I Must Bloom; I Dare to.
(My Takeaway from Potent Quill Writing Retreat 2024)
“I have no time for frivolities nor room for flippancy in pursuing my writing goals.”
“I am intentional and determined to give my works the recognition they deserve.”
“I will not underestimate my prowess and settle for mediocrity.”
“I am well-equipped to carve my niche in the digital space for writers.”
“I am different from every other writer in the writing sphere even when our styles appear similar.”
“I am skilled and unique in my style.”
These mantras are what I plan to use as my guiding principles after our just concluded 4-week Potent Quill writing retreat, an insightful rendez-vous organised for writers who wish to ameliorate their writing skill. I was not disappointed at any point of the sessions as each session had a mental goodie bag for every participant. The facilitators were experienced and willing to share their knowledge with other writers who made it to “the wordsmith’s tea party”. Indeed, no one returned to their usual life without some extra knowledge to input into their writing.
In the first week, the ambience was similar to the expectancy of a pregnant woman in her final trimester. Writers trooped in with diverse expectations and by the end of the class, most of the participants were analysing language, styles and the various points of views available to both budding and established writers. I was a bit overwhelmed that day as I was also at a musical rehearsal, struggling to share my attention at both programmes but luck was on my side as the class notes and video was shared for the session. (You can check them out to get your feel of the experience.) Writers have various styles at their disposal when writing.
Aside from the conventional writing methods, one can also explore evolving styles and even create new ones. We had for our perusal, some fiction stories by established writers, so as to understand how writing has metamorphosed into something more personal than orthodox. By the end of the first week, I was able to flesh out a fresh story, “Bébé’s Day Out”.
Already, I find my writing path settling on Parenting, Motherhood, Love, Marriage and of course feminism. I am currently working on three books that feature these themes and I do hope they will see the light of day soon.
The second week of the retreat was not a stress-free one either but I am heady when it comes to my writing goals, so I did not chicken out. As planned in our writing schedule, we discussed the Elements of Character Sketch in a story. Participants were able to compare characters from a few literary works and express their views on the manner with which the writer etched the characters.
The week’s exercise got me really thinking as I wanted to build a round character from the eyes of a symbolic character in my story. I came up with the story “Ghosted” exploring the African Mythology on “the Living Dead”, a belief that people who lived and did not complete their life span before dying tend to resurrect in another region of the world to complete the years allotted to them by the creator. Salamatu, my main character, was brought to the limelight through the eyes of her abandoned boyfriend. (Read “Ghosted” and share your views about the character I tried to flesh out.) Sketching a character can be a tedious task but it gives the writer direction.
By the end of the third week, we had read a few non-fiction stories that were very perspective. I have always dreaded non-fiction because I used to see such stories as having staid appearances and I titled more towards fictitious stories but our retreats and exposure to diverse, good reads from versatile authors has exposed me to creative nonfiction which I find more comfortable and more real than fiction. (Enjoy some non-fiction tips from our third week and thank me later.) Non-fiction has more to offer readers than the conventional methods that are commonly known. The Craft Essay, for example, is a new skill that is worthy of note. It examines the writing styles of different fields or dwells on various styles of writing in a particular field. With non-fiction, we can all be writers.
With the just concluded fourth week, we re-examined the tools at the disposal of writers when honing their skills. From AI to editing tools like Grammarly and Canva, writers have no excuse to produce tacky write ups for the public’s scrutinising eyes. We discussed publishing options as each writer stated their preferred choice with good reasons. The need for creating a digital path was emphasised and although I am not obsessed with content creation, it is one area I find myself in so often. My first digital product, a fruit of one of our writing exercises and training, was a success and a confirmation that one just needs to start to achieve a goal. In my new project, I am hoping to help the language learning process through the content I create. The concept is to utilise passive listening, music and stories as a means of language learning. It was how I learnt new languages and I would love to share my strategies with others. As discussed in our retreat, most writing jobs do not pay as would some jobs. It is not abracadabra but a gentle process of perseverance, patience and persistence.
