Category: writing
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Hi, I’m a Writer. I haven’t written anything constructive since January 27th this year and I finally admit that I am in a slump and need help. So, I’ll start with some of the things I tried to get me focused on completing my novel and maybe you will understand why they all flopped, or better yet point out where I went wrong and could improve on. Shall we do this?
RF._.Studio cc http://www.pexels.com Alright, here’s how to get out of a writing slump- the hard way:
- Do not admit that you are in a slump. I mean what’s a slump if not undergoing a prolonged fall or decline in something, like oil prices do, or even the economy…so definitely this does not apply to me.
- Do not dare call it something it’s not, especially “Writer’s Block,” who came up with such a thing? You are just not feeling it and that’s okay, so read that book.
- Read. Yes, read as many and diverse books as you can. You’ll find that January has slipped into February and before you wrap up that book you are in March and you bought a stack of 10 novels awaiting your attention. I mean, isn’t a Writer a Reader?
- Buy stationery; the cuter and brighter, the better. You need new notebooks and pens and highlighters because you have to write fresh ideas on fresh slates, right?
- Revise what you’ve written. It’s your first or tenth draft and something is definitely missing, so why not read what you wrote and cherish the characters you got right, frown at the typos and dangling clauses, and kill the characters you don’t want.
- Watch Netflix! Come on, they made it easier, brought entertainment and distraction right in your hands and face- with the mobile device subscription. How about watching some K-Drama? Watch not one, or two, but six of them…Gwaenchana?
- Listen to music, it’s what makes the world go around. How about that new album by Stray Kids?
- Get some work done. You are not a full time Writer, you are in Kenya and you have to make ends meet, to pay bills and all, so get your work done too. You can always right when there’s not a work report hanging over your head.
- Visit new places, seek out experiences like eating at that restaurant everyone keeps talking about on Instagram, or walk into that shop you always pass by, try new stuff- you may just have a story to tell and that’s a good thing.
- Write. Yes, you haven’t been able to focus on it for almost three months and that’s forever, so why not just sit down and write!
And if these ten things do not get you out of the writing slump, then…well, shall we send a rescue party to remind you of how good you are and of the works you created before, maybe that would boost your confidence and ease the anxiety. Until then…
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A friend sent me a list of questions on personal development and the very first one was “What are 5 things you have had to unlearn?”
- Accepting everyone’s expectations of the course of my life. This would often be phrased with questions like ‘aren’t you supposed to be married by now?’ or ‘shouldn’t you be driving a car or having kids?’
- Going out of my way to please people. In my line of work when I engage with communities and the government, this often comes in form of trying to get people to work together in peace- and I realized that there is a fine line between cooperation and extreme compromise- and often I would go out of my way to make things right at the cost of my health and well-being.
- Being obsessed with body image. Yes, the number of times I have taken up workouts just to sculpt my body into what I think is desirable and then failing or being demotivated two days in- are more than I could count the strands on my hair.
- Answering calls 24/7. This is exhausting! So, I made sure to let everyone I engage with that I wouldn’t accept phone calls or respond to work calls and emails past 7:30pm, this way I have more time to reflect on the events of the day, prepare for the next day and get rest. Besides I love going to bed very early.
- Trying to offer solutions to people’s problems. Yes, this I learned the hard way because I had a friend whom I would advise and she would do the exact opposite until one day I asked her why she shares her problems with me and she said, ‘because you listen and it’s good to just talk to you about them,’ and since then I learned that it is possible to listen to problems without offering a solution.
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I look forward to the hour before dawn,
When dusk, dawn and hopes align…when silence is deafening,
And the world is about to arise from slumber, yearning.
I look forward to the hour before dawn,
When I finally set the voice in my head free and she shouts into the void of my fears.
Then the world, from rays of red, orange finally bloom into yellow.
I may be here or there,
You may be but stardust,
But you and I know the look and we honor our fears as we do our dreams.
Here and there.
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Halfway through the month and two things became clear to me; the first is that I have been watching way too many shows on Netflix and the second is that I bought two sets of gym clothes and I have not done even one push-up this year.
I expected a sense of ‘shame on you’ with these two realizations but what I experienced was the intensity of intention. I’ll explain. I love watching Korean dramas, documentaries and animations on Netflix so much so that I find such a sense of joy and calm when I settle down to watch an episode after a long day at work or on Saturdays. On working out, this year I had set out to be more intentional and even set up a reminder and a workout plan. I haven’t adhered to both and I find myself stretching more often with ease, walking or just sleeping instead.
On reading: I am currently reading Tess of the D’Ubervilles by Tom Hardy.
I just downloaded 3 new titles to my Kindle app via Netgalley and these have to be some very beautiful covers.
On Writing: I haven’t written anything since January 25th 2022 and it’s not okay. I do not have the strength to keep asking why or keep jotting sentences that do not align with the novel that I should have completed last year.
