Writing

Restless writer.

January 19, 2025 jacquelineobyikocha5 Comments

Can anyone tell me why even after all these years in my life, it is still a struggle for me to get any reasonable writing/blogging work done at home, in spite of the fact that I have the space set up to be able to do so.

For some reason, I always find every excuse in the book to lie on the couch, go to the kitchen, open the fridge 500 times to seek something to nibble, go into the bedroom for an unknown reason, go into the bathroom, recollect chores that needs to be done and so on and so forth.

I will end up sitting for 15 minutes and faffing away 5 hours over nothing. I have tried different strategies, and they work for a little bit only for the cycle of parading around the house being busy doing nothing kicks in again.

Yet, when I go to the library or a cafe, the reverse is the case. I can sit for 5 hours straight getting stuff done. The challenge is that where I live presently is some distance away from the libraries and the cafes around me are not so conducive; I often end up buying and eating snacks that I could do without eating.

How do you get your blogging, writing work done? Would love to borrow ideas from others.

Keep Tearing Up The Sheets… Writer’s quote Wednesday

March 9, 2016March 9, 2016 jacquelineobyikocha11 Comments

One thing that helps is to give myself permission to write badly. I tell myself that I am going to do my 5 or 10 pages no matter what and I can always tear them up the following morning if I want. I’ll have lost nothing writing and tearing up fine pages would leave me no further behind than if I took the day off. Lawrence Block WD

This quote strikes a chord within me. I’ve given up trying to get the perfectly written material. I just banter along with what’s in my head and let all the string of words flow as they wish.

Some turn out to be fodder for my dust-bin and some turned out fairly good. The important thing for me, is to keep the writing going on and not give that imp called Writer’s block an excuse to manifest Himself.

I like turning the imp into a male in this case, due to the distractions that males specimens can be in female lives 😉

Before I started writing for public consumption, I happily wrote in my diary without bothering to tear out a page or gnaw at my underlips, but now that I am working on stories that would be read by others, there are times that the flow is not as seamless as my ears would like it to be, so I batter my laptop in a steady tempo, hoping to knock some sense into it and get it to say what I want.

I am quite doubtful that any writer even the greatest authors have flawless writing moments. Excerpts and stories of great authors that I have read are riddled with nervous moments, a couple of writers blocks here and there, bursts of inspirations, crazy habits a lot of times and lots of full waste paper basket and enough pocket change spent on jotters.

Bottom line, is to keep at it. Don’t stop. In the midst of the torn mess, there’s bound to be some sensible material.

I lick my lips in anticipation

My forehead beads in perspiration

I scribble in frantic desperation

Hurtled by uncertain agitation

They fall in sporadic precipitation

After some orgasmic deliberation

At last some seemly satisfaction

Silver’s writers quote Wednesday

Blogging · Writing

Fomenting Ideas…..

September 14, 2015September 14, 2015 jacquelineobyikocha27 Comments

For me, ideas can be formulated anywhere. It could be in the market square, a shopping mall, in a moving vehicle, in the shower, from a shared conversation, at the park, in the gym and the list goes on.

Everywhere serves as a potential generator of a thought, a poem, a story or even a joke. My ears and my eyes are my first major supplies for writing. My notepads, my Hello Kitty assistant purse filled with multi-colored pencils, pens, eraser, sharpener and God knows what else is inside are my second supplies and are easier to lug around.

When I am out and about (taking a walk) without these items, my phone steps in to the rescue; should anything that might be deemed interesting pops up. Sometimes, I deliberately visit a place of interest to gain more depth for an article that I am working on; for example, I had to walk into a police station at Jersey Village to ask some questions about something that I was writing on and they were very forthcoming. People usually are forthcoming when you ask nicely 🙂

My fomented ideas are transcribed into legible content on my laptop during the wee hours of the morning when the household still sleeps or alternatively, after the dust of the days activities have settled.

I prefer to work in a well lit room, on a comfortable chair with some cushioning for my tush 😉 and a good reading table to spread my paraphernalia for writing and then, I am good to go.

Jacqueline Oby-Ikocha