THE WRITER’S CURSE

We will not find the cure.

From the time our gifts are discovered we will begin a journey that promises to end in greatness of some kind. Maybe we will write a great book, make an earth- shattering discovery or save a precious soul. Destiny will be the beginning and the end, the exodus and the promised land. We will not see the journey ahead. The one fraught with bouts of self- doubt, procrastination, lack of money, shortage of motivation, even laziness.  We will not see our battles, the bloody fights that will tear down our confidence or the dusty rubble from which we will rebuild our sense of self. We will not see the besetting fear we were immune to in childhood or the crippling worry that once couldn't harm us. We will forget who we are and need to be reminded, we will use up our innocence and need to recover our virginity.

We will find the writer’s curse.

We will often be plagued by a dose of Narcissism. We will take our work like we take ourselves- seriously.  It will be personal. We will use hours, even days to write 500 words worth of wordsmithery. The world might disagree with what we say it is and call it an essay or article. Although we would rather refer to it as a piece of work or a work of heart, we would not complain. It will take us hours to marinate in a subject, hours to contain thought in expression, hours to finish what we have started , hours to read what we have written and more hours to destroy what we have done. We will enter battles with norms of English language- should we change “that” to “which”? We will second guess ourselves removing a “the” one minute only to re-insert it the next. We will be caught by inspiration at random moments; at the start of a productive writhe while we enjoy a good shit or at the touch of warm water to our outer layer.

It will not be our fault. It is the curse.

Writing will be like having children, we will remember each work by name. It will be our life. It will capture our essence and take our time, life, life time. We will hope that the ones who meet our work meet us in it. That they understand that life would have felt meaningless, talent would have felt wasted and time would have passed us by if we hadn't done it. We will face the reality that when the reader holds our work in his hands, he might presume his duty is to judge it or form an opinion of us with it and eventually he will discard it and move on with his life.

The blame will not be his to take. It is the curse.

Reading reviews will be a sickness with no cure.  It will matter what they thought of us..... our work, us. We will check every blog comment and read as many badly written critiques as we can stomach. We will want to explain why a sentence was that way. No, it had nothing to do with the rules of English! It was about what we saw, what we felt, what we thought and what we were taught by what we saw, felt,......what was deep in thought. Because it happened to us, because our experiences chose only us, we will wonder who they think they are to criticize, who they really think they are and who the hell they are.

We are not unwell. It is the curse.

Some of our critics will cruelly trap us in the world we create. If we write about heart break, we have to be heartbroken. If we write about love, they will insist on wishing us and the supposed object of our inspiration well. It will not suffice that a well-teased mind, a well- fed eye and a well- practiced ear is enough. They will not be able to tell the difference when life inspires art and when art reports life.

It is not their fault, it is the curse.

On and on we will write, not with pen or paper but with heart and soul. The hours will fly by while we fuel with self the labor for our honest fruit. Bodies will go unwashed, stomachs will fall silent unfed, and friends will get lost unattended.

It is not us. It is the curse.

Our articles will take only a few minutes to read, our novels a few days to shelve, our blogs a few clicks to finish. The reader will smile or cry; scoff maybe insult. If we are lucky, he might give our name a glance or duff his hat to us but soon he forgets.

It is not him. It is the curse.

“What did you expect?” the world will ask. Recognition? Money? Fame? Influence? Praise? Comments? Like the laborer who bares his back to the sky and tills the ground till the sun tires of watching, we will labor with words, thoughts and blank pages. Possessed by dreams of glory and hoping to leave a legacy, we will fight the drudgery and pen painstakingly minutiae emotion, fleeting feeling, fading memory, diverging lines of thought and conflicting points of view.


Don't mind us. It is the curse.


Sometimes we will think we should quit but yet do not. It will be as though Destiny is at hand to fulfil itself according to what is written and what is appointed in the womb of time.   Our lives will be different. Our ability will carve a life for us in a future that accomplishes it. It will design a future for a life that uses it. 


