Undoubtedly, writers in Kenya and indeed all over the world have spent the last three weeks making resolutions that will help them write more and write better.
Perhaps you have been writing in secret for ages, stashing away your stories in your laptop, in a folder nobody but you will ever open. Perhaps you have already started sharing your writing with others, and this year you want to share even more. Perhaps you want to finally finish that book or start a new one altogether. Perhaps you want to submit to that publishing house, that literary journal or that magazine this year. Perhaps you have never really written before but this is the year you want to start. Perhaps you made these same resolutions last year and the year before that but somehow, December always finds you having never made any progress.
We like to make fun of New Year’s resolutions and how they hardly make it past February. But we keep making them because we really do believe that this year, things might be different. That’s hope, and that hope matters. Because what if this year will really be the year you finish that story? What if this really is the year you start blogging or performing your poetry or get into the habit of writing a little every day?
Our writing resolutions are a great way to start the New Year. They are a great way of motivating ourselves to get our stories out there. There will lack a need for new stories, after all! So why not keep trying and trying to write our stories? And our imaginations will never run out of
Too often writers allow fear to silence them. You fear that all the stories have been told and there is nothing new your writing will bring. You fear that you have nothing important to say. You fear that others will ridicule your writing. You fear and fear and fear. And in the end, your story never gets written.
Nobody can promise you that none of your fears will materialize. Chances are that the message your writing gives has been given many times before. But it has not been given by you. Chances are that there are some who might ridicule your writing. But what about the others who will enjoy it? As Elizabeth Gilbert says in her book, Big Magic, fear probably has a place in the car as you journey towards creativity but it must never be allowed to take the wheel. Feel your fear, acknowledge your fear… but you can’t let it control you. You can’t let fear suffocate your creativity and kill your story. Who will tell our stories if you do?
So write! Let 2019 be the year you accept yourself as a writer and allow the ideas inside you to come to fruition. Who knows, your book could end up on our e-store! Let this year see your creativity bursting into whichever work you embark on. How nice would it be to look back at the end of the year and feel proud that you finally told the story that has been burning inside you? New year, new stories.
The wonderful thing is that through this writers’ blog, writers in Kenya will have all the tips and the support that you need on your journey as a writer. Subscribe to the blog to become part of a community of writers and professionals who can provide guidance and support when it comes to all matters writing and all matters publishing.
What’s more, the Storymoja publishers writers’ course will be back soon for writers in Kenya and beyond, even bigger and better, so stay tuned for more details. This year, there will be no excuse!
Until next time, Keep Writing!
Wanja Njama is the author of Bejewelled Africa, a collection of short modern folktales that not only teach and entertain but also show the beauty of Africa. Here, she speaks with us about her book, her literary journey, and her advice for aspiring authors. This is your first book. Why did you choose to write an anthology instead of a full-length novel? When ...
‘One out of four students in Standard 7 do not have Standard 2 level literacy skills’ – UWEZO REPORT 2017 Too many children attend school but do not learn. Unable to master the language of instruction well enough to use it to learn subject content, they fail. Children must master English to learn, at a deeper level, all the subjects taught in school, ...
The new curriculum is a blessing for learners everywhere. It is learner-centered and adaptive to the changing needs of students, teachers and society. It implies that learning activities and environments are chosen so that learners can acquire and apply the knowledge, skills and attitudes to situations they encounter in everyday life. The new curriculum ...
In my article “New Curriculum headache”, I introduced the current reforms in Kenya’s education system that seeks to change 8-4-4 system to the 2-6-3-3 ‘competence based curriculum’. In this article, I explore the history of education reforms in Kenya and the perceived failures of 8-4-4 system. Kenya is not new to education reforms. In 1964, the ...
