Successful writing has nothing to do with the chains of degrees anyone has. It is like music. A doctoral degree in musicology is not a guarantee that one would wax a danceable and popular album. Also, it is not an exaggeration to say that the possession of a doctoral degree in literary studies is not a guarantee that one would be a popular opinion writer. In my view, a writer is born. He can only be brushed through education, training and mentorship through an accomplished writer.
There is no denying the fact that there is hardly any pastime that exists today that has not got its own share of challenges. It is in the light of this truism that many opinion writers accept most of the frustrations they face with seeming equanimity. Any committed and passionate opinion writer sees himself or herself literally weeping by each passing day. He does not weep like the child that was scolded with a whip or a spank. Any opinion writer that knows his or her onions does not weep in a shrill manner like the baby that was deprived of breast milk or denied attention.
Given the foregoing analysis, the germane question for any reader to ask at this juncture is: “Why would an opinion writer resort to weeping when he or she is not a baby? The truth is that opinion writer weep in a literal sense but not in the true sense of the word. They weep in the course of engaging in their pastime, which is writing. The reason for this cannot be far-fetched as they are faced with a plethora of obstacles from the point of inspiration to the point of expecting their articles to be published.
At the stage of inspiration, many writers find it difficult to write a meaningful piece. At this stage even coining an appropriate heading and writing a lead paragraph is a problem. For those in the writing profession, this kind of situation is usually caused by a phenomenon called Writer’s Block. It is simply a situation where a writer finds it extremely difficult to write a new piece or improve upon an already written piece.
It is a terrible situation for any writer but in my own view it can be easily overcome as it is known in all religions that it is only God that gives inspiration to anyone to be creative. The book of Exodus chapter 31 verse 1 to 5 attests to this when it says, “Then the LORD said to Moses. See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri,the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah and I have filled him with the spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of craftsmanship.
Moreover, the Bible says, “I have appointed Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, to help him. Also, I have given skill to all craftsmen to make everything I have commanded you.” As a writer, this is one of the favorite verses I usually resort to in the Bible whenever I am stuck with writer’s block. What any writer needs to do whenever he or she experiences writer’s block is to remind God of this biblical injunction and ask Him in prayer for the in-filling of His spirit for the skill, ability and knowledge to write. For non-Christians, it may look so simple and unbelievable but it works. This particular scripture is not peculiar to the art of writing but also to all creative activities like singing, dancing and even to secular office tasks.
Therefore, rather than resorting to weeping, any wise writer should always try this whenever he or she is struck with writer’s block.
I am of the conviction that you are still bemused about why any writer would be weeping in the course of engaging in the pastime of writing. I must confess that most writers are compelled to weep whenever their view-points are not taken seriously. For instance, a glimpse into some past newspapers and magazines would reveal that their editorial and opinion pages dwell much on the societal scourge of corruption, armed robbery, kidnapping, terrorism, human trafficking, prostitution and so on, but these vices at the moment appear to be intractable as their perpetrators have seemingly remained adamant.
Most times, many opinion writers are compelled to ask no one in particular, apparently out of frustration, “If I write or not, does it really matter?” No doubt, the question is never a misplaced question. It is not as if the perpetrators of these vices do not daily read opinions and editorials that condemn their nefarious activities but the truth is that their minds are calloused. In my view, there is no point for any opinion writer to weep whenever his opinion is not accepted and acted upon. Opinion is like rain drop that ordinarily appears innocuous but with persistent drops it is potent enough to erode a rock. Simply put, writers should be resilient enough in expressing their views since constantly expressing their views on unpleasant situation in the nation would in the long run yield positive results. Therefore, opinion and editorial writers should not be crying by thinking that their views on various issues are meaningless and innocuous. They should rather become more resilient instead of weeping as perpetrators of all manner of evil in our society would one day, like the rock, yield to the pressure of their views.
It is not unexpected for any reader of this piece to suggest that opinion writers should be thinking of other pastimes rather than wasting their time on over-flogged issues that have seemingly defied solutions. This writer has severally received this discouraging counsel from some friends and relations but taking this path does not help any writer as it makes him or her to weep the more.
If only they understand the eccentric disposition of an average writer they would keep their counsel to themselves. The reason for this cannot be far-fetched as a writer is not like any other person. A typical writer is eccentric. He is naturally inspired to see an interesting story in a dreary situation. A typical writer moves about with his pocket-sized jotter and biro as he is readily prepared to jot down any idea that drops into his mind; whether on the streets, in the cyber-café, in the market, in the car, at home with his family members and even while sleeping. Many people expect the night to come so that they can have a nice sleep but the opinion writer hardly sleeps as he intermittently wakes up, leaves the comfort of his bed to jot down any idea that drops on his mind. A committed Opinion Writer always ensures he has his pen and jotter are by the side of his bed. He sometimes, between 12 midnight and 3a.m. takes his pen and paper to the sitting room, having realized that both his wife and children are fast asleep to develop the ideas he has overtime garnered into a meaningful and inspiring piece on critical national issue. A typical opinion writer often visualizes and ruminates over a topical issue for days before scribbling it down on paper. Suffice it to say that any published opinion article is first and foremost subconsciously written on the mind of the writer before it is transferred to the paper as manuscript. It is therefore not surprising that writers cannot but resort to weeping whenever they are erroneously advised to quit writing for other pastimes they see as none fulfilling.