We are not odd, we are not queer. It is the curse

Although our craft will not be easy, in it we will find a strange enjoyment. A pride in our work. Our toiling will bequeath to us our uniqueness, our authenticity- a quiet knowledge of our dignity. We will have a voice, a taste, a feel. To us will be given the realm of thought and the power to see.  We will learn and teach, write and read, live and tell.

And in the end it will not matter if the reader took and did not return, did not reuse, did not affirm; it will not matter if he bought, stole or borrowed; photocopied, plagiarized or pharaphrased; commented, liked or followed; subscribed, retweeted or quoted. What will matter is that the gift was meant for giving and we gave. Indeed the important matter will be that this gift was first gifted to us and we made a life just for us with it.

And maybe we  will never write a book that will change the world, influence a culture or affect an era; maybe our talent will never raise us to prominence, renown or wealth, but to us it will matter that we did something with what we were blessed with- this curse.










See how I got inspired to write this here and here

I HAVE JUST THESE 5WORDS FOR YOU!

I attended a literary event hosted by the Abuja Literary Society to hear my friend David Ropo Lawale read his book “21^ST CENTURY JOSEPH”. I also met authors Ozioma Izuora of “Dreams Deffered” and Chuma Nwokolo of “The Ghost of Sani Abacha” and “ The dairy of a dead black African” which I have read.

Su' eddie, Me, Chuma Nwokolo

Of all three authors, Chuma Nwokolo stood out to me. He had presence.  A broad, sturdy chest stood on a tall frame, crowned with a head of hair that had been encroached by gregarious grey hairs leaving just a tuft of black in the middle part of the front of his head. He looked like a Hoopoe, with its crown of black and white feathers. He was as distinct in sound as he was in appearance. He had a baritone that almost hid his Igbo accent which whenever it surfaced, only lent to the rich timbre of his voice. When he read, he became animated and turned from side to side, one side for one character and another side for the next. His voice hopped from deep and coarse to thin and clear, and emotions jumped from angry to excited and happy to sad. He embodied the characters he was reading. It was just as interesting to hear him read as it was to read him write.

At the event, I was also a reader. YAY! We played a game where we constructed a poem or short story with these five random words: 

UMBRELLA 

EXTRICATE 

DOZEN 

LITERARY

FORGOTTEN 

This was my entry:

"I had forgotten his effect on me and now as I sat across the table from him, holding a dozen roses, I wondered how to extricate myself from this effect he had on me. we had been at a literary society event and we left as the rain started to pour, I had forgotten my umbrella but he had one and now in his car, safe from the rain , I still wondered".

Me and Ozioma Izuora 

I sat next to Su'eddie who wrote this:

Su'eddie

"Umbrella - who needs one now

When we can extricate the extremes

That a dozen weathers might bring

Hmm, this piece should be rhythmic to literary

But damn! That is a skill I've already forgotten."

and Obemata wrote this:

Obemata

“I sat beneath the umbrella tree wondering how I could extricate myself from yesterday’s philandering. I counted the women whose hearts I had broken on the fingers of my palms. They were just a dozen in number, and I wondered if I had not forgotten that important one. I crossed my fingers. Literary speaking.”

There where poems, sentences and short stories and mine won-YAY! So I got a prize and got to read it in the event twice!  It was sooo much fun to do and YOU can try it too, here are your words:

ANNIMATED, CONSTRAINTS, DIPLOMATIC, ROMANCE, ABUNDANCE

Write in the comment box in under 5minutes and see how creative you can get. Good luck! 

 After the event , i got my books signed and headed home, it was a great evening!

Interesting entry: THE MAN IN THE BACK SEAT 2

Hi everyone, today I post another entry for my YOUR TURN challenge, it was sent in by Kate who has a great blog! I am featuring it because she took it to a whole new twist! You’ll see- enjoy her version!

