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#18dayswritingchallenge — Writing A Novel In Eighteen Days. - Literature (2) - Nairaland

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Re: #18dayswritingchallenge — Writing A Novel In Eighteen Days. by pabon(m): 2:36pm On Apr 25, 2020
Congratulations. You did it! That's what matters. Many dream to write but few get to the end.
You are not a writer until you write. And as your rightly quoted, no one can edit a blank page.
You could begin editing or allow the manuscript to 'fallow' for some days so it would be fresh in your eyes when you later come to edit and catch more errors.
I take it you know how to do the edits and proofreading? I could point you to books and videos that can help improve your editing if you'd like it.
Congratulations again.

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Re: #18dayswritingchallenge — Writing A Novel In Eighteen Days. by theOGN: 8:47am On Apr 26, 2020
pabon:
Congratulations. You did it! That's what matters. Many dream to write but few get to the end.
You are not a writer until you write. And as your rightly quoted, no one can edit a blank page.
You could begin editing or allow the manuscript to 'fallow' for some days so it would be fresh in your eyes when you later come to edit and catch more errors.
I take it you know how to do the edits and proofreading? I could point you to books and videos that can help improve your editing if you'd like it.
Congratulations again.

Oh yes, please do. What books and videos do you suggest?
Re: #18dayswritingchallenge — Writing A Novel In Eighteen Days. by pabon(m): 4:40pm On Apr 26, 2020


They are many.
-Revision and Self-Editing by James Scott Bell (get all his books if you can). You won't regret it.
-Stephen King's On writing is another great book.
-What Editors do by Peter Ginna
-The first five pages by Noah Luke
- Story Grid by Shawn Coyne (this guy is a master storyteller)
-Element of style (can't remember the author)

They are numerous. Get the ones you can get especially those by James Scott Bell and Shawn Coyne.

As for videos, I'd have to search YouTube for them. There's one a lady from prowriting aid did that's top notch. I'll find them later.

It would be an arduous task to list all the videos and podcasts. So, I just took a screenshot of my PC (these aren't all but you will catch the drift with these).
These are the ones I transferred to my PC. I have a lot of them on my phone as I'm always looking for more materials to improve the craft.
So, what you need to do it to type the name of any specific video you like into the search bar on YouTube. If the thumbnails tally, you've got your video.
I hope this helps.

Re: #18dayswritingchallenge — Writing A Novel In Eighteen Days. by Creeza(m): 4:55pm On Apr 26, 2020
theOGN:
I'm glad I decided to take this challenge. Not going to lie though, at some point I became super lazy, and there's this one day I just didn't feel like sitting down to write. I spent the entire day rereading an old book (and I'm not a fan of rereads, even if it's my favorite book. I'd rather pick up a new one). Long story short, when night came and I realized I couldn't go to sleep without writing anything, I got up and wrote, and wowza, the words started flowing(it's one of those days I had an uncompleted challenge).

So yeah, I'm glad I did this, and I'm glad I pushed myself because at the end, I came out with a 55k-word-half-ugly-half-fine-book.

Lastly I'd like to say thank you to everyone who supported and encouraged me in one way or the other.

Gracias
Congrats

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Re: #18dayswritingchallenge — Writing A Novel In Eighteen Days. by Creeza(m): 6:13pm On Apr 26, 2020
SAMUEL ALAKARA

` Who were you talking to?
Bukky asked as she barred the door behind her. Had she been there listening to my conversation on the phone? I wondered. What did she hear?
Whatever it is, I hope she doesn't believe a thing about it. Its all for her good, anyway.

As a philanthropic and business tycoon, I've always loved my wife so dearly. I believed in destinies. I was destined to be her loving husband. However, my only wish was that, the feelings I had grown to have for her, she felt same towards me. Over the years, I began to doubt it all and here , I found myself- a first gentleman and husband to the ever-busy-as-a bee , President Bukola A. Alakara.

Times like these made me icky. Now, I jerked and turned to behold her grandeur.

“ Oh it's your vice president. He wanted to know if he could be of any assistance to us in these trying times' I said.

“ Orji Casmir Chukwuebuka will never accept reality. Needless to say he is my deputy a million times over, he will never stop trying to be more than his rank in power.” Bukky said as she pulled her shoes.

“ Nobody is an island you know' I felt bad saying this ” Remember he stood by you when you were admitted. After the gunshot injury at Benin city. For months , he waited for your recovery and when you did scale through, eventually, he gave power back to you. He is a good man”

“He could have as well been praying I never resurfaced from the comma . His intentions are not genuine, trying so hard to be kind to me because of the party.”
“ You should not judge from the cover. Read the book first” I said.

