Happy (last day of) June.
This has been a pretty special month, as you can tell from the last blog post. A LOT happened, and I just had to document it here. Feel free to give that post a read.
Today, as you can see from the title, this is another Notes on a Story piece. And it is one that I am pretty excited about.
Earlier this month, my speculative short story The Kinsmen, got published in an anthology printed by A Coup of Owls press. This is my second time working with them. I even wrote a Notes on a Story piece for my work that I got published with them last year. It is titled Burnt Orange.
Now, about my more recent short story – The Kinsmen, I wrote it just in time to submit it before the deadline. I was so happy when the deadline got extended because it allowed me to work on the idea till it became fully formed. And it was such a fun idea to bring to life on the page.
So, let me tell you all about it.
AND DON’T WORRY – THERE ARE NO SPOILERS.
HOW IT STARTED.
I was literally on my way to the post office in Ondo town.
It was a very gentle afternoon, I was the passenger on a motorcycle, and I honestly had no plans to write a story that day. I just wanted to go and pick up the new earrings I had ordered.
But Ondo is a pretty unique place. Even in its quiet, a lot of very strange things can happen.
And so, there I was, enjoying the mild weather, and on my way to the post office when we got really close to the Osemawe’s palace. Now, if you didn’t know, the Osemawe is the paramount ruler of Ondo Kingdom. Basically the head monarch over the entire town.
It is purely a traditional role, as the state government really decides what happens – but of course, just like any other modern day monarchy, his court holds influence, even when it exists within the powers of the an actual democracy.
That afternoon, there was just this flock of birds that showed up in the sky. And I kept looking at them, at their wings, even though they were so far up in the sky, and I was wondering if they were actually birds. Or just bats.
Because a similar thing had happened before – I saw a stream of what I thought were birds, and my father corrected me that they were actually bats. I only half-believed it. Because I wondered why they would fly in the middle of the day. Aren’t bats blind in the day time? Isn’t that what the Dracula story based on? And even if they could see, why so many of them all at once? And where were they going.
This formed the opening scene of the story.
A pretty cool tale on its own, right? Ha-ha.
AND THIS IS HOW IT CONTINUES.
I got home that day, took out my new earrings, and tried them on. I liked them. Which is an aside, but totally relevant to this post. Ha-ha.
Anyways, the first line in the story came to me while I was on the bike. And I don’t even know if that line is something I should say here now that I have explained how I came across the title. There are certain rules about a monarch’s life (I think) when it comes to Yoruba culture. And one of them is that a King doesn’t really die. He just passes on to meet his ancestors on the other side.
(I have indirectly said what that first line is – but if you really want to know, you can read the piece!)
Anyways, I knew the story would be an exploration of monarchies. And specifically monarchies in Yoruba culture. Unlike the Igbo tribe, who are generally opposed to having a paramount ruler, in Yoruba tradition, having a monarch is pretty invariable.
And there are so many things to question about the role of a king. Both generally and in the context of the modern word. What roles do monarchies fulfil in African traditions? How have they promoted, or not promoted the culture of the people that they rule? Do we need them? Is asking that question redundant?
Those are all pretty important questions. But they weren’t the ones I was asking in this story.
I took this piece back to the past. Maybe in the 1800s or so, in a typical Yoruba kingdom, and I asked this question (it is in my actual concept notes for the story) what if the people want a different king than what is offered? What if they want an entirely different system of government? How does this affect the fabric of their world?
Because changing into a new system of government is a pretty hard thing to do –in any part of the world, in any time period whatsoever. I needed a delicate approach to balancing these big questions, with the gentle shoulders of the main character whose point of view I wrote the story through.
So many stories helped me with actually envisioning this piece.
From the predictable ones like Chinua Achebe’s Arrow of God, to the movie adaptation of Wole Soyinka’s Death, and the King’s Horseman. Even the popular Nollywood movie from last year Anikulapo, inspired this story in some way –well, the setting at least.
They gave me context into olden day requirements about burying a king (as well as just a good old google search).
I guess all those times I borrowed Chinua Achebe’s books in secondary school came in handy finally.
(JUST A NOTE)
This is generally where I talk about the craftwork in the piece.
Like the actual grunt work of writing the story. This story was easy and difficult to write. In some ways.
Easy, because it is written in scenes. And once I know what the scene is going to look like, I know what to write.
The hard part was holding all of the layers and concepts together in a seamless way.
To re-iterate, it was easy to do on the page, but really took some work to figure out in my head. I was writing this story in between revising for my final exams.
I mean, I would figure out what I wanted to write in a scene, by 10:08 pm, and just have to sit down and write it. It felt like so much fun, oddly.
It reminds me of this account I read by Chinua Achebe when he was writing some of his own stories while he was a University student. That he would go about his day, and just have this quiet joy about returning to the story he was working on. Like it were a bright, private joy.
I am grateful to this story for not showing me shege. Unlike some others I have written (ha-ha)
AND THIS IS HOW IT ENDS
As always, believe in your stories. Whether or not they are annoying to write.
There was something important that you wanted to say through that story, so, say it.
Here is this quote I really love.
Well, this is the end of this behind-the-scenes. I hope you enjoyed it.
I’ll be sharing some of the places you can buy this anthology if you are so interested.
Here is the link to get it on Barnes and Noble.
And you can buy it directly from the press, here.
I am looking for ways to see if this can be easily available in Nigeria. Once I get that information, I will update this post with it. And also share it on my social media. So, follow me here on twitter so you can hear the news first.
Till then...
Take care. And stay creative. Hopeful, happy, and grateful for all of your bright, private joys. Whatever they may be.