HER STORY

I walked ahead of the man who stood at the bus stop waiting for a taxi so I could stop one first. Bending down to adjust my shoe, I didn’t see a green coloured taxi approach. Before I could, the man stopped it and slid into the backseat. I let out a hiss as I watched them go. Suddenly the car stopped in its tracks and reversed to a stop in front of me.

"I am heading to Zone 6, can I drop you off somewhere?" the man in the backseat asked.

I got in.

"My name is Ikenna, what's yours?

“Susan". I lied.

"Do you live around here" he inquired.

"Why do you ask?" I demanded. 

“Er, I was just asking" he responded and then fell silent.

Fishing for a comb in my bag, I started to brush my hair briskly. I extended my arm too far and my elbow hit his face.

"Aw" he grimaced holding his face.

"Did I hit your eye?" I asked with concern.

He glared at me. I could see his left eye was beginning to water.

"No, you didn't".

I was sorry and I told him. We didn’t say much else till I got off at my stop.

Later I and my team went for a presentation in a company whose account I was vying for. We were ushered into the boardroom and told the key decision maker would join us soon.

Minutes later, the door opened to admit a tall frame. It was the man in the taxi, Ikenna.

I froze.

HIS STORY

I didn’t notice her at first. It wasn’t that she wasn’t the sort of person you would notice, it was simply that I had never been familiar with her back before. When I turned at the small, but angrily emitted hiss that occurred as I got into the taxi I hadn’t been expecting us to come face to face. It’s odd seeing someone you’ve been stalking on the internet an hour previously in the flesh. Her two-inch square photo in her online profile didn’t do her justice.

"I am heading to Zone 6; can I drop you off somewhere?" I asked.

I introduced myself as she climbed in, wondering if she’d recognize my name. She didn’t.

“Susan” she said her name was. I knew it wasn’t. Well, I thought, two can play at that game.

"Do you live around here?"

"Why do you ask?"

We fell into that awkward yet dignified silence that strangers share. That was until her elbow whipped me in the eye, bringing a stream of stinging tears.

"Did I hit your eye?"

I took a sharp breath. "No, you didn't". It wasn’t that I was particularly upset, I was frustrated. This initial meeting had the potential to set up the tone for the meeting ahead. Luckily, she seemed to relax a little as the journey progressed. She began to tell me about work.

“My client has a reputation for being a difficult person, not to mention he’s a womanizer.”

This was perfect. I laughed charmingly. She had smudged a small red blotch on her nose as she was adjusting her makeup and so it only made sense to assist. Physical contact.

Undoubtedly, it wouldn’t be me overly embarrassed by this eventful journey. I had my advantage.

                                                   
                                                                    THE END

Read the winning entry here

Winning entry: THE MAN IN THE BACK SEAT 2

I threw a challenge to readers to rewrite a story I had written from the point of view of another character in it, if you missed it, see it here. I got interesting responses which I will feature today and Thursday but my winning entry was from Adebisi whose entry is featured today! Thank you to everyone who sent their entry! I hope you enjoy both points of view!

HER STORY

I walked ahead of the man who stood at the bus stop waiting for a taxi so I could stop one first. Bending down to adjust my shoe, I didn’t see a green coloured taxi approach. Before I could, the man stopped it and slid into the backseat. I let out a hiss as I watched them go. Suddenly the car stopped in its tracks and reversed to a stop in front of me.

"I am heading to Zone 6, can I drop you off somewhere?" the man in the backseat asked.

I got in.

"My name is Ikenna, what's yours?

“Susan". I lied.

"Do you live around here" he inquired.

"Why do you ask?" I demanded. 

“Er, I was just asking" he responded and then fell silent.

Fishing for a comb in my bag, I started to brush my hair briskly. I extended my arm too far and my elbow hit his face.

"Aw" he grimaced holding his face.

"Did I hit your eye?" I asked with concern.

He glared at me. I could see his left eye was beginning to water.

"No, you didn't".

I was sorry and I told him. We didn’t say much else till I got off at my stop.

Later I and my team went for a presentation in a company whose account I was vying for. We were ushered into the boardroom and told the key decision maker would join us soon.

