Dear Africana Woman,
How are you? I am kinda in the middle. So many amazing things are happening and yet there is also a lot of muddy stuff going on. In my constant reiteration of discovering myself and manifesting the life that I want to live, I know for sure that I call myself a writer. Now writing comes in many forms. Could be a blog, a book, a script, a columnist etc. I am not sure where I actually fall, but the undeniable truth is that if I say I am a writer then I should write. That goes with anything you think you were called to do. DO IT.
I am using you as my accountability partner. I have decided to challenge myself to write every day on the blog for 30 days. Hopefully the habit will continue. I don’t know what I will write about. I will most likely experiment a bit more and see what comes out. To be honest this is not really about you liking the content that I produce. It more about me building the muscle of consistently writing. The other thing that is true is that if you want to be a legend, a master at whatever you do you have to put in the hours. There is no running away from that fact. Do the research, practice, repeat until you get muscle memory, train your body to push past pain and not give up. That all happens when you dedicate yourself to mastering a craft.
My love for stories began at a very young age. My favourite childhood memories are going to the library during break time to read a book. All the other kids would be making a beeline for the swings and slides and there I was running in the opposite direction ready to jump into the world of the story I was reading. As I read my imagination grew bigger. I could see things and imagine them and traverse across oceans or even dimensions simply by opening a book. I learned new words which people around me don’t normally use and dreamed of a place that I could use them without sounding weird.
Then came high school and the library was not as engaging or accessible for some reason. Therefore, I turned to my own imagination to create stories. I went to an all girls boarding school. Every Friday night we were given an extra hour to tell stories in our dorm before bedtime. Now our dorms were one long room filled with bunkbeds and lockers. Everyone had to be on their bed during story time and the lights were turned off. Anyone could volunteer to tell a story. I remember one time telling a story about a beach in Zambia, and everyone laughed at me saying Zambia is landlocked, there are no beaches here. In that moment I knew that performance and putting myself out there was not for me. Not sure if I ever told a story again.
Instead what I did do was pick up a pen and paper and start to create worlds that took me away from the dreary prison feeling of a Catholic School located in the middle of a bush. Now as a teenager I had started reading Mills & Boon and Harlequin. With all those raging hormones my stories were mostly steamy romances in Italian villas or a Texan ranch, not that I had ever been to one let alone seen a picture of. I would write on a single page a day and somehow I gained a following. The pieces of paper would be passed around the class and there would even be a rosta as to who was next to read. I guess we all needed some escape. Worse, let anyone catch you in the middle of writing a page, they would either sit and watch you finish or keep asking you, “Are you done?”
I wish I could find one of those stories. I would probably cringe. After high school through to university, I kind of just stopped cold turkey. I stopped reading. I stopped writing. To be honest I think I started living and experiencing the things I had often written about. That’s why I am obsessed with new adventures and trying something new. Then throw on top of that essays and assignments. I also spent a ton of time in the art department.
Well I am sure if you know my story, then you know after graduating I was in survival mode. There was zero time for all of that which is called literature. Zero. It is only in the last few years that I have really taken writing up again on a more serious note. Because of the things that happened to me I always thought of myself as a dramatic writer. However, people point this out to me daily is that I am actually more of comedic writer. When we were growing up, no matter how shitty the situation, we would laugh through it with my mum and sister. I don’t know if it’s unhealthy, but I find humour in everything. Most times I just keep it to myself because I am not sure if people will receive it well. Or they will think I am mocking the situation. Most times I am not. I just think that humour is wonderful vehicle that helps us get through the hardest of moments. And when you can smile in the middle of a storm, that’s half the battle won. All this to say, I never really thought of myself as a funny person..
But more and more I see that when I interact with people I literally want to make them smile. I was once told I was boring and I really took it to heart. But I think I am letting go of that lie. I am embracing my funny bones and just letting loose. SO you know I always say Dream Big, here are a few dreams I am throwing out into the universe so that it can bring it back to me:
- I write a global sensation that will get adapted for the screen
- My writing provides a stable income for me and the generations after me
- What I write sparks meaningful conversations that revolutionise the way we behave
- My writing gives you the vocabulary for words you never knew you needed
- My writing is a portal to your healing journey
No pressure hey. Hahahaha. Well let’s see what does comes back. But to do all of dis right here, I actually got to write. So sis when you see I am slacking, call me out. Demand the content. Don’t let me slip behind. I am putting pressure on me, but I also need you to do your part. Thank you so much. I love you for doing it.
Ok I gotta go. Africana Woman is a blog, podcast and community. Join it all. Welcome if you are new here. And my Live Hard readers you are de best. I love you so much. Take care of yourselves. Remember to love yourself flaws n all, and attract the life you truly desire.
Kisses
Chulu