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 Qur'an 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 Qur'an 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 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 died 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 luster, 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 telling you 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.