Minutes later, the door opened to admit a tall frame. It was the man in the taxi, Ikenna.

I froze.

HIS STORY:

I watched her make her way to the bus stop in such a hurry. “Well”, I thought, “it’s rush hour and everyone is trying to make it somewhere in good time”. And then she stopped suddenly, bending over to fiddle with her shoes, just then I see a taxi coming along and flag it down…

“Hey driver, hold it. Go back to where that lady in the green dress is standing”.  She looked surprised to see the taxi come back, and then I ask if I could drop her off somewhere along my route.  We drove off and I look towards her 

“I am Ikenna, and you are?”

“Susan” she said.

“Do you live around here?” I asked.

“Why do you ask?” she replied. She must think I am interested in her.

“Just asking” I replied.

She brought out a hair brush and started brushing her hair.

“She must be trying to impress me now” I thought. 

And then a thud on my face from her over extended arm.

“Aw” I exclaim.

“Oh, did I hit your eye?” she asked.

“And what did she think she hit” I thought, “a statue”?

“No you didn’t” I said with a watery left eye.

She lowered her arm, stopped brushing and said “I am sorry”.

No need to respond, let’s just drop you off at your stop.

Its 11:55am, I am told the representatives of the marketing company are already waiting for me in the boardroom. I open the door to the boardroom to see two ladies seated, one has her head buried in some materials. I thought I had seen that green dress before, and then she looks up…it’s the lady from the taxi this morning.  

Susan! 

INTERVIEW: MYNE WHITMAN

"Writing under a pen name gives me the freedom to write with less worry that readers think my books are about my personal life, or about my friends and the people close to me"    - Myne Whitman

Blogging…

I usually try to start early because I live in a far corner of the world. I get my morning stuff done, and then write on the manuscript I have in progress for a couple of hours or so. After that, I do some other personal stuff and get to blog rounds and my book promotion for about three hours. I also make sure my website, naijastories is online, I schedule and edit stories that will go up, and sometimes leave reviews/comments on certain submissions.

Her Readers…

When I first started to write, it was just for myself, and something I felt my friends and family would enjoy. When I decided to take writing seriously, my first instinct was to write for a particular agent or publisher, however blogging changed all that. Because my blog received an immediate feedback to the snippets I posted, I realized that I have to write for the readers. And since then, I have become used to it, and in fact, it boosts my creativity and the drive to satisfy what they want. 

Being a Nigerian writer…

I definitely felt the effects of the gap in opportunities available to a Nigerian writer. I tried to find a publisher for some of the stories I wrote while in University and hit a brick wall. There were only a couple of publishers in the market then and they weren’t taking any new manuscripts. Till date, things haven’t changed much.

To be honest, I won’t say moving outside the country has really impacted my writing so much. For instance, I was blogging back in Nigeria in 2005 and posting my poetry online, even though I was accessing the internet through the cyber café. The main impact on my writing was deciding to do it full time. This gave me the latitude to do more research and find out more about the options available.

Online self-publishing for example is available from Nigeria and has been used by Nigerian authors since 2001, many of those books are still for sale on Amazon.com till date. It was when I had all this information that I was motivated to be the one to determine my own writing career rather than forever waiting for a publisher. 

Being rejected by publishers…

It made me realize that I wasn’t into writing for validation from publishers, and that as I had already known, I don’t like taking no for an answer. I like pushing through walls and the stumbling block from these initial channels only helped motivate me to find and or develop alternative ways by myself.

Cupid series 

That was one of my most favorite times in the blogging community, but also a lot of hard work. The experience taught me that I could actually turn this blogging hobby of mine into something professional. It started from discussions with my husband on what to do on my blog while waiting for the publication of my first book.  I brought up the idea of an interactive story, and together we fashioned out the guidelines and story. (When asked what she loves about writing poems for her husband she said it  makes her heart go kpokpodikpo, and kedike! lol!)

