Blogging is a path on its own and with a small community, it gets easy to take for granted the platform it affords us as writers. A lot has been going on with me in the last three months and it's been hard to show up on this blog as I used to. But that is still no excuse for my inconsistency and for that I apologise.
Tomorrow by 8 - 9 am, I will be speaking on How to Write When You Can't on the Win Again Today Instagram platform along with my dear friend Xavier Ighorodje and the famed Edirin Edewor. For anyone who likes the idea of writing and always had a dream to write, this online conference is a great place to start. I will be explaining what writing as a career/skill is, how to acquire the skill of writing, what it takes to become a writer and how to find your unique voice/style of writing. We will look at genres of writing for both fiction and non-fiction to help you come to terms with which career path you should take if writing is your passion.
This will be my second online speaking engagement this year, the first was early in the year when ChoWilson invited me as a guest judge for a flash fiction writing competition. We had the pleasure of reviewing stories sent in from aspiring writers and it was nice to see the world through the eyes of other people who are very different from me. That's the joy of reading, seeing the world from another perspective. My other speaking engagements have been offline. I don't refer to myself as a speaker because it takes away from the fact that my core desire is to write.
Speaking of reading, I have had the joy of reading some books this year in line with my personal reading goals. Sure I read and write almost daily but it is usually research to get ideas for my column on Connect Nigeria (an online info portal). It is a column on Tourism and every time I write for it, my head is filled with ideas on how I could incorporate these places into a story. So if you are a writer, I would advise you to read my column as well. You can't grow reading only fiction or the genre you like, sometimes, you need to read widely.
Back to the books I have read this year. I finally read the most talked about Young Adult fantasy novel in 2018, Children of Blood and Bone. For weeks since I finished it, I can't stop thinking about it. Now I know why it is all the rave. A part of me can't wait to see the movie of it because everywhere I turn I see potential actors for the characters in the story like Amari and Zele. I also wish they would act some parts in Nigeria, it would help to boost our tourism sector greatly.
Reading it made me want to start an online bookstore for ebook readers because I do have quite a large collection of ebooks. some I have read others I am yet to read. But more importantly, I am thinking of holding The Writers' Hub online workshop in November. It was slated for May but life took over. Maybe November is too far, Let's do it late October, early November. what say ye?
If you are interested in a one-on-one two weeks exclusive session with me to improve yourself as a writer? Type I am in below. The cost of the class is just N5000 and those who enrol will get a free copy of The Quilt (ebook) along with resource materials and writing assignments that will be overseen by me personally. You will also get a preview of my upcoming book, Troubled Horizon as well as a chance for me to read your manuscript of no more than 5,000 words. sounds like a sweet deal right? So what are you waiting for?
