I like stories. I also know many people like stories. A good story
if well narrated will ideally have an impact on the target audience. A story
with relevance to society will withstand the test of time and not even
modernity will dilute the meaning it was intended to portray.
The Bible is thousands of years old. The same applies to the Quran
and other religious books that have been relevant all along. I guess the
authors were not just witty but were motivated by humanity and income was not a
major driver. Their main drive was to show society that as things change the
more they remain the same. I don’t know about Quran but I guess what it
contains is as true as it was written then as it is now.
While vanity may make some to cherish what they do, it is not
worth it to be remembered for nothing. Being famous for vanity may be very
enticing especially to those seeking the public limelight. This also applies to
many who say life is all vanity. They have nothing to die for, they are just
there. To them, as another day passes they view it as an obvious fixation with
no endeavor to achieve.
Good stories should have meaning, relevance and create the
unrivalled suspense of making readers or listeners glued or accustomed to what
they are reading or listening. Suspense is an art and very few have mastered
that art. It requires more than just reading or listening. Building on this art
should start from the beginning to the end. The story should be brazen and
create worry; failure of which it will be bland and have a nondescript
build-up.
This reminds me of James Blunt. He was once one of the most hated
musicians in UK. He sung lousy songs according to those who hated him. While
his song ‘You’re beautiful’ was an international big hit, it attracted
revulsion among some quarters. I guess the video was just lethargic, it was
also not well thought and it could be one of the reasons why most people could
have possibly hated him.
I wish to be a force to reckon with. That does not mean I want to
transcend to that level without any effort. Like victors and those who have had
an impact in this world, I know that making a statement is not that easy. Those
who rise to the occasion early find out that it is not usually that rosy. If
they can’t keep pace, they soon go into oblivion. This reminds me of the child
actor who featured in ‘different strokes.’ Ideally Gary Coleman could have
kicked the bucket a millionaire. But apparently, he died a pauper having helped
mint millions as a toddler.
I am hence tempted to say that today’s failure may be tomorrow’s
success. Again the journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step. Thus,
it is prudent to know where you want to be. That applies to my writing. It is
at present devoid of lustre, but as they say experience is the best teacher.
After a while it will gain sheen and maybe go to the next level.
It is a challenging satisfying the unpredictability that is
associated with human nature. When you think you have made nailed it, the
response may be insipid. When you try out subtle things, a bubbly outcome may
be witnessed. Life is full of contradictions.
When I started this article, I thought of writing about the
technicality of writing. I have slowly realized that making amends with the
self when things are not working does not break a bone. When it comes to loss
of ideas and banal creativity, there is what I usually call brevity. Telling a
long story in few words in a sense that is evokes emotions and captures the
requisite imagery to the recipient is a very good thing.
P/S: I have never understood the ideology of one saying 'I have a
very long story'. Please, long stories are only found in novels. Furthermore,
those who say they have a long story end up having short stories.
When you have something to say, say it. This spite of long stories
does not augur well with me though.
