J Chigoziem Achoronye tells his stories in a unique style. Most of his characters are ordinary people leading ordinary lives in their natural environments. His plots have minor plots, all intertwined in an intricate storyline. He also uses parallels when the distinctive traits of a character are better highlighted by contrast with another character. His […]
We quote prominent and influential people in our essays and speeches. Their sayings are axioms which we believe and accept uncritically. I often come across such sayings which appear to have limited amounts of truth in them. An example is this statement accredited to Mahatma Gandhi. “The moment the slave resolves that he will no […]
I join Nigerians to wish Prof Anezi Okoro a happy birthday. This is belated because he celebrated the day in Enugu back in May, 2022. For many of us, the old brigade, his name rings a bell. For the younger ones, the “Indomie generation” especially, it’s not so. They may not know anything about this […]
You can now place your order Adaku Sheri Njideka Mr. Okonkwo and the School Disciplinary Organization
Any creative writer, be he a novelist, dramatist or screenwriter, must be a master of dialog. He must know how to bring situations and characters to life through conversation. This is an area the Nigerian movie industry, #Nollywood, appears to flounder. I don’t want to write about the bad English in some of these scripts. […]
The seminar in Owerri is over, and I have returned to my base. But while there, I had an experience that disconcerted me. It wasn’t as much as it was unusual. That Wednesday afternoon, when I drove into the parking lot of the hotel, there was a new Lexus car there. Initially, I couldn’t see […]
“You have two choices, to control your mind or to let your mind control you.” – Paulo Coelho These are words attributed to Paulo Coelho, a Brazilian lyricist and novelist, that someone posted on Twitter. Apparently, the poster sees a lot of wisdom in it. I don’t. The assertion is based on wrong assumptions. It […]
“Publishing is not a meritocracy. No publisher or agent owes you a damn thing. Remember that.” This is the saddest truth every writer will come to learn, usually the hard way. The writer’s task ends when he submits his manuscript to the publisher. If it’s accepted, the publisher takes over from there; otherwise, the writer […]
“The words plotter and pantser… they are meaningless. Just shut up and write, no matter the method, get the words down on paper.“ Writing a novel is like going on a journey. Even when you know your way, you still have to prepare for the trip to avoid difficulties. Similarly, no one builds a house […]
Just before midnight on Tuesday, 6 June 1944, there was an amphibious landing of 24,000 allied forces on the beach of Normandy, mainly American, British, and Canadian troops. Enemy guns greeted them almost immediately, and casualty was very high. These were brave youths who made the ultimate sacrifice to the motherland. So much has changed […]
‘Always be clear when and where the action is taking place. Nothing annoys the reader more when they have to ask “where the hell are they” or “what the hell year is this?”‘ This may be from a scene in a story “The Sheik watched as the soldier galloped off on his horse, spear and […]
The Writer 