Given the foregoing backdrop, it is little wonder that E.B. White asserted that “A writer who waits for ideal conditions under which to work will die without putting a word on paper.”
Still in the same nexus, an opinion writer is not selfish. He writes for the benefits of all. If he writes against any societal vice it is for the benefit of the people and the nation.
Paradoxically, an opinion writer is often seen as an enemy by those who often misconstrue his writings to be referring to them even when he did not specifically mention names or even when the article is bereft of innuendo. For instance, when he writes about corruption, a corrupt politician that was not specifically mentioned in the piece would be infuriated.
When he writes about the evils that are inherent in prostitution, some dyed-in-the-wool feminists will see him as a campaigner against the sanctity of womanhood. When he points out the inadequacies of a political party, some die-hard party loyalists would begin to cry blue murder.
In the same vein, when he writes about Boko Haram, kidnappers, armed robbers and any other dangerous set of people, family members and friends would be angry with him that he is endangering his life. This is the plight of the writer. It is because of these frustrations that the writer always finds himself or herself weeping. This is one of the reasons writers also weep. They are hardly encouraged.
The most frustrating of all and the reason why most writers also weep is when the articles they wished published are not published. Suffice it to say that not all articles go beyond the wastebasket of the editor. Therefore, it is expected that any aspiring writer should be more hardworking and committed to meet the set standard of most newspaper publishing organizations. The reason for this cannot be far-fetched as he may not be the only contributor to any media organization. Some writers may not understand that the editors know about the art of writing more than they do. An average editor is both academically and professionally trained in the art of writing. Apart from being academically and professionally equipped, the editor is daily exposed to writings of diverse styles from writers of various backgrounds. The editor knows the right topic to soothe the mood of the nation or the timeliness of any article and understands the expectations of the readers more than you and I. Like an oracle, the editor can easily predict the article that may easily fall into legal pitfall. The editor knows the appropriate words to use in building captivating paragraphs. I see the editor as my mentor, teacher and my examiner. Whenever he rejects my work, I would simply understand that I need to work harder. Pastor Dimgba Igwe of blessed memory in his book, “Secrets of Writing Successful Articles”, says “One thing I know for sure is that editors are no sadists. The truth is that many editors are looking for suitable articles to print but are despairingly finding little or none suitable for their need.” In my view, why would a writer weep over rejection when Ben Okri, a one time winner of the booker prize and J.K. Rowlings, a British writer, variously had their manuscripts rejected by publishers?
Whenever my article is not published, I literarily re-sit by expressing my views through another critical issue of national importance. To me, making my views known on national issues is my own way of contributing to the growth of the nation as I am not elected to do that through any of the houses of assembly across the nation or through any of the legislative arm of the national assembly. Even when I am elected as a legislator, I may not be given ample opportunity to make my contribution like I would do through this pace setting medium.
I must confess that I cannot do without writing. I love writing. This goes to show that the art of writing demands a lot of love, determination, patience and passion rather than weeping.
Successful writing has nothing to do with the chains of degrees anyone has. It is like music. A doctoral degree in musicology is not a guarantee that one would wax a danceable and popular album. Also, it is not an exaggeration to say that the possession of a doctoral degree in literary studies is not a guarantee that one would be a popular opinion writer. In my view, a writer is born. He can only be brushed through education, training and mentorship through an accomplished writer.
Finally, I will at this juncture encourage those who would like to take to writing as a pastime or profession to seize any opportunity that comes their way without hesitating. For anyone that is nurturing the ambition of becoming an opinion writer, it is expedient that he or she religiously imbibe the habit of reading extensively and following news trend on the radio, television and in the newspapers and magazines. Besides, he or she should also make the reading of printed materials on the subject matters of journalism, economics, sociology and politics a habit. These materials can be sourced from the internet. Most importantly, he should always consult the dictionary for any word that appears ambiguous to him or her. It is also expedient for any aspiring opinion writer to be familiar with African Proverbs, scriptural injunctions, idiomatic expressions and inspiring quotations. The reason for this is not for anything but to add spice to his writing, and by extension to hold the readers spellbound as no reader would like to be bored with a flat article.
Also, for anyone to write a successful article, he or she should as much as possible ensure that the article has either, an informative, educative or an entertaining value or has a combination of all the values. Whereby it is discovered that any article meant for publication lacks any of the foregoing values, the writer or author can go back to the drawing board and pen the article from another angle that may bring any or all of the values out. Simply put, opinion article must be didactic in content. Like the street boys would colloquially say, “No rushing”. This means it should not be written in a hurry as inspiration would continue to pour in from time to time as long as the article has not been sent for publication. Also, research on fact finding has to be conducted to ensure that names are not wrongly spelt, dates are not misquoted and that facts are not misrepresented. Any fresh inspiration affords an opportunity for the article to be improved upon. For anyone to succeed as an opinion writer, he or she should be committed to studying as if he or she is still in school. The reason for this cannot be far-fetched as one cannot give what he or she does not have. I would at this point like to opine that all the tips shared in this piece, if adhered to, would not make any writer belong to the school of writers that also weep. Rather than weep, such aspiring writer would always laugh.