Bukky was not in the mood for advice. She wanted to do the questions. She asked me why I had not gone to see my business Clientelle the last Saturday, that's yesterday “ I thought you had a meeting with the Swedish contractors - why didn't you go as you often did every two weeks.”

“ It was can- it was cancelled...the project will still need re-evaluation for another two months...and besides.. I think ... I believe its best I stay around you in these times. You need all the support I can muster.”

Bukky shuddered. She said “ These times are just a phase. They will pass. ' she then asked ' And service? Today? You missed that too. Again”

“ Oh that! Next week-”
“ The third time in a row”.
“ I know, but-”
“ There are no sides here , Mr Samuel Alakara!” She cut in“ you either stand for something or you fall for nothing”

Now, she stood up and paced toward a mini bar. She took a cup and poured herself Amarula cream milk, gave me a cup filled with same content. The smile on her face said every thing about her appreciation of the glass wares. Our personal house aid had done her job accordingly. Nice girl indeed. I thought out loud. Such a sweet sensational girl.

“ To us!'
“ Yeah. To us! And a lifetime fuelled with arguments and strong bonding afterwards” I retorted
She gave a sour grin. “ That's rude. I hate it when you're being too unethical'
“ C'mon my dear. I was only joking!
She poured another glass and walked past me towards the comfy cushion.
“ The boy is Joe's son' the words came out of her mouth like she had been thinking about them all through the night.
“ Which Joe? I turned and continued” the name rings a bell”

“ Yes it's does. The same Joe. Demolition Joe.”
My heart skipped a beat. I know Joe. Very well. Poor thing Joe had died mysteriously. May his soul rest in peace.
I said.“ Him. Oh him!
“ Yes him”
“ Small world. Did you tell him you knew his father?

“ It was not necessary” She paused. “ But why him. Why the poor young man? Could'nt have been just him. There are a thousand and two billion people on planet earth. Why him? Well--”
She stopped when she caught me staring at the wall opposite. I've always felt that these walls had ears. And maybe someone was watching us.

“ Stop it! She snapped.“ Why do you keep doing that?

“ I dont know. I guess- well, just let it pass”

She relaxed into the cushion and drank from a water can. She had taken it from a cupboard. She took out a chest too from the same location.
Slipping drugs into her mouth, she gulped down with a throat of water.

While at this, I thought deeply about what I knew and what I'd just heard. I remembered the things I had done. Sacrifices of self realisation- goals and dreams. I wanted to tell her things. To let her know whats going on in my mind. I feared that she might react negatively. I must endure, the only way to be a saint. It was the only way to atone for sins and achieve novena.

“ So you are just going to let him work for you without telling him the truth about his identity?
“ Not exactly. He is a criminal. Criminals don't deserve the truth. You use them. And toss them. But this one” she paused.” He has a golden heart. He deserves a second chance.”
“ So what's the plan? I asked her.
“ Why should I tell you?
“ Because I care and I want to know what you are thinking?

She smiles“ How sweet. ” She kissed me on the cheek as she strode past me again. This time towards the bedroom. “ I can't tell you. Not now- ” She paused and must have caught me staring at the concrete wall opposite again“Sam. Seriously, you have to stop doing that. Its getting creepy.”
“ Why? I replied.
Why what? Its not healthy. She replied.
“ I mean. Why wont you tell me anything?
“I'd have to kill you afterwards. Strictly confidential. National security demand it”

Her tone sounded drunken. But I knew she wasn't. It was just her nature sometimes, to do things reactively. She left me in the sitting and barleyed into a nearby master bedroom.
“ It's late Dearie” she called out ” make sure to get a good night sleep. ”
I replied reluctantly“ Yea- Good_ good night.” Now, I surreptitiously checked the time. It was Ten fifty-nine , pm. On the Sunday night.

TBC

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Re: #18dayswritingchallenge — Writing A Novel In Eighteen Days. by theOGN: 6:28pm On Apr 29, 2020
pabon:


It would be an arduous task to list all the videos and podcasts. So, I just took a screenshot of my PC (these aren't all but you will catch the drift with these).
These are the ones I transferred to my PC. I have a lot of them on my phone as I'm always looking for more materials to improve the craft.
So, what you need to do it to type the name of any specific video you like into the search bar on YouTube. If the thumbnails tally, you've got your video.
I hope this helps.

Alright thanks a lot. Will check them out.

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