The Huddles of Writing...

Not so many people will agree with this assertion. Writing is the most difficult art in the world. Yes. Some people however might argue, that writing is a science...
Well, be it science or art, I still consider the act of writing as one of the most difficult things to do (sounds a little bit confusing). I don't want to prolong the argument, whether it is a science or an art. So, I will call it a 'process'.

The process of writing is not an easy one. Not every dumbass can write. Even if they think they can do so. This is because, writing entails much more than just putting pen to paper. Do people still put pen to paper these days...? I don't think so! People, apart from Nigerian judges, type straight into the computer. Judges in Nigeria, I feel so sorry for them. They have to write everything out in long hand. May be, thats why cases take so long to conclude.

Back to the process of writing. By writing here, I do not mean this blogging of half a page or two pages. I am talking about writing a book. Or novel, if you like. That process is a very difficult one. To put your thoughts into words- either experienced or imagined- is an uphill task. Then, putting these thoughts down in chronological sequence is like a character portrayed by Sophocles in one of his dramas. This character tries in vain to push a huge rock up hill... and each time he nearly gets to the pinnacle, the rock rolls down again... He has to start all over again! Attempting to write is similar to the character mentioned above.

I have been trying to write a book (if I say the number of years... some of you will laugh) for a very very loooooooong time now. I have written a considerable number of chapters. Going by the plot of this my book, I have my doubt, if I will ever finish it. Do you see why writing is a difficult task...?
Writing a book is just one aspect. You have to publish, and then market. If you come up with something wishy-washy, your effort will be rejected by publishers and you will end up with a bundle of manuscript- may be, not even good enough for akara sellers because, they preffer newspapers. If the guguru and ekpa seller accepts them, consider yourself lucky. Otherwise, dustbin!

If however, you manage to scale the huddle of the publisher, and you fail to make an impact on the readers, then your effort will end up in some local bookshops with cobwebs.

For those us with eagle eyes, critical and difficult to satisfy, writing a book is no tea party o... ehe!
Some of us only know how to read. Then, we criticise- "the story is disjointed or some of the sentences are ambiguous...;the ending is flat...popodu popodu papadap..."
Don't you know how tough it is to come up with something readable in this blogging thing...oho!
Try and write a book, then you will know how far!
In fact, Chinua Achebe, Wole Soyinka, Ola Rotimi, Zulu Sofola,Femi Osofisan, Chimamanda Adichie, Uzodinma Iweala, and all the other successful writers are geniuses!
We should doff our hats for them!