The Man and His Goat – A Writing Competition

Take a look at the image below:

The Man and his goat

Write a 500-1000 word story inspired by the picture and send it to blogs@storymojaafrica.co.ke. Storymoja will pay Ksh 1000 prize by M-pesa or Zap to the  most interesting story.

Please mark in the subject of your submission email: Man and his Goat Picture Prompt Writing Competition, and attach in Word 97 compatible document.

The deadline for this competition is November 30th, 2009 at midnight.

On this Day…

This week’s blog is dedicated to Boniface Gachugu; writer, poet, friend and brother, who left us this Saturday 14th of November 2009. May he rest in peace, and may we celebrate the life he lived, by being ever stronger, ever better, ever truer, by writing more and more, because he was a man who loved words, and shared them with us, in his stories and his poems, in his laughter and his friendship.

Here is a poem that Boniface loved and shared with his truest friends:

On this day

On this very day,

Mend a quarrel

Search out a forgotten friend,

Dismiss suspicion and replace it with trust,

Write a love letter,

Gift a soft answer,

Encourage youth.

Manifest your loyalty,

In a word or deed

Keep a promise,

Find the time,

Forgo a grudge

Forgive an enemy

LISTEN…

Apologize if you are wrong

Try to understand

Examine your demand on others

Floor down envy

Appreciate; laugh a little more

Inspire confidence

CARING

A heart full of thankfulness

A soul of simple hopefulness

A thimble of care

An early morning,

A smile to greet the morning with,

A kind word as key,

To open the door and great the day;

Whatever it brings to thee;

A patient trust in providence

To sweeten all the way

All these combined with thoughtfulness,

Will make a happy day

Peanut

I leave you with those words, as I usher you into this week’s readings.

We begin with a piece from a writer who is fairly new on the Storymoja Writer’s blog. Please welcome him by offering honest and clear critique to his piece: Weathers of Life by Peter Yieko Ndiwa.

Are our dreams and yearnings just illusions that keep us from getting where we should be? Whispers of the Unheard by Marvin Tumbo.

Who is he? I am Dust by Steve Mwangi Ichungwa.

Once again she drops by to regale us with tales from the mystical land of Swahili. The New Thatch Hut by Sandra Mushi.

Though the pain is raw and fresh, Boniface would have liked us to spend a moment lost in the laughter of his words, and so here I leave you one of the pieces he submitted to the Writers’ Blog very recently. It is a piece I have no doubt many of you will identify with and enjoy. So here… First Day in College and Reporting by Boniface Gachugu

Editor

Story of the Week – Dear Mr. President by Denis Kabi

Your votes are in and this week’s Story of the Week is…

Dear Mr. President by Denis Kabi Read it here…

Congratulations Denis!

Would you like your story to feature here, please send in your work, in word 97-2003 format, and not more than 1200 words to blogs@storymojaafrica.co.ke. We will be awarding one of our readers and contributors every month, so be sure to send in your work or comment on the featured stories.

Do you have any ideas about how to make your weekly reading more fun? Please send your suggestions to juliet@storymojaafrica.co.ke today. Join us here on Monday for the next batch of stories and be sure to vote for the Story of the week starting November 16, 2009.

Opinion Editorials

I am going to begin this week’s reading by sending you all to an article that I thought was quite interesting. Please read it and keep the information you gather in mind as you submit your artistic pieces in future. Also feel free to share any such material that you find and feel would be useful to this writing community. So here: 40 Tips to make your Writing hit its mark.

Now, that we have that out of the way, let’s discuss something that should be discussed. Not all writers are fiction writers. Sometimes even fiction writers have to writer opinion editorials, otherwise sometimes called op-eds. The reasons for writing op-eds might vary, from needing your writing to earn income, to just expressing your opinion about something you care about. So let’s get to the important stuff.

What is an Op-ed?
An Op-ed is an opinion piece through which writers express their views on a timely issue. Right now, the issues burning the Kenyan air are: The Mau Forest, The Post-Election Violence, IDPs, Gay Relationships and The Passat Debate. The opinion piece is drafted and submitted to a publication’s editorial board for review. Publications here in Kenya include The Daily Nation, The Standard, The Star. Add a few more names from the East African Region to your list. And there is nothing wrong with submitting Op-eds to papers outside of the country and continent.

How do I get an Op-ed placed?
Op-ed editors tend to look for articles that cover subjects and make arguments that have not been articulated elsewhere in their publications. Editors also look for timeliness, ingenuity, strength of argument, freshness of opinion, clear writing and newsworthiness. Personal experiences and first-person narrative can be great, particularly when they humanize and/or bring a larger idea or issue to life.

Each publication has individual guidelines for submitting an Op-ed. A quick call or email to the editorial page editor of a publication can clarify what the rules are for an individual outlet. Depending on the publication, these guidelines can also be found online. Generally speaking, Op-ed guidelines tend to include the following:

• Should Be Approximately 750 Words. The opinion piece stands a better chance of publication if it makes its argument quickly and compellingly, backing it up with evidence.
• Should Avoid Jargon. Remember that you are speaking to an audience that may not be as familiar with the issues of community pharmacy as you or your members are.
• Should Be Exclusive. A publication is more likely to publish an opinion piece if the editor knows the same piece will not be appearing in a competitor’s. In fact, many newspapers will require the writer to guarantee exclusivity for a two-week period.
• Should Include Contact Information. Editors will need your contact information to verify authorship and/or sentiments expressed in the piece. It’s best to provide your email address along with your work and cell phone numbers.