It was very encouraging that when I called for submissions, there was an influx of interest. I coordinated by responding promptly to inquiries, checking out the blogs/writing samples of those interested, bringing them up to date on the story so far, and editing their final submissions to ensure continuity. From my blog, we moved to a dedicated website which I promoted to ensure we had good reach. It was an intensive but fulfilling experience, especially knowing that till date; more than a thousand copies of the free eBook have been downloaded.

Naija Stories… 

Writers use the platform for peer review and as a networking community. Most of the members aspire to be authors and realize that their first draft may not be as good as it should. They post their stories so that other writers can critique and review them. They go away with this feedback to redraft and edit their manuscripts. We also have a lot of editors, literary agents, publishers and journalists as members.  They either use the admin of the site as a conduit to offer opportunities to the writers or they approach them directly through our private messaging service. 

We currently have our stories running in a newspaper in Lagos, as well as being read on radio. This spreads the name of the writers and for some, this is their dream – to be read or heard by an audience bigger than they can imagine. Other ways it has helped is by serving as an online portfolio of writing. One of our members was recently accepted for a creative writing and journalism course at an Australian University after he sent a link of his author page on Naijastories to the admission officials. By also being on our email list, our registered members receive regular updates of writing news, including publishing opportunities, writing tips, and contests.

A Love Rekindled…

ALR is a book that made me cry while writing it, and some of the readers have wrote in that they felt the same way too. The love in A Love Rekindled is very intense and heart breaking at the same time as uplifting. I think readers would enjoy the emotional experience of this version of love as well as learn some history and background of Nigeria.

Handling Criticism…

 It never gets easier, lol. The last bad review I got was on Amazon, and I wanted to knock my head on the wall. However, it helps to have other things to take your mind off it… And what can I say, it keeps selling J

Book turned to movie …

It is a definitely a possibity and one I’m really looking forward to…, I already have my ideas on the actors and how I want it to be. What I usually do in such instances is begin to plan, I start laying down action plans, searching out gatekeepers (if any), and calculating resources and so on that would be necessary to accomplish such a goal.

Trivia

She studied biological sciences as her first degree (same as me) and her project work was on the common beans weevil- Callosobrochus Maculatus. “I researched on the effect the weevil had on different varieties of cowpea” she says.

                                        

                    

YOUR TURN: THE MAN IN THE BACKSEAT

Hi everyone, I am here to introduce a new feature! Last year I wrote an article and invited readers to write a response from the point of view of another character in the story. I was excited at the response of a reader (see my article here and the response here), so I am doing a series where YOU can not only read my stories but YOU can be in it too! Every last week of the month, I will condense a full story into a flash fiction piece of less than 300 words, then you can rewrite the story from the point of view of any one of the characters in it but in 300 words or less. Send your story to omonaikee@yahoo.com, the most creative response will be published.  Remember you don't have to be a writer to write, there are no rules, just have fun with it!

                                                

THE MAN IN THE BACK SEAT

I walked ahead of the man who stood at the bus stop waiting for a taxi so I could stop one first. Bending down to adjust my shoe, I didn’t see a green coloured taxi approach. Before I could, the man stopped it and slid into the backseat. I let out a hiss as I watched them go. Suddenly the car stopped in its tracks and reversed to a stop in front of me.

"I am heading to Zone 6, can I drop you off somewhere?" the man in the backseat asked.

I got in.

"My name is Ikenna, what's yours?

“Susan". I lied.

"Do you live around here" he inquired.

"Why do you ask?" I demanded. 

“Er, I was just asking" he responded and then fell silent.

Fishing for a comb in my bag, I started to brush my hair briskly. I extended my arm too far and my elbow hit his face.

"Aw" he grimaced holding his face.

"Did I hit your eye?" I asked with concern.

He glared at me. I could see his left eye was beginning to water.

"No, you didn't".

I was sorry and I told him. We didn’t say much else till I got off at my stop.

Later I and my team went for a presentation in a company whose account I was vying for. We were ushered into the boardroom and told the key decision maker would join us soon.

