Thursday, 16 May 2013

THE WRITING PROCESS 1


        The Writing Process (1)

By
                         Mike Okhihiemen 
                                                                             formerly Atohengbe Aigbomian


 Mike Okhihiemen
Book production begins inevitably with the writing process. After this comes the proofreading. A well proofread  manuscript  would still the need the attention of your editor. If your editor is not a publisher, he would need to send your manuscript, perhaps on your behalf,  to the graphic artiste, who would page – plan your book for another set of editing and proofreading. When all those are satisfied, the lithographer’s attention would be needed. When the lithographer’s  job is complete, you go to press ; and your books are 40% ready.

But here, we are starting from the starting point: The writing process; perhaps later we shall go to the press. To very many enthusiastic writers, this is where the problem really lies.

I have come across many a writer whose initial headache was really starting the book. In the hard process of trying to start and fail, they never started at all. Then the book remained in their minds. But one must remember that anything not written down does not exist. So their books never existed

To those who know, the process is simple. Recently a pastor who wanted desperately to write a book came to my office for consultation. As we began to talk I could see an obvious desire on his face. Then the following short dialogue ensured:

“Pastor, what’s the tithe of your look?” I asked
“I have not titled it”
“What do you want to write  about?”
“Yes, this topic  em, em  masturbation. I think it is a very serious issue among youths now. I am so concerned so I want to put up a small book on it, but I don’t know where top start”  he  finally muttered while I waited and listened patiently.

“We are going to do a small experiment” I told him.
“Take a sheet of paper and a pen, then write down the answers to the questions I am going to ask you”
Obediently, he took a clean A4 sheet and  a ball point pent ready to write but still wondering what I was up to . Then I continued: “In your proposed mini book, what do you intend to let   your readers  know?” This sounded like another JAMB question to him,  so I broke the question down to his understanding  
“Pastor,  what I mean is this; I want you to write out (like a primary six child) seven things you want to tell your readers. Begin like this
1.     I want to tell my readers that…… This woke him up.
 “Oho now I understand. Yes. No.  he  said  and began thus:
1 “I want my readers to know the dangers of masturbation.
2.       I want my readers to know how to escape from masturbation  
3.       I want my readers to know that it is not difficult to overcome it.
4.       I want my readers to know that I too was involved in it.
5.       I want my readers to knows… ,he  wrote up to point
6 I want my readers…
7 I want my readers …..

After he was done which did not take a considerable time, we had seven points on what the wanted his readers to know. Where he handed the sheet over to me, I looked at him in the face and smiled, and I said “Pastor you have seven chapters already for your mini book”

The happiness that came across his face confirmed that his consultation was worth the time.

Book writing is that simple.
 To begin with, many are not aware that writing a book is like building a house. Most good builders would begin with the plan of the house. Your book needs a plan.s If the writing is not properly planned, like a building too, the editor might notice a structural defect after the book had been completed By then it could be difficult to amend. In some cases, a fresh re-writing is the only way out. But then can the author pay the price?

You need a plan for your book to start properly. Sit down, with a paper and think, ask yourself those questions
(1)     What do I want to say? (in one sentence)
(2)     What problem do I intend to solve with this published book?
(3)     What do I want  my readers to know? (itemize them up to 10 or more)
If the intending author is honest with his/her answers to these questions, some of the followings points will emerge.

(1)     The title of the book
(2)     The chapters of the book
(3)     Introduction for the book

Sometimes though, many writers do not bother themselves with title of their books before writing . They go straight to the chapters which, of course are very important. However, I do not subscribe to this negligence. I believe that faithfulness to the title can only be achieved when  the author constantly remembers and diligently keep a date with the title. Many books  with  this error are not faithfully worth their titles. You may have noticed that some books contents do not actually satisfy their  title claims… well that  is a topic for another day.

When the chapters of your book are well laid out, it gives you direction. That sense of direction co-ordinates your book into a unified whole, that gently  hold your readers bound till the last chapter.


No matter what you choose to write about, be sure to include specific imagery and detail, and keep the five senses in mind. When you decide what to write about, write your first notes or first draft rapidly, without censoring yourself. Don't worry about structure, rhyme or grammar. Just get words on paper and see where the process takes you.

It  doesn't matter where you start: the only thing that matters is where you finish. As Ezra Pound said, it doesn't matter which leg of your table you make first, as long as it stands up in the end.

Once you've got something on the page, you have something to work on. Anything that prevents you getting those first words on the page has to be avoided. High expectations and thinking about the finished product rather than the task at hand can have a paralysing effect on those first words.
There's a time to think about the story or the book  as a whole. There's a time to ask yourself what your story is about, or what it means. There's a time to demand the best of yourself. But the time to do those things is not at the beginning. At the beginning, the only thing that matters is to get some words, any words, on the paper.

Why is that so hard? Sometimes it's because our minds are blank . That why you need a guild as stated before .
Sometimes our minds are full of voices, whispering advice to us about how to write. They drown out the voice of our own mind which, at this stage, needs all the encouragement it can get. No matter what happens just write. Remember that any thing not written  down does not  exist, Let your book exist .Write it down.
                                                                                          Mike Okhihiemen ,
formerly Atoh. Aigbomian
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