This is my first attempt at Silver’s Writer’s Quote Wednesday and I shall dip my feet into the water with this quote that resonates with me.

‘Writing a book is a horrible, exhausting struggle, like a long bout of some painful illness. One would never undertake such a thing if one were not driven on by some demon whom we can neither resist nor understand.’ George Orwell

I don’t know how many times that I have read this quote and I care not to count. All I know is that whenever I come across it, I nod my head vigorously.

When people are reading the written works of others, they have absolutely no idea the amount of drive, discipline, zeal, craziness and a whole myriad of emotions and actions that are invested in that work.

It is an arduous tiresome and thankless task, yet the muse in you will not let your mind keep quiet or sleep if you don’t put down those words.

Most times, writing short notes, stories, poems and essays are easier by far and more fun than writing a book.

Sometimes, I set off writing something and find myself surprised at where I ended up.

I have three manuscripts of novels at different stages sitting on my desk and staring malevolently at me and yet, some days it’s just a drag to get editing and working at it.

I have run around in circles to circumvent doing this painful task and I am running out of ideas.

One is at 95% completion, the other 70 and another at 50 percent and the characters in these books are ganging up and threatening my life with all sorts of things.

I am using the excuse that I am putting my poetry book together to stall them.

I know that there will be mutiny in the near future when the poetry book and the motivational books are done.

Maybe then, they will seize my clothes!

© Jacqueline Oby-Ikocha