Minutes later, the door opened to admit a tall frame. It was the man in the taxi, Ikenna.

I froze.

                                                      
                                                                    THE END

Good luck with your responses and oh, You can find the full story here

MEET AN AUTHOR and blogger after my heart- TERALYN ROSE PILGRIM!

I am absolutely proud of myself for interviewing TERALYN  ROSE PILGRIM as my very first blog guest this year and i'll tell you why. I found her blog on Myne Whitman's blog roll one day and it didn't take me too long to get hooked on her sincere and sweet persona. She's an author and more importantly, she's a friendly soul willing to teach all who thread the path of wordsmithery, the things she has and is still learning on her own journey. I think that is more than generous, it is simply Teralyn! I absolutely enjoy reading her and you will too, delish!

Teralyn

Omonaikee : Your blog is a resource for writers just by itself; it seems to come easy to you to teach what you learn. Does this reflective journaling of your journey help you as much as it helps your readers who read what you have written?

Teralyn : Aw, you’re so sweet! Blogging comes easily to me because I’ve kept journals and notebooks since I was a kid. I’ve always enjoyed writing 500 words or so of my thoughts. My blog is especially helpful because it causes me to put conscious thought into what I’m doing as a writer, which helps me learn faster.

Omonaikee: Your blog shows your struggles with your inner critic and how you attack that critical voice in your head. Where does that positivity come from that makes you try to turn things around when you feel discouraged and are justifiably so?

Teralyn: Over the years, I’ve been through enough ups and downs to recognize patterns. I know my down days only last between one and seven days. I know I always get back up again. I know there’s an answer to every question, a solution to every problem, and a cure to every weakness. Once I realized that, I stopped taking doubt so seriously.

Omonaikee: Why historical fiction?

Teralyn: I love good stories, and history is full of them. I never thought I would write historical fiction, but every now and then I’d hear about a person or event and think, “That story has to be told.” Eventually, I had more historical fiction ideas than fiction.

Omonaikee: Writers are plagued by melodramatic moods that lift them to the heights of euphoria with inspiration or plunge them into the depths of despair with disappointment. Then there are the deadlines, the blank pages, the badly behaved characters (who make themselves so difficult to create!) and of course, the other aspects of your life! How do you maintain a relaxed attitude to it all?

Teralyn: I’m relaxed because I made friends with other melodramatic authors. Those people are so boring. After hearing them complain, brag, share their plethora of ideas with people who don’t care, and otherwise only talk about themselves, I realized we often put ourselves on a pedestal for being artistic. I got over myself, and now I feel like a normal person (which I am).

Omonaikee: Is there that character you have created that was based on yourself howbeit remotely?

Teralyn: Actually, last year I wrote a book about two lovers who are my ying and yang: Savvy is everything happy and positive about me, whereas Eric is my dark side. Creating them was easy because I’m already familiar with their characteristics.

Omonaikee: You develop your stories painstakingly and put in a lot of research- I actually had no idea how intense it can get doing a novel based on ancient history! Does it get easier with the second novel? Is there a learning curve? Have you found better ways to do the required work faster?

Teralyn: Goodness, yes. I made so many mistakes while researching for my novel about the Vestal Virgins. I wasted more time than I care to think about. Now I print every web page and article, buy the books I read, highlight everything, organize my notes, keep track of the sources, etc. Writing in general gets easier with your second novel, too.

Omonaikee: I see a collaborative approach in your writing; from getting feedback from groups, your online community and your blog followers to the creativity you employ to keep your blog interactive and fresh (blogfests, funny stories and games). Is this a strategy and how much further have you gotten using your blog this way?

Teralyn: I owe everything to the writers who have helped me along the way. Sacred Fire went through two critique groups and ten beta readers, and I’m not done with it yet. If it takes a village to raise a child, it takes a city to publish a book! I have learned more from the writers I interact with than I imagined I could.

