Author name: Onyemechi Nwakonam

Are you learning to write on your own?
I have been there . Yes I haven’t figured it out but it would have been faster if not for these mistakes I made.
Over the last five years while learning to write I have made these mistakes that slowed me down and almost discouraged me from ever trying to write.
Mistake 1 Postponing writing until you are good.
While learning to write . Watching videos.
Taking courses I did not write because I felt I should become better before I write.
It is only looking…

When will you be ready to write?
Done is better than perfect. you can only do so much as your skill permits for now.
When I look back at what I wrote five years ago I am shocked to see that I would write such trash. My eyes have opened.
When you write consistently you track your progress. You begin to see how your work changes over time.
I had this feeling (as stupid as it sounds ) that one day out of nowhere the stories would come rushing down and I would write in impeccable English.
So I…

Update
I went through some of the poems and stories I wrote during the April Daily writing challenge.
The writing is crap but there is glitter of light in them . With editing I can make that light shine.
Lesson learnt: You can never edit a blank page.
Experiments
I have been stagnant for too long around my writing. I want to hone my craft to the extent where I can boldly say I am a writer and have my works to show for it. ( Published or Not)
I am going into a custom writing challenge.
I call…

I have been following my own advice from last week newsletter on keeping a journal for story inspiration. The approach I use is writing the things that happened in the day as highlights.
Kind of memory triggers.
At the end of the week I use them to write a short fiction in one sitting.
I find that for short fiction if it takes more than one sitting it changes it becomes another story.
I use the Grid Diary app to journal for now.
On Writing Schedule
While everyone is not the same and the path…

How are you doing with your writing?
This week we start from the beginning
Why do we write?
Every writer has a reason for writing. For some they were experimenting ,others it is a calling , a voice that won’t let go.
Here are ten quotes from famous writers on why writers write:
1. “We write to taste life twice, in the moment and in retrospect.” – Anaïs Nin
2. “I write to give myself strength. I write to be the characters that I am not. I write to explore all the things I’m afraid of.” – Joss…

A quick writing prompt for you.
When you are stuck on what to write for short fiction, what you could do is use the cycle approach.
Usually the first and last time we do something comes with conflict.
For example,
The last time a character saw his Dad.
The last time they could see.
It is the end of an era and the beginning of another.
Same goes for the first time.
The first time I remember losing my way.
What can you do?
Use your story to write flash nonfiction.
Pick inspiration from your…

What is the use of writing?
At a point we ask what is the use of writing.
Especially for writing like journalling and creative writing that is not necessary for a commodity.
What I see in the face of Ai is like the game of chess. The chess AI plays better than humans but we compete with ourselves .
Five years ago. Wait two years ago we discard the thought of robots writing literature now the argument has changed.
One thing is that the landscape of writing is changing .
People are bridging…

What makes writing good enough?
Personal Update
I have been writing my tests in school. Preparing for exams.
What makes writing great?
As a beginner when I read great writing it resonates and I love it.
But when it comes to writing mine there is that missing link. It is like an empty drum.
What is missing I don’t know. If I knew, my writing would be great.
One of the challenges of a beginner is that we don’t know what we don’t know.
I have been thinking ” how can I know the missing link”.
I…

The courage you need to write
At first when I started writing I thought it was because I didn’t know that much about the techniques that’s why I was scared. Until I realized that other pro writers where scared.
With every passing day I write . My admiration for the writers that show up to write grows.
Writing is an act of courage. Everyday I have to muster the courage to show up and write.
Quote
You need a certain amount of nerve to be a writer – Margaret Atwood.
I write in terror. I have to…

Quote
You fail only if you stop writing.” Ray Bradbury
Progress
Last week I told you about starting Small as a writer. I have consistently been writing for ten minutes everyday.
When I feel tired and overwhelmed, the goal is to show up as a writer and it is not necessary to write a “great” or “perfect” . Doing this reduces the pressure.
I feel more like a writer.
Ray Bradbury
One of Ray Bradbury Advice for young writers and beginners is to start writing a short story every week. I am taking…