I recently did an interview that asked how I got into writing.
The simple answer to that is; I started writing as soon as I understood the concept of telling a story through pen and paper. So… since I could physically write.
But that question made me think about how I got into publishing my writing.
I counted recently, and I realized I have about 15 or so publications since I started putting my work out there in 2019.
Now, I know there are people with over one hundred publications, both online and in print, but I am pretty happy about my own achievements in this so far. Especially in terms of the range; I’ve published across different formats – poetry, short fiction, medical journalism. I also love how I have constantly been pushing myself in terms of the quality of the work that I create. Always striving to do better.
So, here is my own round-up of my creative publications so far.
Think of it as the follow-up to the interview question I got!
Why I started?
Because I wanted to be a published writer.
It really is that simple.
But I do remember how it felt back then when I made that decision to start sending my work out to publications, and to begin the process of submitting, waiting for a response, and just hoping for the best.
My heart was really in my mouth.
I followed other African writers on twitter (this is my twitter page, btw).
I followed them to get an idea of what the process of online publishing is like.
And so many of them spoke about the hurdle of getting that first publication. The general fear from getting No’s to work that you have crafted so lovingly, and with so much attention and care.
I was worried, as they were, that putting my work in someone else’s hands would lead to not getting a great response. And that the hurt from that rejection would destroy my confidence in my writing ability.
I had heard about writers who got a negative review of their work, and had to deal with writers block for years.
It just seemed like it would be a lot to put myself through emotionally.
But.
The but is that I still recognized what publishing my work could do for me; I saw it as something that could help me grow as a writer. And something that could kick start my creative writing career.
Also, in a more immediate sense, I was entirely in love with the idea of having my work featured in magazines that I admired. In magazines that housed work that made me want to do better as a writer.
So, I did that.
I hit send.
In 2019, I wrote a short story, it is this piece titled What the Trees Said, and it was my first publication!
I remember the morning I got the acceptance email. I screamed so hard! I walked to class feeling like I was floating. I couldn’t wait to share the news.
And when it got published, it was quite well received in my own small community. So many people were happy for me. (And many more found out I was a writer for the first time).
It made me realize that I really could have let all of that fear hold me back from something so beautiful. But I did not.
I took the frightening path, and it paid off.
But then, What I learnt about rejection
In 2019, I had a really good run when it came to my work getting accepted and published.
After What the Trees Said, I got other works published; two poems, and even got this essay about Ondo town accepted during that period. It really felt great to be surprised by how far I could go.
I was still very afraid, but I was moving forward despite that fear because I had seen what a triumph it could be if I walked one step ahead of my fears.
I rounded up 2019 on a good note in that regard.
Then, 2020 happened.
The pandemic year. In more ways than one.
I laugh about it now, but I remember that I sent my work out to a few publications, with works that I believed to be of a higher quality than anything I had sent out in the past year.
And I got NOs.
That hurt so much.
And it surprising because I got the thing I was so afraid of, the rejection, months after I had started putting work out, and had gotten at least four works published.
(Once again, I was glad I took that step forward)
Still, I was hurt. It was a new, but difficult pain to deal with. And it probably was one of the reasons why I was unable to write much during the lockdowns (apart from the yunno… the pandemic).
Between 2020 and 2021, I got only two works published. That is half of the publications I got in just months back in 2019.
I was really bummed about it. It made me uncomfortable, and it made me feel like I needed to do something about it. To get back towards working on the sort of creative writing career that I wanted.
And I remember back in October last year, I was walking out of church and I said “This week, I am going to change my life!”
It is very dramatic (ha-ha), I admit that, but it was what I needed. It really shook me out of the funk I had gotten in. And I once again found that courage to go on ahead.
Also, I found this really succinct advice somewhere on the inter-webs. It was about rethinking rejections. And it was so helpful.
It said, (and I am paraphrasing)
“Don’t be afraid to take shots. The real miracle is that you get a hit”.
The real miracle in life is that, in all of the randomness, in all of the things that stop things from being the way we want, we happen on that amazing experience when things really do happen in our favour.
It is worth chasing after. It is worth taking the risk, who knows what miracle could happen?
I packed that advice in my little pocket as I walked home, and I made some changes.
Creative Writing… As A Business?
Someone asked me sometime last year what sort of business I would ever want to do.
The person was in the process of setting up their own business, and I was helping to brainstorm some ideas, and then the question was turned to me.
What sort of business would you want to do?
Without thinking, I said; I want to have a writing business.
I got the most incredulous look from the person!
I think that in almost every corner of the globe, telling someone that you want to make a living through writing, or any sort of “traditionally” creative endeavor, you are first told that it is not possible. Or that you are chasing a white whale.
I wasn’t surprised. Or hurt in fact.
In these things, the ball is in your court. What would you do about it?
I went later on to write something in a notebook of mine.
Something like…
My art is my business.
And I wrote it with a question mark in front of
I wasn’t asking if my art is my business in the sense of whether I care about it. Of course I do.
I was asking to determine for myself if I could make it a business. To get the financial aspect of it running, and make it sustainable.
The ball is in my court.
What will I do about it?
I already told you, in October 2021, I decided to get things going. And really make my art my business. This has been my focus since then.
And Onwards!
Business is its own art in itself.
Just like any art, it requires creativity, discipline, diligence. A lot of great things like that.
And I have been pushing myself towards practicing it.
I’ve earned some money from my art this year.
Published more than I ever have. And I also have a much better work ethic. I approach my work with a very, very different mindset than I did before. And I hope to grow from there.
More than anything, I think I am humbled by how much this whole process has forced me to grow.
From overcoming my fear of putting my work out.
To overcoming the pain of rejection.
To looking at my art as being my business.
To here. Thinking about being, and doing better.
Now that I am here, I know if that person ever asks me again what sort of business I would like to start, I would tell them that I am not starting one. I already have one, and it is giving me so much joy. My art.
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