The Struggles of a Nigerian Writer

Disclaimer

I am angry. I am sad. This post is a rant. If you don’t want to hear some disturbing stuff, please don’t read!

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Life should have come with a manual then I would strategize on what to do when it hits me this way or that way. I hate the stress I have to go through. I dislike the body aches I get from pushing myself to the limits in the name of working for money.

I want to write professionally but my drafts are not paying the bills at the moment. In my head, I got stories stuck in there. These imaginary people keep me from sleeping early on some nights. They want me to tell their story. They are like spirits in my head.

Just the other day someone was telling me to join in fraudulent activities to make money. My conscience won’t let me, new nature in Christ won’t allow me, I’d carry a whole lot of guilt and frustration and then I’d end up worse than I started out.

I saved up some money the other day so I can get a laptop, then family needs came and I had to give it.

It’s not easy writing with my android phone. Have you noticed that some times my stories stop at a point where there’s obviously more to continue? Using phone to write is discouraging.

These days crawling to my destination doesn’t seem so attractive.

I just laze around the internet. I hardly post on my Facebook timeline. What I do is scroll down my Facebook wall, read, like and/or comment on other people’s post. It’s the same for WordPress, Twitter, Instagram and even my Facebook page.

Writing is a beautiful art but some people don’t know the pain that most writers need to go through in order to birth a book.

Early this year I wanted to publish a book, I started the year with unfinished manuscripts and now the year is going to an end and it is the same old story of unfinished stories.

Beginning of this month I contacted Xlibris – a publishing company – on a whim. It is a UK publishing company that allows writers to self publish and supporting them along the way. I began to communicate with the publishing consultant I was assigned to. I wanted to publish a poetry book, when we started discussing money and how much I have to pay to get my work out there in the world, I backed out. I couldn’t afford the one thousand and seventy- seven pounds (£1,077), not even at the installments rates.

Franca (not her real name) then told me about another customized package that would cost about Six hundred and fifty pounds (£650), I couldn’t afford that either.
Being the kind soul she is, she decided to added me up to the Xlibris Author Learning Center. Where I could learn how to publish my book from other authors who stated out like me. I’ve not been added but soon I should be in that group, learning.

I need all the help I can get. Even if the only thing you can do is say a word of prayer for me, I’d appreciate it.

To all my followers who have been here all this while I say thank you.

I am not going to stop writing. How will I survive if I do?

Until next time

Blessings!