Omonaikee: I hadn’t heard of Nanowrimo (competition where writers write an entire novel of 50,000 words in just 30days) until your blog! What has participating twice in a row, in this annual competition taught you about your writing ability, your resilience, your inner editor/critic … how has it helped you generally?

Teralyn: This was one of the best things I’ve done for my writing career. The first year, I was working out of a two-year writer’s block. NaNoWriMo got me out of it. The program changed all my ideas about writing; that I can be fast and flexible, that I can write every day, that not everything has to be perfect. The second year, I could see how much I improved from the last, and it was a thrilling feeling.

THE TOP TEN

Teralyn Pilgrims Top Ten action steps that can move you closer from being a published-author hopeful turned blogger to being a writer with at least a complete manuscript are…

1. Doubts waste time. You’re going to write the book anyway, whether you make yourself suffer or not.

2. Take yourself seriously, but not too seriously.

3. Read about other writers; how they work, the struggles they go through, and what kind of triumphs are in store for you. They can be a tremendous resource.

4. Make writing friends. You need their support, experience, and advice.

5. Make outlines! If I start a book without a good outline, it screws everything up. I like to write my query letter before my novel to help me focus on what’s important in the story.

6. Read as many books as you can. You’ll be shocked how much you can learn by seeing other authors at work.

7. Read your genre. If you read books outside your genre, you’ll pick up methods that aren’t appropriate for your book and you’ll miss out on learning how to write in your style.

8. Don’t be afraid to make changes in your novel. I’ve gutted my book, re-stuffed it, turned it upside down and inside out, but the important parts are the same.

9. Remember why you write. You don’t have to do this. No one will frown on you if you walk away. You’re doing it because you love it.

10. Have fun! If you’re not having fun, something needs to change.

Read my feature on her blog here

NEW YEAR, NEW IMPROVEMENTS!

Hello everyone, I have come out of a New Year induced retreat to as they say “clear the cobwebs” which have gathered on my page. Speaking of cobwebs, I was away for the Christmas and New year holidays and was welcomed by dusty furniture when I returned to my apartment. It took sheer will power to mobilize my tired bones to chase dust out of every fabric, nook and cranny of my house but once done, it was worth every aching muscle. 

Like my ordeal with the house, a retreat gives you the opportunity to look inwards and assess what needs cleaning, what needs to be thrown away and what needs to be added. And while it can be tasking, it is well worth the effort and time. My blog has also benefited from my spring cleaning.  If you were here last year, you’d notice the changes in the side bars like my new twitter handle to the left and I even included a “user manual” and “contact me” tab at the top of the page. If it looks the same to you, never mind! But after a few hours of HTML codes, google searches and navigating the dashboard, I succeeded in: 

•        Putting up some new features.
•        Getting rid of clutter and organizing information into pages and segments on the sidebar.
•        Assessing the general direction my blog has taken in the past years
•        Putting together a ready list of things I would like to do with it this year

So there is a lot to look forward to. Reading my list once again presents an analogy. The beginning of the year is a good time to adopt some things, get rid of others, assess our direction and put plans in place for what we would like to do in the year. Sometimes, it’s not even about doing anything new, it’s just about continuing what we have been doing and doing more of it!

In other news, one of my favorite bloggers staged a return to blogsville. Hers was one of the blogs I used as a benchmark when I started mine more than three years ago but while my archives grew hers stalled from a very long hiatus. Needless to say, I was disheartened but couldn’t give up on her blog for the love of her interesting posts and really great writing, so I did what a really big fan would do and added her dormant blog to my blogroll. I was absolutely delighted when she revived it with a revving 15 posts in January alone. Welcome back Adaure Achumba, be sure to check her out here.

In the spirit of improvements, Teralyn Pilgrim is hosting a “critique my blog” blogfest on her blog as an avenue for all listed bloggers on her blog hop to get feedback on their blogs. Read more about it here. Still in the spirit of improvements, i would like to know what you think of this blog, suggestions you have for improvements and things you’d like to read more of this year. 

Quick question: I considered including photos in the posts and experimented with this post, don't think I like it though, what do you think?