Differentiating ‘Writing To Learn’ From ‘Learning To Write’ -By Isaac Asabor

There is no denying the fact that there is hardly any pastime that exists today that is not learned before demonstrating the skill or bringing the creativity to bear. Contrariwise, writing as a pastime is quite different as it is learnt through practicing. Little wonder Octavia E. Butler said, “You don’t start out writing good stuff. You start out writing crap and thinking it’s good stuff, and then gradually you get better at it. That’s why I say one of the most valuable traits is persistence.” Jodi Picoult in his own motivational quote said, “You can always edit a bad page. You can’t edit a blank page.” In the same vein, Louis L’Amour said, “Start writing, no matter what.

The water does not flow until the faucet is turned on.” As if the foregoing motivational quotes on writing were not enough, Sylvia Plath said, “And by the way, everything in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise. The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt.”

Without any iota of exaggeration, the foregoing are just few encouraging quotes that can abundantly be found on the virtual space, and in various books documented across libraries. Unfortunately, it is disappointing to realize that so many people that have the potential to write and earn international recognition never make the move, and exhibit the desire to write as they usually berates themselves before they are berated by those they erroneously imagine to be as proficient and prolific as William Shakespeare or Charles Dickens. They usually feel if they do not come out well their write-up would not be read, and that they may end up being ridiculed. The goes to show most aspiring writers are their own worst enemy just as Charles Dickens in Oliver Twist have said, “Some people are nobody’s enemies but their own”

How wrong they are! Without saying much, the foregoing are enough to say that the best way to become a writer is to write something.

I must confess that the need to write about this topic is that someone has been mounting pressure on me to guide him on how to write, and most of what I, by the grace of God imparted in him are what you are about to read.

Having said that the right way to learn the art of writing is to resort to ‘writing to learn’ rather than ‘learning to write’. Most people think they have to be as perfect or proficient as Wole Soyinka, Chinua Achebe and Chinamanda Adiche, who invariably, belongs to writers in the present generation before they can write. As posited in an African proverb, “By crawling a child learns to stand, by falling he learns to walk”. The foregoing aphorism aptly explains what an aspiring writer will pass through before he will finally master the craft to some extent. It is an ongoing process; nobody knows it all.

Having understood the foregoing, he now asked, “How can I be getting inspiration or idea on what to write?” I simply replied by telling him that at the stage of inspiration, many writers find it difficult to write a meaningful piece. At this stage, even coining an appropriate heading and writing a lead paragraph is a problem. For those in the writing profession, this kind of situation is usually caused by a phenomenon called Writer’s Block. It is simply a situation where a writer finds it extremely difficult to write a new piece or improve upon an already written piece. It is a terrible situation for any writer but in my own view it can be easily overcome as it is known in all religions that it is only God that gives inspiration to anyone to be creative. The book of Exodus chapter 31 verse 1 to 5 attests to this when it says, “Then the LORD said to Moses. See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah and I have filled him with the spirit of God, with skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of craftsmanship. Moreover, I have appointed Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, to help him. Also, I have given skill to all craftsmen to make everything I have commanded you.”

As a writer and journalist, this is one of my favourite verses I usually resort to in the Bible whenever I am stuck with writer’s block. What any writer needs to do whenever he or she experiences writer’s block is to remind God of this biblical injunction and ask Him in prayer for the in-filling of His spirit for the skill, ability and knowledge to write. For non-Christians, it may look so simple and unbelievable but it works. This particular scripture is not peculiar to the art of writing but also to all creative activities like singing, dancing and even to secular office tasks. Therefore, rather than resorting to succumbing to impeding power of writer’s block, any wise writer should always try this whenever he or she is struck with it.

Still in the same nexus, there are those that are inspired while in the toilet, bathroom, kitchen and even in the bedroom. To some, it can be when they are driving or commuting by public means of transportation from one place to the other. However, ensuring that at least 30 minutes is devoted to reading on daily basis can open up what I will in this context call fountain of inspiration can also be helpful. This can also be accompanied by catching up with current affairs, and looking for the meaning of any new word that would be spotted in the course of reading.

Reiteratively put, a writer should not feel frustrated or disappointed whenever his work is rejected. The reason for the foregoing is that a work that is rejected by one publisher can be accepted by another. If it is a newspaper or an online media platform, its rejection may not be because the work is poorly written, it may be due to limited space or that the article contravened the editorial policy of such media platform or that it has an advertorial tone.

Against the foregoing backdrop, it is expected that any aspiring writer should be more hardworking and discretional enough to understand the set standard and editorial policy of most newspaper publishing organizations. Opinion writing market, so to say is competitive as issues of national discourse by each passing day usually occur, and so he may not be the only contributor to any media organization to comment on some of the issues as others equally want to do so. Permit me to confess that I cut my editorial teeth by writing “letters to the editor” to Daily Times, Defunct Concord Newspaper, Guardian Express, PM News and Daily Champion of those days.

Some writers may not understand that the editors know about the art of writing more than they do. An average editor is both academically and professionally trained in the art of writing. Apart from being academically and professionally equipped, the editor is daily exposed to writings of diverse styles from writers of various backgrounds. The editor knows the right topic to soothe the mood of the nation or the timeliness of any article and understands the expectations of the readers more than you and I. Like an oracle, the editor can easily predict the article that may easily fall into legal pitfall. The editor knows the appropriate words to use in building captivating paragraphs. As a writer, I see the editor as my mentor, teacher and my examiner. Whenever he rejects my work, I would simply understand that I need to work harder. Pastor Dimgba Igwe of blessed memory, in his book, “Secrets of Writing Successful Articles”, says “One thing I know for sure is that editors are no sadists. The truth is that many editors are looking for suitable articles to print but are despairingly finding little or none suitable for their need.” In my view. When a writer’s article is rejected, he should not in the least feel dejected or begin to see the editor as been wicked. As earlier mentioned, Ben Okri, a one time winner of the booker prize and J.K. Rowlings, a British writer, variously had their manuscripts rejected by publishers.

Be that as it may, the art of writing is better learnt by writing something without seeing oneself as a perfectionist. But even at that, there is need for an aspiring writer to always ensure he expands the horizon and depth of his vocabulary, and therefore, there is the expediency of owning a dictionary. Again, words should always be crosschecked to ascertain if they are well spelt as well as ensuring they are used in the right context. As accomplished writers had noted, we learn to write best by reading. Above all the tips given in the foregoing, the secret is just write something. Aptly put, just do it! Don’t belittle yourself. It is right to learn the art of writing by writing.