They say the pen is mightier than the sword and for good reason. Writing is a skill few have really mastered. Writing well is certainly a lot more complex than writing an essay in English class.
If you enjoy reading fiction, you will know that some of the greatest novels of all time took years and years to write. Often, a good story can take years to mature as overcoming obstacles and setbacks in life enrich your story and characters. Writing from personal experience is always the best way to express your creativity.
YouthPaper investigates what it takes to be an excellent writer.
Stories Need To Be Explainable
In other words, if you can’t explain what your story is about in less than a minute, is it really a good story at all? Do you know what you want to say? In the story itself, it’s fine to elaborate on certain points because a reader should never be unsure of a situation. Readers should be able to follow a story without having to wonder what is happening. They may have questions, but these should be explained at the appropriate time, striking a fine balance between keeping the reader enticed and engaged.
Like keeping a secret and only revealing it at a later stage. This makes your story even more interesting.
People are always going to discourage you, no matter what. But with time, you are going to get better. Keep writing down your ideas and the stories you have in mind. The more you do something, the better you get, or as they say, practice makes perfect. Keep a document somewhere with all your good ideas, keep it safe and work on them whenever you have free time.
Some people prefer typing on a computer, while others enjoy the smell of freshly dried ink on a pad. Whatever your fancy, keep writing!
Motswana author Lauri Kubuitsile, author of ‘The Scattering’; had advice to offer. “For me, you have to ask a lot of questions. Is the story told well? Is it faithful in a human way? Then you’ll get the answer. Every story is everyone’s story. Either you are successful with it or not.”
St Paul’s English teacher and Master of Arts in English Studies student Linea Hamukwaya says being a good writer starts with reading widely.
“Good writers read. By making reading a habit, children, as future writers, will be able to expand their vocabulary, which will enable them to effectively express themselves – as writers.” She also expressed that children should practice writing now.
“By writing once in a while, they will improve their writing style. Style is an important and unique feature of any writer. As the cliche saying goes, ‘practice makes perfect’.”
Pointing out that exploring various writing genres is important, Linea said: “This is can be done by exposing oneself to a variety of reading materials, in order to know how they differ from one another. A report is written differently than novel”.
All writers face writer’s block and each have different ways to overcome it. When you come to a stumbling block in writing, keep writing. Sometimes all you need is time to refresh and take your mind off it or research as much as you can. After all, you won’t be good at something if you don’t understand it fully.
By reading, you may also pick up tidbits from other writers which you wouldn’t have been able to come up with on your own.
Zimbabwean writer, poet and blogger Larry Kwirirayi says aspiring writers should allow a story to develop naturally.
“Read a lot. Even the things you do not like to read. Just read and read more. When you write, write freely. Allow the story to tell itself and breathe on its own. It is your world but the beauty of a story is that it is like hanging out with a bunch of imaginary friends.”
Do not make cheap rip-offs of other stories. It doesn’t benefit anyone. If you’re particularly fond of an idea that another author had, you can take elements of it and twist it so that it fits your style. Stay away from trends because they die out quickly. If you’re going to write a story, write one that you would want to read.
Also, if your characters are not relatable, then there’s really no point at all, is there? People will not remember the words they utter or even the events that occurred. But what’s important is that they will remember the way a piece made them feel.
Anne Hambuda, who won the NamPost Short Story Competition last year, says her inspirations vary. “I am mostly inspired by life and by other people. I like being able to tell their stories and experiences. To give voices those I think people need to listen to. I also like to day-dream. It is my favourite thing to do and from that, stories come from nowhere.”
One of the tricks to writing the perfect story, she said, is putting herself in them. “Sometimes I’m telling my own story silently or I’m putting bits of my characteristics into a characters. But this is not often. Other times, I am completely removed from the story. Then I am just writing, because that type of personality interests me. I am always thinking about people’s personalities so I try to explore that.”
Sharon Kasanda, author of the novel ‘Dante International’, shared her story: “I started writing at 15, and even though I thought my short stories were the best thing on the planet, at that time they needed a whole lot of work. As young as I was, I did not have the experience or the grammar to really find my writing voice and that was OK. Only time can give you the practice you need to develop into a great writer. Decades later and I am still learning!
“Read anything you can get your hands on to help you increase your vocabulary and broaden your experiences with different activities; all these experiences help inform your writing. If you know someone older who is a seasoned writer who is willing to help you, reach out to them and get some tips on how to perfect your writing. However, at the end of the day, practice makes perfect so write, write and write some more!”
Excited? Here’s your opportunity to become a writer. The Ministry of Education, Arts and Culture is launching a Namibian short story competition. Your story must be written in the following languages: Ju|’hoansi, Khoekhoegowab, Oshikwanyama, Oshindonga, Otjiherero, Rukwangali, Rumanyo, Setswana, Silozi and Thimbukushu. Here are the rules: Write stories with illustruations for children/young adults between the ages of four and 18.
There are four categories: Category A for pre-primary school children, Category B for primary school children, Category C for junior secondary school children and category D for senior secondary school children.
