#BookChaser: How you can become a wordsmith in 2022

You’re the king of your ‘word-dom’, and no one anoints you but you. Herewith, a few ways to bring your A-game this year.

By Nathaniel Bivan

Once upon a time I had a discussion with some wannabe writers and drew some inspiring and also depressing conclusions. Because of the nature of my work, I got a lot of aspiring writers walk up to me with the usual words: “I want to write but I don’t know how to go about it.” First I sigh, and then I begin the sermon: ‘Read books in the genre you enjoy or feel you want to explore. That’s all there is, then, just write!’

I can’t stress this enough. If you are an aspiring writer, a dedicated (or even irregular) writing process already gives you the writer badge. You don’t need anyone else to ‘anoint’ you at this point. You put yourself on that throne as ruler of your ‘word-dom’!

Okay, let’s dive into our ‘how-to’ proper. One, to be a writer in 2022, please, please, and please, avoid talking about writing if you’re not already doing it. Talking about the subject without action is a sign you are less likely to attempt it. So, yes, maybe you need to turn that social media energy into text on a computer.

Two, get down to completing an article, a story, or even a whole book. Completion is strategic in writing. For some of us who are journalists, this is in our DNA due to deadlines that could make or mar a career. If it’s a news report, you have zero time to talk about it and you’re already filing it and it’s already going live. If it’s a feature, investigation, or any other type of long piece, you get to talk about it maybe once and maybe twice when you’re seeking an editor’s input, and boom, you’re on the field. The more uncompleted reports you have, the fewer accolades and growth. It’s that simple.

So, let’s come back to writing in general. You’re your own man or woman (sounds sad in this context, right?) with no one to breathe down your neck, either in the form of an editor, literary agent, or publisher. Yet, the same consequences hold for you just like anyone else in the ‘words’ profession. You need to do and then complete a task or else no one will read or benefit from it. Plus, there won’t be accolades or growth in any way for that matter.

“2022 has 365 days, meaning you can have 36,500 words by the end of the year. This is almost the size of a novel. This simply means while you’re surfing the internet on your phone at your leisure, or idling, you can actually just turn to that notebook or your computer and type in a hundred words. This is not likely to take you up to twenty minutes if you have an idea of what you need to write.”

So, how do we get there? I did a quick calculation once and realized that putting down a hundred words daily gives you 3,000 in thirty days. Now, 2022 has 365 days, meaning you can have 36,500 words by the end of the year. This is almost the size of a novel. This simply means while you’re surfing the internet on your phone at your leisure, or idling, you can actually just turn to that notebook or your computer and type in a hundred words. This is not likely to take you up to twenty minutes if you have an idea of what you need to write.

Some writers say not having a job is no guarantee that you would give more time to writing. Others claim they have written more under pressure and tight schedules than when they had all the time in the world. Bottom line, it’s about priorities and what you need to get done. For one, I know writers who are military men and remain as prolific as ever. Typical examples are Flight Lieutenant Alexander Emmanuel, author of ‘Omo’, ‘The Diary of a Boy Soldier’, and ‘Scarlet’. And he writes short stories too. There’s also Umar Abubakar Sidi, author of ‘The Poet of Sand’ and ‘The Poet of Dust’. Aside from being a poet, this navy helicopter pilot has a forthcoming novel.

Let’s fly overseas for a little while. John Grisham is an American novelist and attorney yet he has authored legal thrillers that have been translated into forty-two languages and published worldwide. There’s also Khaled Hosseini who, while practicing medicine, wrote his first novel, ‘The Kite Runner’, published by Riverhead Books in 2003. This launched him into his literary career in a big way. Since then, he has authored ‘A Thousand Splendid Suns’, ‘And the Mountains Echoed’. These three books have been published in over seventy countries and sold over forty million copies worldwide.

So, yes, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t be a writer in 2022. Or if you’re already one, there’s certainly no excuse not to complete that manuscript. And I am not excluded from this list. Procrastination, it is said, is many writers’ biggest headache. But not this year: Say it until you believe it. Say it until it becomes reality. You, after all, are in control of your story.

Postscript: This installment marks the return of the #BookChaser column from a hiatus due to the holiday season. It’s great to be back. See you next Friday!