Have a lovely weekend.
I look forward to watching the next two episodes of the following shows on Netflix: Twenty Five, Twenty One and Forecasting Love and Weather.
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It’s a joy to be writing this.
I’ve had a flu this past week that came with joint pain, exhaustion, headaches and a never ending fever and when I thought the worst was behind me, I get to deal with a never ending cough. For three days I lacked the sense of taste.
So, let me start over: happy holidays! How are you spending the holiday season? We have two days to the end of 2021 and at the back of my mind there is the feeling to strive for more, better, for adventures, for a happier me and all that. I am also looking forward to achieving the goals that I never did this year.
As I write this, it’s 9:33pm and it’s raining in Kisumu. I haven’t had a cup of tea tonight. I just finished watching, The Silent Sea, on Netflix. If you’re looking for a dystopian or sci-fi series to watch- give it a go, it’s worth the time and it’s Gong Yoo on this!
On reading: I have bought more books this month which I hope to include in the books I get to read in the coming days.
This year, I did get to read 202 of the 200 books I had set as my Goodreads Reading Challenge and I would love to read more books next year.
On writing: I would love to do four key things:
- Write daily by adhering to a writing schedule
- Join and commit to a Writers Group
- Publish my #WIP
- Talk more about my writing either on talk shows, podcasts, book clubs.
I look forward to reflecting more on the things I do and have done this year in the next two days.
Until the next post, do have a wonderful time.
Make memories, cherish the good, challenge yourself to learn from the moments that wound you. Give love. Laugh loud. Dance like you’re the wind.
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I hope you find your way home.
Travel the world, rise and fall,
And when you put one foot in front of the other,
or wander,
I hope you find your way home.
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I have been writing for two decades now.
My first attempt at self-publishing led to the production of a short story, Dear Yellow, on Smashwords in November 2011. I have published 30 ebooks on Smashwords since then. Of the titles published on Smashwords, the most reviewed are: 21 Days, Pieces, Made for You, and Say You Love Me.
In 2014 and early 2015, I got onto Amazon and by then it was CreateSpace that called out to me and I tried my hand at it and went for publishing books for sale on Amazon. My author page now looks pretty much like this:
One of the greatest challenges working and writing then publishing on Amazon was that I could not reach out to more Kenyans and persuade them to buy the books online, because first it meant using a debit or credit card and second, if they wanted paperback copies the cost of shipping was ten times more than the book. As a Writer, though Amazon offered me the books at an author’s price, I also had to factor in shipping costs and this had me ship books only in the fall- so readers here could only get copies once a year! It was exhausting!
Sometime in 2018, a Writer friend, Elly shared her experience self-publishing in Kenya, and I reached out to a couple of publishers and finally got feedback from Publish 4 All here in Kenya.
So, in 2019 I worked with them and published Sifuna, then followed it with Zuri: The Chronicler of Enzi and In the Quiet.
- From 2011, to date, I am learning that it takes a lot of work to write, and not just jot down words but to align them into a story and a memorable one as such.
- I am also learning that self-publishing means you put in the work, if you do not work on a quality cover, or format your book into the right size and ensure all contents fit the frame, then it’s nerve wrecking and means you go back and forth with the printers until you get it right and all this comes at a cost because in Kenya we import paper, so any paper waster is money wasted.
- Today, I appreciate the efforts put in by the Kenya Copyright Board to ensure provision of copyright certification for content produced. Elly gives a step by step account of how to copyright your work in Kenya-> here
- It’s also easier and faster buying an ISBN from the Kenya National Library Services at www.isbn.ac.ke
I hope to keep writing and publish more books for as long as I’ve got breath in me and for this year, it’s been a daunting task to complete a book I had wanted to publish in August.
- I would love to be vastly read and to also see more young girls and women writing books, both fiction and non-fiction in Kenya.
- One more thing I hope to achieve is designing good book covers. I am currently taking lessons on basic graphic design and learning how expensive good software is! So, I hope I can learn how to create book covers and in the future buy the software and use it.
Until then, if you’re interested in print on demand services, email Publish 4 All at p4akenya@gmail.com and they’ll give you a breakdown of the services they offer.
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I look for you when the world is quiet,
When you aren’t waiting for their likes,
retweets, comments, reposts…
I look for you when the world is loud,
When their judgment condemns you,
When you want to travel to the end of the world and stay there.
I look for you because I find you in extremes,
So when you stop to catch your breath,
I hope then you will choose me,
You’ll love me not by their ratings or your desire to meet their expectations.
I await your embrace.
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I feel like Summer.
Warmer, braver, lighter.
I feel like Summer,
so why do you act like it’s such a bummer?
I feel like Summer.
Lighter, warmer, happier.
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nilichoandika 