Do you have any more ideas with regards to this topic that you would like to share with us? Storymoja will reward one reader every month, for your participation in our Writer’s Blog. All you have to is either send us a piece of your work or comment on and rate the posts.

And now to this week’s reading:

What would you do for love? How far would you go? A Shameful Sacrifice by Nixon Mateulah.

And then here is a letter to our far cousin who lives in the White House. Dear Mr. President by Denis kabi

Does it ever get better? It will get better by Sandra Mushi.

A new day has dawned for one young man. But what is the price for it? Black Tie Affair by Stanley Mitoko.

lastly, we go to the land of hopes and aspiration and the harsh reality that kills dreams. Green Card by Peter Yieko Ndiwa.

Thank you very much for sharing your work, and for commenting on other writer’s pieces. Please continue sending your ideas about how to make your weekly reading more fun to blogs@storymojaafrica.co.ke. And remember, all stories published on the Storymoja Blog will be eligible for the Crown of Story of the Week. The stories are posted every Monday. Please critique and vote for the story you believe should wear the crown. At the end of the week, the votes will be tallied and the story with the most votes will posted on the Storymoja Website as the Story of the Week on the Friday of the same week. To have your story in this weekly process please send it to blogs@storymojaafrica.co.ke before Friday at 4pm.

Have a wonderful and creative week!

Story of the Week – Twas the Devil by Sandra Mushi

Your votes are in and this week’s Story of the Week comes from acroos the borders in Tanzania. Again. Sandra, you seem to be giving us quite some competition over here!

Twas the Devil Read it here…

Would you like your story to feature here, please send in your work, in word 97-2003 format, and not more than 1200 words to blogs@storymojaafrica.co.ke. We will be awarding one of our readers and contributors every month, so be sure to send in your work or comment on the featured stories.

Do you have any ideas about how to make your weekly reading more fun? Please send your suggestions to juliet@storymojaafrica.co.ke today. Join us here on Monday for the next batch of stories and be sure to vote for the Story of the week starting November 2, 2009.

Constellations

On Sunday night, when the entire country was plunged into a darkness that lasted five hours, I got a chance to go back to something that was my favourite past time when I was just a little girl.

My mother did not believe in TV, and we lived in rural home that was quite secure back in the day. So it was possible for me and my brothers to sit outside at night and watch the stars. My brother had a simple telescope and he loved to point out the constellations for me. He was a master at teaching me new stuff without ever boring me.

Did you know that you can’t see constellations during the day because the sun’s light is too bright to see star light?

If you are on the equator you can view all the constellations in a year. If you are on the North or South Pole, you will only be able to see the part of the sky above you.

And then he would tell me a story for each constellation. My favourite one of them all was Orion. It is one of the largest, most conspicuous, and most recognizable constellation  in the night sky. Orion consists of three bright stars in a row known as the Belt of Orion. Surrounding the belt at roughly similar distances are four bright stars. Apparently the constellation is named after Orion, a Hunter in Greek Mythology. But my brother made up a completely new story for me, that did not quite identify race, but that made me see in my mind’s eye my favourite Uncle. Interestingly, my Uncle was the hunter in the family, going out into the woods not very far from my grandmother’s home to hunt small game. In a way that little story has made me almost idolise my Uncle, as well as the storyteller. It seems like a far off memory, but I think that it has influenced me quite a bit.

My brother’s stories created a fondness in my hearts for stories, whether told or written and read. I realise now, that although the stories he made up seem to just flow right out of his mouth, he had actually taken the time to consider what words to use, what tone would appeal to me and most importantly how to keep me hooked inside his stories.

That said, it is time for us to get into this week’s reading.

We begin with the fourth and final part ofTears of a Mother by Nixon Mateulah. – Hadrak abruptly put his beer down and shook off from the scantly dressed girl’s hands who was massaging his shoulders and ran to Zachariah.To read the other parts of Tears of a Mother go here.

The Standard Chartered Marathon dubbed Hesabika Tena occured on Sunday 25^th October, 2009. One of the participants shares his experience with us: The Great Race by Gitura Kihuria.

Denis has shown himself capable of telling a story even when using unusual characters or using themes that are generally considered taboo. Here is another one: Passing Wind by Denis Kabi.

Once again Sandra Mushi treat us to yet another piece. This time the devil is to blame. Twas the Devil by Sandra Mushi.

So how does a body end up on a US Most Wanted Terrorist list? Could it be you going to Guantanamo Bay next? The Road to Guantanamo by Evans Kinyua.

Finally, but not by any means least, how did you little cousin decide what they want to be when they grow up? I am Going to be a Politician by Liz Ombati.

Please continue sending your ideas about how to make your weekly reading more fun to blogs@storymojaafrica.co.ke. And remember, all stories published on the Storymoja Blog will be eligible for the Crown of Story of the Week. The stories are posted every Monday. Please critique and vote for the story you believe should wear the crown. At the end of the week, the votes will be tallied and the story with the most votes will posted on the Storymoja Website as the Story of the Week on the Friday of the same week. To have your story in this weekly process please send it to blogs@storymojaafrica.co.ke before Friday at 4pm.

Here’s wishing you a wonderful and creative week!