The Writer’s Job
Posted by Storymoja Africa on March 26, 2009
Last week, I got some criticism from a reader who felt that the editor’s note on the blog was smarmily whiny. It probably was. You decide.
I will take this opportunity to defend what I was trying to say.
There are a lot of people out there who are in love with the novelty of being a writer. I want to be a writer. Oh, I wrote this piece, would you like to read it? I am famous, my work was published in the Nation. I have been expressed all the above sentiments at one time or the other.
The thing is, writing is hard work, responsibility, time and effort. To express what you need to express, what needs to be expressed, is not a thing to be done casually. It takes thought, otherwise the reader will soon learn to dismiss you as an ignorant buffoon. It takes effort, to research, to make sure you write exactly what you mean, to present it in a way that your reader will not only enjoy but also learn from. It represents the responsibility a writer carries, because indeed many a writer has formed the basis of a culture.
A good writer is not lazy. You must put in all the hard work to fulfill your goals in writing. If you write to entertain, then for the love of words, entertain. If you write to advocate for a certain cause, then make sure that you do not equivocate between stands. If you write to teach, make sure that you do teach, and that means that you do not present your work in the most boring of tones.
So back to the whining. The critical reader has a responsibility. To critique in a manner that will allow the writer to grow as a writer. Of course not all critique will be positive. You can especially expect angry disdainful criticism if you take a stance that is not popular. Be careful though, it could just be that the reader is so absolutely disgusted by your lack of effort in making your work interesting and fun to read no matter how academic or not, your work is.
The bottom line is, every writer needs critique to grow in their skills. No matter how good you are, no matter how successful you have been, critique is one thing that makes us excel as writers. The rest of the growth depends on your personal commitment to growth.
With that, I would like to usher you into this week’s reading.
I’ll start you off with a funny poem about the course of education as has been in this country since independence. A Gooder School By Muthoni Garland.
Then I’ll take to Bongo-land, and place you in the very able arms of Sandra Mushi, and her story which is the Story of the Week. A Hired Mother.
Still in Bongo-land, I urge you to visit with Sharifa who is experiencing A Desperate Moment.
When you come back from Tanzania, please read Peterson Mutua’s lament about African Leaders.
Isaac Mburu is contemplating the Concept of Life.
Boniface Gachugu is sharing with you an excerpt from one of his novels yet to be published. The Reunion Date.
Marvin Tumbo has something to say about the Youth Agenda.
I will send you off into the weekend with a bit of a laugh on Hekaya za Mkenya : Me and My Limousine by Anthony Chambira.
I was so engrossed in the unfolding events that I did not see him approach, a police man, I have one thousand reasons to be afraid, I have no driving license, my tyres are worn out, my insurance expired way back in 2007, and so on and so on, “Mzee tafadhali weka gari yako kando na ulete driving license.” He says, sorry, Commands! My brain froze at the sight of this symbol of terror; my feet kick into action, accelerator floored, and car takes off. I can see the distance between me and the policeman grow, 10 meters, 20 meters, I am smiling, bursting with joy; car coughs once, then a second time, and looses speed, I have run out of fuel. Read the rest here
nadia888 said
I agree with what you said about the writer’s job (God knows I have thousands of things to learn to become a good writer), I’m in a dilemma and maybe you could help me, I think that yours could be a contructive opinion, it’s about the “I want to be a writer”, particularly it is a semantic struggle.
http://www.nadia888.wordpress.com
Osas said
Today, I did something – well not at all out of my character, as the above editor will forced to admit, under sufficient duress, sous peine forte et dure – but something out of some people’s expectation. I took my little gardener’s can and carefully watered a seedling. *Before* reading that text, mind you.
An acquaintance had coined a very fortunate expression, off her sleeve (okay, “avoid clichés like the plague”…. off her naked elegantly dark damsel’s arm), on her Facebook page.
It was a gem. I picked it up, put it under my critic’s loupe, eyed and assessed it, packaged it well in silk paper, and sent it back to her, with an accompanying gemmological expertise and instruction.
“It” (the pebble that rather is a gem, and whose sparkle caught my eye) is a brilliant title. A title for a future short vignette. Under this fortunate title, there could be written a micro-story, could just be a Proustian evocation of a sentiment (sentimental or erotic or wistful, or all three), could be a precise description of an encounter or a resemblance. Or just a glimspe of poignant instrospection into one’s nooks and crannies of idiosyncrasy, crevices of memory, or abysses of the soul.
Let’s hope she will unpack the apothecary’s folded envelope, take out the shining title, and use it soon. I for one, am looking forward it.
Osas.
Critic.
storymojaafrica said
Dear Nadia, indeed it is a semantic problem, but we can work it out. See, what most people want to hear is, ‘I am a published author’ which in a lot of instances is equated with ‘I am a writer’. Of course, for a teacher to be a teacher, they must have some kind of qualifications, to have taught on several occasions and to truly believe in the vocation. A writer’s qualifications do not necessarily come from a diploma, but in their success at presenting their work to an audience. In the past, this would have been quite a problem because you would have to wait until a publishing house accepted your work or a newspaper published your article. Today there are so many more avenues to have your work in the eyes of an audience. So, you might not be published in the traditional sense of the word, but you do have an audience, perhaps in blogs and online forums, social networks and such. If you have by any chance conquered those worlds, then you are a writer.